Student Status

Full-Time Student

A “Full-Time” student in the virtual school is like being a full-time student at a traditional brick and mortar school, except all of the teaching and learning happens through virtual instruction. The virtual school will be responsible for all enrolled full-time students, just like a traditional brick and mortar school would be, including state testing. The virtual school will be both the student’s school of enrollment and school of instruction.

Part-Time Student

A “Part-Time” student in the virtual school is a student who is traditionally enrolled in another school but would like to take one or more courses through the virtual school. The student’s traditional brick and mortar school would still be their school of enrollment. There are many reasons students choose to take one or more courses through the virtual school, that can include to catch up, to get ahead, to take a course not offered at their traditional brick and mortar school in naming just a few of these reasons.

Home Education Student

Florida law requires parents wishing to “Home School” their child or children, basically meet 3 requirements:

• The parent files a letter of intent with the district in which they reside
• The parent has a portfolio of their student’(s) work
• The parent files a written letter of termination upon the completion of the home education program

To learn about these exact Florida Home Education requirements click HERE.

Enrolling as a Home Education Student

Home Education students wanting to take courses virtually can certainly do so and it can be very beneficial to both the student and the parent(s) or guardian(s). When registering the student(s), some basic parent or guardian information is required initially, for when the student or parent selects the course or courses for the student(s) to take, the parent will be the one to approve those course or courses. Prior to being ready to approve a student’s course request, the parent will have to submit to the virtual school a Homeschool Verification Form, which is just a one-time event. The Homeschool Verification Form simply lists the name of the student(s) being home educated, your address and the county in which you filed your letter of intent to “home school” your child or children. Once the virtual school verifies that this information is correct, the school will send you instructions on how to approve the requested course or courses.

State Testing as a Home Education Student

Home Education students are not required to take the FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) nor any specific course end of course (EOC) tests.

State Scholarships and Home Education Students

Home Education students who receive any type of state scholarship need to check with their awarding agency to determine their eligibility for virtual instruction. Typically, up to 2 courses per year are allowed for students receiving scholarships, however, in some cases enrolling in more than 2 courses may affect their eligibility to receive the scholarship. To learn more about these scholarships click HERE.

Diplomas and Home Education Students

Home Education students typically complete a home education program designed by the parent(s) or guardian(s) and upon the program completion the parent(s) or guardian(s) certify this completion. There are other ways in which Home Education students can receive a diploma. Keep in mind there are 3 types of diplomas that can be awarded. They are:

• Accredited Diploma – accepted by all post-secondary schools, colleges and universities, and to get into any of the United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines)
• Certificate of Completion – a Florida specific diploma type given to students who meets the local district’s graduation requirements but fails to take or pass one of the state-required tests like the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) and all the required course specific end of course tests (EOC). This diploma alone typically cannot be used for college, university or U.S. Armed Forces acceptance. Trade schools may be a viable option though
• High School Equivalency Diploma – in Florida this is accomplished by getting a passing score on the GED test through the Florida Department of Education. This diploma type has the same limitations as the “Certificate of Completion”

How these diplomas can be earned by a Home Education student:

• Accredited Diploma
  • Through the use of an umbrella school after completion of the student’s home education program
  • Through direct or dual enrollment with an AdvancedEd accredited private academy
  • Through re-enrollment into the student’s local high school or virtual school as a full-time student. Note the student must meet all of the state and local district’s graduation requirements, including
• Certificate of Completion
  • Through re-enrollment into the student’s local high school or virtual school as a full-time student. Note the student must meet all of credit and GPA requirements, but may be deficient in the state-required tests
• High School Equivalency Diploma – earned through the Florida Department of Education by passing the state’s GED test