Some have argued that we should address widespread academic failure by making the school day longer or the school year longer. Others have suggested breaking up one long summer vacation into shorter breaks during the year. All this does is tinker with an anachronism. Students of varying abilities still will sit in a classroom for a pre-determined period to learn the same amount of material. This is equivalent to putting 1,000 high school students on the starting line and expecting them to finish a mile run in the same time.
State Highlights
This year, the 2014 Digital Learning Report Card features individual State Policy Profiles, examining some of the 422 pieces of digital learning legislation enacted over the past four years. Florida’s 2012 Acceleration Options in Public Education (FL HB 7059) is featured as an example of competency-based education policies. To learn more, read the State Policy Profile for Florida in the full Report Card.
- In the 2014 legislative session, Florida implemented the requirement for state and district Digital Learning Plans and allocated $40 million for school districts to implement their plans (s.1011.62(12), F.S.).
- These plans cover five key components of digital learning including student performance outcomes, digital learning and technology infrastructure, professional development, digital tools, and online assessments.
- Progress for implementing the plans and the allocation will be measured through two key technology readiness surveys completed by both schools and districts.
Read more about legislation passed in Florida from 2014.