After a year-long process of revising the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) grading policy, otherwise known as Policy 5030, the school board adopted the most recent version that laid the foundation for grading practices across the division. On April 8 2025, the LCPS board members announced the implementation of Policy 5030 to educators and the community for the 2025-2026 school year.
The revision of Regulation 5030 first surfaced in August of 2024, due to the concern that grading practices were not the same across the county. With feedback coming from district-wide surveys, as well as educator and community focus groups, the board was able to revisit and revise the inconsistencies in the policy. It was agreed upon by educators and the community that the policy was unclear and needed adjustments. Although not many students were made aware of this policy until they walked into their classes for the first time during the 2025-2026 school year, some students anticipated it coming sooner or later. Evelyn Sharp, a sophomore who is taking advanced level classes, was not surprised with the policy changes and thought it had been very lenient in the past. “I’ve always felt motivated to do homework and formatives because they have helped me in my classes and they provided practice, but having them graded is an easy addition to boost my grade,” Sharp commented.
The previous grading policy was revised just before COVID-19 shut down the entire school system, which left no time for the policy to be properly implemented across the division. Mrs. Lauren Shernoff, the Leesburg District School Board Representative, participated in the review of 5030 and ultimately voted to adopt the revised policy after it moved through the Curriculum and Instruction Committee. The committee gives feedback and provides oversight on all instruction-related matters. Shernoff noted that multiple factors caused confusion and irregularities within the policy during and after the pandemic. “The latest revisions aim to address those challenges by re-establishing clear expectations and providing better guidance for educators,” Shernoff states.
Policy 5030 contains four major constituents that differentiate from the previous standards: the maximum retake score for major summatives is 70%, late work must be turned in by the corresponding summative test, the removal of the 50% floor grade in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and formatives, in addition to homework, will count up to 10% of students grades.
If a student got below a 50% grade average for either of the first, second, and third quarters, the quarter grade will be raised to a 50%. This only applies if the teacher believes that the student has shown reasonable effort. Policy 5030 establishes the removal of the 50% floor for Advanced Placement (AP) Courses. Along with the revision of students’ ability to retake tests that they scored below a 70% to get up to a 70%, Shernoff clarified the reason for the removal of a floor grade in AP and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. “I felt that college-level courses should not universally allow for retakes or apply the 50% grading floor, as those policies don’t reflect the realities of post-secondary education. It’s important that we prepare students not just to succeed at LCPS, but to meet the demands of higher education and the workforce,” Shernoff commented. Despite this change, the 50% floor will remain for the end of the first three quarter grades in honors and academic classes.
The maximum retake score dropping from 80% to 70% received mixed reviews among teachers and students. Since the 2020-2021 school year, the retake policy was up to a maximum of 80%. Ellie Jeffers, a sophomore who balances high level courses and athletics, is not a fan of the new policy. “I like the opportunity of having a retake and I feel as though it’s taken away now because you can only get up to 70%,” Jeffers expressed.
Due to the fact that many parents commented on the confusion of the meaning behind formatives during school board meetings, the policy was revised to now include formatives in students’ overall grades. According to the clean copy of Policy 5030, formative assessments are designed to guide next steps toward mastery and reflect what is taught in class. Ms. Effie Hall, a long-time German teacher, believes that the new policy will better prepare her students for their futures. Now that formatives are a part of grading, Hall wants all her classes to take advantage of the opportunity. Hall noted, “[Formatives] are like a raft or a buoy, you have this thing that’s holding your grades up a little bit.”
One concern which has come from the implementation of Policy 5030 is student adjustment. Most students in the 2025-2026 school have only known the 80% retake max and the indefinite deadlines on late assignments. Amanda Dickson, a senior in all AP and Dual Enrollment (DE) classes, hopes to attend Ohio State with a major in political science and a minor in business. Although she has some negative feelings against the policy, overall, Dickson sees it as a good addition. “I think it’s going to result in lower grades, however, I think it will be beneficial in the long run, allowing students to take accountability of their school work, and in the end just work harder,” Dickson shared.
The board plans on monitoring and evaluating the policy throughout the 2025-2026 school year. With the guidance and feedback from educators, students, and families, the LCPS School Board could potentially make adjustments in the future if they see fit. After a year of closely evaluating Policy 5030, it will go into the 5-year-review cycle. “While we want to allow time for the changes to take root, we remain open to making further revisions based on data and feedback from students, families, and educators,” Shernoff added.
Whether facing the work force, college, or the military, the revised grading policy is an opportunity for students to experience post-graduate expectations. Hall expressed, “You have to strive and show your work ethic to advance into positions that are interesting for you. If you think you can just re-attempt everything your manager or your customers ask of you, that’s not realistic.” Although the implementation of Policy 5030 has received both negative and positive opinions from the LCPS community, it will prepare students for what they will encounter during their post-secondary education.