{"id":12874,"date":"2012-09-11T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=12874"},"modified":"2012-09-13T11:25:40","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T15:25:40","slug":"florida-investigates-k12-nations-largest-online-educator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/09\/11\/florida-investigates-k12-nations-largest-online-educator\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Investigates K12, Nation&#8217;s Largest Online Educator"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_12875\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 196px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/09\/11\/florida-investigates-k12-nations-largest-online-educator\/family-research-council-hosts-voter-values-summit\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-12875\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12875\" title=\"Family Research Council Hosts Voter Values Summit\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/77427545-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/77427545-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/77427545.jpg 389w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Stephanie Kuykendal \/ Getty Images News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Education Secretary Bill Bennett founded K12, the nation&#39;s largest online education company. The Florida Department of Education is investigating whether the company used uncertified teachers to lead classes.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: Trevor Aaronson is with the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s Department of Education has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.k12.com\/\">launched an investigation of K12<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest online educator, over allegations the company uses uncertified teachers and asked employees to help cover up the practice.<\/p>\n<p>K12 officials told certified teachers to sign class rosters that included students they hadn\u2019t taught, according to documents that are part of the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>In one case, a K12 manager instructed a certified teacher to sign a class roster of more than 100 students. She only recognized seven names on that list.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot sign off on students who are not my actual students,\u201d K12 teacher Amy Capelle wrote to her supervisor. \u201cIt is not ethical to submit records to the district that are inaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The documents suggest K12 may be using uncertified teachers in violation of state law.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, K12 asked <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scps.k12.fl.us\/\">Seminole County Public Schools<\/a> if it could use uncertified teachers in some of its online classes. That uncertified teacher would be overseen by a so-called \u201cteacher of record\u201d &#8212; a certified teacher.<\/p>\n<p>Seminole County Public Schools consulted with the Florida Department of Education and then denied the request, citing state law requiring certified teachers.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fldoe.org\/ig\/\">Department of Education\u2019s Office of Inspector General <\/a>is now looking into whether K12 violated state law by using teachers of record, even after education officials warned the company it can\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>State investigators confirmed the probe to FCIR\/StateImpact Florida, but declined to discuss it.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>K12 officials would not agree to an interview. In a statement, spokesman Jeff Kwitowski said the company is working closely with investigators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do not believe the allegations against K12 regarding teacher certification are accurate,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cK12\u2019s policy is to follow teacher certification requirements.\u00a0K12 teachers assigned to teach students in Florida are state certified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause K12 is continuing to work with state officials on this matter, further comment would be inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Sign Here, Please<\/h4>\n<div class=\"related-content alignleft\"><h4 class=\"related-header\">Related<\/h4><div class=\"links\"><h5>Posts<\/h5><ul><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/08\/27\/floridas-fastest-growing-public-school-district-is-online\/\">Florida\u2019s Fastest Growing Public School District is \u2026 Online<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/08\/14\/no-summer-school-means-some-students-repeat-a-grade-this-fall\/\">No Summer School Means Some Students Repeat a Grade This\u00a0Fall<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/08\/28\/how-students-take-physical-education-online\/\">How Students Take Physical Education Online<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"topics\"><h5>Topics<\/h5><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2011\/07\/images-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/topic\/school-choice\/\">Creating Competition Through School Choice<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>K12 operates in 43 Florida school districts, including in Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange and Duval counties. The company teaches everything from art to algebra to students in kindergarten through high school.<\/p>\n<p>According to K12\u2019s website, students enjoy \u201cstate-certified teachers, with a parent or other responsible adult in the role of \u2018Learning Coach.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>The state investigation started in January, when a former K12 employee forwarded a series of e-mails to Seminole County schools officials.<\/p>\n<p>In one email, K12\u2019s Florida project manager asked teachers to sign off on having taught students they may have never encountered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo if you see your name next to a student that might not be yours it\u2019s because you were qualified to teach that subject and we needed to put your name there,\u201d K12\u2019s Samantha Gilormini wrote on Feb. 15, 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Gilormini asked K12 teacher Capelle, whose emails helped spark the investigation, to sign off on a list of 112 students. Of the 112, she\u2019d taught seven of the students, and refused to sign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am happy to sign for the seven Seminole students who are my students, but I cannot sign as the teacher of record for students who I do not know,\u201d Capelle wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Since Capelle didn\u2019t sign off the students, K12 manager Gila Tuchman signed in her place and submitted the records to Seminole County Public Schools, certifying that Capelle had taught students she in fact had not.<\/p>\n<h4>\u2018Far Beyond the Borders of Seminole County\u2019<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_12877\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/09\/11\/florida-investigates-k12-nations-largest-online-educator\/9-10-k12logo\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-12877\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12877\" title=\"9-10 K12logo\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-K12logo-300x251.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-K12logo-300x251.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-K12logo-620x520.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-K12logo.jpg 1074w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">K12<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">K12 is the nation&#39;s largest online education company and served Florida students in 43 school districts.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After reading these emails, Seminole County officials followed up with a survey of parents whose kids were enrolled in K12 classes. Parents were given a list of teachers who reportedly instructed their children.<\/p>\n<p>More than one-third of parents said the listed teacher did not teach their child.<\/p>\n<p>Only 36 percent of parents said their child\u2019s teacher was the one K12 had listed. The rest could not be reached or said they couldn\u2019t remember.<\/p>\n<p>The survey and emails prompted Seminole County officials to request that the Department of Education investigate. They warned the state that the problems they uncovered with K12 may be widespread.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have cause for concern over the use of uncertified teachers by K12, LLC,\u201d they wrote. \u201cSince K12 uses the same teachers across the state in virtual instruction programs, this issue may reach far beyond the borders of Seminole County.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other Florida districts have found problems when officials checked whether certified teachers taught K12 courses.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leon.k12.fl.us\/\">Leon County Schools spokesman<\/a> Chris Petley said his district has removed students from K12 courses that were taught by teachers who were either not certified in Florida or not certified in the course subject.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the teacher is not both,\u201d Petley said of certifications, \u201cwe move them out of there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leon County Schools and other Florida public school districts may not be able to detect the problems that Seminole officials discovered.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because Seminole County requires virtual school teachers to sign off on class rosters, certifying they actually taught those students.<\/p>\n<h4>Profits And Controversy<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_12876\"  class=\"wp-caption module image left\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/09\/11\/florida-investigates-k12-nations-largest-online-educator\/9-10-fldoe\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-12876\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12876\" title=\"9-10 FLDoE\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-FLDoE-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-FLDoE-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/files\/2012\/09\/9-10-FLDoE.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">shawn.bayern \/ Flickr<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Florida Department of Education Office of Inspector General, located in Tallahassee, is investigating whether K12 used uncertified teachers for online courses. The company says it followed all state laws.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>K12 has a financial incentive to skirt Florida\u2019s law requiring the use of certified teachers. Simply, K12 can pay uncertified teachers less than certified teachers while collecting the same amount per student from state public school districts, increasing profits for shareholders.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 2000 by <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/William_Bennett\">William Bennett, a former U.S. education secretary under President Ronald Reagan<\/a>, K12 is an $864 million publicly traded company whose stock price has more than doubled in the last year.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, K12 has increased profits while student performance has suffered, raising questions about whether the for-profit virtual schools provider is making money at the expense of academics.<\/p>\n<p>K12 has drawn criticism nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>In Arizona, school officials worry the online courses are not as rigorous as traditional schools. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/news\/articles\/2011\/11\/11\/20111111arizona-online-schools-growing-part1.html\">An <em>Arizona Republic<\/em> investigation<\/a> found that a high percentage of students were dropping out of K12 and the state\u2019s other online schools.<\/p>\n<p>The Georgia Department of Education has threatened to end K12\u2019s virtual program if the company does not reduce its student-to-teacher ratio.<\/p>\n<p>In Tennessee, data showed K12\u2019s student performance<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/article\/20120910\/NEWS04\/309100015\/TN-virtual-school-draws-criticism\"> ranked near the bottom of state schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A July 2012 study by the <a href=\"http:\/\/nepc.colorado.edu\/newsletter\/2012\/07\/understanding-improving-virtual\">National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado<\/a> found that students at K12 schools fell further behind in reading and math scores than pupils in traditional schools.<\/p>\n<p>K12 officials say online education isn&#8217;t for everyone, but should remain an option for students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor&#8217;s note: Trevor Aaronson is with the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. Florida\u2019s Department of Education has launched an investigation of K12, the nation\u2019s largest online educator, over allegations the company uses uncertified teachers and asked employees to help cover up the practice. K12 officials told certified teachers to sign class rosters that included students [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":12875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[676,1028,1181,1182,1055],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12874"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12874"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12891,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12874\/revisions\/12891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}