This fall, after wowing millions of TV viewers, falling just short of the final round on NBC's The Voice and gaining national exposure that she hopes will launch a lifelong music career, Shalyah Fearing tried something new. She started learning in a traditional classroom at a local public high school.
Now 16 and a junior, she takes three classes at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Fla. while managing the rest of her course load online.
Her family has experienced just about every flavor of school choice — public, private, virtual, home education. So it was fitting that they lent their voices to one of the first events of National School Choice Week, which runs Sunday through Jan. 28, and includes more than 20,000 events across the country.
Students join Shalyah Fearing on stage during a celebration of educational options in Pasco County, Fla.
The events steer clear of politics and encompass multiple educational options.
Among others, Saturday's celebration in Shady Hills featured local Catholic schools, the Pasco County school district's career academies and the statewide virtual school that allowed Shalyah to take classes while she chased her musical dreams in California.
For most of Shalyah's life, she and her six school-age brothers and sisters were homeschooled. As her mother puts it, they enrolled at Fearing Academy.
When she traveled to Los Angeles to compete on reality television, she took classes through Florida Virtual School. She tackled assignments as her schedule allowed, and kept up with teachers and classmates online and by phone.
"All I had to do was carry my laptop everywhere I went," she said. "My teachers were always available." (more…)
Dozens of Florida schools — many of them online schools — initially rated "incomplete" by the state Department of Education now have official A-F grades.
As noted by the Orlando Sentinel, school grades recently became final after the deadline for appeals passed.
Of the 114 schools that received incomplete ratings when the state released preliminary grades in July, 76 now have letter grades. The grades are based on student performance on the Florida Standards Assessment, along with other factors such as learning gains.
A significant number of the newly graded schools are virtual education operations that were rated incomplete because fewer than 95 percent of their students took all their state assessments.
Among statewide providers, Florida Virtual School received a B for its full-time high school program and a C for its full-time K-8. K12 Inc. received a B.
Both K12 and FLVS came fairly close to meeting the 95 percent threshold, with roughly 90 percent of their students tested.
A third provider, Edgenuity, still has an incomplete. Updated state records show just 62 percent of its students took all their required tests.
School budgeting: The Pinellas County School Board approves a preliminary budget of $1.5 billion that includes a slightly lower tax millage rate. But higher property values will raise tax revenues by more than $4 million. Tampa Bay Times. The Lee County School Board approves a $1.4 billion budget. It set a lower tax millage rate, which are more than offset by higher property values. The district expects 92,000 students. Fort Myers News-Press. The Polk County School Board approves a $1.2 billion budget that keeps the reserve fund at 5 percent. Lakeland Ledger. The Manatee County School Board approves a $608 million tentative budget. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Collier County School Board tentatively approves a $972 million budget, an increase of $85 million from last year. Naples Daily News. The Leon County School Board approves a $498 million budget, which school officials are calling tight. Tallahassee Democrat.
New school programs: Fourteen Duval County schools are getting new programs for the upcoming school year, the district announces. The goal, says Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, is to give neighborhood children a reason for choosing their local schools instead of going to private schools. Florida Times-Union.
Virtual school ads: Florida Virtual School nearly doubles its advertising budget in an effort to bring in more students. The system is adding $1 million to its advertising budget for TV and radio spots and billboards. About 5,600 students are now enrolled. Orlando Sentinel.
Strong sales tax: St. Johns County School Superintendent Joe Joyner says the extra half-cent sales tax is on track to bring in $17 million this year - almost $4 million more than originally forecast. The tax helps the district with construction, technology upgrades and security improvements. St. Augustine Record. (more…)
Editor's note: Our friends at the EdFly recently shared a story from Florida that reveals many of the benefits of the new definition of public education. We re-publish it here. Shalyah Fearing will compete in the elimination rounds of "The Voice," which start Monday on NBC. The Tampa Tribune has the latest on her quest.
by Kate Wallace
When Shalyah Fearing, now 16, drove up to Atlanta from central Florida to try out for the season 9 of hit TV show "The Voice" in February of 2015, she had no idea how she would fare next to the 10,000 hopefuls who stood in line with her.
After waiting through a three-day process, she made it to a second audition and was optimistic, but eventually was sent home and told she might get called back.
“I took that to mean the process was over,” Shalyah said. “I was disappointed but happy I made it as far as I did.”
Life went on, and Shalyah had moved on from the idea of appearing on the show. But six months later, a phone call came. It was a producer asking if she would come to Miami and try out again for season 10. After another round of grueling auditions, Shalyah was asked to come to the set of The Voice to audition live for the show’s famous cast of judges. (more…)
Testing standards: The Florida Board of Education votes 6-1 to follow the recommendation of Education Commissioner Pam Stewart on how to use the Florida Standards Assessments tests to rate student progress and grade schools. Board vice chairman John Padget and many business and education officials were calling for harder scoring and grading plans. School grades will be issued Feb. 9. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. Florida Times-Union. Pensacola News Journal. Lakeland Ledger. TCPalm. Bradenton Herald. Tallahassee Democrat. St. Augustine Record. WFSU. Sunshine State News. Gov. Rick Scott and his allies in public education claim victory over former Gov. Jeb Bush and his allies in the fight over setting performance benchmarks for Florida’s students and schools. Politico Florida.
Grading schools, states: The nation's schools receive a C grade in the annual Education Week's Quality Counts report. Florida was 29th among the 50 states with a C-minus grade. Massachusetts is first with a B-plus, and Nevada is last with a D. Education Week.
Students' bill: Florida House Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Dunedin, files a bill that was created by two Countryside High School students that would offer high school students an elective course for life skills, leadership development, college planning and a study hall. Florida Politics.
School calendar: Okaloosa County schools will start Aug. 10 and end May 26, 2017 Here's the full calendar. The move was made to end the first semester in December and start the second after the holidays. Northwest Florida Daily News.
New virtual tools: Florida Virtual School is partnering with Knewton to build personalized courses for students, starting this spring. Virtual-Strategy magazine. THE Journal. (more…)
Two years ago, Jordan Hamilton was looking for an artistic outlet.
She'd been taking classes at Florida Virtual School's Escambia County franchise for two years, and after some searching, she found her way to Virge, the virtual school's student-run literary magazine. She said that at the time, she thought it might offer a forum for her artwork and digital photography, and a way to connect with fellow students. Before long, though, she began submitting her writing, too, and became one of its most prolific contributors. Now in her senior year of high school, she's among the de facto leaders of a group of students — including some from other states and countries — who assemble the biannual digital publication each semester.
"Spring Cleaning," one of Hamilton's contributions to the latest issue of Florida Virtual school's student-created literary magazine, which centered on the theme "Two Cups of Tea."
"It's all coordinated online," Hamilton said, though "there are opportunities where we can all meet in person."
Clubs are part of the experience at most schools. They're where a lot of learning goes on, and they give students places to tap their creativity in ways that aren't always available during a normal school day.
As it grew to become the largest public virtual school in the country, Florida Virtual School started trying to replicate those experiences for thousands of students online. Its clubs are open to all students who take FLVS classes, including those enrolled in its district franchises and FLVS Global, which caters to students outside Florida.
Each issue of Virge features student artwork, photography and creative writing, organized around a theme. To solicit submissions, plan each issue, and lay out pages, Hamilton works with students in different parts of the state — and in places like California, Kentucky and Malaysia.
Distance has kept her from meeting her collaborators face-to-face, though others have gathered in Central Florida for FLVS's annual club days. It also means she and her fellow students have to coordinate online conferences across multiple time zones. In between virtual meetings, they share ideas and edits in online wikis.
The credits on the latest issue show the breadth of Hamilton's contributions, from editing and graphics to a host of submissions.
"If we had an editor-in-chief, it would be her this year," said Cindy Knoblauch, Virge's faculty sponsor, who also helped launch some FLVS clubs. (more…)
Earlier this year, buzz was building around plans for Florida Virtual School to launch a physical campus at its Orlando headquarters.
Since then, however, FLVS has pulled the plug on the effort.
In an email, spokeswoman Tania Clow said the virtual school made the decision after learning this spring from the state Department of Education that FLVS Campus would not have qualified for the state's main pool of public-school funding, which helps pay for other virtual education programs.
Funding. Gov. Rick Scott calls for a "continuation" budget, with potential implications for school funding, while legislative leaders say they intend to assemble a full state spending plan. Times/Herald. The Lee County school board votes unanimously not to ask voters to levy a sales tax for school facilities. Naples Daily News. Fort Myers News-Press.
Charter schools. The Palm Beach school district appeals a state Board of Education decision overturning its denial of a charter school application. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. The district and a shuttered charter point fingers over missing records that could cost the district millions in funding. Sun-Sentinel.
Magnet schools. A pair of highly regarded Palm Beach magnet programs land high in national rankings. Palm Beach Post.
Awards. Florida selects its principal of the year. Palm Beach Post.
Lawsuits. Florida Virtual School wins access to its supporting foundation's records in a court case. Orlando Sentinel.
Charter schools. Students scramble for other options - and say emotional goodbyes - as their charter school shuts down late in the school year. First Coast News. An Alachua charter school's principal and some of its board members resign. Gainesville Sun.
School choice. Schools should have to compete for students, and students should be free to choose, an Orlando Sentinel guest column argues.
Career academies. Demand is high for a new Okaloosa machining academy. Northwest Florida Daily News. Duval launches an aviation program. Florida Times-Union.
Lawsuits. Florida Virtual School takes its supporting foundation to court over alleged financial mismanagement. Orlando Sentinel.
Magnet schools. Duval offers students a museum-themed magnet. Florida Times-Union.
Virtual school. Palm Beach's virtual school will celebrate its graduating class. Palm Beach Post.
Testing. What will testing reductions mean for teacher evaluations? StateImpact. North Florida students seem OK with the switch to computerized testing. Northwest Florida Daily News. Students have to retake geometry exams after they were improperly given calculators. Fox 13.
Remedial courses. Remedial reading and math classes will no longer be mandatory for struggling students, though schools will be required to offer them support. Orlando Sentinel.
Special needs. A program helps students with unique abilities cultivate practical skills. Naples Daily News.
Employee conduct. A Mavericks High principal caught with a student in a pot-filled car had a history of issues at a charter school where she previously worked. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel. The issue has gotten the attention of outlets like Gawker. A Jacksonville teacher faces allegations of an improper relationship with a student. Florida Times-Union. A school staffing specialist is arrested for forging a doctor's note to get out of work. Keynoter.
Summer. Some Lee County schools plan to extend the school year to help combat the summer slide. Fort Myers News-Press. (more…)
Superintendents. Ex-Hillsborough superintendent MaryEllen Elia applies for the top post in Palm Beach County. Gradebook. Tampa Tribune.
Virtual school. Florida Virtual School has begun offering a free online financial literacy course. WOFL.
Community schools. The Escambia school district aims to create a community school with wraparound services. Pensacola News-Journal.
Busing. "Thousands of students who needed help the most were caught in a broken system" as a result of a desegregation program that buses students from the inner city to the suburbs, the Tampa Bay Times argues in an editorial.
Growth. Local government officials and residents debate a planned high school in western Orange County. Orlando Sentinel. A popular Alachua County charter school hopes to expand. Gainesville Sun.
