Florida families who are enrolled in the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities and Scholarships for Personalized Education Programs can use their funds to purchase Outschool classes. Read on to learn more about how to use these funds on Outschool.
How to Book Outschool Classes
There are two ways to purchase Outschool classes using your funds. Outschool Self-Paced Classes can be purchased in My Scholar Shop. Live online classes (small group and 1:1) can be submitted for reimbursement.
If you’d like to share feedback with SUFS about the purchasing handbook, please click here to share feedback with the program.
What is a Self-Paced class?
While the vast majority of Outschool classes feature scheduled, live meetings using our video classroom, we also offer the option to create classes that don’t rely on live meetings. In the Self-Paced Class format, teachers conduct the class by posting in the Outschool classroom and engaging with learners asynchronously. Self-Paced classes run for a minimum of one week. Click here to learn more.
Outschool’s Self-Paced Classes are available for purchase in My Scholar Shop
A Self-Paced Class is classified as a “Stand-Alone Online Class”. Per the 23-24 Purchasing Guide, guardians may purchase online courses that are appropriate for their scholarship student. Scholarship funds may not be used to pay for full-time online instruction. A stand-alone online class does not permit live, interactive instruction.
You can purchase a Self-Paced class and submit it for reimbursement OR use MyScholarShop.
How to Book Self-Paced Classes using My Scholar Shop
You can find Self-Paced Classes in My Scholar Shop. These Self-Paced classes are approved for purchase using your funds. Outschool lists our most popular Self-Paced classes and updates our catalog each week. If you don’t see a class you want to purchase in My Scholar Shop, please submit a request using this form, and we will add your requested class within one week.
Important: When you find a Self-Paced class you would like to purchase, use the comments section on My Scholar Shop to share your learner name and age and select the 'Share with Supplier' box. Outschool cannot complete the enrollment without this information.
Outschool will enroll you using the email address associated with your My Scholar Shop account; if that email is different from your current Outschool account, the support team will help you merge the two accounts.
Once your order is approved by Step Up For Students, Outschool will review and finalize the purchase and you will receive an email from Outschool.com confirming the enrollment information.
Refunding Self-Paced Classes
Your learner will receive all content immediately and can advance through the class at their own pace. Please note that in Outschool’s Standard Refund Policy, once Outschool processes your enrollment, you are not eligible for a refund if you cancel the enrollment.
We recommend reviewing the Class Experience section on the class details page before finalizing your purchase.
How do I know my order has been completed successfully?
You will receive an email confirmation to the email used to place the order on MyScholarShop once the order has been processed by our team.
How do I access my class?
When the class begins you will receive access to the class on Outschool.com. Be sure to check the email you used to place the order, as this is the email you can use to log in to Outschool and access the class. If you have a different email address associated with an Outschool account, the support team can assist by merging the accounts.
Who do I contact if I have problems with my order?
The support team is happy to provide additional assistance.
How to Purchase Outschool Live Online Classes
Outschool’s live online classes can be purchased using a credit card and submitted for reimbursement, IF they meet the following requirements. We strongly recommend you submit the class for approval to SUFS before you enroll the learner to ensure the class will qualify for reimbursement.
Requirements
All requirements can be found in the Parent/Guardian Handbook (click here to review the 2024-2025 Purchasing Guide for the Florida Choice Scholarships). Outschool classes (generally) need to meet the requirements for Electives or Part-Time Tutoring or Choice Navigator Services.
Electives
Per the purchasing Guide eligible providers for enrichment or elective subjects should have one of the following:
A valid or expired Florida educator’s certificate.
At least 3 years of experience in the relevant subject area as demonstrated by employment records.
Currently enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution as a student of the relevant subject area.
A degree from a postsecondary educational institution in the relevant subject area. A certification or national accreditation in the relevant subject area.
Part Time Tutoring or Choice Navigator
Per the purchasing guide, part-time tutoring includes tuition and fees for services provided by a person who:
Holds a valid Florida educator's certificate
Holds an adjunct teaching certificate pursuant
Has a bachelor's degree or a graduate degree in the subject area in which instruction is given
Is certified by a nationally or internationally recognized research-based training program as approved by the department
The program also lists a number of other ways to prove competency listed in the purchasing guide.
Outschool has curated a list of Outschool educators with Florida State Teaching licenses. Click here to check it out.
Note: You will still be required to submit documentation confirming the teacher’s credentials. Please reach out to the teacher to request this documentation. It is at each teacher’s discretion as to if they would be interested in sharing their credentials. You would want to use the “Message” button on the class listing prior to enrolling to ask the teacher if they would be willing to share this information. If the teacher is interested in sharing this they can reach out to Trust and Safety to request a one-time exception to be able to share this information. If the exception is granted, then the teacher can send you a photo of their credentials directly through the platform. Please note that this would be a one-time exception and if you need further teacher credentials a new exception would need to be granted. Please make sure that all communication stays on the platform.
How to Submit a Reimbursement Request
You can find more detail in the Parent Handbook, but to submit a reimbursement request follow these steps.
Submit Proof of Payment
You can use the following to submit proof of payment:
Credit card receipt with the full transaction date (mm/dd/yy), payee name, and amount
Credit card/bank statement including the full transaction date (mm/dd/yy), payee name, and amount
Additionally, the invoice or receipt must include the following:
The scholarship student’s first and last name
The teacher’s first and last name
The company name, if applicable
The type of service rendered
Dates and hours of instruction, including year
Service rate Proof of payment if the payee is the parent/guardian (refer to Proof of Payment section above)
The support team will help create this receipt for you. Please note that this process can take up to 10 business days.
Documentation
For enrichment classes or 1:1 tutoring, please reach out to the teacher to request the following documentation. Our trust and safety team is aware that Florida families may need this information. That said, it is the teacher’s discretion to supply it.
Documentation of certification: (The documentation below must be included with the first reimbursement request with that provider)
The DOE certification number if the tutor is certified,
The school district issuing the adjunct teaching certificate
A bachelor’s or graduate degree in the subject area.
This may be a copy of the bachelor’s or graduate degree diploma or official college transcript stating the degree conferred.
If the diploma does not show the tutor’s major, please submit the transcripts instead.
Outschool is continuing to look for ways to broaden access to Outschool classes for Florida ESA families. Please reach out to the support team with any feedback.