May drop Florida Virtual School ughh

[mchel210]

Ok...So I have my son in florida virtual school for science and keyboarding. I am finding that I just dont have patience to deal with the teachers!!

 

They have questions on the assignments...that are not in the readings or links...WHY??? So...we turn in what we can find...and then she marks them wrong????

 

So I emailed that I looked 3 times..but cant find the answer. What are you supposed to do...go to our own books? Isnt that the point of flvs? They also asked my son to draw a picture of a cell. Well his IEP shows he has handwriting issues...and has modifications. So I told the teacher...and she took off 10 points for not drawing it himself!!! Even though I printed a cell off a printable form online...and had him label the entire cell on his own. I emailed her to tell her there is NO way she would be able to tell anything he drew...that is why It is printed.

 

 

 

They also say any pace...but they keep calling to find out why he isnt working faster. Ughhhh.

 

I may have to drop both and go back to apologia . I was trying to give FLVS a shot...but I think it is just like public school. I am so frustrated!!!

[Christine in FL]

FLVS is definitely a different route to take for academics. We have used it for Algebra 1, Keyboarding, Latin 1, and US History (next year). I have found that the teacher definitely either makes or breaks the class. The Latin teacher was very proactive and responsive when either my son or I called/e-mailed for assistance. Keyboarding had limited interaction due to the nature of the course. We found that Algebra 1 was not a class I'd recommend be done online...too many concepts and questions that needed explanation (which means a phone call/e-mail, leave message, they phone back, we're not here, another delay, kwim).

 

As for the pace, they only offer 3 paces...an "average" pace, a "slower" pace, and an "accelerated" pace. You must select one of these paces and then adhere to it. If a student gets more than two weeks behind, their grade is dropped one grade level on the monthly progress report. I understand their intent is to prevent students for taking advantage of the concept of "their own pace"...which may be dawdle and take 2 years to complete a 1 semester course. That being said, there were times that we had family emergencies, community events, family trips, illnesses, etc., that put my sons behind pace temporarily. We would just phone the teacher and explain the situation. They would adjust the pace to reflect the "vacation" week, and we would work diligently to get back on a steady assignment submission schedule.

 

Sometimes, though, the online classes are not a good fit for certain students. Two of my sons breeze through online coursework...I must sit with the other one to help him to process and draw out the important concepts (my other son is too young to take online courses yet).

 

It sounds as if you have gotten some teachers that either do not understand your academic accommodations or do not care. If you have already communicated the frustrations to them and they have not responded in a way that is conducive to your child's academic well-being, I would consider looking toward a different option.

 

BTW...I love Apologia Science!!

[2cents]

That is too bad! We've done several classes via FLVS and our experience is totally opposite. Have you called the teachers on the telephone and discussed the problems? Is there a possibility the teacher isn't aware of the IEP? Did you negotiate a special pace?

 

The "anywhere/anytime" motto refers to taking the class anywhere at anytime of the day but the actual pace that each student is required to adhere to refers to the designation of Traditional=32 weeks, Accelerated=17 or Other=this is where you work with the teacher to map out a special rate of completion. It is my understanding you do this at the start of the course because it requires special permission to have a differing pace. So while the student can take the class anywhere at anytime, they still need to be very careful about maintaining the agreed-upon pace or the student risks failing the class. Staying on pace is highly stressed so that is one thing that anyone considering these classes needs to take into account and if working at another rate is crucial then FLVS may not be a good fit.

 

I'm sorry your experience wasn't what you had hoped for. :(

[Jenny in Florida]

It is all about the teacher, though. My kids have both taken multiple FLVS courses and had pretty good luck.

 

My daughter had one class (high school honors chemistry) that was just really poorly designed and was a nightmare at first. In addition, the instructor was new to FLVS and hadn't expected to be the primary teacher for the course. So, there was definitely some drama at the beginning. Once she got comfortable, though, and once my daughter got comfortable calling and asking for help, things got better. The course still left a lot to be desired, but it worked out reasonably well. In fact, the teacher told my daughter part-way through the course that she was going to be revising it and that she was taking many of my daughter's comments into consideration.

 

Something else I'll say is that most of the courses have opportunities for working with tutors other than the instructor during certain hours. My daughter was initially extremely reluctant to make use of that resource, because she hated admitting she needed help. However, once I forced the issue, she did it and it was very helpful in some classes.

 

With all of that said, though, it is true that the quality of the instructors varies widely, as is true with any school. And if your student happens to be assigned to a teacher who isn't a good fit, that can definitely be a problem.

[newbie]

Ok...So I have my son in florida virtual school for science and keyboarding. I am finding that I just dont have patience to deal with the teachers!!

 

They have questions on the assignments...that are not in the readings or links...WHY??? So...we turn in what we can find...and then she marks them wrong????

 

So I emailed that I looked 3 times..but cant find the answer. What are you supposed to do...go to our own books? Isnt that the point of flvs? They also asked my son to draw a picture of a cell. Well his IEP shows he has handwriting issues...and has modifications. So I told the teacher...and she took off 10 points for not drawing it himself!!! Even though I printed a cell off a printable form online...and had him label the entire cell on his own. I emailed her to tell her there is NO way she would be able to tell anything he drew...that is why It is printed.

 

 

 

They also say any pace...but they keep calling to find out why he isnt working faster. Ughhhh.

 

I may have to drop both and go back to apologia . I was trying to give FLVS a shot...but I think it is just like public school. I am so frustrated!!!

 

We use K12 independent and have run into same issue with Alg. They would ask questions that were nowhere to be found in any of the assignments. Than when you ask the teacher she would not help. Every other course had been fine. It was just the one teacher that ruined it.

 

So for Algebra only I switched to Keystone for other sem. Hopefully they are better.

 

Jet

[mchel210]

So....when you read the question for science....it asks....

Do all plant cells contain chlorophyll?

 

The answer is nowhere in the pages...but the teacher agrees with me and says she just uses it as a "teachable moment" since it is an "impossible fact for 7th graders" to find in the assignment!

 

Ok....So....I give up...haaaa.

 

 

I am planning on allowing my son to continue with the science and see how it goes...as we are past the drop date. (not that it matters) I may just let him continue with keyboarding but Im not sure on that one yet. I told him as long as we learn....I wont nit pick on the questions like these that we cant find the answer.

[newbie]

I know where you are coming from.

 

Jet

[Sandra in FL]

Dd had a wonderful teacher for Spanish 1. She finished the class on time and had a great experience.

 

She signed up for Chinese 1 which was a beta class (written by Powerglide). I should have seen the writing on the wall when I realized that Powerglide was the developer. It was a totally inappropriate class for segment 1 and FLVS had another company develop a new Chinese 1. The problem for those students who had started with the class is that they were responsible for knowing all the info from the new class for segment 2. They were major problems (referring back to stuff they hadn't learned and it's still a nightmare). A lot of kids dropped out. Fortunately, my dd had some previous background in Chinese and has struggled to stay afloat.

 

The Chinese teacher is also very strict and "nitpicking." Earlier in the course, she would allow you to resubmit an assignment but you could only ever get 90% max (to be fair to the students who got it right the first time). Fortunately, FLVS changed their policy to allow unlimited submissions (except for quizzes and tests). We signed up for Spanish 2 (but have dropped it as I want dd to finish Chinese 1 before starting Spanish 2) and the welcome letter also states that you can reset 3 quizzes. Also, the Spanish 2 is in version 8 so it's a well-established class.

 

Dd does like the flexibility of FLVS - the any time, any place, any pace.

 

HTH,

Sandra

 

P.S. For under $20, Typing Instructor Deluxe is wonderful and you don't have to deal with any teacher - just go at your own pace.

[FloridaLisa]

My ds found a couple of probs with AP Bio last year. It was frustrating, but I was glad he was having to be proactive about the class by calling the teacher and rectifying information. Also, keep in mind that the teachers don't write the curriculu, they just implement on-line

 

Out of 6 classes between my oldest 2, we've had excellent teachers so far. But, the student definitely needs to stay on top of the pace and any corrections to work. Resubmit any assignments that can be resubmitted. Keep good communication with the teacher because s/he can really help you navigate the system.

 

HTH,

Lisa