2026-2027 Exchange Days: January 4, February 10, & June 3, 2026

For clarification by position (i.e., teachers, counselors, paras, etc.), see this chart here.

Exchange Day Definition: Exchange Days are professional learning days embedded into the instructional calendar to allow professional development for teachers and staff. On Exchange Days, teachers and staff participate in targeted professional learning both on campus and with district Teaching & Learning departments. Earned Exchange Day hours are counted as a part of the TEA requirement of 30 hours of professional development. (From DMA Local Regulation)

Participation in Exchange Days Guidelines: To participate in the optional Exchange Days, certain positions and employees (notated below) are required to attend professional learning sessions equaling 18 hours (6 for each Exchange Day). They have three options for Exchange Days:

• Attend professional learning during off-contract time prior to the Exchange Days and not report to campus on Exchange Days

• They can take a personal day and not report to campus on Exchange Days

• Work 8 hours on campus on Exchange Day. 

If teachers are in the core academic content areas, they must attend six (6) hours in those professional learning areas. 

• How do I get my Exchange Day hours reviewed and approved?

  • Exchange Days are approved at the campus level by campus administrators. To show attendance during off-contract professional learning that counts for Exchange Day credit, print the training that shows hours from your KickUp profile.  If your campus secretaries or administrators have questions, you can send them to professionallearning@kleinisd.net. 

• How many Exchange Hours can I earn and when does the time frame begin for the 2025-2026 school year? 

  • Teachers and eligible positions can earn Exchange Day credit from June 4, 2026 to June 2, 2027.

  • For eligible positions, 

    • 6 hours should be earned before January 4 to earn not being present on campus without taking a personal day. 

    • 6 hours should be earned before February 10 to earn not being present on campus without taking a personal day. 

    • 6 hours should be earned before June 3 to earn not being present on campus without taking a personal day. 

• Where do I go to see my Exchange Day professional learning options?

  • • Eligible staff can find Exchange Day hours in KickUp. If the school year has started, they can find professional learning options in KickUp and scroll through the course offerings by searching the search bar, by tags, content, and location. Instructions for browsing are located here. 

• What are the specific requirements to earn my hours?  

  • Exchange Day hours can only be earned during off-contract hours (i.e., summer, school year week nights, or weekends). 

  • There is a requirement of a minimum of 6 hours of professional learning within the teacher's content area (core content) that can count toward Exchange Day.

  • The other 12 hours of professional learning can be more hours in the teacher's content area or general content, as seen below.

    • General Content Options: Leadership development content, Teacher Leadership Academy (cohorts), New Teacher Mentor Program, personalized Learning, digital learning, Prof. Learning dept. professional development, Family Engagement, Special Education, Advanced Academics/GT, English Learner, Assessment and Accountability, externally verified conferences related to the teacher's classroom content, and more.

    • If a staff member is taking graduate courses, they cannot count toward Exchange Day credit. However, they do count for CPE credit (unrelated to Exchange Day) and information is located here. 

• What happens if I do not fulfill the requirements for Exchange Days?

  • The expectation is that teachers/eligible staff who do not have those hours complete (6 hours for each Exchange Day; 18 total for each of the days), must be present on their campus on January 4, February 10, and June 3, 2026. To check what your position requirements are for the day, check the chart here.

• What English Learner hours are required for teachers to earn for Exchange Days?

  • None this year. 

• How will I turn in my Exchange Day hours in order to have that day off?

  • To show attendance during off-contract professional learning that counts for Exchange Day credit, print the training that shows hours from your KickUp profile. 

  • If you attended a session that should've been counted for Exchange Day credit and it is not showing on your portfolio that way, contact the session facilitator to make the change. 

  • Record-keeping of Exchange Days solely lies with teachers and campus administration. Please communicate with them if you have questions. 

• How do I know how many hours I've earned toward Exchange Day?

  • To show attendance during off-contract professional learning that counts for Exchange Day credit, print the training that shows hours from your KickUp profile. 

  • If you see missing hours within KickUp, please email the session facilitator to inquire about having them added to your portfolio.