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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are Loudoun Literacy Council’s (LLC) hours of operation?

The LLC’s general hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. However, we recommend that you call ahead if you are planning to stop by to see us. Our staff often has out-of-office commitments, and we don’t want to miss you.

The LLC schedule may change soon, so please stay tuned.

Q2. What is the LLC’s inclement weather policy?

The LLC follows Loudoun public school policy in terms of inclement weather.

Check if the public schools in Loudoun are closed due to weather. If they are, then so is LLC. If you do not meet with your students at the Council’s office, then you may use your discretion as to whether or not you will meet with your students on that day.

If you decide to follow our inclement weather policy and not have a class, then it is your responsibility to contact your students to tell them that the class is cancelled.

Q3. Is LLC closed for any national holidays?

Yes, the LLC is closed for the following holidays:

  • New Year’s Day (January 1)
  • President’s Day (February 16)
  • Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Labor Day (first Monday in September)
  • Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November)
  • Day after Thanksgiving
  • Winter Break (December 20 – 31)

Q4. What kind of reports do I need to submit to the LLC?

As a tutor, you will need to submit monthly student hours and quarterly student goals. You will also have to schedule your student to come in every 6 months for a re-evaluation.

If your student leaves the program, you will have to submit a Student Exit Report. If you leave the program, you will have to submit a Tutor Exit Report.

All the reports are available online. Click here if you’d like copies of the forms.

Q5. Why do I need to report my hours every month?

The Loudoun Literacy Council needs to report the number of hours for each student to our grant providers on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

The number of students that the LLC services within the Loudoun community and the hours they spend learning English are taken into account when grantors are deciding how much to donate to the Council.

If you don’t report your student’s hours, the LLC cannot report them to the grant providers and may, as a result, lose funding.

Q6. Why do I need to set quarterly goals with my student?

It is important for you to set goals with your student and a realistic timeline for achieving those goals so that they can feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. As they complete their goals, you will need to set new ones which in turn will drive your lesson plans for the next quarter.

In addition, the LLC also needs to provide this information to our grantors so not only will you be helping your student, you will be helping the Council.

Q7. Why do my students need to have their English skill level re-evaluated every six months?

This is so that you and the LLC can measure your students’ progress in order to re-evaluate the appropriateness of the materials being used with the student and recommend new ones, if necessary.

This is also another requirement from our grant providers that the LLC must report on a semi-annual basis.

Q8. When do I need to report my student’s hours?

You should report the hours you spent teaching each one of your students on the 12 th of every month. You should not include preparation or commuting time.

Q9. How do I choose materials that are suitable for my student’s level?

In order to choose materials that are at your student’s level, you must listen to how your student speaks.

They are beginners, if they use one-syllable words, less than five words per sentence, and their spoken English is choppy and unnatural sounding. Choose materials that contain mostly one syllable words and have short sentences.

They are intermediate students, if they use one- or two-syllable words, between 5-10 words per sentence and their spoken English is choppy but more understandable. Choose materials that contain mostly one- and two-syllable words and have slightly longer sentences.

They are advanced students, if they use multi-syllable words, more than 10 words per sentence and their spoken English is fluent and natural sounding. Choose materials that contain mostly three or more syllable words and longer sentences.

Q10. How do I sign out a book from the LLC library?

You must first locate a book that interests you from the library, then you must ask one of the staff to get a copy for you from our cabinets that you can sign out. Never sign out books from our library shelves. They are for your reference only.

Once you’ve been given a copy of the book that you want, you need to sign it out in our Library Sign Out binder. You will need to provide the date, your name, your phone number, the name of the book and how many copies you are taking.

Q11. Can my students borrow books from the LLC library?

It depends on the book. If it’s a story book or one that does not contain any exercises, then yes they can; however, you will have to sign the book out on their behalf using our sign out procedure. All other types of books must be purchased.

NOTE: Students borrowing books from the LLC library may NOT write in them and MUST return the books to the library at the end of the course. If the students would like to write in the books, they will have to buy them.

Q12. What should I do if my student constantly skips or is late for class?

You can try having them sign a Student agreement that clearly indicates their responsibilities to you and the other class members. You can write one of your own or you can use the LLC version. It’s available in simplified English and Spanish.

If the problem continues and it is proving too disruptive to the class, then let us know and we’ll re-assign the student to another tutor. We will then assign you one of the students on our waiting list.

Q13. My student can communicate verbally in English but cannot read or write. What books should I use?

You should use some of our literacy books to teach them how to read and write the alphabet. The Laubach Way to English/Way to Reading and Literacy Plus series are quite effective.

Q14. I can no longer be a tutor. What should I do?

You will need to complete a Tutor Exit Report that indicates which of your students are exiting with you and which of your students wish to be reassigned to another class.

Q15. My student has not attended classes for a month or has left the country permanently. What should I do?

You will need to complete a Student Exit Report that indicates that your student has left the program and which goals he/she achieved prior to exiting.

If the student tells you that they will be exiting the program, then please schedule them to come in to LLC for a post-evaluation so that we can record their level of English acquisition.