Loudoun Schools Dais

President Wants to Extend School Year for Loudoun Students

I just read an article that says President Obama wants to extend school year and hours . The first question I have is: who will pay for the additional classroom costs or will this be yet another unfunded mandate on local school districts? Maybe the legislation will be called No Child Left at Home! Maybe tdhe President will help us eliminate the "Kings Dominion Law", so we could start school before Labor Day! 

Seriously, our country should consider changing the school year, but these changes will have dramatic societal impacts. I envision students graduating from high school after eleven years (K-10) and then going into trade schools, college, the workforce, or the military. But, are 16 year olds going to be ready for college or the workforce?  If they are able to join the military, should 16 year olds get to vote? 

On a related note and closer to reality, below is the proposed calendar for the 2010 -2011 School Year:

September 6 - Holiday (Labor Day)

September 7 - First Day of School for Students

October 11  - Holiday (Columbus Day)

October 29  - End of the Grading Period

November 1-2  - Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Days)

November 24-26 - Holiday (Thanksgiving)

December 23-24/27-31 - Winter Break (Classes Resume January 3)

January 17 - Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

January 21 - End of Grading Period

January 24 - Moveable Student Holiday* (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

February 21 - Holiday (Presidents' Day)

April 1 - End of Grading Period

April 4 - Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

April 18-22 - Holiday (Spring Break)

May 30 - Holiday (Memorial Day)

June 16 - Last Day of School for Students/End of Grading Period

If you have any suggested changes or comments, please send them to Schools@Loudoun.k12.va.us

School Board Approves .5 Additional Weighting for Honors Courses

The School Board Approved the following motion tonight. The vote was 7-2 (Yes - Bergel, DuPree, Godfrey, Guzman, Marshall, Ohneiser, and Reed; No - Geurin and Stevens). Here is the motion we approved:

That the School Board approve the assignment of an additional .5 weighting to existing high school honors classes. The .5 weighting applies to the transcripts of students taking honors classes in the 2009-2010 school year and applies retroactively to all students currently enrolled in LCPS who have high school honors classes on their transcripts from previous years.

School Board Will Vote Tomorrow Night on Additional Weighting for Honors Courses

The School Board will take up a Board directed and Staff Recommended motion concerning the weighting of Honors Courses. This is the motion that was tabled at our last meeting:

That the School Board approve the assignment of an additional .5 weighting to existing high school honors classes. The .5 weighting applies to the transcripts of students taking honors classes in the 2009-2010 school year and applies retroactively to all students currently enrolled in LCPS who have high school honors classes on their transcripts from previous years.

I will support the motion for two reasons: 

1. Students that take honors courses should be rewarded for the increased rigor of these courses.

2. This will create a level playing field with Fairfax and other districts for our students applying to colleges and for merit scholarships.

Revised Goals Approved

Below are the Board's revised goals. I'll post my personal 'top ten' School Board goals on Monday.

Loudoun County Public Schools Mission Statement

The mission of the Loudoun County Public Schools is to work closely with students, families, and the community to provide a superior education, safe schools, and a climate for success. The educational programs of Loudoun County Public Schools will strive to meet or exceed federal, state, and local requirements for assessment of achievement and to promote intellectual growth, individual initiative, mutual respect, and personal responsibility for productive citizenship.

Loudoun County Public Schools Goals

Student Achievement

• LCPS will ensure that all graduates demonstrate readiness for continuing education and entry level skills for immediate employment.
• LCPS will continue to provide full-day kindergarten for at-risk students and will develop a long-term plan to establish full-day kindergarten for all students countywide.
• LCPS will ensure that at least 92% of students will pass all required Standards of Learning (SOL) tests.
• LCPS will ensure that students and schools will attain the annual measurable objectives called for in the Adequate Yearly Progress requirements of NCLB.
• LCPS will identify and reduce the disparity in achievement among all educationally accepted subgroups.
• LCPS will ensure that students in identified racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups will exceed all requirements of Standards of Learning and NCLB.
• LCPS will ensure that all students demonstrate grade level reading proficiency by the end of the first grade or will have an individualized program of reading instruction.
• LCPS will improve English language literacy among all students, especially those who are identified as Limited English Proficient.
• LCPS shall significantly improve ACT and SAT performance.

Curriculum Development

• LCPS will enhance and expand alternative education programs.
• LCPS will expand its academy programs to serve students with special interests and abilities.
• LCPS will review and revise career and technical programs to meet evolving employment and post-secondary educational requirements.
• LCPS high schools will expand opportunities for student involvement in school-sponsored co-curricular activities.
• LCPS will strive to incorporate 21st century global skills into the curriculum.

Class Size

School staffing will be sufficient to provide for the following average class sizes:

 

Elementary			Secondary
	Average Class Size	Max Class Size
Kindergarten	22	15*	Grades 6-8	21.6 (Teaching 6 of 8 periods a day)
Grades 1-3	22	25**	Grades 9-12	25.9 (Teaching 5 of 8 periods a day)
Grades 4-5	22	27***	New Cell	New Cell
* A teacher assistant will be added to each half-day kindergarten class that exceeds 15 students. ** A teacher assistant will be added for the grade level when all classes at the grade level have enrolled 25 students and one class enrolls the 26th student. *** A teacher assistant will be added for the grade level when all classes at the grade level have enrolled 27 students and one class enrolls the 28th student.

Compensation, Recruitment, and Retention of Staff

• LCPS will offer a competitive recruitment, compensation, and professional development package that will attract highly qualified candidates and retain employees who meet established performance standards.

• LCPS will continue to explore methods for improving the quantity and quality of instructional and team planning time.
• LCPS will increase recruitment and employment of minority applicants for teaching and administrative/supervisory positions.
• LCPS will expand support for National Board Certification and other forms of developing teacher excellence.

Growth and Resource Parity

• LCPS will manage the effects of growth and use methods for assessing parity between older and newer campuses to ensure that all students, faculty and staff have access to quality facilities, resources, and instructional programs.
• LCPS will provide necessary and sufficient district level staffing in order to maintain excellence in a large and rapidly growing system.
• LCPS will continue to use scarce resources wisely by conserving energy, recycling materials whenever possible, and by educating students on best environmental practices.
• LCPS will annually prepare ten-year planning documents combining the Capital Improvements Program and the projected capital needs contained in the ten-year Capital Needs Assessment.
• LCPS will strive to establish paperless practices.

Community Relations

• LCPS will enhance community relations by frequent communication and through maximized opportunities for public input related to issues under consideration by the School Board.
• LCPS will increase community participation by regular distribution of school information to the citizens of Loudoun County, including an Annual report regarding progress made toward achieving system goals.
• LCPS will increase the outreach to parents of pre-school and school age children in order to increase parental awareness of available services, such as educational programs focused on parenting skills and the opportunities that already exist for testing, evaluation and special education services for children as young as two years of age.
• LCPS will promote increased involvement of parents, businesses and the community, and PTA's, PTO's, PTSA's and PTSO's will be recognized as essential partners in every school.
• LCPS will provide means to include parental input in assessment of school performance.
• LCPS will develop content and maintenance standards for all components of individual school Web sites to ensure that students and parents throughout Loudoun County will have access to the information they need for academic progress and success.
• LCPS will enhance the capabilities of schools and related infrastructure to facilitate emergency preparedness in the County and the safety of LCPS students and personnel.
• LCPS will ensure its home page calendar includes all known School Board meetings at least 60 days in advance and include major agenda topics once the agenda has been set.

Health, Safety, and Wellness

• LCPS will promote programs that enhance students' and employees' health, safety, and well-being.
• LCPS will strengthen programs that support safe learning environments free of bullying, teasing, and physical violence.
• LCPS will address student and employee obesity through programs developed to improve nutrition and promote physical fitness through lifetime activities.

President's Education Speech & Dr. Hatrick's Instruction letter to Loudoun County Principals

As promised, and without editorial comment, here is the link to the President's speech to students that will be delivered tomorrow at Noon from Wakefield High School in Arlington: http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Additionally, Dr. Hatrick has posted a letter to clarify the process LCPS will use concerning this speech.  http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/loudoun/lib/loudoun/Announcement%20Images/DrHatrick_regardingPresObama.doc

LCPS will not air President's Webcast Live

The day-to-day operations of Loudoun County's public schools is the responsibility of the Superintendent. He decided not to broadcast the President's webcast live because it would interfere with the first day of the school year. His decision wasn't politically based and I support it. 

 

Here is the e-mail that the Deputy Superintendent for Instruction sent to principals:

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Dear All:

We have been made aware of the letter sent to all school principals from Secretary Arne Duncan announcing President Obama's speech to school children on September 8, 2009.  Because this is the first day of school we know that you already have a full day planned for your students and staff.  Dr. Hatrick is not expecting you to share President Obama's speech with students at the live broadcast time on that day.  Since this is a webcast, principals or teachers may elect to retrieve the speech at a later time and with the preparation or related activities appropriate for students at your school level. 

 

Please carry out your routine activities on the first day of school.  Thanks for your cooperation.  Call me if you have questions.

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