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A DISTANCE LEARNING K-12 SCHOOL FOR TORAH-OBSERVANT HOMESCHOOLERS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Curious about how ITA works?
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about our curriculum options, enrollment process, grading policies, and how we support your child’s unique educational journey. From program details to daily logistics, find answers to help you make the most of your ITA experience.
1. What is ITA?
Answer: ITA is a Florida private online and distance learning school offering flexible, Torah-based education tailored to the needs of Torah-observant homeschool families. We provide a range of curriculum options that empower parents to choose the best learning path for their children while supporting their academic and spiritual growth. For Florida families receiving Step Up PEP scholarship, we offer an annual curriculum as well as homeschooling program as part of our service. Families receiving Step Up PEP scholarship are not required to enroll as ITA private school students and may instead enrol into ITA Homeschool Program. ITA also serves as an umbrella school for the families who create and follow their own curriculum.
2. What is an Umbrella School?
An Umbrella School is a private school that provides support for families who choose to homeschool. Umbrella schools offer an alternative for education at home that provides the structure and accountability required by the state and local school district. Umbrella schools fall under the same regulations as regular private schools and are sometimes referred to as “private non-location schools.” Umbrella schools can offer online, long-distance, or hybrid model of learning. Some of them do not offer any curriculum options at all leaving the creative role and education choices to the parents.
3. Can I use my own curriculum if I register with ITA?
Yes. You may use your own curriculum under the Creative Curriculum Option. You will be asked to provide a description of your curriculum and submit your study plan for approval by ITA for the year you register your child for.
4. What curriculum options do you offer?
ITA offers several curriculum options that incorporate various methods of study. For more information, please, click here.
5. Are you an Ashkenazi or Sephardic school?
We offer Torah learning tracks for Ashkenazi, Chabad, Breslov, and Sephardic traditions.
6. Do you have to be Jewish in order to be registered with your ITA?
Since ITA is a private religious school, and since Torah-observant lifestyle and study requires strong family support, our students come from Jewish families. Consistency in home and school values is imperative for effective education.
7. Do you organize events for homeschoolers?
Yes. We help coordinate events for homeschooling families registered with ITA.
8. Do you offer an official high school diploma?
Yes. Upon graduation from our school, we present our students with a Florida High School Diploma.
9. Are you a licensed school?
There are no private school licensing requirements in the State of Florida. All private schools in Florida, however, are assigned their unique school code and subject to regulations by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). International Torah Academy is registered with the FDOE and is listed in the Florida Private School Directory. Please, click here to see the link to the directory. Our school code is 6357. We are registered in Dade County.
10. What documentation shal I include with my application?
To apply to become an ITA student, please, click here.
11. Is there any additional paperwork that I need to submit to ITA upon registration?
As per FDE statutes, “Private schools must require each student, upon his or her initial entrance into school, to present a certification of school-entry health examination performed within one year before enrollment. Students are exempt if parents object in writing based on religious grounds. ss. 1002.42(5),(6) and 1003.22(1),(5)(a), F.S. Prior to attending a private school, children must submit Department of Health Form 680 documenting immunizations to prevent communicable diseases. Immunizations, with age-appropriate doses, are required for poliomyelitis, diphtheria, rubeola (measles), rubella (German measles), pertussis, mumps, tetanus, and other communicable diseases as determined by the rules of the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. Students are exempt if their parents object in writing based on a conflict with religious tenants or practices. ss. 1002.42(5), (6) and 1003.22(1), F.S.<…> Prior to admission to prekindergarten or kindergarten, a private school principal must require that the child provide evidence of age, such as a transcript of the child’s birth record or certificate of baptism. s. 1003.21(4), F.S. Additionally, any private school must keep on file “verified information of clear educational importance, containing the following: student’s full name and any known changes thereto due to marriage or adoption; authenticated birthdate, place of birth, race, and sex; last known address of student; names of student’s parents; name and location of last school attended; number of days present and absent; date enrolled; date withdrawn; courses taken and record of achievement; and date of graduation or program achievement. (Source: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1002.42&URL=1000-1099/1002/Sections/1002.42.html)
12. Is a homeschooling family from another state or country eligible to register with and receive a diploma from International Torah Academy?
Yes. We accept Jewish students all across North America as well as English-speaking international students. If you live in another state or country, you will need to study your state or country laws regarding out-of-state schools.
13. What are High-School Diploma Mills?
Beware of High-School Diploma Mills.
A high school “diploma mill” is a “business or other organization that may be presented as a school and offers a diploma or other document of high school completion with little or no required academic study, which may end up being essentially a worthless diploma.
Below is the link to the Florida Department of Education to the the Online Diploma Mills Tips and Resources –http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/5423/urlt/online_hs_diplomas.pdf
14. If my child turns 5 years old after September 1st, is he/she eligible to enroll into your Kindergarden Program?
Yes. There is no provision saying that private schools have to abide by the standards of public schools in the matters of determining kindergarden enrollment age eligibility. Many families enroll their children to Kindergarden in a private school and, if they choose so later, can have their children attend 1st grade in a public school as long as their child turns 6 on or before February 1st of the school year. However, Florida public school kindergarden laws are such that all children must be 5 years of age before September 1st to be eligible to enroll into a public Kindergarden Program.
15. How many credits are required to graduate High School?
Both Florida public and private schools require a minimum of 24 credits to graduate. A credit is defined in Florida Statute 232.2462 as “a minimum of 150 hours of bona fide instruction in a designated course of study.” One-half credit is 75 hours of instruction.
16. How are students graded?
For grading questions, please, read ITA Grading Policy by clicking HERE.
17. If ITA is not a correspondence school, then which model of learning does it use?
ITA utilizes “parent as teacher” model. We interview parents and collect recommendations from their rabbis to ensure they qualify to teach their children and aid them in the teaching process by providing them with curriculum options as well as phone and email support. ITA has a status of a private school under the Florida Education Statutes and Code.
18. What are the High School Graduation Requirements in Florida?
Below you will find the links to the regulations of Florida Department of Education. The detailed public school graduation requirements are listed there. Most public schools follow the same guidelines.
http://www.fldoe.org/academics/graduation-requirements/
19. Does ITA have a College Board School Code Number?
Yes. Our number is 102739. You can find us in the College Board School database at: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/k-12-school-code-search.
20. Is International Torah Academy an online school?
No. Our in-house curriculum emphasizes offline learning, especially for Elementary School students. Excessive access to computers and technology has not proven to be beneficial for young children. In fact, the opposite is true. Radiation from computers and tablets has been shown to negatively affect young children’s health as well as develop addictive habits towards technology.
Our in-House Curriculum is comprised of paper-based detailed weekly lessons sent to parents each Sunday.
Creative as well as Guide Curriculum Options are designed by parents who decide on their sole discretion on how much technology they want to incorporate into their child’s home education curriculum.
21. Our family in the process of converting to Judaism. Are our children eligible to apply to ITA?
While we wholeheartedly welcome all Orthodox converts, for the families in the process of conversion, we require the recommendation of the supervising Orthodox rabbi.
22. Does ITA keep our family information private?
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It is the ITA official privacy policy to protect information of all students and families. We do not sell our database to anyone or grant access to student information without explicit parental permission. The one party that has access to students’ records is a representative of Florida Department of Education who can occasionally request an audit of student records.
23. Do I have to follow the ITA school calendar?
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Florida Department of Education requires for a student to be in school for a minimum of 180 days or 170 actual school days and the hourly equivalent of 180 actual school days. * ITA official Yearly Calendar includes Jewish Holidays, Fast Days as well as national holidays. We suggest that you follow our school calendar.
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