Policies

Policies and Procedures

Student Eligibility Policies

Education2020’s Florida virtual school, Park City Independent, is an online option for public school students in grades 6-12.

Student Eligibility:

Enrollment in a school district virtual instruction program is open to any student residing within the district’s attendance area if the student meets at least one of the following conditions:

(a) The student has spent the prior school year in attendance at a public school in this state and was enrolled and reported by a public school district for funding during the preceding October and February for purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program surveys. Ch. 2008-147 LAWS OF FLORIDA Ch. 2008-147.

(b) The student is a dependent child of a member of the United States Armed Forces who was transferred within the last 12 months to this state from another state or from a foreign country pursuant to the parent’s permanent change of station orders.

(c) The student was enrolled during the prior school year in a school district virtual instruction program under this section or a K-8 Virtual School Program under s. 1002.415. Depending on the contractual agreement with the district, credits may be transferred to the district being served or the student may receive a diploma from Park City Independent.

Certification Status and Physical Location of all Administrative and Instructional Personnel

Upon proposal acceptance Education2020/PCI will obtain FL certified instructional and administrative personal. Information will be posted upon approval.

The process to verify student eligibility and enroll is as follows:

Students will complete online enrollment application in which a user account is created.
Students will submit forms and documentations. The pre-registration forms packet is downloadable. Forms can be submitted via fax or scanned and emailed to virtualschool@edcuation2020.com.
*The email inbox is a secure inbox for required compliance. Additional, enrollment process questions can be answered by our Enrollment Counselors via Live Chat and/or telephone via toll-free number.

If fax are email are not possible document can be mailed.
Once a student submits their application they will be assigned an Enrollment Counselor (EC) who will provide assistance throughout the enrollment process. The Enrollment Counselor is available to answer questions and conduct orientation via a web meeting. During the mandatory web meeting the student information will be verified, the EC will also review school policies, responsibilities and expectations of the student and Success Coach.

Upon completion of the district enrollment requirements along with receipt and successful review of the submitted documents the student registration will be sent to the District Administrator for approval. Once the student is approved they will be notified and the enrollment will be finalized.

Residency Requirements:

Students shall be considered Florida students if any of the following criteria are met:

Be enrolled in a Florida public school, or
Be enrolled in a Florida private school and whose legal guardian is a Florida resident, or
Be the child of a parent who is stationed at a Florida military base (the legal guardian must be the person who is stationed at the Florida military base).

Age Requirement:

Students in elementary school (K-5) are not eligible for Education2020 part-time courses unless the enrollment is specifically requested by the school guidance counselor and approved by Education2020 Virtual Schools to begin taking grade 6 courses.

Students can be enrolled through age 19. Students must complete their course before age 21.

Exceptional education students who have not earned a standard diploma remain eligible for educational services through the end of the school year in which they become twenty-two years old (IDEA.97-300.121(a)).

Verification, approval and transcripts from the school district are required.

Student Priorities:

Student priority for enrollment will be determined by the contractual agreement with the district served. Priority instances include students needing a course to graduate one semester early or other indicators as identified by the district.

Enrollment- Non-Discrimination Policy

Education2020’s policy is not to discriminate on any grounds including the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, or sexual orientation. Attached is the company Anti-Discrimination Policy for review. This policy is followed in the hiring and employment of all employees of Education2020. This policy will also apply to the hiring of any program personnel employed to work with our Florida virtual school program, Park City Independent.

This same policy applies to students enrolling and participating in Park City Independent. The criteria for admission to a program or course shall not have the effect of restricting access by persons of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, or marital status. Services will be available equally to all students who participate in the program. We will not tolerate any deviations from the policy by faculty, students, parents or others who participate in the program. If you feel that some form of discrimination has been directed toward you or another in any online forum, or other method, it is your right to contact the administrator in charge.

Education2020 and Park City Independent will follow Florida Statutes 1000.05 in relation to anti-discrimination against students and employees in the Florida K-20 public education system and equality of access.

Education2020 promotes an environment and culture that embraces diversity, fairness, and concern for the success of all students and faculty members. PCI/Education2020 provides accommodations in courses, course content, assignments, testing, grading, and academic support for students with an IEP or 504 plan. Appropriate accommodations are implemented upon receipt and review of a current copy of the student’s IEP or 504 plan. In addition to individualized accommodations, the PCI team utilizes the e2020 courses which are designed to provide many interventions that are commonly required in a Response to Intervention plan. Common interventions and accommodations include:

Monitoring of individual student progress by teacher, facilitator, and parent
Personalized, descriptive, and immediate feedback for student work
Opportunities for differentiated instruction based on a variety of learning styles
One-on-one access to the teacher
Additional time for completion of course activities and assessments
Lecture notes provided in advance
Allowing notes on exams, assignments or both
Frequent breaks and save and exit options
Adjustment of lesson proficiency level thresholds IEP specified grading scale
Creation of detailed Student Learning Plan
Individualized academic support procedures

Attendance Policy

In order for students to achieve academic success in an online learning environment, they must attend class, participate in class, and master the content. At e2020 every effort is made to provide an online learning environment that promotes successful learning and course completion. As such, e2020 utilizes the following tools and resources and has the following policies and procedures in place.

Education2020 Attendance Policy: Florida students attending e2020 must comply with Florida requirements of compulsory attendance, statute 1003.21. If a student does not comply with the attendance policy, the escalation process (outlined below) is followed.

e2020 monitors student attendance within the Virtual Classroom through sophisticated programming in our Student Information System. The SIS extracts data from the Learning Management Systems and compiles detailed analysis reports of the student’s interaction within the Virtual Classroom. These reports are available to districts via our SIS system. e2020 also has the ability to compile reports and upload student data to districts and the state of Florida directly.

Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures

Students enrolled in Park City Independent courses will adhere to the academic integrity policy outlined below. Any violation of this policy can result in disciplinary action and may jeopardize the student's continuation in the course and the award of academic credit.

Academic Integrity:

Students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with five fundamental values: (1) honesty, (2) trust, (3) fairness, (4) respect, and (5) responsibility. Students are to act so that they are worthy of the trust bestowed on them by teachers and peers, conduct themselves honestly,and carry out their responsibilities with honor and fairness. Cheating, plagiarism, and inappropriate collaboration are examples of a breach of academic integrity. Academic integrity includes authenticity of a student’s work. A student who adheres to high standards of academic integrity maintains that all work turned in is his or her own and is based on the knowledge and skills that he or she has acquired.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

Plagiarism is copying or using ideas or words from another person, a friend or classmate, or an Internet or print source and using them as your own. Cheating on assessments or tests may take the form of copying from another student or using unauthorized materials on the exam. A student found guilty of contributing to cheating in examinations or term assignments is also subject to serious academic penalty.

Background Screening Assurance Procedure

Education2020 will hire administrative staff and teachers who are Florida residents and meet Florida certification requirements for its Park City Independent program in Florida. We ensure all employees and contracted personnel comply with the background screening required by Florida Statutes. If approved as a provider and upon implementation, staff records submitted to the district will include the information necessary to verify compliance for maintaining approval. A list of all administrators, teachers, and contract staff will include employee name, title, legal address, and collected documents verifying the previous information (i.e. driver’s license, utility bill, passport, etc.). Copies of certificates issued by the State of Florida will also be included.

Teacher Certification Assurance Procedure

Participation Rates and State Test Participation Procedure

Education2020’s Florida Virtual School Program, Park City Independent, has functioned as a private school. Therefore, students were not required to participate in mandated state tests. However, as a Florida Virtual School Provider, Education2020 will work with contracted districts to ensure all state testing requirements (Florida Statute Section 1002.45) are met. Education2020 has established partnerships with more than 1,000 educational institutions and districts across the United States, including nine of the top fifteen largest districts. Additionally, Education2020 content has been used as core curriculum and as test preparation for exit and EOC exams for many districts.

Students will take state assessment tests within the school district in which they reside. The District, as part of the contract with Park City Independent/Education2020, will provide the student with access to testing facilities and will participate under the appropriate testing schedule for that grade/year.

Student-Teacher Ratios

Due to the depth and breadth of the courses, e2020 staff evaluates the courses on the amount of teaching effort that is required (in terms of teacher-student interaction, intervention and mediation) in addition to the amount of grading required in order to determine appropriate ratios. Therefore, our ratios vary with regard to the course requirements.

For example, some elective courses, such as Intro to Art or Strategies for Academic Success, can be staffed with one teacher for every 50 students. Other core courses, such as Language Arts 12 and Algebra II have a student-to-teacher ratio of 25 to 1.

Teachers must be able to adequately provide appropriate resources and enrichment opportunities to students. These goals are achieved by providing engaging and collaborative web-based group sessions and projects, usually via Collaboration Corner. Teachers also provide one-on-one student attention through chat, email and whiteboard sessions.

Administrative and Instructional Personnel Procedures