Weekly Field Memo

May 4, 2023

Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates
Courtesy Posts

Agency of Education, State of Vermont and Federal Updates

This section of the Weekly Field Memo contains posts from the Agency of Education (AOE), other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.

The Vermont Portrait of a Graduate: Updated Timeline

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Teachers
Several educators have expressed interest in creating or refining a Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) for their school system, however, the original timeline for this collaborative effort between the Agency of Education and the Great Schools Partnership was challenging. To honor your needs, as well as the process, the original timeline is being extended into the fall, and the performance assessment component of this project is being moved to January. Your feedback on what you need most will inform the work that takes place this fall. Please take a moment to complete this survey on or before May 19, 2023.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov

Framework for Proficiency: Updating Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements and Connecting Essential Components

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, and High School Teachers
The Vermont Agency of Education in collaboration with the Great Schools Partnership is requesting practitioner feedback on the revised Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements (PBGRs) as well as the related Critical Proficiencies and Priority Performance Indicators. Quality Criteria documents will be used to review this work. A second portion of the meeting will focus on the relationship among the Portrait of a Graduate, PBGRs and Personalized Learning Plans. This virtual meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Participants have the option of selecting to participate in one or both sessions. Additional information is available on the registration site.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov

Special Education Rule Changes and Specially Designed Instruction Office Hour

Audience: Special Educators, Special Education Directors, Coordinators, Superintendents
The Special Education Rule Changes and Specially Designed Instruction Office Hour will be on May 18, 2023, from 8-9 a.m. The office hour is intended to support questions related to specially designed instruction and the special education rule changes. Please submit any questions in advance through the question submission form.
Contact: Cassie Santo at cassie.santo@vermont.gov

Benchmark Assessment Grant Application - Round 2

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Instructional Coaches
The second round of applications for the ARP ESSER Benchmark Assessment Grant for Vermont SU/SDs are available in the Grant Management System. This grant encourages LEAs to purchase new or expand on existing benchmark assessment system(s) for English Language Arts and Mathematics that report Lexile and Quantile measures, and/or to support staff participation in the Educator Academy for Lexile and/or Quantile Frameworks. Applications are due on May 17, 2023. Additional information about the grant can be found on the Education Recovery and Revitalization webpage under Current Funding Opportunities.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at pat.fitzsimmons@vermont.gov

Vermont Public: Social Emotional Learning Supports

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, PreK-12 Teachers
It is the summer of possibilities with Vermont Public and PBS Kids! For PreK to Grade 3, meet Zora Neale Hurston with Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum to learn how she shared stories. Also, check out Riddles: Eureka because words are superpowers with WordGirl. Or, take a look at this Storytelling Packet from PBS Kids. For older students, PBSLM provides a Powerful Use of Language from the resource collection inspired by Ivan Doig: Landscapes of a Western Mind. Visit the Vermont Public Kids and Education page for more recommendations.
Contacts: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov or Heather Duhamel at hduhamel@vermontpublic.org

Agency of Education Open Position

Audience: All
The Vermont Agency of Education has an open position that is available to both state employees and external applicants. The open position is: Director of Data Management & Analysis - Contact: Bill Bates at bill.bates@vermont.gov.
Contact: AOE Info at aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov

Secretary of State is Seeking Educators for Civics Education Advisory Group

Audience: K-12 Educators
The Vermont Secretary of State’s office recently hired an Education and Civic Engagement Coordinator. They will convene a Teacher Advisory Group to guide the development of K-12 resources for civic education. This group will help inventory and highlight great work being done across the state, identify gaps and make recommendations for new initiatives. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Robyn Palmer at robyn.palmer@vermont.gov.
Contact: Robyn Palmer at robyn.palmer@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. Please refer to the Weekly Field Memo submission guidelines for additional information.

Space Available: Exeter Math Summer Institute

There are spots available in the four-day Exeter Math Summer Institute hosted by Champlain Valley Union High School, on July 31, 2023 - August 3, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., open to high school math teachers and middle school math teachers who teach Algebra. The workshop provides ways to make the classroom student-directed and incorporate problem-based learning into the curriculum, time to collaborate with other teachers from different schools and time to do lots of fun math. Please see this flyer for information.
Contact: Sarah Crum at scrum@cvsdvt.org

Registration for the 7th Annual Early Childhood Educators Institute is Now Open

The 7th annual Early Childhood Educators Institute will be online, live and interactive on July 25 and 27 and August 1 and 3, 2023, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The institute, designed for anyone providing support, services and education in the early childhood field, offers eleven topic strands designed for deep practice. The institute provides professional development hours or credit. Credited courses aligned with strands can be taken at the graduate or undergraduate level. Visit the Early Childhood Educators Institute website to review the institute schedule, strand/course information, pricing and to register.
Contact: Tara Lidstone at cfs@castleton.edu or (802) 345-0092

Registrations Open: Vita-Learn Dynamic Landscapes Annual Conference

This year's Vita-Learn Dynamic Landscapes Annual Conference is scheduled for May 18-19, 2023, and registrations are still open. Conference focus includes Assistive Technology and Accessibility, Esports and Gaming, Innovation and Education and IT Leadership and Management. Please share this opportunity with your educators and edtech leaders, and especially with your special education teachers. The conference information including registration details is on the Vita-Learn website.
Contact: Jeff Mao at jeff@vita-learn.org

Middle Grades Institute: June 26 - June 30, 2023

For the past three decades, the Middle Grades Institute has provided high-quality professional development to educators who work with young adolescents. This summer’s Institute focuses on equitable middle-grade education to address students’ diverse needs, interests and identities. Participants can commute to one of three locations: Castleton University, Saint Michael’s College, Northern Vermont University in Lyndon or fully online. You can enroll at the Middle Grades Institute for 40 hours of re-licensure credit ($1600) or for three graduate credits ($2000).
Contact: James Nagle at jnagle2@smcvct.edu

Act 1 Faculty and Staff Training from Prevent Child Abuse Vermont

Have all of your staff and new hires been trained in child sexual abuse prevention? If not, please have them take advantage of our publicly available trainings that fulfill the Act 1 mandate for faculty/staff. These programs are trauma-informed and conveniently offered virtually. Staff can attend according to their own schedules. If you need trainings to be offered at a specific time, email Marcie at mhambrick@pcavt.org. We may be able to accommodate.
Contact: Marcie Hambrick at mhambrick@pcavt.org

Panel Discussion - Multitiered Systems of Support In Real Life

Partnerships for Literacy and Learning is hosting an interactive panel discussion event focused on Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and Act 173, specifically focusing on Special Education shifts in Vermont. Our five expert panelists will share their insights and experiences on these vital topics affecting the education landscape in Vermont. This panel will be on May 22, 2023, from 3:30 - 5 p.m. Find all the details and the panelists on the event webpage.
Contact: Mary Grace at info@pllvt.org or (802) 828-0521

Assessment Week Seminar Series

Registration is open for the June 26–29, 2023, Assessment Week, a convenient four-day series of live virtual seminars that will deepen your knowledge of assessment and help you gain a better understanding of the fundamentals of testing. Join nationally recognized assessment expert, Dr. Melissa Farrall, for a series of case-study investigations that will serve as a vehicle for learning about assessing student strengths and weaknesses, determining interventions, linking assessment data to instruction and building effective strategies to support all students. Visit the Stern Center’s Assessment Week page to sign up for the course and grant funding.
Contact: Julia Caminiti at news@sterncenter.org

Vermont Family Network Free Workshop: Special Education Rule Changes

Join the Vermont Family Network (VFN) for three VFN/Agency of Education Virtual Town Hall Sessions where we will discuss the July 1, 2023, Special Education Rule changes. Topics will include the nature of the rule changes, adverse effect, functional skills and specific learning disability eligibility. Each session will cover a different area and will be held Wednesdays at 10 a.m. on: May 17 –“Rule Implementation”, May 24 -“Special Education Evaluation/Eligibility Changes” and May 31 –“Specific Learning Disability Eligibility Changes”.
Contact: Sienna Tuinei at sienna.tuinei@vtfn.org

Applications Open for Teacher Apprenticeship Program's Eight-month Path to Licensure at Champlain College

Champlain College's Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP) supports career changers and those already working in the education field to earn a Level I Vermont teaching license for $12,000. We work with teachers on emergency or provisional licenses, as well as traditional student teachers, in middle and high school core subject areas and PreK-12 specialty areas. Eligible candidates may qualify for over $3000 in VSAC grants to offset TAP's tuition. Visit tap.champlain.edu to access the TAP application and register for an online info session. A new cohort will begin in August 2023 with seminars, followed by full-time student teaching through the Fall 2023 semester.
Contact: Caitlin Hollister at chollister@champlain.edu or (802) 383-6657

Weekly Field Memo - Volume 17, Issue 18