eNews: January 10, 2023
In This Issue:
1. 2022 By The Numbers
2. School Board To Vote on Controversial Middle School Advanced Programs
3. Additional Instructional Time for Ten APS Schools?
4. Virtual Learning Program Ends for Now
5. From the Teacher's Lounge
6. What We're Reading This Week
7. 12/15 School Board Meeting Recap
8. Happening Soon
School Board To Vote on Controversial Middle School Advanced Programs
Following feedback from staff, families and advocates, the School Board will vote this Tuesday, January 10th, on whether to implement advanced classes in 7th and 8th grade APS middle schools.
Why it Matters: Proponents have argued that giving the option for advanced classes will help keep kids engaged in middle school and keeps APS competitive with other neighboring districts that also offer these classes. Advocates for advanced classes in middle school respond to opponents who argue that the classes aren’t equitable by pointing out that there are no prerequisites to taking advanced classes. Therefore, any interested student would have the opportunity to enroll.
Under the proposal, the classes would begin the 2023-2024 school year for 7th and 8th graders; the option for advanced classes to be introduced in 6th grade was taken off the table back in November 2022. We support advanced classes in 7th and 8th grade and also maintain that 6th grade advanced classes should be added back to the proposal, for implementation next school year.
Additional Instructional Time for Ten APS Schools?
At the December 15 School Board meeting, APS staff proposed allocating $293,319 for Targeted Resources for Student Learning Needs for January-June, 2023. Per Ms. Graves, the Chief of School Support, these resources refer to additional instructional time and support for family engagement for students at ten schools with low math, reading, and science scores.
Why It Matters: Additional learning time is urgently needed for students who are behind in math and reading. School Board Member Kadera also urged staff to ask for more funds at a later date because the need is so great and will likely continue to be needed. APE urges APS to continue prioritizing funding for these supports in the upcoming budget cycle.
We strongly supports this proposal. We also applaud School Board Member Kadera's questions and public support.
Read why the Thomas Fordham Institute “Acceleration Imperative” identifies “extended learning time and high dosage tutoring” as critical elements to complement in-school instruction.
Virtual Learning Program Ends
The School Board ended APS’ development of a comprehensive Virtual Learning Program (VLP) for future school years at its Dec 13, 2022, work session. Although no formal vote was taken, School Board members voiced their decision to terminate such efforts and Dr. Durán implied he supported its termination.
Why It Matters: APS having its own VLP is expensive and difficult to fully staff and administer. The program currently serves between 30 and 40 students. In 2021, APS allocated more than half of its federal relief money toward the program, which was subsequently paused due to concerns over the academic performance of VLP students and the program's operational problems.
Prior to COVID, students who could not attend school in person because of medical reasons received home-bound instruction or attended a third-party virtual school like Virtual Virginia.
Learn more about the development of APS’ VLP Program:
Budget Timeline, ARP Funds, APS Auditor’s Report, Lack of Community Input and Application Revision
From The Teacher's Lounge
(Editor's Note: From time to time, we will offer a perspective written by an APS parent or teacher on a topic of concern or interest for APS. What follows has not been edited.)
At the December 15th School Board meeting APS and APS School Board Members discussed a proposal to pay teachers for subbing. While I thank APS for finally recognizing we should pay teachers for subbing, I am concerned about the budget impact on schools. For years teachers have been asked to cover classes when a sub could not be found. Teachers will do this because we know students cannot be unsupervised, and we are a team of educators. When one of our team members needs us, we are going to step in and make sure everything is taken care of. Principals have found ways to recognize teachers who jump into other classrooms with words of affirmation, thank-you notes, a classroom certificate. What has not been recognized by APS is the impact this has on classrooms and teacher morale. Teachers shouldn’t be expected to work for free, and lose their planning time when no subs are available.
For years, teachers have been proposing that we should be paid the sub rate or our current hourly rate. The money has been set aside by Syphax to cover subs, but when a job goes unfulfilled that money continues to sit with APS. The cost of the unfulfilled job falls on the school. The principal has to work with the building coordinator to see how staff can be reallocated for the day, has to once again ask teachers to give up planning time or not teach their class (for Specials at the elementary level and Special Education and English Language Learning at the secondary level). Ultimately the cost falls on the students and their experience. The students are unable to have a Special that day because the teacher had to be used to cover a class. Students are not receiving the services they deserve and are entitled by law to receive. Students are not receiving the best of their teacher because the teacher is frazzled by having to condense planning, grading, paperwork, meetings, and other expectations into a lunch period. Planning is vital to providing high levels of education. For example, setting up a unit in Canvas took 4 hours, and that was with many of the rubrics and resources already created and imported from previous years' courses. That does not include creating new activities, modifying activities, and creating the materials to ensure the activities are accessible to all learners while also challenging them. Planning time is vital to teachers being able to provide what APS promises it is providing to parents.
Another solution is Syphax staff assisting with subbing in classrooms. Rather than only school-based staff having to cover classrooms, ALL APS qualified staff should assist in covering classes. It may mean some meetings have to be rescheduled, but it is possible. Other districts around the United States require central administration to sub at least once a month, some even once a week. I know of a district in which the superintendent himself subs once a week. Classroom teachers are not the only qualified staff to cover jobs when subs are not available.
However, the cost must come from the Administration’s budget and not be treated as a school-based cost. School Administrators are working hard to find subs, and they should not lose budget money when Syphax won’t be creative enough to solve the problem. Teachers should not be penalized when they have to take a day to care for their family, or take a personal day to catch up on the grading and planning they have not been able to accomplish during the contract hours. If teachers are subbing in a class, we deserve the pay that was budgeted! If the budget does not cover the true cost of subs because teachers have traditionally subbed for free, then the budget needs to increase to match the actual number of sub hours used each year. That cost should not come out of the budget for schools or school-based staffing. The cost should be found by evaluating budget "needs" and requesting it from Syphax. The schools are already constrained in many ways by budget choices, absolutely no more constraints should be experienced by the schools. All money should be going to what MOST directly impacts students--the lack of subs impacts them greatly. The solutions need to be more creative than having teachers cover the cost both in time and money.
What Exactly Is Arlington Tech? (Arlington Magazine)
“Tucked inside the Arlington Career Center, Arlington Tech is an academically challenging high school that emphasizes project-based learning. In the past two years, more than 95% of its graduates have gone on to college. The few who didn’t entered the military through the school’s ROTC program.” Read more.
Nat’l audit group says former Arlington schools auditor was asked to sign a bad contract (ArlNow)
“Before his [former APS internal audit director John Mickevice’s] departure, the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) had written to the Arlington School Board, saying Mickevive was asked to sign a contract that conflicts with its own policies as well as best practices. The author — ALGA Advocacy Committee Chair Amanda Noble — confirmed with ARLnow that she sent the letter….The sending of the letter and Mickevice’s departure occurred less than a year after his scathing review of issues that plagued the Virtual Learning Program, which he said earlier this year was “an indigestible meal that is going to make you sick.” Read more.
Inside the New Middle School Math Crisis (Hechinger Report)
“Test data paints a dire picture: Educational assessment nonprofit NWEA found that seventh and eighth graders’ scores on its math assessments fell in 2022, the only group of kids for whom that was true. NWEA researchers estimate it will take these students at least five years to catch up to where they would have been absent the pandemic. On the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, average eighth grade math scores declined eight points from 2019, hitting a level not seen since the early 2000s.” Read more.
If you like to read, consider joining our next APE Book Club! Email us or join our Facebook Group for details.
Forward to a friend or neighbor.
12/15 School Board Meeting Recap
During the public comment period of the December 15th School Board meeting several speakers spoke about advanced classes in APS middle schools.
Following a 3-2 vote, the School Board adopted the revised Option 2 calendar for the 2023-24 School Year. The revised Option 2 calendar provides 180 instructional days with an 8-day winter break (12 days with weekends) and a revision to the end date of the third marking period.
Middle and High School Programs of Studies were discussed at length, and items will be voted on at the Work Session on January 10th.
Why It Matters:Since the January 5th School Board meeting was canceled, the January 10th work session will now include a vote on advanced classes in APS Middle Schools. This has been a controversial issue, with advanced classes for 6th grade being removed from consideration for the 2023-2024 school year. Advanced classes for 7th and 8th grades are still under consideration.
See the Scorecardhere.
See the full recaphere.
HAPPENING SOON
January 10, 6:30 PM: Work Session #2 with the Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning (ACTL) at 6:30 PM. Syphax.
Thursday, January 19, 7 PM: Next School Board Meeting Sign up to speak. Syphax.
Monday, January 23, 5-7 PM: Open office hours with David Priddy. Sign up to speak.
Thursday, January 26, 6:30 PM: Work Session on Gifted Services at 6:30 PM (MOVED FROM JANUARY 24). Syphax.
Did you know you can add the APS calendar to your iphone calendar or google calendar? Check it out!
