At Dream Academy, we do require students to take MAP Growth assessments twice a year in Reading, Math, and Language Arts (3rd grade and above). MAP Assessments are non-high-stakes assessments to test your child without a pass/fail testing. We strongly believe that a child should never be evaluated solely on test scores, as there are various factors that contribute to their overall academic performance and growth. We have chosen to use NWEA's MAP Growth Assessments to provide a more holistic view of our student's progress and to identify areas where additional support may be needed. These assessments offer valuable insights into individual student growth, allowing us to tailor our teaching strategies to better meet their needs. We firmly believe that assessing students solely based on high-stakes tests could lead to unfair outcomes, where students might be at risk of failing a test and potentially being held back a grade. We are committed to providing a nurturing environment that supports each student's unique learning journey, and we believe that a single test should not determine their academic future.

We are always happy to help! For any technical issues (i.e.. difficulty with email or password or problems with your computer), classwork problems, issues with MAP testing, or scholarship questions, please visit http://dasupport.org/.

We understand this is a new concept and not the way many of us learned in school, but that is the beauty of this program. We are offering a unique version of education to encourage critical thinking skills that will transfer into the real world rather than getting the students to memorize a bunch of facts that are easy to forget. How often do you come across something important that you wish you had learned in school? This is an opportunity to help your child flourish by developing new ways to accomplish tasks and come up with creative solutions on subjects that interest them. You were interested because you wanted something to help your child learn outside the box...Welcome to Dream Academy! If you have additional questions or feel unsure at any step of the way, you will have a Success Advisor to help you and your student.

Dream Academy is competency-based. You can work at your own pace. If you need additional time, you can have it. If you want to accelerate your schooling, you can do that too! We have a Dual AA Degree/High School Diploma option for those students that excel and want to move on to the next steps as quickly as possible. There is no age requirement for graduation, only academic requirements.

All of Dream Academy's classes can be taken 100% online. Our Learning Centers are available to support students who need the in-person approach. Please note: Some Scholarship/Voucher options require specific levels of direct contact between Learning Coaches and Students.

Please send an email to fran@dreamacademyschools.org including the student's name, address, phone number, and where you need the records sent to. We will take care of it and communicate with you if any further information is needed.

Dream Academy does not provide IEP/504 services; however, we will work with each family to develop a personalized education plan and help connect to outside services as needed. Accommodations are always available for your child's success. Your child will be self-paced in a primarily home-based online learning program that you will also be able to assist in any academic related accommodations your child will need. Upon enrollment, records will be requested and viewed to make sure all accommodations are in place.

Dream Academy does not assign grade levels; each student is assessed and works off of their personal level (i.e. 1 through 6) of mastery in each area. It is self-paced to achieve such mastery in the different competencies. This allows the student to secure a foundation before building on top of it. These credits will transfer to other schools and each new school will assess the student upon transfer.

Yes. As of June 28, 2023, Dream Academy is fully Accredited by Cognia. Dream Academy is Globally Accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED). Dream Academy is now among the 3% of non-religious private schools in Florida that are accredited! Cognia accreditation helps education providers meet improvement goals and sustain commitments to better learner outcomes. Cognia standards are at the heart of continuous improvement and accreditation. They define the characteristics of a good educational institution and provide guidelines for efforts that will visibly grow learners, educators, leaders, and organizations. For more information about Cognia, you can visit Cognia.org. Details can also be found here: https://home.cognia.org/registry

Dream Academy is a Hybrid-HyFlex School. We are a Competency-Based, Project Learning environment, with minimized grade/class/course structure. We have open schedules and full online access. We provide 100% flexibility for remote learning, while fostering in-person social activities. Our curriculum consists of 100% Competency-Based criteria, selected and sequenced so that students can pace individually. We also provide regular live support, where our Success Advisors customize and create enrichment and/or remedial work. We are student-centric, where students guide their learning and work at their own pace.

We have located our Success Advisors across Florida. They will be coordinating in-person meet-ups and social events regularly throughout the year. We are also working on student-led clubs and organizations to supplement their academic experiences.

We will be launching a school store with branded merchandise that will be available for you to purchase during the 2023-24 school year, to help you show your school pride!

Dream Academy is paving the way for a new way of learning, so the roles of support staff need to fit this model. Your Success Advisor is your child's go-to contact. They will help guide them through the program, plan the in-person events, and help ensure your child feels welcome at Dream Academy. The Success Coach will also play a vital role in assisting the Advisor to accomplish all of the above.

Yes, your child can get a diploma from Dream Academy, and, in addition, we offer both dual enrollment and a technical career path to students approaching graduation that allows them to be well on their way to their next chapter. Graduation Paths will be worked on with your child's Success Advisor when your child finishes the equivalent competencies of Middle School (Level 4).

Dream Academy does not have any specific standards for admission. We want families to feel that our unique and different approach is a good fit. We accept students from ages 4 through 21. All we require is a desire of the student to learn and participate in their education. We accommodate most special needs and do not discriminate on any basis.

Currently, there are 4 scholarships available in the state of Florida. By reading the description of each below, you can select the one that best suits your family's needs and circumstances: The Family Empowerment Scholarship: Apply and renew once a year. Can use for private school or online school. Average award is $7,700 (Parent can also apply for a $750 transportation award). The Students with Unique Abilities (SUA) Scholarship: Parents will get deposited the award in a Personal Education Savings Account (ESA) to cover private school education, online school learning, private tutoring, higher education expenses, community college or learning services and materials. Funds awarded could be up to $10,000 that could be used for tuition and fees for private or homeschool, therapies, tutoring and more. The HOPE Scholarship: For students who have experienced bullying (regardless of family income). Bullying has to have been reported and documented. It includes not only bullying but also harassment, threats, intimidation, hazing, battery, physical attack, kidnapping, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. This scholarship remains in place until the student returns to his zoned public school or graduates high school. New Worlds Scholarship: For students in K-5 who struggle with reading. It provides a $500 award distributed through an Education Savings Account (ESA). The award pays for programs and materials designed to boost the student reading skills.

It's simple! Go to Stepupforstudents.org, and click "Apply/Login" at the top of the screen. For Spanish, simply click on the upper right hand corner of the screen for it to change from English to Spanish. Once you click on "Apply/Login", you will select "Apply for a 2023-24 Scholarship", then follow the prompts. Once approved, you will need to renew the scholarship every year for your student.

Great news! To make it easy for you, all you need to do is send us the Award ID number with your child's name by using this form: https://forms.gle/GBLkFtX8LVZ6fCmH8

The short answer is that it is a gift to your child! The state of Florida has scholarships that you can apply for which cover most of the annual tuition, while Dream Academy covers the rest of the cost, ensuring a ZERO out-of-pocket cost to you! Dream Academy provides individual Growing Academic Potential (GAP) scholarships to families to close the gap between ESA funding and total tuition. We want every child to experience this innovative way of learning. You can apply online after creating your EMA account through Step Up For Students by clicking here. If you need help applying for the scholarship, our Director of Family Engagement will gladly assist! You can reach her by calling (727)900-5186 or emailing fran@dreamacademyschools.org.

Each student has a personal Success Advisor who is there to help. Because there is no high-stakes testing, and work is student-directed, the Success Advisor can intervene whenever assistance is needed. Often, students struggling in other environments excel at Dream Academy. But if they continue to struggle, their Success Advisor will create a personalized plan to support them.

We provide a portal for families to monitor student progress. Success Advisors (teachers) are available by phone, email, and text during normal business hours and by appointment outside of normal house. They also use the Calendly app, which allows a parent to schedule a video or in person meeting at any time.

Students transitioning to Dream Academy are typically moving from a traditional, Standards-Based Model to a Competency-Based Model. Competency-Based Education is a method of academic instruction and evaluation based upon students demonstrating their mastery of a subject. This method focuses on having students "show what they know" and applying the concepts they've learned to evaluations that show they've truly grasped the subject. Dream Academy students are required to achieve a Competency Level of 5 on their path to Graduation.

Your child should be able to use the home computer without any difficulties. The only program needed will be Chrome Browser. All of your student's needed curriculum and communication will be loaded on their individual Cleaver Dashboard. Upon enrollment, your child will be given a student email and password for access to the Dream Academy Clever portal login.

Dream Academy offers a full High School Diploma. We DO NOT offer 'Certificates of Completion' or any other substandard option. We are a recognized Private School by the Florida Department of Education, School Code 9366, and accredited by Cognia, the leading international K-12 accreditation organization.

Dream Academy provides flexibility on when and how experiences are completed. Much like real-life, there is no 'typical' day. Each student develops an individual schedule and style. Success Advisors work with students to establish schedules and milestones. They regularly check in to monitor progress. Success Advisors also hold regular small group and individual video-meetings and periodic meet-ups. They are also available as-needed by email, phone, text, or video chat.

At Dream Academy, the focus is on learning to a student's total capacity and, therefore, no student will fail. Students work with their Success Advisors to tailor the program to their pace and work on each subject/competency at the agreed-upon schedule, making adjustments as needed. A competency tat is not fully learned through a project can be repeated as necessary through a different project.

Student work is evaluated against a detailed rubric. This is available on our CYOAEd.org program site. We also administer MAP Growth Testing to allow us to benchmark achievement against national norms. This provides a good comparison to their peers. However, none of our testing or evaluation is 'high-stakes'. It is used to personalize learning plans and help students identify strengths and opportunities.

Your child will be self-paced in a primarily home-based online learning program (ie. remote learning) that uses real-world projects as tools to teach invaluable skills that transfer after school is complete.

Private schools are not required to administer standardized testing for graduation. Dream Academy does not force students to pass a 'test' to progress. We do not teach to the test and we do not put undue pressure on students. Dream Academy does administer placement and growth assessments, but these are simply to help the students and to ensure we can close any gaps in their education. This also helps us track our success and provide detailed feedback to parents. These tests DO NOT impact progression or graduation.

No; projects incorporate real-world experiences, which will also get students off the computer and into the trenches. This is what is meant by "Hybrid-Hyflex Program". At Dream Academy, we understand the need to encourage socialization skills. Your Success Advisor will also be planning an in-person meeting approximately every six weeks for all the students to attend. While these in-person meetings are not mandatory, students are highly encouraged to attend. Every week, your Success Advisor will schedule a group call for the students to ask questions. By appointment, you can schedule a one-on-one meeting with the student's Success Advisor.

Our Director of Student and Family Wellness is your point-person for support. Additionally, we have a partnership with Ellie Mental Health, with locations across Florida to support students with more formal services.

Yes, our holistic approach to education encompasses a strong emphasis on mental wellness, ensuring that every student feels safe, valued, and supported. Nancy Morales, our Director of Student and Family Wellness, has a Master's Degree and over 24 years of school counseling experience. All Dream Academy students have access to this support program.