- State Board of Education Hosting Regional Act 46 Meetings
- Child Nutrition Administrative Review List for SY2018-2019
- St. Albans City School Wins National Recognition from SETDA
- Research Brief: Proficiency-Based Grading Practices
- Statbook 2018 Data Collection Due August 15
- Supplemental Non-Regulatory Guidance for SPED and CTE
- U.S. DOJ School Safety Documents
- Courtesy Posts
State Board of Education Hosting Regional Meetings for School Districts that Submitted Section 9 Proposals
Audience: Superintendents, School Board Chairs
The Vermont State Board of Education has scheduled three regional meetings to give an opportunity for school boards that submitted Section 9 proposals under Act 46 to comment on the Secretary’s Proposed Plan. Each school board will have twenty minutes to give testimony and respond to questions; boards are requested to plan to save at least ten minutes of that time for questions from the State Board. The meetings will take place July 18, 2018, in Newark, August 15, 2018, in Montpelier, and September 19, 2018, in Chester. For more information, instructions on submitting testimony and draft agendas, please consult the SBE Memo and Regional Draft Agendas.
Contact: Krista Huling, SBE Chair, at krista.huling@vermont.gov
Child Nutrition Administrative Review List for SY 2018-2019
Audience: Business Managers, Administrators, Principals, School Foodservice Managers
The list of School Food Authorities who will receive an Administrative Review during School Year 2018-2019 has been posted on the AOE website. U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations require that school food authorities be reviewed by the State on a three-year review cycle. In addition, a procurement review will be conducted at approximately the same time as the Administrative Review. To prepare for the Administrative Review, the SFAs on the review list should plan to have at least one staff member attend the “Acing Your Administrative Review” class offered on August 6, 2018, or August 10, 2018, at the Child Nutrition Summer Institute in Milton.
Contact: Cheryl Rogers at cheryl.rogers@vemont.gov or (802) 479-1360
St. Albans City School Wins National Recognition from SETDA
Audience: All
Congratulations to St. Albans City School (SACS), who have received the 2018 Student Voices Award from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). SACS was recognized for their innovative and immersive digital learning program, which gives students a voice in what and how they study. This project-based learning model supports personalized learning and flexible pathways. SACS will present their program in early November at the SETDA Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., and will talk about how digital learning environments support equitable learning opportunities for all students. SACS is the first Vermont school to have this honor and the first PreK-8 school to present to this audience.
Contact: Peter Drescher at peter.drescher@vermont.gov
Research Brief: Proficiency-Based Grading Practices
Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, and Teachers
Vermont schools are moving towards proficiency-based systems of learning with the expectation that students will graduate in 2020 by demonstrating proficiency in content knowledge as well as transferable skills (Education Quality Standards, Graduation Requirements, 2120.7). As a result, educators are designing new grading systems that communicate where a student is along a continuum of learning. The Research Brief: Proficiency-Based Grading Practices was constructed with input from numerous Vermont educators in an attempt to inform rather than dictate decisions related to grading practices in a personalized and proficiency-based system. Questions for discussion are incorporated into each section with the hope of provoking conversations that are vital for developing a shared understanding of proficiency-based grading practices. Readers will also find a best practice summary statement at the end of each section.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1425
Statbook 2018 Data Collection Due August 15
Audience: Superintendents and Business Managers
The 2018 Statbook application is due on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. Business managers should have received username and password information to log in to our secure server to upload their completed files.
Contact: AOE Help Desk at (802) 479-1044, Sean Cousino at sean.cousino@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1026, or Alena Berube at alena.berube@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1032
Supplemental Non-Regulatory Guidance for Special Education and Career Technical Education
Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Special Education Administrators, CTE Administrators, CTE Special Populations Coordinators
A supplemental non-regulatory guidance memo for special education teams and career technical education (CTE) is available. The purpose of the memo is to provide additional guidance to special education teams and career technical education (CTE) center administrators as they navigate the various stages of admission to a CTE program. The document is a supplement to the non-regulatory guidance memo for CTE center admissions procedures, IEP teams and students eligible for special education and related services under the IDEA and accompanying Admissions Decision Tree that was released by the Agency of Education in September 2011.
Contact: John Spinney at john.spinney@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1495, or Jay Ramsey at jay.ramsey@vermont.gov or (802) 479-1343
U.S. Department of Justice School Safety Documents
Audience: Superintendent’s, Principals, School Crisis Planning Team Members
The Department of Justice's Active Shooter Incidents, 2016/2017 and Pre-Attack Indicators for Active Shooter Incidents documents can now be found on the Vermont School Safety Center’s Website.
Contact: Robert L. Evans, VT School Safety Liaison Officer at revans@margolishealy.com
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.
Webinar: Legal and Ethical Best Practices for Teachers
Registration is now open for 2018-2019 Legal and Ethical Refresher hosted by Snowy Owl Tutoring. This webinar will be held August 22, 2018, from 9 to 10 a.m. It is free, but donations are welcome. Speak with other school administrators, attorneys, social workers, and others on FERPA, HIPPA, and DCF rules and regulations.
Contact: Thomas Loudon at tom@snowyowltutoring.com or (802) 299-9642
Professional Learning: Framework-Based Support and Supervision
The Champlain Valley Educator Development Center is offering Framework-Based Professional Support and Supervision/Evaluation, a popular three graduate credit course for supervisors, mentors and leaders. Taught by Valerie Sullivan, Ed.D, the course will take place at Lamoille South SU in Morrisville, VT on August 13 through August 15, 2018, from 8:30 to 2 p.m. with additional online hours and practicum. The purpose of this course is to become familiar with Charlotte Danielson's Framework and its use in the development of improved instructional practices and the resulting positive impact on student learning. Application of the framework as both a mentoring tool and supervision tool will be studied. "Danielson: Implementing the Framework for Teaching in Enhancing Professional Practice: An ASCD Action Tool," is included.
Contact: Lauren Wooden at lauren@cvedcvt.org or (802) 497-1642