The short answer: Curriculum is defined as a complete course of study for a subject or grade level, including required materials and teacher manuals. Publicly available curriculum can be purchased directly, while curriculum that is not publicly listed requires a pre-authorization request. PEP funds can cover self-paced online courses but not full-time online instruction or digital devices.
Table of Contents
- What Actually Counts as Curriculum
- When Pre-Authorization Is Required
- Online and Self-Paced Course Rules
- The Digital Device Restriction
- Sharing a Subscription Across Multiple Students
- FAQ
What Actually Counts as Curriculum
State policy defines curriculum as a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials, teacher's manuals, and associated online instruction. For scholarship purposes, this definition also extends to postsecondary programs aimed at career readiness or trade certification, not just K-12 academic subjects.
This is a fairly broad definition, but it's worth understanding that it's specifically about a complete course of study, not individual supplemental items purchased on their own outside of a broader curriculum package.
When Pre-Authorization Is Required
Most published, publicly available curriculum can simply be purchased directly through MyScholarShop or reimbursed after an out-of-pocket purchase, no special approval step needed beyond the standard purchase or reimbursement process.
The exception is curriculum that is not publicly available. If a curriculum program isn't something Step Up can verify through public review, you'll need to submit a pre-authorization request form before purchasing it. This is listed explicitly in Step Up's Purchasing Guide as one of the specific categories requiring pre-authorization, alongside items or services that fall outside standard frequency-of-purchase limits in categories like Physical Education or Electives.
Bottom line: before committing to a smaller or less mainstream curriculum publisher, it's worth checking whether their materials are publicly listed for review. If you're not sure, submitting a pre-authorization request before you buy avoids a denied reimbursement after the fact.
Online and Self-Paced Course Rules
This is a common point of confusion for families researching online curriculum options. PEP students can use scholarship funds for self-paced, pre-recorded online courses under the standard Curriculum category, no different from any other curriculum purchase.
However, live online instruction is treated differently. That falls under a separate category, Tuition and Fees at an Approved Online or Virtual Provider, rather than the general Curriculum category. And importantly, PEP scholarship funds may not be used to pay for full-time online instruction at all. A student who is enrolled full-time in an online program is not using their PEP funds correctly for that purpose, since PEP is built around a home education structure, not full-time virtual school enrollment.
If you're building a curriculum plan that mixes self-paced online courses with live online classes, it's worth categorizing each piece correctly before you purchase, since they're treated under genuinely different rules.
The Digital Device Restriction
This restriction catches a lot of families off guard, especially those building an online-heavy curriculum plan. Under Florida law, PEP students cannot use scholarship funds for digital devices or related peripherals, including laptops and computers. These items are not eligible for reimbursement or purchase through MyScholarShop, regardless of how central they are to running an approved online curriculum program.
In practice, this means families need to have their own device solution in place separately from their scholarship budget when planning an online-heavy curriculum approach.
Sharing a Subscription Across Multiple Students
If you have more than one scholarship student in your household, you're not required to buy separate individual subscriptions for each child when a family or multi-user plan is more cost-effective. Here's how the reimbursement works in that case:
- Each scholarship student is eligible for reimbursement of their prorated portion of the plan, up to the cost of what an individual plan would have cost
- A separate reimbursement request must be submitted for each scholarship student's share
- If the plan also covers non-scholarship family members (siblings not on a scholarship, for example), only the scholarship students' prorated portion can be reimbursed, not the full family plan cost
Find approved curriculum vendors now: Browse Curriculum vendors on Florida Education Vendors →
FAQ
What counts as curriculum under PEP and FES-UA? State policy defines curriculum as a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials, teachers' manuals, and associated online instruction.
Does all curriculum need pre-authorization? No. Only curriculum that is not publicly available requires a pre-authorization request form. Publicly available, published curriculum can be purchased directly without pre-approval.
Can I use PEP funds for a fully online school program? PEP funds can be used for self-paced, pre-recorded online courses under the Curriculum category. Live online instruction falls under a separate Tuition and Fees at an Approved Online or Virtual Provider category, and PEP funds may not be used to pay for full-time online instruction.
Can I use scholarship funds for a laptop to run online curriculum? No, not for PEP students. Under Florida law, PEP students cannot use scholarship funds for digital devices or related peripherals, including laptops and computers, regardless of whether the curriculum itself is approved.
What if I have multiple scholarship students using the same subscription? Families with more than one scholarship student can purchase a family or multi-user subscription when it's more cost-effective. Each student is eligible for reimbursement of their prorated portion, up to the cost of an individual plan, with a separate reimbursement request submitted for each student.
Can a Home Education Instructional Program be fully online? No. Home Education Instructional Programs must be provided by a business organization, not an individual, and the program may not be online. Curriculum and tuition/fee schedules must also be publicly available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as curriculum under PEP and FES-UA?
State policy defines curriculum as a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials, teachers' manuals, and associated online instruction.
Does all curriculum need pre-authorization?
No. Only curriculum that is not publicly available requires a pre-authorization request form. Publicly available, published curriculum can be purchased directly without pre-approval.
Can I use PEP funds for a fully online school program?
PEP funds can be used for self-paced, pre-recorded online courses under the Curriculum category. Live online instruction falls under a separate Tuition and Fees at an Approved Online or Virtual Provider category, and PEP funds may not be used to pay for full-time online instruction.
Can I use scholarship funds for a laptop to run online curriculum?
No, not for PEP students. Under Florida law, PEP students cannot use scholarship funds for digital devices or related peripherals, including laptops and computers, regardless of whether the curriculum itself is approved.
What if I have multiple scholarship students using the same subscription?
Families with more than one scholarship student can purchase a family or multi-user subscription when it's more cost-effective. Each student is eligible for reimbursement of their prorated portion, up to the cost of an individual plan, with a separate reimbursement request submitted for each student.
Can a Home Education Instructional Program be fully online?
No. Home Education Instructional Programs must be provided by a business organization, not an individual, and the program may not be online. Curriculum and tuition/fee schedules must also be publicly available.