Dear Friends, Mark your calendars to join Governor Jeb Bush and ExcelinEd on November 20-21 for our 7th annual National Summit on Education Reform in Washington, D.C.! While I say it every year, I have no doubt this will be our best summit yet. Governor Bush will open the summit with a breakfast keynote on…
Upgrading High Schools with MOOCs
By: Nathan Martin edX believes that students who want to learn deserve access to the best classes in the world. Since launching in 2012, the non-profit collaboration governed by MIT and Harvard has expanded opportunities for driven and motivated students to take Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from some of the best universities in the…
23 Sep 2014
Lessons in Digital Learning from the Florida State University Football Team
By: Adam Peshek Empowering students starts with understanding students. Data is a powerful tool for teachers, parents and students as they work to align instruction around the customized needs of each learner. To truly center learning around students, ExcelinEd has said and advocated consistently that this use of data must be done in a secure…
25 Jun 2014
In Plain English: FL SB 1388
Summary Florida SB 1388 (Open States or Florida Legislature) revises the statewide instructional materials process, providing districts with increased flexibility in adopting and purchasing instructional materials, including digital and electronic materials. Legislative Analysis FL SB 1388 revises the statewide instructional materials process. The bill provides school districts, or a consortium of school districts, with flexibility…
24 Mar 2014
In Plain English: FL SB 1514
Summary SB 1514 (Open States or Florida Legislature) is a budget conforming bill that addresses issues relevant to virtual schools and online courses, among others. It amends specific statutory provisions related to education necessary to conform the statutes to the appropriations made in the General Appropriations Act for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. Legislative Analysis SB…
13 Feb 2014
In Plain English: FL SB 1500
Summary SB 1500 (Open States or Florida Legislature), the General Appropriations Act, establishes Florida’s budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. There are several provisions in the budget relating to digital learning, however, two of those provisions were vetoed by Governor Rick Scott. Legislative Analysis SB 1500 establishes Florida’s budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year and…
10 Feb 2014
In Plain English: FL SB 1664
Summary SB 1664 (Open States or Florida Legislature) deals with teacher preparation and governance by the State Board of Education (SBOE), expanding the current state-approved teacher preparation program to include a competency-based certification program and links a teachers evaluations to the test scores of the students that they teach. Legislative Analysis In 2011, SB 376…
4 Feb 2014
In Plain English: FL HB 7009
Summary HB 7009 (Open States or Florida Legislature) increases accountability and transparency for charter schools while offering charters flexibility and allowing them to grow. It establishes the District Innovation School of Technology Program. It also stipulates that full implementation of on-line assessments of state standards is contingent upon verifying the technology capacity of all public…
15 Jan 2014