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Virtual Schools The Right Answer For Many Students

Tribune photo by JIM REED

Jasmine Hargrove, 12, works on her middle school homework at home on her mother's work computer.

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By MARILYN BROWN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 24, 2008

TAMPA - More than 1,100 Hillsborough County students attend public school classes from their home computers.

Another 63,000 plus take classes from Florida Virtual School.

The numbers, though soaring, remain a small percentage of total student enrollment. It's the effect on families that is striking.

Marchicia McBride of Riverview works in her home office from 5 to 9 a.m. handling reservations for Hilton Hotels.

By then her daughter, Jasmine, 12, has left her nearby bedroom with its hot pink walls, "Girls Rock" bedspread and scads of pictures; taken out the family's dog; showered; downed her breakfast; maybe traded her pajamas for jeans and taken over the computer.

Jasmine is in seventh grade at Hillsborough Virtual School.

She constantly is in touch with dozens of classmates and her six teachers - zipping in and out of chatrooms, instant messaging, e-mailing, scrolling through and completing assignments, recording her voice for a Spanish lesson.

Her mom and teachers have access to it all, including the practical jokes and spats that break out in the virtual community much as they do in a classroom.

"I think I know more about what's going on in her classes than when she was in regular school," McBride says. She and her daughter can click on the "Dashboard" page at any time to see updated test scores and grades, and to reach her teachers via e-mail or telephone.

"I don't think I'm missing anything," says Jasmine, who has been using a computer since she was 5 or 6 and whose friends prefer texting to phoning. "I talk to students every day."

What's missing is the atmosphere at Eisenhower Middle School where Jasmine attended sixth grade last year, McBride says: "There were a lot of fights, a lot of bad influences I was not expecting to be exposed to in the seventh grade."

The last straw was when someone broke into Jasmine's locker, McBride says. Her daughter's cell phone and camera were stolen.

Still, "I was not a home school advocate," she says. "I'm not a teacher. Teachers went to school for this profession."

Virtual school was the answer because it is taught by certified teachers, not a parent as home school requires. And there was no cost. Virtual schools run by the district and state are funded by taxpayers.

Virtual school students are required to take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test at a public school. The test is not required for designated home school students.

A 2007 study by the Florida TaxWatch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability of the 10-year-old Florida Virtual School found students performed higher than the state average in both reading and mathematics, and earned higher grades than students at standard public schools.

"You have to be organized. You have to want to do your schoolwork," says Jasmine, who recently studied from Georgia when her family was visiting relatives. "I have friends who got 20 lessons behind. Now they're going back to school."

Virtual schools are growing, but Hillsborough's serve less than 1 percent of the district's 191,000 students. Florida virtual schools serve about 3 percent of student enrollment. Most students take one or two courses, including making up a failed class, especially in middle school, or adding an advanced placement or extra course in high school.

Big savings on school construction, transportation and overhead costs are "years and years away," said David Steele, Hillsborough schools' chief information and technology officer.

Districts statewide are looking at the classes as a way to meet Florida's mandate to limit individual class sizes by 2010. When a middle or high school class meets capacity, students could volunteer to take the class online.

As long as a student is taking at least one course at a public high school, he or she may take the remainder virtually and graduate with a diploma from that school, Steele said.

Virtual schooling also is becoming more of an option for younger students. The state is requiring every school district to offer kindergarten through eighth-grade virtual classes in 2009-10.

Tammy Beddow of Brandon has three sons, ages 10, 8 and 7, who only know virtual school. Tanner, 10, started kindergarten at one of Florida's K-8 virtual schools. His brothers have followed.

The curriculum was the same Beddow had seen at a home school conference when she was considering that option, but it came free with the virtual school. Her sons share the same virtual teacher and the school sends her the books, workbooks, goggles, scales, seeds, paint, brushes, and other materials needed for art lessons and experiments.

"It pays off to have time with the kids," says Beddow who acknowledges the elementary program requires a lot of parent time.

Another parent of a third-grader in Hillsborough's new elementary virtual school, La Shonda Martinez, agreed, saying she uses the "learning coach" materials given elementary parents. The 30 minutes a day of physical education include timed rubs, exercises and a yoga tape for her third-grade son.

Martinez opted for virtual school this year when she began working at home and couldn't drive her son, Antony, to a south Tampa school he attended with a special assignment. She doesn't like her neighborhood school near the University of South Florida.

"He does miss the daily interaction with his friends," Martinez said. "I only plan to do it another year. In fifth grade he wants to be a safety patrol."

On the plus side, her 8-year-old is "really becoming quite good on Word and excel programs" required for his classes.

The virtual world also is adopting virtual school traditions.

New software allows teachers to create a virtual classroom where an entire class can meet at one time, taking their places at virtual desks, says Jim Pirotta, administrator for the program.

Pirotta evaluates teachers virtually, "walking" through the classrooms, observing grade books, e-mail responses and the warmth of the teacher's welcoming page. He recently asked students to vote on a Hillsborough Virtual School mascot and school colors.

They're the Bulldogs. The colors are magenta, black and teal. Pirotta has a wood bulldog on his desk and a virtual bulldog on the program's Web site, online.mysdhc.org

Hillsborough County's Virtual Schools

Blake Accelerated Program. Grades 9-12 earn a diploma from Blake High School. Students work online at home at their own pace, but take standardized tests at school. Must have and maintain a 2.5 grade point average. Can start at any grade level each fall or spring.

Co-Enrolled Students: Middle and high school students take a combination of classes at their traditional middle or high school and online. They earn a diploma from their traditional high school.

Home School Students: Parents already must be established with the district as home-school parents. Students may take up to seven virtual classes a semester, but do not earn a high school diploma. Their transcripts and college entrance examination scores may qualify them for college entrance.

K-8 Program: Parents must live in Hillsborough and be available during the day to help the student in this fulltime program for kindergarten through eighth grade. The student must have attended a Florida public school the entire previous school year. That requirement may be waived for military families. A fulltime certified teacher is assigned to each student to work online. Registered home school families do not qualify. Beginning in 2008-09, the district has partnered with two state virtual schools for the elementary program. For an online pre-application, go to http://online.mysdhc.org, click on elementary.

For all Programs: Call (813) 272-4362 or http://online.mysdhc.org
Source: Hillsborough County Schools

Florida Virtual School

Florida Virtual School, billed as the largest virtual K-12 school in the world, accepts students from throughout the state at no cost. Those outside Florida pay tuition.

Students in grades 6 through 12 may sign up for one class or a full course load. State certified teachers may or may not be located in Florida.

A structured, fulltime kindergarten through eighth grade program is available for students outside Hillsborough. It is called Florida Virtual Schools Connections Academy.

For information, go to www.flvs.net

Source: Florida Virtual School

Increasing Popularity

Enrollment is on the rise for virtual schools in Hillsborough County and in Florida.

HILLSBOROUGH

Semester Credits

2003-04: 1,392

2004-05: 1,494

2005-06: 1,266

2006-07: 1,394

2007-08: 3,790

2008-09*: 3,721

* Students enroll throughout the year.

FLORIDA

Semester Credits

2003-04: 25,615

2004-05: 37,914

2005-06: 55,883

2006-07: 87,250

2007-08: 137,450

2008-09: 160,000*

*Projected

Source: Hillsborough County Schools

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069.

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