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Starting with the graduating Class of 2025, LCPS graduates will receive Latin Honors designations on their transcripts. The LCPS Board approved this transition when they adopted Regulation 5030-B-REG, Procedures for Determining Class Rank and Transitioning to the Latin Honors System, in October 2020.
LCPS will recognize the following Latin Honors designations:
Students who are in the top 20% of their class will be awarded the Cum Laude (with honor) designation.
Students who are in the top 10% of their class will be awarded the Magna Cum Laude (with great honor) designation.
Students who are in the top 5% of their class will be awarded the Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor) designation.
LCPS has transitioned to Latin Honors to accentuate student achievement and the rigor of coursework as reflected in their GPA. Students applying to colleges, should indicate that LCPS does not numerically-rank students. See Frequently Asked Questions about Latin Honors for more details.
To graduate with an Advanced Studies Diploma, a student must earn at least 26 standard credits and 5 verified credits. Standard credits are earned by successfully completing required and elective courses; verified credits are earned by successfully completing required courses and passing associated end-of-course SOL tests or other assessments approved by the state Board of Education.
Please review the Advanced Studies Diploma and Standard Diploma requirements with your student. If you have any questions, please contact their School Counselor.
Based on a provision of the Virginia Standards of Accreditation, 8VAC20-131-90, a middle school student who has taken a high school course while in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade (such as Algebra I, Geometry, Robotics, or a World Language) may elect to have the course expunged from the student's high school records. When a course is expunged, the grade and credit is omitted.
Students are not required to repeat a high school-credited course that has been expunged unless it is a graduation requirement or a prerequisite needed to fulfill a graduation requirement.
High School Counselors are reviewing grades and may contact you to discuss expunging a grade from your students transcript.
The link below will take you to the expungement form and will have a deeper explanation of the process and direct you to read the policy if necessary.
https://permission.click/B1AeA/int/Nqbe/signee-info
Please be advised that the decision to expunge a grade is irreversible and must be made by the end of the first quarter of a student’s freshman year. Please review Policy 5035: Expunging Middle School Student Grades.
LCPS will offer Advanced Placement (AP) tests during the College Board's 2025 administration window, May 5-16, 2025. Students must register by Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Registration will occur through the MyAP Classroom portal, where students use a join code provided by their AP teachers. This portal also offers instructional resources, practice tests, and tools to manage test registration.
LCPS will cover the cost of the first four AP tests taken by each student across their high school career, starting from the 2021-2022 school year. Additional tests will cost $90 each, with AP Seminar and AP Research exams priced at $138. Students not enrolled in an AP course but wishing to take a test should contact their school's Testing Coordinator. Late registration and cancellation fees may apply. For more information, visit the College Board’s website or LCPS’ Office of Assessment Services website.
Students Must Register for Tests by Nov. 8
Students and parents, listed below are upcoming SAT and ACT scheduled test dates.
September 14, 2024
October 26, 2024
February 8, 2025
April 5, 2025
June 14, 2025
*August 24, 2024
*October 5, 2024
*November 2, 2024
*December 7, 2024
*March 8, 2025
*May 3, 2025
*June 7, 2025
* All SAT tests are now DIGITAL as of March 9. Students taking the digital SAT who need to borrow a device from College Board will need to register and request their device earlier than the registration deadline—at least 30 days before test day.
Applications for the 2025 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is now open. The 63rd Annual Washington Week will take place March 1-8, 2025. For information about the program, please refer to the USSYP website.
All applications must be submitted and timestamped by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 30, 2024. All applications will be submitted through the Online Student Application Portal.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will select two student delegates to represent Virginia in the 63rd Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Each delegate will receive a $10,000 scholarship and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for Washington Week. Public and private high school Juniors and Seniors may submit an application.
Each application will consist of contact information, two letters of recommendation, a personal essay, an academic essay and administrative verification. Applications are available through the Online Student Application Portal.
The top candidates will be invited to interview with a panel of judges appointed by the VDOE and also take the Public Affairs examination. The exam, prepared by the Hearst Foundation, is designed to test knowledge of the United States government, the United States Constitution, American History, and knowledge of public affairs and current events. The examination is prepared by the national organization sponsoring the scholarship opportunity. The VDOE does not provide, disseminate, or recommend any preparation materials for the examination.
Final selection will be based upon the student's application, essay response, the examination results, outstanding academic performance, and demonstrated qualities of leadership and community service. The selection process for finalist has been streamlined to meet the rigor of the national organization's process providing consistency across the nation.
Please review the United States Senate Youth Program Brochure or the USSYP overview (video) before beginning the process.
Highlights from the 2024 Washington Week.
Seal of Bilteracy
The State Seal of Biliteracy is an award given to graduating high school students, regardless of diploma type, that have attained proficiency in English and one or more languages. We are pleased to offer the Seal of Biliteracy to students who graduate from Tuscarora. They receive the Seal on their diploma upon graduation and are recognized at the Senior Awards Ceremony and at graduation.
How do I Earn It?
Take a test to demonstrate your proficiency in your language. Have you already taken a test? Check the “VDOE Acceptable Evidence” page (link below) to see if your results qualify you. If you have not taken a test, sign up for the AAPPL test offered at THS to earn the results.
Fall Registration Timeline for the AAPPL test (used for the Seal of Biliteracy):
Test Registration Open: Now – October 18th, 2024. Bring $15 to Ms. Paz in L212.
Test Date: TBD, early November
The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language® (AAPPL) is offered for the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugues, Russian and Spanish. This state-approved, online assessment can be used as evidence for the Seal of Biliteracy.
If your language is not listed above, check other testing options at the VDOE Acceptable Evidence link below as you may organize your own test and produce the results to Ms. Paz in L212 for verification.
Click here for more information.
Credit Through Testing (CTT)
Students may register for the CTT through the Language Assessment Reporting System (LARS). The link is found under the Student Opportunities portal in LCPSGO. A confirmation ticket will be sent to the student and the parent/ guardian email on file.
Loudoun County Public Schools allows students with the ability to comprehend and communicate in languages other than English, to earn high school credits through State-approved world language assessments. The Credit Through Testing (CTT) exam measures students’ language proficiency in order to award one, two, or three high school world language credits.
The Credit Through Testing (CTT) exam is designed to assess students’ first language proficiency and is available for students in grades 9 through 12 only, whose first language is not English. The exam requires a student to read and comprehend exam instructions and writing prompts in the first language. The student must be able to write two well-developed essays in the exam language, each consisting of at least three cohesive paragraphs on two topics.
The Credit Through Testing exam is offered each November. Students may take the exam two times per language while in high school. For SY 2024-2025, the following 27 languages will be available for assessment using the State approved Rubric. These represent where 50 or more students in grades 9-12 speak the language as a first language at home: American Sign Language, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese/Mandarin, Farsi, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
*Latin will be offered this SY 2024-25 through ALIRA.
Registration for the exam will vary by school. Students may sign up online or request information on where to sign up for the Credit Through Testing Exam at the Counseling Office or the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the school.
- Registration opens on Thursday, August 22, 2024
- Registration closes on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
Click here for more information.
Back-to-School Support with Varsity Tutors
As the new school year begins, LCPS students have access to Varsity Tutors, a FREE and invaluable resource available 24/7. Whether your child needs tutoring or enrichment support, Varsity Tutors offers a variety of engaging and dynamic classes designed to meet every academic need. Getting started is easy — students can find the Varsity Tutors link in LCPSGo.
To further introduce these services, Varsity Tutors will be hosting a free informational webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. During the webinar, you'll learn about the comprehensive suite of live, online tutoring resources available to LCPS students in grades K-12. The session will cover:
✅ Live chat tutoring across all subjects, including English, Reading, and Mathematics
✅ College & Career Readiness resources, practice tests, and personalized learning plans
✅ Fun enrichment sessions to keep students engaged and excited about learning
Don't miss out — register online to receive the meeting link. If you're unable to attend, don't worry! The webinar will be recorded and posted on the LCPS website for you to view at your convenience.
How to Record Volunteer Hours in SchooLinks
Here is a step by step guide to follow on how to find the right location in SchooLinks for entering information. Only a Student logins will allow access to enter hours; parent logins do not allow for entries.
Loudoun Cares
Loudoun Cares is an organization that is designed to connect the citizens of Loudoun County with an unlimited amount of volunteer opportunities in the area. Through the Loudoun Cares Volunteer Center website, teens can find and sign up for volunteer opportunities that interest them, help those in need, and track their service hours to receive recognition. More information at https://volunteer.loudouncares.org/
Women Giving Back
We welcome volunteers of all skill levels to contribute their time and talents, supporting local women as they gain the strength, stability, and confidence they need to rebuild their lives. Whether as an individual, corporate team, community, faith-based group or just a group of friends, there are many ways to volunteer. More information at https://womengivingback.org/volunteer/.
Blue Ridge Hospice
As a volunteer, you'll become an important member of the Blue Ridge Hospice team. Thrift Shop volunteers assist with receiving, sorting, tagging, and displaying donated items, as well as assisting customers. More information at https://brhospice.org/ways-to-engage/volunteer/
Loudoun County Animal Services
Short-Term and One-Time Volunteer Opportunities
Read to Shelter Pets:
The animals at the shelter greatly enjoy having quiet company, not only does it help them feel better and more comfortable in the shelter environment, it also can help them get adopted faster. Bring your own book/e-reader/phone and spend some quality time providing quiet company to an adoptable animal! Sign up here.
At-Home Projects to Help Animals:
Are you interested in helping animals in Loudoun County but you need service hours quickly or can’t make the commitments required of an onsite volunteer? The projects on our Volunteer Project Ideas page can be completed at home and brought to the shelter any time we are open for business.
The Loudoun County Animal Shelter (LCAS) Volunteer Program
How Do I Become a Volunteer?
Our volunteer program opens monthly for new volunteers to sign up. The sign-up link opens on the 1st of the month and stays open for 48 hours or until all spots have been taken for the month. Please read through the volunteer requirements below and then fill out an interest form using the link below.
- Fill out an interest form. (Note: this link opens on the first of each month and remains open for 48 hours or until we reach capacity for monthly signups.
Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers is a nonprofit charity that assists elderly and disabled adults across the county.
The Student Caregiver program is offered to students age 12-18 and enables students to volunteer in group projects and teams of 2 to 4 students with one vetted adult volunteer (usually a parent or teacher). Student Caregiver teams are then set-up with an individual care receiver who is seeking supportive services from LVC. Services may include: shopping, walking, playing games, light housekeeping, reading, or yard work.
More information at https://lvcaregivers.org/volunteers/.