English Language Arts and Literacy Standards 

Vermont has adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts for grades K-12 and the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) for prekindergarten through grade 3 (which align with the CCSS for ELA in grades K-3). Visit the AOE’s English Language Arts and Literacy webpage for more information about the standards and other ELA and literacy resources. 

English Language Arts and Literacy Webpage  

The AOE’s English Language Arts and Literacy webpage contains resources for educators, including ELA connections to the Vermont Portrait of a Graduate, Spotlights on Equity resources, and newsletters, as well as resources to support Proficiency-Based Learning. 

Educator Prep Programs  

Partnership with Educator Preparation Programs is critical to preparing Vermont's future educator workforce.  

In 2022 Vermont completed a Syllabi Review in partnership with the Region 1 Comprehensive Center: Early Literacy in Vermont: Findings from the Vermont Educator Preparation Program Course Syllabi Review 

Local Literacy Plan Resources 

Learning to read is critical for success in school and beyond. The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) recognizes the diversity of culture, language, geography, values, beliefs, and circumstances of our students, families, and caregivers. To support individual growth, development, and continuous learning for a lifetime, AOE is committed to including every Vermont learner in continuous, high-quality, evidence-based learning experiences, from cradle to career. 

The Vermont Literacy Playbook: An Implementation Guide for System Leaders to Improve Student Literacy Learning: The purpose of the Playbook is to act as both an implementation guide and a toolkit to support local supervisory unions/districts and district leaders in meeting Vermont’s literacy goals for all students. The Playbook serves to guide and support the implementation of Vermont’s state literacy plan, a Blueprint for Early Literacy Comprehensive System of Services PreK Through Third Grade. The resources, strategies, and tools in this Playbook provide action steps, templates (e.g., Local Literacy Plan Template), and guidelines that district leaders can adapt based on local needs when developing, implementing, and continuously improving their local literacy plans (LLPs). 

Lexile Framework 

The Lexile Framework for Reading uses Lexile measures to help educators and caregivers find reading materials at each student's unique reading level, engaging students in learning by ensuring they comprehend their reading materials and monitoring their progress over time. Educators can use Lexile measures to personalize student learning, differentiate their instruction, and better communicate with caregivers. Teachers employed by Vermont Supervisory Unions and Districts have full access to the Lexile & Quantile Hub. Caregivers and students will also find free tools on the Hub to support their learning and career aspirations.   

Advisory Council on Literacy  

The Advisory Council on Literacy was created by Act 28 or 2021 and continued by Act 139 of 2023. The Council was established to advise the Agency of Education, the State Board of Education, and the General Assembly on how to improve outcomes in literacy for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and how to sustain those outcomes. Learn more and view the work of the Council on the Council’s State Board and Council page.  

Act 139 (16 V.S.A. § 2907) marks the state’s most comprehensive literacy legislation to date and represents an important opportunity for Vermont students and educators. Act 139 recognizes that the most effective literacy practices in the early grades are explicit and systematic instruction on code-based and comprehension-based reading skills and needs-based support. The legislation aims to increase literacy achievement for all students by focusing on early identification for students struggling with reading, student supports, strengthening educator preparation programs, and ensuring parents and guardians are informed of their child's progress. 

Learn more in this Act 139 Overview Slide Deck.  

Screening Notification for Parents and Guardians 

The Act requires that schools notify parents or guardians when a student’s performance on a reading screener is “significantly below relevant benchmarks as determined by the screener’s guidelines for age-level or grade-level typical development in specific literacy skills.” Schools are also required to notify parents or guardians about “the school’s response” to the screening results. The AOE issued “Requirements and Recommendations on Screening Notification for Parents and Guardians” to provide requirements and recommendations on parent and guardian notifications to Vermont Supervisory Districts and Supervisory Unions in accordance with Section 3 of Act 139.  

Additional Resources

• Stand alone parent and guardian letter template
• By mid-December the template letter will be translated into the most frequently spoken languages in Vermont schools.  
• A recorded webinar about screening will be available for parents and caregivers by the end of November.  
• Nov. 7, 2024, 3:30- 4:30 p.m.: Question and Answer session about screening and notification that will spotlight experiences from Vermont leaders on screening and parent and guardian notification. 

Act 139 Frequently Asked Questions about Screening and Notification

Act 139 Frequently Asked Questions About Screening and Notification provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about parent and guardian notification required in Act 139 (16 V.S.A. § 2907). 

Release of Additional Guidance

On or before Jan. 15, 2025, the AOE will review and publish guidance on universal reading screeners as required in Act 139. The guidance will review screeners for their technical adequacy, attention to linguistic diversity, administrative usability, and valid measures of the developmental skills in early literacy, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  

Available Technical Assistance

The Agency is working committed to supporting education leaders and educators as they implement screeners and issue parent and guardian notifications. Please see the Professional Learning section of this website to register upcoming professional learning workshops. 

Evidence-Based Literacy Practices: Instructional Resources 

The following documents provide information about evidence-based practices recommended in the What Works Clearinghouse/IES Practice Guides, specifically Preparing Young Children for School, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, and Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade. These practice guides present recommendations that were developed by a panel of literacy experts based on reviews of research, practitioner experiences, and expert opinions. Click on each evidence-based practice to learn more about the ESSA level of evidence, how to carry out the recommendation, and connections to Literacy Essential Practices.   

Prekindergarten

• Build Children's Knowledge of Letters and Sounds 

• Intentionally Plan Activities to Build Children’s Vocabulary and Language 

• Use Shared Book Reading to Develop Children's Language, Knowledge of Print Features, and Knowledge of the World 

Grades K-3

Foundational Skills

• Develop Awareness of the Segments of Sounds in Speech and How They Link to Letters 

• Teach Students to Decode Words, Analyze Word Parts, and Write and Recognize Words 

• Ensure That Each Student Reads Connected Text Every Day to Support Reading Accuracy, Fluency, and Comprehension 

• Teach Students Academic Language Skills, Including the Use of Inferential and Narrative Language, and Vocabulary Knowledge 

See the Annotated Guide for Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in K Through 3rd Grade for more information about the practice guide from which these recommendations were taken.   

Comprehension 

• Teach Students How to Use Reading Comprehension Strategies 

• Establish an Engaging and Motivating Context in Which to Teach Reading Comprehension  

• Teach Students to Identify and Use the Text’s Organizational Structure to Comprehend, Learn, and Remember Content 

• Select Texts Purposefully to Support Comprehension Development 

• Guide Students Through Focused, High-Quality Discussion on the Meaning of Text 

See the Annotated Guide for Improving Reading Comprehension in K Through 3rd Grade for more information about the practice guide from which these recommendations were taken. 

Annotated Guides 

The following documents are annotated summaries of What Works Clearinghouse/IES Practice Guides related to literacy. 

• Annotated Guide for Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (2022): This practice guide is designed to help classroom teachers and specialists improve reading skills of students in grades 4-9 and contains recommendations of ways to build students’ decoding skills, fluency, and comprehension. 

• Annotated Guide for Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (2014): This practice guide is designed to assist classroom teachers and specialists in improving the literacy skills of multilingual learners and contains recommendations to help students acquire academic vocabulary and improve oral and written English. 

The AOE offers high-quality asynchronous and synchronous virtual, in-person, or hybrid professional learning opportunities for all PreK-12 educators and leaders.  

Virtual Workshop Series

The AOE is offering a series of interactive virtual workshops designed to support educators and leaders who serve students in PK-12 and beyond in understanding and implementing evidence-based instructional practices to improve literacy outcomes. All workshops in this series will take place on the second Wednesday of the month, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Participants who attend live will have the opportunity to ask questions of the facilitators, participate in breakout rooms, and be in conversation with educators and leaders across the state.

Register now to attend the workshop series. All workshops will be recorded and shared with those who register. See below for information about the first three webinars in the series. 

• Nov. 13, 2024: Overview of Explicit, Systematic, and Evidence-based Literacy Practices 
• Dec. 11, 2024: Reading Comprehension: An Introduction to Common Roadblocks and Strategies 
• Jan. 8, 2025: Assessments: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why?

Screening and Notification

• Nov. 7, 2024, 3:30- 4:30 p.m.: Question and Answer session about screening and notification that will spotlight experiences from Vermont leaders on screening and parent and guardian notification. 

Job-Embedded Coaching

The first phase of Read Vermont coaching offers free, intensive, personalized support for at least 100 PK-3 educators and 40 educational leaders/administrators in Vermont elementary schools, from January 2025 through February 2026. Learn more in the Overview of Read Vermont Job-Embedded Coaching Opportunity document. 

To be considered for this winter’s coaching, districts and schools must complete an interest inventory by November 28, 2024, and hold a participation call with the AOE and the Stern Center by December 19, 2024. The AOE will work with interested districts and schools to determine if coaching is the right fit for them this winter. The AOE will select schools and/or SU/SDs for participation based on need, commitment, and geographic diversity. Schools eligible for Comprehensive and Targeted Support and Improvement will have priority. If demand is high, additional coaching phases may be launched in the spring and fall of 2025, with opportunities potentially available beyond February 2026. 

• Nov. 18, 2024, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Overview and open office hours for educators and administrators to learn more about the coaching opportunity. A question-and-answer document will be posted afterwards.
• Dec. 3, 2024: Interested districts and schools must complete an interest inventory to be considered for January coaching.  

Asynchronous Literacy Professional Learning Series

Vermont educators can register for and take all six modules of the literacy professional learning series, Building a Strong Foundation for Lifelong Literacy Success, today! There are six asynchronous modules for both grades K-3 and grades 4-12, based on the body of evidence that informs effective reading instruction.  

Each module will take 6-8 hours to complete, and the full series is 45 hours. Educators can download a certificate of completion at the end of each module that can be used for re-licensure with Local Standards Boards. 

Learn more about the series from the introductory webinar slide deck and recording. You can also view Frequently Asked Questions about the series from the webinar. Please reach out to aoe.literacy@vermont.gov with any questions. 

The AOE is enthusiastic about the positive impact that Read Vermont will have on our students, educators, and communities.  

• Educators are encouraged to keep an open mind, embrace new professional learning opportunities, and implement evidence-based literacy practices in their classrooms. Educators’ dedication to their students and maintaining a growth mindset will be critical to unlocking the full potential of each student. 

• Families and caregivers may actively support literacy development through reading with children, engaging in conversations with your student and teachers, and participating in events or workshops offered by your school, library, or community.   

• Community and business leaders play an active role as advocates and leaders in Vermont communities. Community leaders can empower Vermont students and educators as today’s strong readers become the talented professionals our communities and economies need tomorrow.  

• Students can actively participate in their literacy journey, engage, and stay curious. 

We encourage all Vermonters to get involved, stay informed, and support this vital initiative as we work toward a brighter future for all Vermont students.  

Sign up for the Read Vermont listserv to stay informed. 

At the heart of Read Vermont is a shared vision for literacy: Delivering high-quality reading and writing instruction based on scientific evidence will ensure that every child has the foundational skills necessary to successfully engage with text and experience the joy of reading. Convergent evidence¹ has accumulated over the last fifty years and demonstrates that:

• Learning to read is a complex process that involves multiple skills, knowledge, and cognitive abilities. 

• Reading and writing are taught skills. 

• All students benefit from explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing based on their proficiency and skill level. 

• The most common causes of reading and writing difficulties can be remediated by explicit, systematic, code-based instruction combined with opportunities to practice weak skills until they are mastered. 

• Students benefit from multiple and varied opportunities to practice literacy skills.  

• It is important to leverage student data to differentiate individual, small-group, and classroom instruction based on identified needs and skill level.  

• Students benefit from access to different types of texts at different times and for different purposes. For example: 

  • Decodable texts support mastery of sound-symbol correspondence until readers are accurate and automatic decoders.  

  • Authentic, complex, and content-rich texts help build word and world knowledge, increase interest, and provide exposure to complex syntax. 

• Learners of all languages benefit from evidence-based instruction and developing oral language skills as they learn to read and write in a new language.  

• Philosophies of teaching word reading that are based on visual cues (whole words, three-cueing, word shapes) or inference do not support students’ long-term ability to automatically decode familiar or unfamiliar words.  

• The availability and use of texts that are culturally relevant and representative of historically underrepresented voices is critical to ensure that all students can connect their experiences to the text they are reading. 

• Active self-regulation, including but not limited to executive function skills, motivation and engagement, and use of evidence-based strategies, can impact reading and can be impacted by instruction. 

In summary, reading comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading, relies on multiple skills, knowledge, and cognitive processes, including spoken language comprehension, accurate and automatic decoding, developed vocabulary, and background knowledge. When students master foundational skills and experience reading success, they will continue to grow as readers, setting them up for lifelong success.  

Read Vermont Priorities

Key priorities of the initiative designed to support the implementation of Act 139 and improved literacy outcomes include: 

• Professional Learning: A range of professional learning opportunities for educators and leaders across all grade levels 
• Job-Embedded Coaching: Intensive, personalized coaching for elementary schools (K-3) in select Supervisory Unions/Districts (SU/SD) based on need 
• Literacy Learning Network: A network of leaders and educators to share knowledge and best practices statewide 
• Guidance Documents and Resources: Comprehensive guidance to help schools implement Act 139 and evidence-based literacy practices 
• Family and Caregiver Engagement: Resources to support educators in engaging families and caregivers in their children's literacy development 

¹ Vermont Advisory Council on Literacy Recommendations; Reid Lyon, “Ten Maxiums: What We’ve Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read”, Reading Universe; Vermont Act 139; National Reading Panel (US), National Institutes of Health, “Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction: Reports of the Subgroups”.