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Volume 18, Issue 31

Weekly Field Memo
October 23, 2024

About

The Agency of Education created the weekly field memo to keep subscribers up-to-date with current education policy, state-wide education initiatives, and official messages from the AOE. The Weekly Field Memo contains education-related posts from the Agency of Education (AOE), other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.

Contents: October 23, 2024

Vermont Agency of Education Starts Public Engagement Phase of the Listen and Learn Tour

Audience: All
The Vermont Agency of Education announced in a recent press release the next phase of the 2024 Listen and Learn Tour and invites the public to participate in community conversations to inform how the Agency delivers services and supports to Vermont’s education system. Please see the AOE’s Listen and Learn webpage for the most up to date public engagement schedules, links for virtual sessions and information on language accessibility. While not required, pre-registration is encouraged using the online registration form. The Agency encourages broad participation and welcomes input from all Vermonters, including students, families, and community partners. Students are integral to these conversations and are encouraged to attend.
Contact: aoe.publicinformation@vermont.gov  

Listen and Learn Tour – Educator Session

Audience: Vermont Education Professionals
The AOE announced in a recent press release that the public engagement phase of the 2024 Listen and Learn Tour begins on Oct. 22, 2024. In alignment with these public engagement events, the AOE invites Vermont educators to attend a separate session for education professionals. These sessions are for educators, school and district staff only and are closed to the public. Registration is required at Listen and Learn Educator Session registration form. Please visit the Listen and Learn webpage for the list of scheduled educator and public engagement events and information on how to access virtual sessions.
Contact: Courtney O’Brien at courtney.obrien@vermont.gov

Seeking Public Comment for Indicator 4: Suspension/Expulsion

Audience: Education Administrators, School Board members, Educators and the General Public
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) requires each state to have in place a State Performance Plan (SPP). This plan describes and evaluates the state’s efforts to implement the requirements of the IDEA Part B. The SPP includes annual targets for 18 indicators identified by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The SPP/APR (SPP/APR) includes indicators that measure child and family outcomes as well as indicators that measure compliance with the requirements of the IDEA. The Agency seeks comment from the public on methodology and target setting on Indicator 4: Suspension and Expulsion for students with disabilities in Vermont. Public Input for Methodology and Target Setting Proposals will be open from Oct. 18, 2024 until Dec. 2, 2024.
Contact: Ana Russo at ana.russo@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: One Small Step

Audience: Vermont Educators
Vermont Public is partnering with StoryCorps for a second round of conversations connected to the One Small Step project. The project brings strangers with different political beliefs together for a conversation—not to debate politics—but to get to know each other as people. Vermont Public and StoryCorps would like teachers to learn more about the ways media and technology can bring people together. Find out more about our classroom conversation tools on the Vermont Public Educators page. 
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpublic.org

Nominations for Presidential Scholars

Audience: Students, Principals, Guidance Counselors, Teachers, High School Seniors
The Vermont Presidential Scholars Program is a statewide recognition of student excellence in academics, community service, the arts, technical skills, and leadership in three categories: General, CTE, and the Arts. The deadline for nominations in all categories is Nov. 19, 2024. For detailed information about each category, including requirements, deadlines, and nomination forms, please refer to the AOE Awards and Recognition web page. Please note that in the General category students may nominate themselves; feel free to distribute this information to high school seniors when appropriate.
Contacts: General Category: Sigrid Olson, sigrid.olson@vermont.gov; CTE Category: Doug Webster, doug.webster@vermont.gov; Arts Category: Eric Howard, eric.howard@vermont.gov

Alternate Assessment Eligibility Training

Audience: Special Education Directors, District Test Administrators, Special Educators and Case Managers
All publicly funded students with significant cognitive disabilities are required to participate in a statewide assessment for math and reading in grades 3 through 9 and for science in grades 5, 8 and 11. Students who cannot participate in the general assessment with accommodations may be eligible to take an alternate assessment. The training will discuss the alternate assessment, MSAA, and eligibility decisions and requirements for the alternate assessment. This training will provide resources to help IEP teams to make this decision. The training will be held on Dec. 9, 2024, from 2-3 pm and on Dec. 10, 2024, from 10-11 am. Register for Alternate Assessment Eligibility Training.
Contact: Ana Russo, Inclusion and Accessibility Coordinator, at ana.russo@vermont.gov

Effective Use of Data Coaching Opportunity 

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, and Instructional Coaches 
In addition to workshop and webinar opportunities provided on the Vermont Data Use website, Demonstrated Success is offering coaching sessions with staff at your site for up to two half-days, or one full day. The Agency of Education contract covers the cost of these professional learning opportunities. Examples of how Demonstrated Success Coaches are providing professional learning for the field include working with leadership teams to articulate systems for school/district-wide data use; coaching educators in next steps within a layered system of high-quality supports based on data analysis; and facilitating data dive protocols using local data to plan for instruction.   
Contacts: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov and Karen Matso at karen.matso@demonstratedsuccess.com 

Collaborative Pathways: Personalizing Learning Together 24-25 Series Session 1

Audience: Curriculum Directors, School Counselors, Flexible Pathway Coordinators, PLP Coordinators
Did you know that the Personalized Learning Team at the  AOE can partner with your district to help develop, update, and/or implement your curriculum, personalized learning plans, flexible pathways, and more? We’re holding our first virtual “open house” on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024,  from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. for you to meet the PL Team members, discuss your local needs, and see how we can help. Register online for the virtual open house and you will be emailed the meeting invite separately.
Contacts: Ryan Parkman (Flexible Pathways, Virtual/Blended Learning) at ryan.parkman@vermont.gov; Amy Dodge (Flexible Pathways, Dual Enrollment, Early College) at amy.dodge@vermont.gov; Sigrid Olson (Curriculum and Instruction, Personalized Learning Plans) at sigrid.olson@vermont.gov.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife: Scat and Tracks Program

Audience: K-8 Teachers
Designed for kindergarten through eighth-grade youth across Vermont, the Scat and Tracks Program allows students to get outside and explore the Vermont landscape in a unique way. Students will watch a pre-recorded video highlighting a unique Vermont species each week. Each class also has the option to participate in question-and-answer sessions conducted virtually each week by Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff. Each pre-recorded video focuses on one Vermont wild animal and covers topics such as habitat, lifecycle and fun natural history facts. After the video, students venture outside with their educator and look for the appropriate habitat of the animal that was discussed, paying close attention to any scat and tracks or other signs of the critter. Registration for the Scat and Tracks Program is open until Dec. 15, 2024.
Contact: Corey Hart at corey.hart@vermont.gov

Mathematics in Vermont: The Newsletter for Vermont’s Mathematics Educators and Supporters

Audience: PreK-12 Mathematics Teachers, Coaches, Interventionists
The latest issue of the Mathematics newsletter, Mathematics in Vermont, is now available to read on the Agency of Education’s Mathematics webpage. In this newsletter, you will find information on data literacy, resources and suggestions to incorporate data literacy in the classroom by grade band, and upcoming professional learning opportunities.
Contact: Rachael Ledwidge at rachael.ledwidge@vermont.gov

Testing Windows for State Assessments in SY 24-25

Audience: District and School Test Administrators and Coordinators, Curriculum Directors, Principals, K-12 Educators
The AOE has announced the test windows for statewide assessments in English language proficiency (ACCESS assessments) as well as in English Languages Arts, math, and science (VTCAP and MSAA assessments). Details can be found on Statewide Assessments in School Year 2024-25 on the AOE's website.
Contact: Assessment Team at aoe.statewideassessment@vermont.gov

Statewide Assessment Results in ELA, Math, and Science

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, K-12 Educators
The AOE released the preliminary 2023-24 Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program results. The assessment is administered annually in the spring to students in grades three through nine, and eleven. The assessment measures students’ mastery of the Common Core State Standards in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and the Next Generation Science Standards. Details can be found here: Press Release: 2023-24 Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program Results
Contact: Danielle Dupuis at danielle.dupuis@vermont.gov

Work-Based Learning Survey

Audience: High School WBL Coordinators, Flexible Pathways Coordinators, CTE WBL Coordinators, Career Support Personnel, School Counselors
Do you, or others in your school, facilitate any Work-Based Learning experiences for students? If so, please complete the AOE's Work Based Learning Coordinator Survey. Even if you completed the survey last year, it is helpful to fill it out again. We are working to understand the landscape of WBL across Vermont to be in a better place to support your important work. Thank you for your time in completing this survey. The average completion time is around 10 minutes. Please complete the survey by Oct. 31, 2024.
Contact: Julia Schuster at Julia.schuster@vermont.gov

Relationship Building and Proactive De-escalation Strategies Training

Audience: Educators, Paraeducators, Support Staff, Administrators
In this training, participants will learn practical strategies necessary to ensure a safe learning environment where the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of all students and staff is maintained. Participants will examine strategies for building and maintaining positive relationships; understand the different stages in the Escalation/Crisis Cycle; identify where students are on the escalation continuum and how to respond; and learn effective communication strategies and scripts to minimize interfering behaviors. This training will be held on Nov. 7, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in Waterbury, VT. Please register for Relationship Building and Proactive De-escalation Strategies to join us.
Contact: Contact: Anne Dubie at anne.dubie@uvm.edu

Webinar on Understanding and Practicing Function-Based Thinking

Audience: Educators, Support Staff, Administrators
This webinar will give participants a foundational understanding of function-based thinking within a trauma-responsive framework. Participants will learn various functions of behavior and specific proactive and response strategies that are more likely to reduce the chances the student will engage in the interfering behavior again. Note: This session introduces function-based thinking and is not a session on conducting functional behavioral assessments. The webinar will be held on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, from 9-11:00 a.m. Please register for Understanding and Practicing Function-Based Thinking to join us.
Contact: Anne Dubie at anne.dubie@uvm.edu

Parent, Family and Community Engagement Web Page 

Audience: Administrators, Family Engagement Coordinators, Home School Liaisons, Families/Caregivers
Slate Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) is the featured Family and Community Engagement Highlight. SVUSD exemplifies the family engagement core principle of Building Effective Two-Way Communication by having a variety of ways to receive and discuss information. Learn about SVUSD engagement strategies emphasizing collaboration to strengthen community belonging and partnership. Additional new resources on the AOE Parent, Family, and Community Engagement web page include a Newcomer Toolkit, and other resources related to multilingual learner/immigrant/refugee families, Handling With Care, a toolkit for family and caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth, and a Family Engagement Learning Series hosted by the US Department of Education. 
Contact: Nancy Hellen at nancy.hellen@vermont.gov

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Questions? Email aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov.