Superintendent’s Oct. 11, 2023 Update

Dear APS Families,

As we continue to work toward the goals of our current Strategic Plan, creating safe, supportive and inclusive environments for every student, including students with disabilities, is a key priority. Here is information about how schools are working to achieve these goals along with a few reminders of key dates for report cards and Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Prioritizing High Quality Instruction for All Learners: 

Our focus remains to ensure the core instruction in the general education classroom is strong, diversified and meets the needs of all learners, including our students with disabilities. Our Strategic Plan Goal is to ensure 80% of Students with Disabilities spend at least 80% of their day in the general education setting—meaning that all are learning alongside their peers in the primary classroom with appropriate support.

The Office of Special Education is working with schools to help increase their overall percentage and has shared three-year trend data showing the positive impact of inclusive environments.

• Based on our review of Standards of Learning (SOL) data the past three years, students with disabilities who spent most of their day in the general education setting with appropriate support made far more progress than students who receive their instruction separately.
• View the dashboard that schools are using to monitor their progress toward achieving this goal. The charts show the average percentage of time students with disabilities who are not in a countywide program, such as Life Skills or MIPA, are spending in general education settings.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: 

Elementary and middle school teachers are currently scheduling and holding conferences to inform families of student progress and areas of focus as we move into the school year. These conferences are important to set a strong foundation for the year, so if you have not yet set a date, please engage your teacher to arrange a time. Here are the official conference dates and other important dates to know:

• Thu, Oct. 19 – Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences (Elementary Early Release)
• Fri, Oct. 20 – Elementary and Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences (No School for Elementary and Middle Schools)
• Mon, Nov. 6– End of First Quarter
• Tue, Nov. 7 – No School for Students (Grade Preparation)
• Fri, Nov. 10– Holiday: Veterans Day
• Thu, Nov. 16– Report Cards (Grades 6-12)
• Fri, Nov. 17 – Report Cards (Grades 1-5)

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in helping every student succeed.

Sincerely,

Dr. Francisco Durán
Superintendent