Upcoming Calendar Items: No School for Students (Except Tucker) on Mon., Jan. 23, 2023; Two-Hour Early Dismissal During February Conferences; and WIDA Testing for ACHS on Feb. 7-8, 2023

There is no school on Mon., Jan. 23, 2023, for Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) students at all schools except Samuel Tucker Elementary School, as it is a teacher workday. Samuel Tucker Elementary School will have a regular school day.

In February, when school conferences are being held, the traditional school calendar has students in school for half a day during these conferences. We want to clarify that on these “early release” days, students will be dismissed from school two hours earlier than usual, per the following schedule:

• High school students at all campuses will be released two hours earlier than usual on Feb. 2 and 3, 2023.
• Students in elementary school and K-8 schools will be released two hours earlier than usual on Feb. 9 and 10, 2023.
• Middle school students will be released two hours earlier than usual on Feb. 16 and 17, 2023.

Additionally, on Feb. 7 and 8, 2023, the only Alexandria City High School (ACHS) students at the King Street and Minnie Howard campuses who should report to school are those who will take the WIDA Access for English Learner students test. Students at the King Street and Minnie Howard campuses who will not participate in this testing will do asynchronous virtual learning from home for these two days. All students at ACHS Satellite Campus and Chance for Change Campus will report in-person for instruction.

Across ACHS campuses, more than 1,000 students must complete this assessment, and these two days will be dedicated to completing this federally-mandated English proficiency test. Testing groups must be small, so this approach allows flexibility with staffing and spacing and minimizes classroom interruptions so this can be completed over two days rather than an extended testing window. ACHS uses this same approach when SAT and PSAT exams are administered for up to 1,000 students at the school. 

The 2022-23 academic calendar and the monthly community engagement and calendar reminders column in ACPS Express are resources for families for important dates and upcoming days off within the school division.