eNews: December 8, 2022
In This Issue:
1. Consistent Parameters Needed for APS Calendar
2. APS Needs Substitutes
3. VA Legislative Packet
4. Current School Year Calendar Modified
4. APS Enrollment Data
6. What We're Reading This Week
7. 12/1 School Board Meeting Recap
8. Happening Soon
Consistent Parameters Needed for APS Calendar
Arlington Parents for Education commends Superintendent Dr. Durán for proposing a 2023-2024 School Year Calendar with 180 instructional days – the minimum based on state, national, and local standards. All three proposed Calendar Options for SY 2023-2024 had 180 or 179 days, which is imperative for student learning. To note, historically (pre-pandemic), APS offered 181 days.
We also applaud Dr. Durán for revising option 2 by adding an instructional day. As of Superintendent's Dec. 7, 2022 Update, option 2 is revised to 180 days.
We support Dr. Durán revisiting the recommendations based on feedback from staff and families, and based on the robust and fruitful discussion by School Board Members at the December 1st meeting. We appreciate the attention at the meeting to the community’s input from the Calendar survey - it’s important that when community input is solicited, it's heard and taken on board.
At the School Board Meeting last Thursday night, Dr. Durán noted that he also supported Option 2 with the addition of school on the Monday after Spring Break (staff referred to the day as “Easter Monday”), to reach 180 instructional days, and several School Board Members, particularly Mr. Goldstein, supported this option and urged staff to consider it.
In the Calendar discussion in the December 1st meeting, Dr. Kanninen highlighted that parents want predictability in the calendar. Mr. Goldstein asked staff to consider options to reduce the pre-service days ahead of the beginning of the school year. Dr. Kanninen, Ms. Diaz-Torres, and Ms. Kadera spoke in support of the religious holidays, while Mr. Goldstein highlighted concerns regarding the burden they place on low-income working families. Mr. Goldstein, in particular, supported revisiting Option 2, which the community supported.
To avoid this uncertainty and confusion each year, APE recommended that the School Board adopt a policy on key parameters for developing the calendar after conducting a survey on preferences such as holidays, length of summer and winter breaks, and the timing of spring break. Several School Board Members and Dr. Durán on Thursday vocally supported setting parameters ahead of next year’s process, including a plan to establish calendars more than a year in advance, similar to Falls Church Public Schools. APE’s view is that the calendar should aim to align with neighboring districts. We acknowledge the national trend of starting school earlier in August; however, we are concerned that an earlier start date without an earlier end date could have a profound impact on teacher recruiting and summer school hiring, and negatively impact transportation and facilities teams.
We recognize that the closures on holidays foster inclusivity for those religions the calendar now includes; however, we urge APS to consider the impact of closures on students who thrive with routine, consistency, and structure, as well as the impact on working families who must find childcare on days off, an issue School Board Member Mr. Goldstein emphasized during the December 1st meeting. School Board Members Kadera and Diaz-Torres on Thursday proposed greater collaboration between the County and the school system for childcare options on APS religious days off – ideas that APE has advocated for with Arlington policymakers. However, childcare options outside of school are a limited solution. Fairfax and Falls Church Counties have taken different approaches to religious holidays, and APE urges APS to consider some of these options:
In Fairfax, its version of Extended Day - SACC - is open to students on all religious holidays and teacher workdays. Therefore, every student enrolled in SACC has routine, stability, and consistency.
Additionally, FCPS holds Professional Development on some religious holidays, which decreases the number of PD days that are needed at the beginning or end of the school year.
In Falls Church City, Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) in Octoberapproved ending school closures on the religious holidays because of the burden it placed on working families. FCCPS added two days of religious leave for staff and initiated a policy of scheduling no tests nor special activities on the religious days.
We call on the School Board to adopt key parameters for developing the calendar. The board should commit to:
1. A minimum of 180 days of instruction.
2. Aligning spring break with Fairfax County.
3. Clear standards for holidays or other closures.
4. A policy on the length of summer and winter breaks.
5. A policy on professional learning days.
NEW: Read this article in Spanish// NUEVO: Lee este artículo en español
APS Needs Substitutes
APS continues to struggle to fill substitute teacher positions. A quick glance at the substitute openings on the APS HR website at time of writing (12/6) shows 33 open subs for today (a school day already half-way over) and 44 for tomorrow. There is a nationwide substitute teacher shortage; when we can’t fill substitute positions, teachers must straddle two classes, which results in more learning loss for students. How can we build our substitute teacher pool as well as have more volunteers supporting academics in APS classrooms?
Demographic statistics show that nearly 12% of Arlington’s population is over 65 and, therefore, most likely retired. In a county of 233,000 residents, that means there are 28,000 individuals who may be looking to give back to their communities.
APS is already engaging with community volunteers to do great things for our schools. However, and particularly during this time of acute need for additional support among so many of our students, we suggest that volunteer opportunities be focused on students and academics. Arlington is full of civic-minded organizations, from our civic associations to groups like Rotary Club, Civic Federation, and Committee of 100, not to mention retirees, family members of APS students, and younger residents looking to give back. A call to action among these groups to consider volunteering as reading buddies, after-school tutors, or applying to substitute teach could result in a much-needed influx of additional support for our students.
While also providing a need, serving in this capacity can be incredibly rewarding for retired professionals. For example, you can read about this retired World-Bank-executive-turned-substitute-teacher in Fairfax County and the bond she has developed with her students. We hope that Arlington County and APS consider officially promoting substituting and volunteering in APS schools to help fill the need APS faces. Similarly, reaching out to civic and religious institutions in Arlington and requesting that they ask their membership to consider performing this vital role will help make our schools and our community stronger.
Do you know anyone who might make a good substitute teacher? All you need is 30 credits from an accredited US college or university. They (or you!) can apply here.
Please spread the word: if you are involved in any civic organizations please let them know they will be helping our kids by becoming an APS substitute teacher.
Virginia Legislative Packet
At the November 10th School Board Meeting, the Board went over the proposal for this year’s APS “Legislative Packet” for the upcoming legislative session in Richmond. The six-week work session begins January 11th, 2023. The packet was voted on and adopted at the December 1st meeting.
APS supports the following positions:
previously adopted policy “respecting individual rights and protecting students from discrimination due to gender expression, gender identity, sexual harassment, and transgender status.”
legislation that requires gun owners to keep their weapons and ammunition safely in locked storage when not in use.
increased state funding to support facility modernization.
flexibility to manage resources and set policies at the local level.
EL pupil/teacher ratios should be based on English proficiency level of students.
expanded funding to provide professional staff and services for student mental health.
full funding of Standards of Quality.
extending Halifax Model of 1% sales tax for school construction and modernization.
continuing to use Cost of Competing Factor in reimbursement formula for Planning District Eight.
the Virginia Literary Act, which enables nationally-recognized research-based assessment and/or screener to asses potential student deficiencies, rather than PALS (which is local to UVA).
enhancements to VA code to ensure school officials are informed when a teacher or other school division employee is arrested for certain offenses.
allowing electronic option for advisory committee to meet.
universal free meals at school.
allowing school divisions to use performance-based assessments for Standard of Learning assessments.
the goals set by the “Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee” established by the 2020 General Assembly.
current policy regarding in-state tuition for colleges for DACA recipients.
APS opposes:
any diversion of public education funds to non-public schools including funding lab schools or utilizing tuition tax credits, tax deductions, or vouchers as a means of reimbursing parents for their children’s K-12 education expenses.
Read the final APS 2023 Legislative Positions here.
Current School Year Calendar Modified
The School Board adopted aconsent itemregarding the current school year calendar. APS has added Friday, April 21, 2023, as a non-school day in observance of Eid al-Fitr. The observance of this religious holiday was initially included on the calendar for Saturday, April 22nd, but asthis articleregarding the 2022 observance of Eid al-Fitr explains, the determination of this lunar holiday is related to the sighting of the crescent moon. Eid al-Fitr is now expected to be recognized onFriday, April 21.
APS Enrollment Data
APS unenrollment, when adjusted for population growth, is consistent with other school districts nationally that were remote in a similar manner and for a similar amount of time in the 2020-2021 school year.
Areviewof enrollment data from 48 states and the District Columbia found a direct correlation between the amount of time of remote schooling in the 2020-2021 school year vs. the amount of lost enrollment. Although K-12 enrollment nationally fell by 2.9% during the 2020-2022 school years (the largest in the history of U.S. public schooling), this unenrollment did not fall evenly on all school districts over the 2-year period:
Most remote school districts lost an average enrollment of 4.4%
Middle category of school districts lost an average enrollment of 2.3%
Most in-person category of school districts lost an average enrollment of 1.2%.
APS' total enrollment at the beginning of this school year is still not back to where it was at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. Much of APS’ enrollment decline has been obscured by much larger Kindergarten classes, caused by Arlington’s population growth, replacing smaller 12th grade classes.
Read morehere.
What We’re Reading
COVID-19 did not make students’ test scores drop. Our COVID policies did (Opinion–The Hill)
“So, let’s not kid ourselves. The potentially lifelong deficiencies in academics now disproportionately affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority children are the entirely foreseeable results of our unconscionable choices.
For less advantaged kids, we did the wrong things and called them the right ones. The emperor was clearly wearing no clothes, and most of us knew it but apparently did not care enough to say so.
Now, the entirely predictable result has come to pass: The kids who could least afford to have their already far less than ideal academic opportunities diminished have suffered the consequences of their elders’ dishonestly, irrationality and carelessness. And those elders now want to act like our kids’ test scores dropped because of something beyond our control. As though the dog ate our homework when, really, we chose not to do it —or, in this case, to assign it.” Read more.
Pandemic learning loss: The role remote education played (NYT)
“First, to address one of the most common questions I hear as an education reporter: To what degree is remote learning responsible for these setbacks? The answer is both simple and complicated.
At a basic level, there is good evidence and a growing consensus that extended remote learning harmed students. Some state test results from 2021 help show the damage. In Ohio, researchers found that districts that stayed fully remote during the 2020-21 school year experienced declines up to three times greater than those of districts that mostly taught students in person.
More recently, the national test results capture both the initial academic declines and any recovery, and they offer some nuance. While there was a notable correlation between remote learning and declines in fourth-grade math, for example, there was little to no correlation in reading. Why the discrepancy? One explanation is that reading skills tend to be more influenced by parents and what happens at home, whereas math is more directly affected by what is taught in school.” Read more.
The recess of responsibility (Tablet)
"I had been advocating for school reopening since the summer of 2020, but this incident confirmed to me that the damage done to some kids was irreparable. There was simply no coming back from it.
While my students were experiencing these significant hardships, schools in most of Europe and in many U.S. states had already successfully reopened. Bars, restaurants, and gyms in California opened in January 2021, and local private schools were offering in-person instruction. Nearby in wealthy Marin County, public schools reopened crucial special education services in May 2020. My students wouldn’t get the chance to be back in school until almost a year later." Read more.
If you like to read, consider joining our next APE Book Club! Email us or join our Facebook Group for details.
12/1 School Board Meeting Recap
The 12/1 School Board meeting began with the ACC JROTC space force Cadet Core presenting the colors. The School Board unanimously (5-0) adopted the consent agenda which included an additional day off on Friday April 21, 2023 for Eid. The public comment portion of the meeting featured three speakers. Amy Jackson, the Supervisor of Educational Technology, presented a monitoring report on the use of educational technology in APS. The Board voted 5-0 to approve the VA Legislative Package. Proposed School Year Calendar 2023-2024 and the Heights Building Phase I were also discussed.Read more.
See the Scorecardhere.
See the full recaphere.
Happening Soon
December 8, 6:30 PM Work Session on Enrollment and Capacity. Learn more.
December 12, 7-9 PM Open Office Hours with Mary Kadera. Sign up.
December 13, 5:30 PM Work Session on the Virtual Learning Program. Learn more.
December 15, 7 PM Next School Board Meeting. Sign up to speak.
Did you know you can add the APS calendar to your iphone calendar or google calendar? Check it out!
