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digital learning

Florida schools roundup: School choice politics, charters, STEM and more

Travis Pillow December 15, 2014

School choice. A political group that supports school choice gets involved in the Democratic primary for a Northeast Florida state House seat. News Service of Florida.

Private schools. A new private school, started by two charter school teachers, is aimed at low-income students in urban Orlando. Orlando Sentinel. A St. Petersburg private school helps gather gift donations for children in the state’s Guardian ad Litem program. Tampa Bay Times.

Lawsuits. Parents from around the state are helping to defend Florida’s tax credit scholarship program in court. Tampa Tribune. Wayne Blanton of the Florida School Boards Association hits back with an op-ed defending the lawsuit and criticizing the school choice program, which as administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Charter schools. Many Florida charter schools struggle to comply with state transparency laws requiring them to post financial and governance information on their websites. Naples Daily News. See the paper’s analysis here. Watchdog.org looks at charter school growth statistics.

Technology. More federal dollars are going to help schools pay for technology purchases. Tampa Tribune. Flagler schools officials find the digital transition hasn’t been as wholesale as they hoped. Daytona Beach News-Journal. A Bevard middle school rolls out a one-to-one inititative. Florida Today. Monroe officials try to combat online threats and cyberbullying. Keynoter.

Teacher evaluations. Districts should follow Hillsborough’s lead on teacher evaluations, Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano writes. Some teachers call for changes. Tampa Bay Times. Baker County teachers boast some of the highest VAM scores in the state. WJCT.

STEM. Why not use Bright Futures scholarships to nudge students toward college majors in STEM fields? Paul Cottle raises the idea in the Tallahassee Democrat. Central Florida high school students take part in scientific research on local college campuses. Orlando Sentinel.

December 15, 2014 0 comment

Technology and Innovation

Legislators, educators talking school technology in Tampa

Travis Pillow November 13, 2014

Travis Pillow

Sen. John Legg

A top Florida lawmaker for education issues is convening a group of educators, elected officials and tech industry representatives in Tampa Thursday morning.

One of the goals: Find ways to close the technology gap between schools and other institutions.

Thanks to the proliferation of smart-phones and affordable tablets, students, like adults, are becoming accustomed to having pocket-sized computers at their disposal. That often changes when they get to school.

“What we expect our kids to do is basically power down when they come into the classroom,” said state Sen. John Legg, R-Trinity, adding: “Schools tend to be lagging the rest of our culture in terms of technology.”

It’s not that educators aren’t open to taking advantage of new tools, Legg said. A former teacher and current charter school administrator, he said he understands how hard it can be to bring technology into schools and make sure it’s used in meaningful ways.

He said he hopes the half-day Digital Classroom Initiative Symposium, happening at Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry, will help educators find ways to use technology more effectively. People from universities and the technology industry, as well as incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner and state Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, are expected to participate.

Earlier this year, Legg sponsored of legislation requiring school districts to spell out their digital learning plans and tie them to efforts to raise student achievement. In the coming years, the Digital Classrooms Plans will be used to guide state funding for school technology.

“We’re not trying to revolutionize education here,” he said. “It’s simply trying to make sure our schools are keeping up with the times.”

November 13, 2014 0 comment

Florida Schools Roundup

Florida roundup: Single-gender schools, testing, accountability and more

Travis Pillow August 13, 2014

Travis Pillow

Single gender. The Hillsborough District responds to an ACLU complaint. Tampa Tribune.

Tax credit scholarships.Sunshine State News reports on the latest evaluation of student results.

Digital learning. A Collier bring-your-own device policy proves popular. Naples Daily News.

Testing. The Lee County School Board discusses a district-wide testing boycott. Fort Myers News-Press.

Accountability. Brevard’s superintendent discusses falling school grades. Florida Today.

Budgets. The Manatee school district faces an investigation into bond funding it could not account for. Bradenton Herald.

Campaigns. A “contract” between voters and five school board candidates stirs controversy in Collier. Naples Daily News. The Tampa Bay Times profiles a three-way race for an open school board seat in Pinellas while a columnist looks at a controversial incumbent in Hillsborough. The Tampa Tribune profiles a different Pinellas race, while the Bradenton Herald looks at one in Manatee.

English language learners. Pinellas looks to review its policies for students who need help learning English. Tampa Tribune.

Superintendents. Hillsobrough’s MaryEllen Elia gets a contract renewal. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune.

Facilities. Polk County delays the release of impact fee revenue to the local school district. Lakeland Ledger.

August 13, 2014 0 comment

Course Choice Customization Virtual Education

Florida launches K-12 online course catalog

Travis Pillow July 29, 2014

Travis Pillow

Florida students now have a tool that allows them to shop around for different courses.

Legislation passed last year broke down several barriers in virtual education. It allowed students enrolled in one school district to take virtual courses offered in another. It also laid the groundwork for a course choice program that’s slated to come online during the 2015-16 school year, and it required the state Department of Education to create a directory to help students the navigate new options.

The online course catalog is now public, as Education Pam Stewart announced Friday in a memo to school districts, and can be found here.

“As Florida continues to lead the nation in school choice, we are excited for students to access the informational catalog and choose courses that will benefit their educational experience,” Stewart wrote in her memo.

Last year’s law change means a student enrolled in Osceola County can sign up for virtual courses offered in Orange or Okaloosa Counties, in addition to the statewide offerings of Florida Virtual School. The catalog combines the course offerings of Florida Virtual School, district virtual instruction programs and other digital courses developed by districts. If the Florida Approved Courses and Tests Initiative launches as expected, those new offerings will also be available in the catalog, saving students the need to navigate dozens of different provider websites.

So far, most of the courses districts have added to the catalog are either built around the Florida Virtual School curriculum or offered by state-approved virtual education providers like K12 and Edgenuity.

Most districts have yet to add their courses to the catalog, but they have a financial incentive to do so. If students successfully complete a virtual education course, the district that offered the course can receive the associated funding, regardless of where students are enrolled for their remaining courses. So if the Osceola County student takes six courses at a traditional campus and completes a seventh through Orange’s virtual program, the two districts would split the funding proportionally.

The catalog also includes a feedback system that allows students to rate their courses with up to five stars, giving districts and other providers another way to compete for students and the funding that can follow them into online courses.

July 29, 2014 2 comments

Florida Schools Roundup

Florida roundup: Technology, growth, testing and more

Travis Pillow July 8, 2014

Travis Pillow

Technology. StateImpact delves into E-rate, the obscure funding source helping schools go wireless. Hillsborough officials say they’ve worked most of the kinks out of their online gradebook software. Tampa Tribune. Manatee schools upgrade their Microsoft suite. Bradenton Herald.

Growth. Escambia officials are pushing a local school tax as a way to fund new buildings needed to accommodate an expected influx of jobs to the area. Pensacola News-Journal.

Teachers unions. The Sun-Sentinel reports on the Florida Education Association’s intervention in an ongoing leadership election dispute in Palm Beach County.

Testing. Collier County schools officials say they’re still waiting on the state to release a test item bank. Naples Daily News.

Low-income students. Hillsborough schools help outfit students with clothing, hygiene items, and other essentials. Tampa Tribune.

Retention. Collier schools look to get third graders up to grade level. Naples Daily News.

July 8, 2014 0 comment

Florida Schools Roundup

Florida roundup: Digital learning, campaigns, special needs and more

Travis Pillow June 24, 2014

Travis Pillow

Digital learning. Two previously defunct Pinellas schools are set to reopen as magnets focused on digital instruction. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune.

Campaigns. Collier County school board candidates express “general support for school choice” during a public forum that touches on charters and vouchers. Naples Daily News. An Okaloosa County School Board candidate campaigns on reversing a slide in school grades. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Special needs. Florida’s school choice legislation could spark efforts in other states to offer customized learning options to special needs students. Watchdog.org. A special needs advocate raises questions about the legislation. Gradebook. A new school aimed at exceptional students with start as a private school with hopes of becoming a charter. Winter Haven News Chief.

School climate. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports on parent and teacher surveys.

Teachers unions. One candidate files suit in a protracted union leadership election. Palm Beach Post.

Finance. Vanished emails hamper an investigation into misspent bond money. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Superintendents. Alachua County’s new schools chief signs his contract. Gainesville Sun.

Nutrition. Participation grows at a Marion summer meal program. Ocala Star-Banner.

June 24, 2014 0 comment

Florida Schools Roundup

Florida roundup: School choice, digital learning, special needs and more

Travis Pillow June 16, 2014

Travis Pillow

School choice. Florida’s major school choice legislation officially lands on the governor’s desk. Tampa Bay Times. Sentinel School Zone.

Digital learning. Pasco Schools plan to expand a competency-based blended learning program after seeing promising results. Tampa Tribune.

Turnarounds. Struggling schools subject to state intervention see mixed results in their first year of turnaround efforts. Tampa Bay Times.

Testing. End-of-course results are expected later this morning. School Zone. Schools prepare for life after the FCAT in math and English. Tampa Tribune. Marion County has a six-part plan to raise scores. Ocala Star-Banner.

Special needs. District officials complain about inadequate funding for students with disabilities. Palm Beach Post. The parents of a special needs student who was slapped by his bus driver speak out. Pensacola News-Journal.

Teacher quality. Duval schools struggle to keep some of their most highly rated teachers. Florida Times-Union.

June 16, 2014 0 comment

Funding

Scott okays funding for digital learning, nixes it for single-gender schools

Travis Pillow June 2, 2014

Travis Pillow

Florida school districts will have to come up with a detailed strategy for using technology in their classrooms under a bill Gov. Rick Scott approved today alongside the state budget.

The governor approved the $77 billion spending plan that sets aside additional funding for “digital classrooms,” as well as legislation that could set the stage for increases in the coming years.

Requests for money to help school districts upgrade their technology infrastructure and train their teachers to use the devices has varied widely in recent years, from a request of more than $400 million last year to the $40 million the state Board of Education sought this year.

Key lawmakers, including Senate Education Chairman John Legg, R-Trinity, said one reason for the variation is state officials often don’t have reliable information on school districts’ digital learning needs.

For that reason, Legg sponsored a bill requiring districts to set specific digital learning goals tied to improving student achievement, and allowing them to receive dedicated funding tied to those goals. That legislation made its way into a larger education funding package Scott signed today. In a statement responding to Scott’s signing of HB 5101, Legg said the governor “understands the vital need for a continued focus in digital education in the classroom.”

The first round of district digital learning plans is due to the state Department of Education in October. Those plans will then be tied to funding in the budget. The amount is $40 million in the spending plan that takes effect July 1, but it could increase in future years once the plans are in place. The legislation sets an annual funding target of about $100 million.

Scott took a light touch with line-item vetoes, approving most of the education-related projects in the budget. However, he rejected $300,000 in funding that would have gone to help train teachers at single-gender schools in Duval and Broward counties.

June 2, 2014 0 comment