Late departure days considered at LCPS to meet state requirements

ASHBURN, VA — Starting late on some school days could be the solution Loudoun County Public Schools is looking for to meet new professional development requirements for teachers.

On Tuesday, the Loudoun County School Board received a proposal providing 16 late arrival days for students during the 2024-2025 school year to allow for professional development. The two-hour late days are proposed to help LCPS comply with the Virginia Literacy Act, which includes up to 27 hours of required training modules for teachers.

Late start dates are offered on select Wednesdays: September 11, September 18, October 9, October 23, November 13, November 20, January 8, January 15, February 5, February 12. March 5, March 26, April 9, March 23, May 14 and May 21.

Other upcoming changes include the second year of the Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System, a new assessment for third grade and new K-2 teachers, and new standards for standardized testing of mathematics and English learning that teachers should teach to students. The math standards will apply to SOL assessments in the 2024-2025 school year, while the English standards timeline is on hold.

“What is tighter is that students will also be assessed on these new standards the same year they are implemented,” said Ashley Ellis, LCPS chief academic officer. “In the past, we had an extra year to train our teachers, get familiar with the standards and get students and teachers more comfortable. We don’t have that time this year.”

Ellis, LCPS’ chief academic officer, said the school division is awaiting more guidance from the Virginia Department of Education on timelines and details of the new requirements. She called ensuring high-quality teaching “time-consuming but extremely important.”

“It is imperative that we provide educators with the time they need to prepare for success in their roles,” added Lisa Boland, LCPS director of human resources. “Our goal is to provide support that allows teachers to fully participate in these professional development requirements.”

Other options being considered by LCPS to meet additional teacher professional development requirements are early release days for students, additional contract days for teachers, and the use of three unallocated work days already in contracts teachers.

Currently, teachers and other educational personnel have three days of LCPS-wide professional development each year. Teachers indicated that the time available for training was not sufficient.

Some school board members expressed support for spending more time on professional development for teachers.

“I appreciate you looking at the training required for our teachers and sorting them into buckets and I look forward to hearing more about it,” said Algonquin District Representative April Chandler. “I think it’s definitely a great way to take some pressure off, especially in this tough year that we’re going to face next year.”

Leesburg District Rep. Lauren Shernoff, who has worked as a teacher, wants the community to know that the additional professional development requirements are a “big job.” But she says professional development focused on core teaching will benefit all students.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise, you know, a secret that teacher morale is low and they just have a lot of work to do and (the Virginia Department of Education) is adding more , so we have to do something,” Shernoff said. “I have also sometimes criticized the loss of teaching time in our calendar. I have spoken about it. So I know there is a loss of teaching time. But on this one, I have the “I feel like we need to support this for our teachers right now.”

Catoctin District Representative Kari LaBell, who has also worked as a teacher, asked about incentives for teachers who complete professional development modules. Ellis said there are professional learning exchange days that can take a day off work during the school year, but LCPS does not expect the state to offer new professional development modules before September.

Ellis expects the community to ask questions about the late start proposal. She said the school nutrition team is able to provide grab-and-go breakfasts and transportation staff can accommodate late departure changes.

“We anticipate that morning child care or student supervision on altered arrival days will be a concern for families,” Ellis said. “The team will continue to develop plans to address these anticipated challenges.”

“I think the success here will be to really engage families, communicate and really understand how we can support them through this, because I know that’s our first priority,” added Vice President Arben Istrefi of the Sterling District. “It’s impossible to blame this on our teachers, we know that, but I think we also need to recognize that this is going to be very difficult for families as well.”

The Loudoun County School Board placed the calendar changes on its agenda for consideration on May 28. The community can provide feedback via an online form.