Gifted & Virtual Schools

[shamrock32714]

If any of our members has any insight into this question, I would be most appreciative of guidance.

My daughter  is currently enrolled with a virtual school in Florida.  She attended a local elementary (Seminole County) from 1st grade to the beginning of 5th grade (fall, Oct,  2005).  She is (and has been) in the Gifted program, since 1st grade, which at her elementary school was once per week for a full day pull out.

I enrolled her in the virtual school so she could pursue her music and dance more fully.  She took the virtual school's pretests and qualified for 6th grade math and was so placed.  Her other classes remained on 5th grade level.  The virtual school finalized her enrollment and she began her virtual school courses.

However, the virtual school did not offer any Gifted Enrichment classes, so I had her continue to attend her Gifted Resource (as she is entitled to do so).  And, I had permission from her elementary school to allow her to attend; and, I had spoken with the county office and was reaffirmed that she was entitled to attend the Gifted classes.

I have recently been informed by the virtual school that she is not allowed to attend the Gifted Resources anymore as they (the virtual school) do not allow "Dual Enrollment".

Is a child's attendance in a Gifted class considered "Dual Enrollment"????  
 
The virtual school has also requested that I complete a "permission" form ("Request for Participation in Local School Activities / Electives"), wherein the principal of the local elementary must sign a release stating that they cannot claim or collect any funding for the student.

I am confused.  As a Gifted student, she is entitled by the state to receive her Gifted Enrichment and if the school she is enrolled in does not provide such, then she is allowed to seek it out elsewhere.  

Can the virtual school prohibit her from attending the Gifted Enrichment?  What are her rights? And, how do the FTE funds work? Who is entitled to her FTE funds?   And, GIFTED is not an activity (i.e. chorus or sports), nor is it an elective ( i.e. Art, PE, or Music).  It is an ACADEMIC  ENRICHMENT program.  Is it applicable to request a permission form (for school activies / electives) of a Gifted student?

Have any of the virtual schools have ever run into this before?  Does anyone know of any precedents to this?
 
I understand that the local elementary school is entitled to her FTE funding, one day per week, per her attendance in the Gifted class.  Is the virtual school entitled to any FTE funding for the remaining 4 days of each week?

The virtual school is telling me that they will receive no funding and that all of the funding went to the local elementary school and has been lost for them (the virtual school).

I do not want to de-enroll her from the virtual school, but at the same time I do not want to see her lose her Gifted Resource class.  

I have searched the statutes for guidelines on virtual schools.  While the state government recognizes the virtual schools, and highlights them on one of their web pages about virtual schools, the Florida Statutes only pinpoint the FLVS.net program.  
 
Also, I have already contacted our county Gifted Director and spoken with them.  They are not able to clarify the issue about the FTE relationships, but re-affirmed that my daughter is entitled to the Gifted services, if it is not offered where she is enrolled  (I had previously spoken with them in the fall of 2005 when the decision was made to keep my daughter in Gifted program at the local elementary school; and, at that time I was informed of the same).

[TerryW]

Welcome to the FGN Forums!

For starters, gifted is not considered "dual enrollment" in Florida. Dual
enrollment involves being enrolled in college level courses. So any of the statutes or administrative rules governing dual enrollment do not apply to your daughter.

You may want to start with that, asking FCA in what ways "gifted" meets
the criteria for "dual enrollment" in Florida.  The Legislature did change the FTE regarding dual enrollment very recently, so that may be the confusing point from FCA's perspective. (Students who are in middle school but taking a high school course are not considered dual enrollment students.)  

Virtual Schools do have different statutes and rules governing them, so it is possible there is some other issue.  

Also - contact Donnajo Smith a the FL Dept. of Ed.  She oversees "gifted."
<Donnajo.Smith@fldoe.org>   Be sure to share the final outcome with us on the forums so we may be able to save other parents some grief.

Stay in touch and good luck resolving this issue quickly.

Terry

[Tom DeMonbrun]

First point I'd like to make is that in Middle School grades, there are no additional funds provided in the FTE for gifted - the basis for FTE is 1.000.

Secondly, when you enrolled your daughter in the Virtual School On Line, she effectively became enrolled in that school and the Virtual school is then entitled to her corresponding FTE.  The issue is timing of the enrollment as it relates to the state-wide school FTE census that is conducted twice a year and the fact that school budgets are set in early spring for the coming year.

As for the EP and Gifted Services, by enrolling your daughter in the Virtual school, you have put her in an environment that does not provide "direct gifted services."  Rather, you have chosen to have her accelerated in math while continuing at grade level in the other courses, and to have the time to devote to the music, etc.  The Virtual school request for the waiver from the other school is similar to the situation where if your child was home schooled but participated in band at a district school, there would be certain waivers, etc that would have to be provided.  We have a similar situation here in Okaloosa county regarding the homeschoolers that is known as "blended schools" which allow for homeschoolers to particpate in various on campus classes and extra-curricular activities such as music and athletics.

So, unless you can have a new EP done with the Virtual school personnel, you may not be able to attend the Gifted resource class at her former school.  You should consider if maybe taking the virtual school math course while still enrolled in the original school might be a better way to proceed? or if the freedom of scheduling the day as a virtual student is more benefitial to your daughters' development in the other areas of music, etc.?

[shamrock32714]

Hello Tom,

First, thank you for your insight.  Much appreciated!

Second, to clarify.  My daughter is not enrolled in Middle School, she is in Elementary School.  Different ballgame?

Third, to clarify, again.  She is taking all of her classes (not just mathematics) through the virtual school.

Now, my understanding of the laws governing "gifted" students is that the elementary gifted child is entitled to receive gifted enrichment and if the school s/he is attending does not provide for that, then they are entitled to seek it elsewhere.  Accordingly, Seminole District has told me that they have quite a number of students who attend one public school for their core curriculum, then are outsourced to another school for their special needs (be it gifted, ese, etc.).

Also, I have been discussing this with the FTE people.  They tell me that the local public school is only entitled to the FTE funds for the hours that my daughter is in attendance at the school (Friday, 8am to 2 pm).  The other days (M, T, W, R) are not funded to the local elementary school.  Apparently, neither school is getting these funds.  So, where are these funds going?
 
If you have any further input regarding this, please let me know.

[Tom DeMonbrun]

The "ballgame" is the same throughout K-12 in Florida.  The "laws" (loosely used term) governing gifted do not specify enrichment or any other specific serivces.  What the laws do mandate is that each district must develope and implement services approriate for the needs of gifted students.  In my county, the district looks to the individual school to outline what services will be made available to gifted students.  If a student has an exceptionality that the specific base school does not provide, then the district may be forced to provide transportation to the school that can provide the service.  Again, this is something that should be outlined within the EP as this is the only leverage you will have in getting the services deemed necessary.

In my opinion, you should have a new EP with the virtual school which spells out how, who, when, where gifted services are to be provided for her.  This is the tool that can solve your problems as you have outlined them.  Keep up the effort, remember you can attract more bees with honey, and to document, document, and document everything that transpires.
I am not an expert in FTEs and split FTEs and where the money goes.

[immadiaCy]

Its great that primary schools are taking this seriously. But what about those of you who are governors in secondary schools. I have heard on the grapevine that some G & T co-ordinators have dissappeared with TLRs coming in.