What You Need to Know About FLVS Before You Sign Up (VIDEO)
Florida Virtual School is a viable option for homeschooling in Florida. It is a free, flexible, online education resource, with a wide selection of courses available, as well as student clubs that your child can participate in. The teachers conduct some live classes virtually using Blackboard software, as well as individually over the phone.
FLVS offers popular electives such as Photography, Drivers Ed, and Personal Finance. They offer AP courses and Honors courses. Your child can take computer programming and get Microsoft certification, learn Chinese, and participate in clubs such as Model United Nations, History Club, and the FLVS’ literary magazine.
There are a few drawbacks to FLVS. First of all, the FLVS curriculum uses the Common-Core-based Florida Standards. Secondly, not all children thrive in a computer-based, virtual learning environment. Also, you have to monitor your child’s progress, as well as monitor their internet usage so that they can learn to manage their time well.
Two of our five children have been using FLVS for a few years, and overall our experiences have been positive ones. Using FLVS has allowed us to outsource a few subjects that we felt would be too time consuming for us to teach or facilitate, given our lifestyle and business. Our children were able to take courses that they are interested in, and have had some really excellent teachers. The grades issued by FLVS are easily transferred to our children’s high school transcripts that we are building for their college applications.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?
If you feel that FLVS would be a good fit for your child, then there are a few things you need to know going in. First of all, everything is online. There are no textbooks. Secondly, your child is required to stay on pace in order to keep their seat in the class. That means that they generally have to complete a set amount of assignments per week. FLVS can be very rigorous. There is a lot of time spent on the computer, even for one class. That is important to keep in mind because you don’t want to overload your child with too much.
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TWO WAYS TO DO FLVS
Full Time
There are two ways to do FLVS, which is essentially public school curriculum at home. FLVS is actually its own school district in FL. They get state funding contingent on how many students are enrolled in their Full Time program, and how many students complete their courses. They are basically an online public school that offers courses to homeschoolers. This fact is key. The people that answer the phones when you call are essentially sales people, trained to get you to sign up your child in Full Time. They are not trained to know homeschool law. If you call them, they will try to convince you that you need to sign your child up for the Full Time program. That is a full course load, including the requirement to take the End of Course (EOC) exams, and the FSA/FCAT. If you don’t want your child to take these exams, they can avoid doing that by choosing the FLEX program.
The sales/customer service reps will tell you that you need to sign up your child for FLVS Full Time in order for them to “get a diploma.” What they do not tell you is that you do not need FLVS to issue your child a diploma. FL State law is clear that the parent of a homeschooled child is the issuer of the child’s diploma and transcripts, and according to our state statutes, all Florida colleges and universities MUST accept them. Many parents worry that their child won’t get a diploma, or will have to get a GED if they homeschool. That is not the case at all. But, some FLVS representatives (in my opinion) prey on the fears of parents and tell them that the only option is Full Time (if you want a diploma).
FLEX (Formerly Part-Time)
The other FLVS option is the FLEX homeschool option. Here your child enrolls for one or a few courses that you want them to take. As homeschoolers our children can take up to 6 courses with FLVS FLEX, but I personally don’t recommend that. It is a huge chunk of time on the computer, which can lead to burnout. Also, the teachers on the FOCUS and FLEX programs are different. They have different hours and schedules. The teachers on the FLEX program have more flexible hours and are generally very easy to get in touch with. I have heard from parents who enrolled via FT, as well as from FLVS guidance counselors, that with the Full Time program teachers are not as easy to get in touch with and have shorter daily hours.
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READY TO SIGN UP FOR CLASSES?
If you are ready to sign your child up for some FLVS classes as a homeschooled student, the online sign up process is pretty simple.
HOMESCHOOL VERIFICATION
First, you will need to make sure that you sent a letter of intent to your county, because the county will need to verify your child’s homeschool status before they can be assigned to an online classroom.
FLVS OR COUNTY?
Secondly, there is a point in the application process where you have to choose whether you want your child to take classes through FLVS or your county virtual school. While the curriculum is the same, the county virtual school teachers have different hours and are not as easy to get a hold of on the phone. We have always used FLVS, not the county virtual school option, but we have heard from many parents that it can be very frustrating sometimes trying to get a hold of teachers in the county virtual schools. Essentially, the county virtual school teachers are managed by a different company than the FLVS teachers, which accounts for these discrepancies.
GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ROCK
If you have to speak with someone on the phone regarding FLVS enrollment, make sure you ask to speak with a guidance counselor. As we mentioned above, the sales/customer service representatives are not trained to be able to answer questions that have to do with FL laws on homeschooling, so they may not be able to inform you completely of your rights as a homeschooler. However, the guidance counselors do understand the laws better, and are much better suited to answer specific questions. Remember, what is most important is your child’s educational needs, not what is best for the school or county school district. So, make sure they know that you want your child in the FLEX program so they don’t try to switch you to Full Time public virtual school.
CHOOSE YOUR TEACHERS
Lastly, you can request teachers in the FLEX program! So, find out from other homeschooling parents which FLVS teachers did a good job teaching their children. Facebook groups are a wealth of information, and asking this type of question on Facebook is a great way to find out which teachers are good, and which are better to avoid. Also, if the teacher your child gets ends up not being a good fit, you can request to be switched out of a teacher’s classroom. We have done that twice without any repercussions at all.
TRANSCRIPTS
The grades that your high school-aged children earn through FLVS can be plugged directly into their transcripts. You can also use their FLVS unofficial transcripts to verify their GPA for dual-enrollment in your local state college, to participate in sports at the local high school, and to apply for the Florida Bright Futures scholarships. You can download a PDF version of your child’s unofficial transcript right from the FLVS Dashboard.
Our goal is inform parents as much as possible so that they are equipped with all the information they need to make the best decision for their child’s education. We are very blessed to have free homeschooling curriculum options in Florida through Florida Virtual School and the county virtual schools. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section of this article! If this article was helpful to you, please share it with your friends.
What You Need to Know About FLVS Before You Sign Up #homeschool #flvs #homeschoolingfl https://t.co/KynOqmAYfK https://t.co/Wl8dIuMmVF
Thank you for posting such an informative article. I am currently torn between the FLVS Flex program and the Full Time program for my daughters. One is going into 10th grade and the other into 3rd grade. Any thoughts?
Sergio, sorry about the delay in replying to your comment! The main difference between the FLEX and FT programs is time and choice. With FLEX your children can work more on their schedules, and have flexibility on when to start or end a class. Also, they don’t have to take the EOC or the FSA tests. FLEX also allows you more choices because you choose what courses they take. FT is basically public school at home. Your child has no flexibility and still has to take the FSA and EOC’s.
I don’t believe that FLEX is available yet for your 3rd grader. I think FLEX starts from 7th grade, so for her she would have to choose FT if you want her to do FLVS. It’s not a bad curriculum, its just a lot of time on the computer, especially for a young child. Depending on her learning style, it might not be the best fit. Hope this helps!
Hello! My name is Deborah im 15 and im in the 10th grade im am honestly thinking about switching to FLVS this year.. Is there any way to do it mid term?
Deborah, yes you can switch to FLVS mid-term. You just have to make sure you do the following:
1. Your parent has to withdraw you from public school and send a letter of intent to homeschool to your county office.
2. Then, you can sign up for FLVS Flex, which is the best way to do FLVS. That way you can take the classes you need or want to and not take classes that you don’t need to. You can take anywhere between 1 and 6 courses at a time.
If you have more questions please feel free to message us through our Facebook. Please let your parents know that they can call us at any time if they have questions or need help.
Hi you mentioned one of your children’s does a program different from FLVS. I am looking for something not common core based. Thank you
Dore, our children use a mix of curriculum, some non-common core and some common core based. For the ones that use FLVS Flex obviously they are doing some common core because FLVS is all CC. The other curricula that we use is Bob Jones University press (math, college prep), Reading Detective (Critical Thinking Co.), Wordly Wise (Vocabulary/Spelling/Usage), Apologia (Science), and our two oldest are dual enrolled at our local state college where they are taking 10-11 credits per semester for free while they are still homeschooled during their high school years.
Hope this helps!
I am trying to enroll my child in 5th grade FLVS Homeschool, is this the same as the FLex, or is it two completely different things. I want the 365 days school year not the 180, where we are locked into a fixed schedule
Hi Naomi – yes FLVS Flex is the homeschool version which allows you to operate on your own schedule, and is available 365 days a year (except holidays).
Thank you for all this great information. The two of you are a God send. You’ve helped me a lot in deciding to homeschool my 12 yr old won with flex program. Glad you touched on stress. He is in 6th now but has been getting very ill since 3rd grade. It seems more about passing the fsa at end. 4th grade teacher was so abusive he used to come home crying. He developed anxiety disorder along with ulcerative colitis. Now scared to go to school in case of accident and let’s not get into school lunches. What a dairy fest. So last year 5th grade I wasn’t told about flex only f/t which was too demanding to keep up. I was forced to have him homebound. Want to talk about a nightmare. That became more sressful than f/t. I don’t wish that apon anyone. I am so happy to have found your website! 1st Q just ended and he’s struggling with c and d. He misses at least 2 days per wk. My question is do they have flex for 6th graders? If so, can he stay home until I sign him up? I already picked up withdrawal letter from public school board. What do I do next, send letter of intent. What do I write? Can they deny him? How long does the rest take before he can start classes at home in a relaxed setting. Any help you can give me would be most appreciated. I know he would benefit from being homeschooled.
Yes! They do have Flex for 6th graders. You can take one class, then once he has the hang of the pace, you can add another, staggering the start times so that students are not overwhelmed.
We have an article that explains exactly what to put in the letter of intent. Here is the link: https://www.homeschoolingflorida.com/blog/how-to-homeschool-in-florida/
You can cut and paste the text and email it to the homeschool coordinator for your county. All you need to do is send the letter and then you can withdraw him. Once you withdraw him you can take a “break” in order for him to decompress for a period of time before starting back up with his academics. His mental and emotional health is very important, and we cannot expect a child to perform academically in a stressful or toxic environment.
The school board has no jurisdiction or law that allows them to deny a child from being homeschooled. The law does not provide that. They must comply with FL law just like we do, and that means that they must accept the letter of intent and record the child as a homeschooler in their county. That is the extent of their involvement – record keeping for the purposes of truancy.
Thanks for the video and blog. Can a child be considered Homeschooled if they attend North Florida Christian (Virtual). I would like to sign my daughter up for one course for FLVS Flex program. Thank you!
Hi Sandi – the only way a child can be considered as a homeschooler is if the parent sends a letter of intent to homeschool to the county.
The curriculum you use, or any programs your child is registered with, do not determine homeschool status.
A child can be homeschooled through a private school, but by state law they are considered a private schools student. If North Florida Christian is a private school, then your child is not considered a homeschooled child, per FL state law. She is considered a private school student, and has to comply with all private school laws. Hope this helps!
Extremely helpful. Thank you so much!
Thank you for the information. Do you feel that FLVS Flex will prepare a child for college? It is my understanding that a diploma is not received upon completion of high school through FLVS Flex. Do you know if this will hurt the student in any way in getting accepted into a college?
FLVS Flex is somewhat rigorous, so yes it can prepare a child for college. They also offer AP classes and Honors level classes if you are interested in that.
However, using Flex has no bearing on whether your child gets a diploma or not.
Homeschooled students in Florida are graduated by their PARENTS.
If you send a letter of intent to the county, you are establishing a legal school in your home, where you (the parent) are the school official. You have the legal authority to make all guidance counseling decisions for your child’s education, as well as issue official high school transcripts, and graduate your child when they have completed YOUR high school program.
Although FLVS is an actual school district in FL, and FLVS FT is an actual public school, FLVS FLEX is NOT your child’s school.
FLVS Flex is just providing curriculum to your child for free.
Regardless of what curriculum you use, FLVS Flex, Dual Enrollment, Time 4 Learning, Abeka, Saxon, BJU, Stanford Online High School, Calvert Academy, Penn Foster, Laurel Springs, Harvard Extension School, Teaching Textbooks, Khan Academy, Acellus, etc. etc,— none of these are your child’s “school.” YOU are the school official of their school and YOU graduate your own child legally.
FLVS Flex does not graduate your child because they are not your child’s school.
The state of Florida has a law that says that all FL colleges and universities must accept the Homeschool Completion Affidavit as the homeschool diploma, and also must accept the official high school transcript at face value.
I have met with the Assistant Director of Admissions at University of Florida, who handles all of the homeschooled applications.
She said that they do not question the official high school transcript provided by the parent.
I have also received the same answer from many college admissions personnel that I have contacted for my own family’s college goals, as well as for research for this website.
Thank you I did not understand it at all I’m probably going to enroll my daughter and the flex program what do I need to do to take her out of the public school she’s only going to be home school for 6th 7th and 8th grade and then go to the high school
Hi Sherry, it’s a very simple process. We created a video that explains how to start homeschooling: https://youtu.be/NGKUU7ZKGuY
We also suggest joining our Facebook group for homeschooling parents in Florida who use FLVS Flex as one curriculum option:
http://www.Facebook.com/groups/FLVSFlex
Do you know if I register my child for home school in Orange county for the 2018-2019 school year and I move to a different county do I need to re register?
Yes you do. The LOI is a one time thing. However, if you move to another county, you have to terminate your homeschool in the old county and establish a homeschool in the new one with a new LOI.
An exit evaluation is required when you terminate a homeschool in a county, even if its been less than one year.
Your video was very helpful. We are considering enrolling our daughter in FLVs, but still debating whether Full or Flex. Does the Flex program also have counselor to help us in choosing classes? Our daughter just completed 10th grade and is advanced in science and math. I he never homeschooled before and would like guidance for her last 2 years in high school.
Also, for Full program was told she would need to be at 45 min on line a day. I have read so many reviews on how many hours and how many assignments they are given. It’s hard for me to understand what is “many assignments”. And what is a usual Full time daily online time? (I guess I am trying to compare a regular public school gifted honors work load to a full time.)