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RELEASE: Florida Earns Top Grade for Customizing Education

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Digital Learning Now (DLN), an initiative of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), today released the 2014 Digital Learning Report Card. The Digital Learning Report Card measures state policies on digital learning based on their alignment to the 10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning. New in 2014, the report card examines and highlights the progress of individual states in implementing policies.

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Florida was one of only two states to earn an A-, the highest grade awarded this year. The report also highlights the 2012 passage and current implementation of Florida’s HB 7059, which allows students to graduate from high school early, provides increased access to rigorous curriculum and greater awareness of career and dual enrollment options.

“Digital learning can open doors for students by improving the delivery, access, quality and rigor of education for today’s learners,” said Patricia Levesque, CEO of ExcelinEd. “This is exactly what our students need to succeed in the 21st century. Many of today’s lawmakers and education leaders are stepping up and creating the opportunities and infrastructure for students to explore powerful new models of learning.”

“If a child is excelling, why are we handcuffing them,” said Senator John Legg, chairman of the Florida Senate Education Committee. “Accelerated education provides a critical opportunity for every child to reach their fullest potential. By customizing to student needs, it allows for inspired learning that encourages students to achieve.”

State policymakers play a critical role in accelerating the adoption of new models of learning enabled by technology. State policy can either remove barriers to innovative approaches or it can stifle them with restrictions, red tape and protecting the status quo. Florida has a robust history of offering students the opportunity to accelerate learning through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced International Certificate of Education, dual enrollment, industry certification and digital learning. This policy gives students and their parents another option to accelerate their learning and graduate early.

“The way we are obtaining knowledge is changing, and the education system has to change with it,” said Senator Kelli Stargel, chair of Florida Senate Higher Education Committee.

After moving to Florida from out-of-state, Stargel’s daughter was able to demonstrate her mastery in Geometry. Had the Senator not known about this option, her daughter could have spent an entire year going over material she already knew.

The law creates the Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL), which provides educational options for academically challenging curriculum or accelerated instruction to eligible public school students in grades 6-12. The law also requires districts and schools to inform families of the more rigorous curriculum and early graduation options available, to ensure they are aware of and can benefit from these opportunities.

The nation’s 50 states and their education systems have the opportunity to use technology in innovative ways to drive learning. The annual Digital Learning Report Card offers a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of laws and education policies that are doing just that. In 2014, state departments of education, superintendents, teachers and parents tackled implementing and making adjustments to some of the 422 digital learning laws enacted over the last four years. This year, the Report Card amplifies state voices, clarifies metrics for next generation policies and creates a broader picture of digital learning across the nation.

In 2010 the Digital Learning Council, a diverse group of more than 100 leaders in education, government, philanthropy, business, technology and members of policy think tanks, convened to develop a roadmap to integrate technological innovations into public education. As a result, the group produced the 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning, a comprehensive framework of state-level policies and actions designed to advance the meaningful and thoughtful integration of technology into K-12 public education.

Download the 2014 DLN Report Card to learn more about states’ progressions compared to the 10 Elements.

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 Spread the word via social media:

  • @DigLearningNow measures and analyzes #DigLn policy landscape nationwide, state by state. View report card here: https://bit.ly/1s0BNtX
  • In ’14, more than 450 #DigLn bills were debated & 51 signed into law. Check out the #DLNreportcard from @DigLearningNow https://bit.ly/1s0BNtX

About ExcelinEd
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is igniting a movement of reform, state by state, to transform education for the 21st century economy by working with lawmakers, policymakers, educators and parents to advance education reform across America. Learn more at ExcelinEd.org.

About Digital Learning Now
Digital Learning Now, an initiative of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), works to advance state policies that will create a high-quality digital learning environment to better equip all students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the 21st century. The policy framework stems from the belief that access to high-quality, customized learning experiences should be available to all students, unbounded by geography or artificial policy constraints.