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Volume 11, Issue 2

Weekly Field Memo
January 11, 2017

The Vermont State Plan Public Comment Period Is Now Open

Audience: All
The Vermont State Plan, created in response to the federal requirements of the Every Students Succeeds Act, and within the context of the state’s goals and priorities as expressed through the Education Quality Standards and Act 77, is open for public comment. The comment window begins January 11, 2017, and runs through mid-February.  Additional information about the public comment process is available online.
Contact: Chris Case, Education Project Manager, at (802) 479-1179 or chris.case@vermont.gov, or Patrick Halladay, Education Project Manager, at (802) 479-1712 or patrick.halladay@vermont.gov

Licensing Updates - Acceptance of Praxis Test Score Reports

Audience: Vermont Educators
In our continuing efforts for greater efficiency in the application process, the Licensing Office has revised its practice related to acceptance of ETS Praxis, SAT, GRE, and ACT Score Reports. Please note changes below that are effective January 1, 2017. Please read the full Licensing memo regarding these changes. 
Contact: aoe.licensingInfo@vermont.gov

Reminder: Register for 3D Vermont

Audience: Middle & High Schools, Career and Technical Centers, Math Teachers, History Teachers, STEM Educators
3DVermont contest is beginning its training phase and there is still room for more teams. The deadline for registration is January 13, 2017. Form a team today to learn about the historic buildings in your town and to represent them on our large map in March 2017. Added bonus this year: local architect firms are willing to help and are providing training resources. Register online for 3DVermont. 
Contact: Peter Drescher at (802)479-1166 or peter.drescher@vermont.gov

AOE Seeks Qualified Individuals for Short Duration Activities

Audience: All
The Agency of Education is seeking qualified individuals for short duration activities to be held throughout the year.  The activities will consist of Peer Review Panels, ROPA Teams, Student Assessment Scoring, Site Monitoring Teams, Committee of Practitioners, Conference Presentations, and ad hoc Committees, Groups and Panels.  NOTE: If you previously completed the survey, please do not resubmit at this time. Learn more about the AOE's employment opportunities.
Contact: Shelley Matz at (802)479-1754 or shelley.matz@vermont.gov

Unpacking the New Music Standards Workshop

Audience: Music Educators
In these workshops, educators will receive an overview of how the new standards are organized and the major shifts necessary when using them. The standards will be unpacked to create a deeper understanding. Educators will be put into working groups to write unit plans using the new standards. Educators will remain connected via an on-line community. Middle school educators should self-select which session is right for them. Limit 25-30 educators per session. A workshop for elementary and middle school educators will be held February 2, 2017. A workshop for high school music educators will be held February 10, 2017. Workshops will be held at the Agency of Education offices in Barre, Vt. Register for Unpacking the New Music Standards Workshop. 
Contact: Emily Titterton at emily.titterton@vermont.gov

2017 Preschool Development Expansion Grants Sub-Grantee Application Information

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Curriculum Coordinators, Special Education Coordinators
The Agency of Education will accept Year 3 applications for Preschool Development (PDEG) sub-grants. All interested programs are expected to apply annually for the duration of the grant. Documents will be posted on the AOE website for your convenience by January 31, 2017. This is an opportunity to request additional funding to enroll higher numbers of new children and improve preschool programs. The deadline for submission will be February 28, 2017.
Contact: Katie McCarthy, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator II, at (802)479-1401 or katie.mccarthy@vermont.gov

Promoting Educational Stability for Students in the Custody of the Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Special Education Administrators
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) highlights the need to provide Educational Stability for children in foster care. The documents available on the AOE website provide local teams (schools and DCF staff) with the tools needed to promote Educational Stability for students in DCF custody. 
Contact:  Alicia Hanrahan, Education Programs Manager, at (802)479-1206 or alicia.hanrahan@vermont.gov

School Reunification Facilitated Dialogue 

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The School Reunification facilitated dialogue is designed to initiate a conversation about how your school would conduct a family reunification and to familiarize participants with current school emergency plans, policies and procedures.
Contact: Rob Evans, Margolis Healy, at revans@margolishealy.com

State Personnel Development Grant Newsletter is Out

The January issue of the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) newsletter is available online. The SPDG monthly newsletter is dedicated to improving communication across the grantees by providing relevant information about upcoming professional development opportunities while highlighting different teams' work implementing vtMTSS across the grant.
Contact: Meg Porcella, SPDG Co-Director, at (802)479-1870 or meg.porcella@vermont.gov

Call for Peer Reviewers for the ESSA State Plan

The Vermont Agency of Education is strongly encouraging all interested educators and community members to apply to serve as peer reviewers for state ESSA plans.  They are seeking a wide variety of people and will provide training. You will need a resume and approximately 20 minutes to apply.  Learn more and apply through the U.S. Department of Education.
Contact: essa.peerreview@ed.gov

Courtesy Postings

Deadline Extended for Junior Iron Chef VT

Registration is now open for Junior Iron Chef VT, a culinary competition for Vermont middle and high school students. Those looking to demonstrate their adeptness in the kitchen—chopping, slicing, blanching, frying, plating, and other kitchen skills—are invited to cook in the statewide contest, to be held March 18, 2017 at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. Applications will be accepted until January 24, 2017, on a first come, first-served basis. The registration fee is $150 for each team. Registration is limited to the first 72 teams, consisting of three to five students in 6th-8th grade, or 9th-12th grade. More information, including competition rules and instructions for registering, is available on the Junior Iron Chef website.
Contact: Amy Gifford, Jr Iron Chef VT Coordinator, at amy@nofavt.org

Think Smart: Building Growth Mindsets and Metacognitive Skills K-12

Kathleen Kryza, an international consultant and educator, will share the latest cognitive research on mindsets and metacognition and what it takes to “Think Smart” in and beyond the classroom at a presentation on February 3, 2017 at Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee, Vermont. Participants will leave with a rich toolkit of ideas for building the capacity of Vermont youth to be competent independent learners, and fully optimize personalized learning and proficiency-based strategies in the process. Learn more and register.
Contact: Serena Franks, Operations Manager and Event Coordinator, at serena@upforlearning.com

Technology Tools for Assessment 

Chris CichoskiKelly is presenting these hands-on workshops which will focus on many technology tools you and your students can use to assess student learning, as well as how to match the best technology tool with the various types of assessments we use.  Participants will have time during the day to work on and be supported in creating their own assessments.  Participants can choose to attend one or two workshop days or participate in a 3 credit graduate course. Workshop dates are February 3, 2017 and March 17, 2017, at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier. Learn more and register online. 
Contact: Julie Medose at (802)498-3350 or julie.medose@vthec.org

Symposium Series: "Language: The Missing Piece of Academics"

The Stern Center for Language and Learning introduces their three-part symposium series at the Main Street Landing Film House on February 10, 2017. The first workshop of the series is entitled “Language: The Missing Piece of Academics” and will focus on language as a skill in its own right, a skill that not only supports social interaction, but one that has the potential to foreshadow problems with reading comprehension and writing long before children have mastered the basic phonics skills. Participants will learn about the structure of language, the role that language plays in reading, writing, and math, how it is assessed, and activities to promote language development. This workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. $300 for series or $125 per workshop. Register online.
Contact: Caitlin Niland, Intake Coordinator for Professional Learning, at (802)878-2332 or proflearning@sterncenter.org

NGSS Seminar for Instructional Leaders

Instructional leadership and active support at the building and district level is a crucial element in realizing the pedagogical shifts required by the Next Generation Science Standards.  But, what are the shifts called for?  How can principals, coaches, curriculum coordinators and other leaders support NGSS aligned instruction?   Join the Vermont Science Initiative (VSI) and the nationally recognized NGSX development team for a 1.5-day seminar, the Principals Learning About Networking and Supporting 3-Dimensional Science Learning (PLANS) on March 27 and March 28, 2017.  We highly recommend that district teams of two or three attend together, for example, a principal, a teacher leader, a curriculum coordinator from one district/SU to develop support plans together. Register online. 
Contact: Deanna Bailey at deannabaileyscience@gmail.com or Renee Affolter raffolter.vtscience@gmail.com

Building a Vital Learning Community with Restorative and Mindful Practices

This workshop will be on March 28, 2017 with Annie O'Shaughnessy. Annie taught a powerful and well-received workshop this December that had folks yearning for more. The Fall one emphasized Mindfulness with info on circles. This Spring workshop emphasizes Circles with info on Mindfulness. Learn more and register online. 
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org

Subscribe Online

The field memo has time-sensitive and relevant information designed for students, teachers, and staff. The agency encourages principals, headmasters, and superintendents to share the memo with their education community. Additionally, individuals can subscribe or unsubscribe online.

Questions? Email aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov.