We enrolled our 6th grade daughter in FLVS full ti...

We enrolled our 6th grade daughter in FLVS full time (6 classes) and found it to be a mediocre and difficult experience. Her Florida public middle school was overcrowded and kids behavior caused her great anxiety. We thought FLVS might be a viable alternative. It proved to make her socially isolated with loads of work that was often tedious rather than truly educational. An 11 year-old glued to a computer 4 to 5 hours per day 5 days per week and doing it alone is not a healthy thing. The content in LangArts/Reading and History was also very problematic. The LA and Reading lacked cohesive themes and consistent reading levels. Some content was haphazardly taken from poorly written web pages that were not analyzed well for information or developmental level. Kids think that it is their fault when they do not understand and yet, I sent the content to a PhD level professor to analyze and she expressed that the content was gobblygook/poorly conceptualized and written. I ran some text through reading calculators and found a range between 6th grade level to graduate school level. The content creators (not!) or "synthesizers" of this curriculum do not have a mastery of literature or themes that truly inform and inspire which is what someone with a masters or PhD would have command of. There is no consciousness of developmental and reading levels. Also, the curriculum was often reading a passage and then answering comprehension questions--essentially, test prep but not an enjoyable learning experience that is interesting or helps a child grow. Math was okay but we needed a tutor to guide our daughter through the Common Core stuff (otherwise know as "constructivist math" a problem in and of itself.). Science was okay but required assistance from a parent to explain certain concepts. If you want to home-school, don't use this virtual school. We finally decided to enroll our child in an independent private school where she is happier and thriving academically. If your child is overwhelmed in a crowed FL middle school and you can't enroll in private school, consider sending them to public school part-time for core courses and doing electives on your own. You can technically be a "home-schooler" who uses the public school for a few classes. Credits aren't required until high school. Then, you should simply leave Florida and go to a state with a good public school system (i.e. one that pays their teachers well, requires teachers to havegraduate degrees and allows for small class sizes).