- 21st CCLC Grant Application Now Open
- The Vermont AOE Case Study Learning Project
- VT Physical Education Assessment Updates
- VTPBIS Annual Leadership Forum
- 2018 Math for All Learners Conference
- Shaping Educator Quality: Public Input Needed
- School Safety: Threat Reporting and Tracking
- School Safety: Vermont School Safety Newsletter
- Council of Health and Physical Educators Kick-Off Meeting
- Save the Date: Early Childhood Special Ed Overview
- MTSS Resources
- Learning Day: Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities
- Memo: Reporting Early Childhood Outcomes Entry Ratings
- Courtesy Posts
21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Application Now Open
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Grant Application is now open for the purpose of providing high-quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities. Applications are due February 5, 2019. Applicant workshops for teams will be held on October 10, 16, and 18, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To view the locations visit the agency’s Events Calendar. To apply for the 21st CCLC, please complete the grant application.
Contact: 21C State Coordinator, Emanuel Betz at emanuel.betz@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1396
The Vermont AOE Case Study Learning Project
Audience: All secondary teachers (general and special education), principals, curriculum coordinators, career and technical education center staff, and personalized learning plan/Flexible Pathways coordinators/advisors
This resource is the result of several years of work aimed at answering questions educators have raised about the implications of personalized, proficiency-based education for students with disabilities. The goal of these case studies is to provide exemplars of the inter-relationship between a student’s personalized learning plan (PLP), IEP transition plan and the student’s flexible pathway to meeting proficiency-based graduation requirements (PBGRs). These case studies will provide examples of how our fictional Happy Valley High School executed the requirements and intent of Act 77, the VT Education Quality Standards, and IDEA. These case scenarios provide potential models that can be adapted to fit each school’s particular context. These models are not new requirements but rather tangible exemplars of how these plans might be developed to support rather than duplicate each other. Additionally, this resource showcases a strategy for making PBGRs accessible for students with disabilities. The case studies can be found on the agency website.
Contact: John Spinney at john.spinney@vermont.gov
2018-19 Vermont Physical Education Assessment (VTPEA) Updates
The VTPEA assesses the fitness levels of all VT students to inform and provide feedback for local programs, thereby creating instructional opportunities to develop lifelong and life-enhancing healthy fitness habits. The VTPEA expects that all students be provided access, membership, and inclusion in their community and embraces the unique contributions of each student. Updates for 2018-19 have been posted on the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program Portal.
Contact: Gabriel McGann at gabriel.mcgann@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1444
Registration for the Annual VTPBIS Leadership Forum is now open
The Annual VTPBIS Leadership Forum will be held on October 11, 2018, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel in Killington. This is a great opportunity for new and experienced PBIS Leadership Teams to learn more about sustainability and evidence-based practices. VTPBIS Annual Acknowledgments will be presented and there will be opportunities to network with other schools.
Contact: Sherry Schoenberg at sherry.schoenberg@uvm.edu or (802) 656-9656
2018 Math for All Learners Conference
Audience: K-8 Math Teachers, Coaches, Math Instructional Leaders, Principals, Special Educators, District Leaders
Registration is open for the 2018 Math for All Learners Conference on September 21, 2018, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center in Killington. Math educators will have the chance to attend a one-day conference on the All Learners Project (ALP) – a systemic approach to math instruction that asserts that all students can understand and do mathematics. Through the use of focused instruction (using the High Leverage Concepts), deliberate inclusion, differentiation, and a rapid cycle of inquiry, the All Learners Project has helped teachers in Vermont, Maine, and Maryland support every learner to be successful with fundamental mathematicMath educators will have the chance to attend a one-day conference on the All Learners Project (ALP) – a systemic approach to math instruction that asserts that all students can understand and do mathematics. Through the use of focused instruction (using the High Leverage Concepts), deliberate inclusion, differentiation, and a rapid cycle of inquiry, the All Learners Project has helped teachers in Vermont, Maine, and Maryland support every learner to be successful with fundamental mathematics. More information about the conference is on the AOE website.
Contact: Heidi Whipple at (802) 479-1379 or heidi.whipple@vermont.gov
Shaping Educator Quality: Public Input Needed
Audience: Vermont Educators, Parents and Community Members
The Vermont Legislature has asked the Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators (VSBPE) to determine if educator licensing requirements are appropriate. We are seeking input from parents, educators and the public. Your anonymous responses will help us create a report for legislators to consider. Please complete the Educator Quality Survey by September 13, 2018.
Contact: Debi Price at debora.price@vermont.gov
School Safety: School Threat Reporting and Tracking
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
As we begin the 2018/2019 academic year, we want to remind school leaders of the importance of contacting your local, county, or state law enforcement partners to assist in evaluating the credibility of “any” threat of violence or harm that may have a negative impact on your school. Please review the Threat Assessment Guide on the Vermont School Safety Center’s website. While we understand that schools may be able to quickly determine that a specific threat lacks credibility, we strongly encourage schools to contact their local law enforcement partners to inform them of the threat received and the protective actions (if any) taken by the school.
Contact: Rob Evans, School Safety Liaison Officer, at revans@margolishealy.com
School Safety: Vermont School Safety Newsletter
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The Agency of Education and the Department of Public Safety are pleased to offer Volume 2, Issue 2 of the Vermont School Safety Newsletter. This newsletter is intended to provide school executive leadership teams, first responders, mental health providers and other school safety partners with updates on current and future school safety initiatives. Please continue to visit the Vermont School Safety Center website for more school safety planning, training, and exercise resources.
Contact: Rob Evans, School Safety Liaison Officer, at revans@margolishealy.com
Vermont Council of Health and Physical Educators Kick-Off Meeting
Audience: Health Educators, Physical Educators
The Vermont Council of Health and Physical Educators (VCHPE) kick-off meeting for the 2018-2019 school year will be held September 20, 2018, at the Community National Bank (conference room), 316 N. Main St., in Barre, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This meeting will focus on Health and Physical Education curriculum development, creating performance-based assessments and professional development impact plans.
Contact: Susan Yesalonia at susan.yesalonia@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1284
Save the Date: Early Childhood Special Education Overview
Audience: Early Childhood Special Educators and Related Service Staff, Directors of Student Support/Special Education
The Early Learning Team will host two Early Childhood Special Education overviews, October 17, 2018, at the Hilton Battery Street in Burlington, or October 18, 2018, at the Holiday Inn in Rutland. Each day-long workshop will be especially helpful for both new and veteran ECSE staff. Sessions include a review of Early Childhood Special Education Regulations, Early Childhood Outcome, 504/ADA/IDEA: Serving Children in Public and Private PreK Programs, and more.
Contact: Leslie Freedman at leslie.freedman@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1412
Multi-tiered System of Supports Resources
Audience: Members of SU/SD/School Leadership Teams
The Vermont Agency of Education MTSS Team has four pages on the AOE website dedicated to resources to support the work of leadership teams in implementing a MTSS in their SU: Multi-tiered System of Supports, Integrated Educational Frameworks, Educational Support Team and MTSS Resources. In addition, there is an MTSS listserv that will provide updates and serve as a way to network with other educators in VT.
Contact: Tracy Watterson at (802) 479-1353 or tracy.watterson@vermont.gov
Vermont Inclusive Practices for Students with Significant Disabilities Learning Day
Audience: Special Educators, General Education Teachers, Principals, Superintendents, Special Education Coordinators
Registration is open for a Vermont Inclusive Practices Professional Learning Day on October 29, 2018, in Castleton, or on October 30, 2018, in Burlington. Participants will learn how to include students with extensive needs in their grade level classroom, curriculum, and activities at the universal level of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Hear from Vermont grade level and special educators who make inclusive education a reality in their schools. Dive deep into Alternate Assessment data and what it means for students. Lunch not provided.
Contact: Chris Kane at christopher.kane@vermont.gov
Reporting Early Childhood Outcomes Entry Ratings Memo
Audience: Early Childhood Special Educators and Related Service Staff; Directors of Student Support/Special Education; PreK ;and Early Education Coordinators
The Reporting Early Childhood Outcomes Entry Ratings Memo provides reminders and guidance regarding completing Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Entry ratings within IEP software. Additional information on ECO can be located in the manual, Vermont's Early Childhood Practices and Procedures on the Agency of Education website.
Contact: Katie McCarthy at katie.mccarthy@vermont.gov
Courtesy Posts
The views, opinions, and resources shared in this section of the WFM are solely those of the original contributors. The Agency of Education does not endorse the views expressed by these contributors and reserves the right to refuse submissions. Questions related to any of these resources should be directed to the organizations, people, and opportunities as shared.
The Rowland Foundation Annual Conference
Registration is open for the Rowland Foundation Annual Conference on October 23, 2018, at the University of Vermont. Ruha Benjamin is returning to Vermont after a successful conference last year. Dr. Benjamin is an author, lecturer and professor at Princeton University specializing in the interdisciplinary study of science, medicine and technology; race-ethnicity and health; knowledge and power. The 2018 Conference is entitled, “Beyond Buzzwords: How Do We Transform Equity Idea into Effective Action.”
Contact: Chuck Scranton at chuckscranton@gmail.com or (802) 824-6400
Save the Dates: VT Teen 4H Science Cafes
UVM 4-H's full schedule for 2018-2019 4-H Science Pathways Cafes is now available. The cafes are free and open to youth in grades seven to 12. Registration is now open for the first cafe: "The Science of Stress" on September 22, 2018.
Contact: Lauren Traister at lauren.traister@uvm.edu or (802) 888-4972, ext. 402
Professional Learning: Equity in Classrooms with Paul Gorski, Ph.D.
The Vermont Higher Education Collaborative is hosting The Equity Literacy Approach: Becoming a Threat to Inequity in Classrooms and Schools, with Paul Gorski, Ph.D., November 1 and 2, 2018 at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier. Over the course of two days, Dr. Gorski will dig into the knowledge and skills needed to establish greater equity in our classrooms and schools by exploring the equity literacy framework — an approach for strengthening our literacy related to educational equity. Through interactive activities, case studies, and other exercises, he will then apply these deeper understandings to the classroom and school policy and practice. These workshops kick off (and are a prerequisite to) a series of topic-specific workshops in spring 2019 for participants who want to grow their understanding of equity as it relates to poverty, racism, and gender. Because of the important nature of this work, VTHEC is offering this event at a significantly reduced rate for all participants: $75 total for both days, lunch included.
Contact: Julie Medose at julie.medose@vthec.org or (802)-498-3350