Florida Virtual School and Connections Academy to Provide Online Learning

Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has announced a new alliance with the Florida Connections Academy, a K-8 virtual school program being operated in Florida by Connections Academy, a national virtual school provider. The new entity will be called Florida Virtual School's Connections Academy (FLVSCA), and will enable Florida students in elementary and middle school to enroll in its online classes this fall.

 

According to a new state law, all school districts have to provide full-time, online learning to public school students, and FLVSCA had been specially formed to ensure that districts meet these requirements. FLVSCA is the first collaborative program of its kind specially launched with an aim to fulfill the needs of public school students in grades K-5. The existing middle school program FLVS will also be extended by the new program.

 

Julie Young, president and CEO, FLVS, said that this announcement and partnership between Florida Virtual School and Connections Academy, will advance FLVS' overall mission to give all Florida families a variety of high-quality educational options.

 

Young noted that working in partnership with districts, FLVS believes this new program will give parents of young, public school children more learning options.

 

FLVSCA will follow a conventional, 180-day calendar for its operations and Florida certified teachers will be delivering all the courses provided by it. Through this program, all public school district will be able to comply with the new state law, know as the School District Virtual Instruction Program. This program requires all public school districts to provide students with a virtual learning option by the 2009-2010 school year, and offer all Florida students with an access to online learning through the Florida Virtual School.

 

Barbara Dreyer, president, Connections Academy, said that the partnership with FLVS and with districts throughout Florida is grounded in its mission to deliver a highly personalized program that meets the full range of an individual student's educational needs.

 

Dreyer noted that the Connections Academy is excited about using the flexible pace options, inherent in online learning, to target each child's learning needs.

 

The students in grades K-8 will receive a number of online learning options through FLVSCA, featuring customized and flexible instructions. A print-rich curriculum will also be included in the program, in which textbooks from various publishers and modern, yet easy-to-use technology resources will be integrated with hands-on materials, along with certified teachers from Florida following daily lesson plans.

 

In order to make sure that learning aims are fulfilled successfully, teachers will be working in close coordination with parents or other learning guides. To learn more about the Florida Virtual School, please visit http://www.flvs.net, and to know about the Connections Academy in detail, please visit http://www.connectionsacademy.com.