An additional four days were approved to help Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students make up lost ground from the pandemic.

The LAUSD board approved the extended school year, with the optional “accelerated learning days” sprinkled throughout the school year.

“Doing the same thing that we’ve always done is quite frankly not acceptable,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “The accelerated learning days will be designed to provide a deep level of supplemental academic support for our students who need it the most – students who have lost the most ground, students in foster care, students with English language limitations or one or more disabilities. We must have the courage and compassion to provide extended quality instruction time for these students and professional development for our teachers.”

The extra days for students will come on October 19 and December 7, 2022 for the fall semester and then March 15 and April 19, 2023 during the spring semester.

Teachers will also have three optional “professional development” days to “maximize their success in the classroom,” according to the board. Those days will come before the start of the coming school year, on August 9-11.

“By giving students more time at school and teachers more time to collaborate, plan, and develop relationships with kids, we can help our students accelerate their recovery from the trauma and disruptions of the pandemic,” School board president Kelly Gonez said. “These optional days are just one of the many strategies we’re pursuing to ensure our students have the academic and socioemotional support they need to be successful.”

With the extra days in place, the 2022-2023 LAUSD school year will span from August 15, 2022 to June 15, 2023.

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