n LOUDOUN
4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 8, NO. 25
10 | n EDUCATION
14 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
28 | n OBITUARIES
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MAY 11, 2023
County School Accreditations May be Hit by Absenteeism BY ALEXIS GUSTIN
agustin@loudounownow.com
County residents comes from the Northern Virginia Community College, outside of the traditional two-year associate degrees that are often associated with community colleges. NVCC offers a wide variety of certificate programs designed to get students ready for the workforce quickly.
Loudoun County Public Schools is looking at ways to address chronic absenteeism after the Virginia Board of Education revised its accreditation model last month, changing the process to collect data for the previous year only. Chronic absenteeism is one of nine indicators in the state’s school accreditation model. For the past two years, the VBOE operated under special provisions to suspend or exclude chronic absenteeism in the accreditation calculations, allowing for threeyear averages. However, the new accreditation model now bases it solely on data from the previous year. During an April 25 School Board work session, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Asia Jones and Director of Student Mental Health Services Jennifer Evans gave an update on the VBOE’s April 20 decision to not continue to use the special provision to suspend chronic absenteeism as one of the accreditation indicators for
ALTERNATIVE CAREERS continues on page 34
ABSENTEEISM continues on page 36
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
Students enrolled in Northern Virginia Community College’s Veterinary Technician Program practice physical exams and nail clipping during class April 4.
Alternative Career Paths Gain Traction BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.com
Amid rising college costs, Loudoun County offers alternative education and career options for students and adults wanting to pursue professions outside of the traditional four-year college route. Fees are higher across the board for public, private nonprofit and private
for-profit schools. Between 1980 and 2020, the average price of tuition, fees, and room and board for an undergraduate degree increased 169%, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. But for students who want a good job without the cost of college, there are plenty of options right here in Loudoun. One option that is available to Loudoun
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