The Florida EdPASS Initiative sponsored by the Florida Distance Learning Consortium in partnership with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). EdPASS is designed to streamline the admissions, registration and enrollment process for students seeking additional professional development opportunities. Participating colleges and universities have agreed to use SREB’s VESA ( V isiting E lectronic S tudent A uthorization) system.

The EdPASS program is currently open to Florida Educators for account creation. Course offerings for spring 2008 and summer 2008 will be available soon.

• About the Florida Educator Initiative -
  

  The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the Florida Distance Learning Consortium (FDLC) are developing a pilot project to address the continuing professional development needs of Florida’s K-12 educators. The program will provide educators with access to and a streamlined process for enrolling in online learning opportunities needed to maintain or obtain necessary professional certification or to pursue coursework of interest. The online courses will be offered by Florida colleges and universities under a program named EdPASS.

  Participating institutions and students enrolling in courses through the initiative will use SREB’s proven VESA ( Visiting Electronic Student Authorization) in a repackaged form to facilitate the registration process. The program was successfully used during the Sloan Semester effort with Hurricane Katrina affected students from across the Gulf States.

  EdPASS streamlines the admissions/registration process for Florida educators eligible for and wishing to participate in the initiative. It provides a convenient way for eligible students to be certified for enrollment in courses at providing institutions. For participating colleges and universities, EdPASS will permit institutions to receive electronically student information necessary to create a record from which the registration process can be undertaken. EdPASS is an alternative admissions system that acts to establish the student as a visiting, guest matriculant or transient student to facilitate enrollment in courses offered from participating institutions. Participating institutions must agree to accept EdPASS as authorization to enroll in courses at the institution. There will be no charge for students to submit the online EdPASS application, which can be completed in a matter of minutes. The EdPASS application is auto-populated from student profile information provided when an account is established (free of charge) on Southern Regional Education Board’s TheTeacherCenter.org site. Once the student has completed the EdPASS and selected courses they wish to enroll in, the information will be forwarded electronically to the institution(s) offering the courses. The providing institutions will then contact students for payment of tuition, purchasing of books, materials, etc. to finalize arrangements for beginning the course.
  

• Eligibility and Enrollment Information - Review eligibility requirements and procedures for enrollment, applications and the new Florida EdPASS Program, designed especially for Florida Educators
  
  
• Overview
• EdPASS Eligibility and Program Guidelines
• EdPASS VESA Application Procedures
• Privacy and Personal Information
• After Submitting Your Application
  
  
• Account Creation and Course Information - Set up an account and review a list of the courses available for professional development by offering institutions, the schedule, tuition and fees, and other details.