- Public Comment: 1% Threshold on Alternate Assessment Waiver
- Child Count Data Collection Now Open
- Special Education General Supervision and Monitoring System Stakeholder Meetings
- Local Comprehensive Assessment System Convening II: Performance Assessments
- National Assessment of Educational Progress and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study Field Test
- Participation Needed: Replacement Schools for the NAEP Long Term Trend Study
- Protect Students, Staff and Budgets by Promoting Flu Vaccines
- Courtesy Posts
Public Comment: 1% Threshold on Alternate Assessment Waiver
Audience: Special Education Administrators, Assessment Coordinators, All
The Agency of Education is taking public comment on the State of Vermont’s 1% Threshold on Alternate Assessment Waiver Request until 5 p.m., December 13, 2019. Interested parties are asked to submit comments to AOE.EDInfo@vermont.gov and include “PUBLIC COMMENT – 1% Threshold on Alternate Assessment Waiver” in the subject line. The agency will consider public comment when preparing the final waiver request for submission to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Contact: Linda Moreno at linda.moreno@vermont.gov or (802) 828-0505
Child Count Data Collection Now Open
Audience: Superintendents, Special Education Data Personnel
The School Year 2019-2020 Child Count is open from now until Dec. 17, 2019. Submitted data must be accurate as of December 1, 2019. District and Supervisory Union personnel in charge of special education data can find the instructions and collection databases by logging into the secure AOE file transfer website.
Contact: Cassidy Canzani at (802) 828-0515 or cassidy.canzani@vermont.gov
Special Education General Supervision and Monitoring System Stakeholder Meetings
Audience: All, Special Education Administrators
The stakeholder meeting originally scheduled for Dec. 5, 2019, is being postponed due to a snow day make up for an on-site monitoring visit. The new date is Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Center for Achievement in Public Service (CAPS) located at 32 College Street, Montpelier, Vermont. Additional details will be provided one week prior to the Dec. 16, 2019, stakeholder meeting.
Contact: Tonya Rutkowski at tonya.rutkowski@vermont.gov
Local Comprehensive Assessment System Convening II: Performance Assessments
Audience: Leadership Teams
The second in our series of Local Comprehensive Assessment System Convenings will focus on formative and summative performance assessments. Performance assessments are a key component within a proficiency-based system of education. They play a vital role by providing opportunities for students to apply learning in rich contexts, find entry points at various developmental levels and collect evidence of learning in flexible environments. Leadership teams are encouraged to attend. This convening will take place in in Brattleboro on Dec. 4, 2019, and Montpelier on Dec. 5, 2019. Please see the registration for additional information.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at (802) 828-5896 or pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov
National Assessment of Educational Progress and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study Field Test
Audience: All
Vermont will be participating in a field test in spring 2020 in preparation to implement the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in 2021. All schools in the sample have been notified and are currently working with Goma Mabika, the agency’s NAEP state coordinator. Participation in this study is voluntary. More information can be found at the NCES PIRLS webpage or by calling the PIRLS Help Desk.
Contact: Goma Mabika at (802) 828-0503 or goma.mabika@vermont.gov
Participation Needed: Replacement Schools for the NAEP Long Term Trend Study.
Audience: Superintendents and Principals
The AOE is still recruiting replacement schools to participate in the NAEP Long Term Trend (LTT) Study. Long-term trend assessments measure student performance in mathematics and reading and have allowed the performance of today’s students to be compared with students since the early 1970s. They are administered periodically to 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds. Invited schools represent a cross section of schools across the nation, and as a result, their participation provides an accurate picture of trends in student performance. Participation is voluntary.
Contact: Goma Mabika at goma.mabika@vermont.gov or (802) 828-0503
Protect Students, Staff and Budgets by Promoting Flu Vaccines
Audience: All
With flu season upon us and continuing actively through May, it is important that everybody be encouraged to receive the flu vaccine. Schools with high rates of protection from influenza have been shown to experience financial savings for the cost of substitute teachers and personnel, and improved school attendance. Flu vaccines are also a key strategy for protecting students and school employees who are at high risk due to pregnancy, certain health conditions or weakened immune systems (CDC, Aug. 2019). It is recommended that this resource be linked to the school website: Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine
Contact: Sharonlee Trefry at sharonlee.trefry@vermont.gov or (802) 863-7348
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.
College Steps Offers Webinar - Registration is Open
On Dec. 9, 2019, College Steps will be hosting an Informational Webinar to discuss customized college support for students with learning and social challenges such as learning disabilities, autism and executive functioning deficits. Sign up online. Students looking to start in Fall 2020 should apply no later than Feb. 1, 2020.
Contact: Brya Emery at admissions@collegesteps.org