Volume 18, Issue 30

About

The Agency of Education created the weekly field memo to keep subscribers up-to-date with current education policy, state-wide education initiatives, and official messages from the AOE. The Weekly Field Memo contains education-related posts from the Agency of Education (AOE), other State of Vermont agencies, federal agencies or Vermont's congressional delegation.

Contents: October 10, 2024

Best Practices in IEP Transition Plan Development Training

Audience: Vermont High School Special Educators and Special Education Directors
This training will cover all aspects of the IEP Transition plan, including best practices and Indicator 13 compliance requirements around the eight elements that need to be included in the plan. There will be emphasis on identifying necessary transition skills that students need and how to build goals that support development of those skills. We will also go over common areas of noncompliance found during the monitoring process. This session will be held on Jan. 14, 2025, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Please register for Best Practices in IEP Transition Plan Development Training
Contact: John Spinney at [email protected]

Vermont Public: English Language Arts and Literacy Resources

Audience: Vermont Educators
Vermont Public and the Vermont Agency of Education continue to work together to develop easy to access, local learning connections for home and school. PBS LearningMedia has English Language Arts (ELA) resources for all grades and content focus areas, including literature, informational text, reading foundational skills, reading in other content areas and writing. Visit the Vermont Public Educators page for more recommendations for high-quality resources.
Contacts: Emily Leute at [email protected] or Heather Duhamel at [email protected]

Graduation Readiness Tool Training

Audience: Vermont High School Special Educators and Special Education Directors
The Graduation Readiness Tool was created by an interagency team that included school professionals, Vermont Developmental Disability Services, Vermont HireAbility and Vermont Family Network. The IEP team should be reviewing and discussing this tool with the student and family at each annual IEP meeting. This training will go over all aspects of the tool as well as the updates to the tool. In addition to going over how to use this tool we will also hear from our Developmental Disability Services partners on best practices regarding the timeline for students as they get closer to graduation and ready for the "handoff" from school to Developmental Disability Services. This session will be held on Dec. 17, 2024, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Please register for Graduation Readiness Tool Training.
Contact: John Spinney at [email protected]

Agency of Transportation Announces Third Annual Name-A-Plow Program

Audience:Principals, Independent School Heads
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is once again inviting Vermont schools to name the State's big orange snowplows. This year, the AOT's goal is for young Vermonters to name all 250 full-sized plow trucks in the fleet with new names that do not repeat any of the names that are now assigned to trucks.
In addition to naming a plow truck, this year Vermont schools may also enter a submission in the contest to name AOT's new truck that has a 21-foot "wing" that will be used to clear Interstate 89.To enter the Name a Plow program, the school's principal or director should complete the online form on the AOT website.
Contact: Ernie Patnoe at [email protected]

Post-Secondary Transition Basics with John Spinney

Audience:Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists
This training will provide an overview for all of the items that special educators need to know related to best practices and Indicator 13 compliance for the IEP Transition plan. Additionally, this training will cover the graduation readiness tool, the summary of performance and a brief overview of the LEA Transition capacity building rubric. This session will be held on Jan. 23, 2025, from 9-10 a.m. and from 1-2 p.m. Please register for Post-Secondary Transition Basics with John Spinney.
Contact: John Spinney at [email protected]

Disability Determination and Eligibility: Specific Learning Disability with Cassie Santo and Ernie Wheeler

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists
Participants attending this training can expect to review Special Education Disability and Eligibility for Specific Learning Disability in Vermont. This session will be held on Jan. 13, 2025, from 8-9:30 a.m. and Jan. 15, 2025, from 3-4:30 p.m. Please register for Disability Determination and Eligibility: Specific Learning Disability with Cassie Santo and Ernie Wheeler.
Contact: Cassie Santo at [email protected]

Adverse Effect, Specially Designed Instruction, and Eligibility Determination with Cassie Santo and Ernie Wheeler

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists
This training will focus on criterion two and three for special education eligibility: adverse effect and the need for specially designed instruction. Attendees will continue to review the complimentary sections of the Special Education Evaluation Plan and Report as well as resources to support criterion two and three of the special education eligibility process. This session will be held on Dec. 3, 2024, from 8-9:30 a.m. and Dec. 5, 2024, from 3-4:30 p.m. Please register for Adverse Effect, Specially Designed Instruction, and Eligibility Determination with Cassie Santo and Ernie Wheeler.
Contact: Cassie Santo at [email protected]

Vermont Alliance for Social Studies (VASS) Annual Conference

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Educators
The Vermont Alliance for the Social Studies will be hosting its 30th Annual Conference for Vermont Social Studies educators on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. Two keynote speakers will highlight the event, which includes a diverse selection of breakout sessions of interest to K-12 Social Studies educators and other professionals. Participants will be eligible for eight credit hours of Vermont professional development. Early registration is suggested.
Contact: Martha Deiss at [email protected]

VTmtss and Data Collection with Michele Hartje

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists
All students are served within a system of support. This model is known as the Vermont Multi-tiered Systems of Support (VTmtss) Framework in Vermont schools. The VTmtss and Data Collection session with Michele Hartje will provide an overview of the VTmtss Framework and its components. We will explore effective collaboration across general and special education teams as part of student support planning and identify key points of student data that will assist the initial special education evaluation. This session will be held on Oct. 22, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. and on Oct. 23, 2024, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Register for VTmtss and Data Collection.
Contact: Michele Hartje at [email protected]

Building Authentic Assessments for Learning

Audience: High School Teachers
The Agency of Education, through a contract with Great Schools Partnership, is seeking 9th through 12th grade teachers interested in collaborating on the development of performance assessments aligned to Priority Performance Indicators outlined in the Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirement Hierarchies. Building Authentic Assessments for Learning is a valuable opportunity for educators to connect with colleagues statewide, deepen their understanding of high-quality performance assessments, and contribute to a growing repository of assessments. If interested in joining this second cohort, please complete this Performance Assessment Cohort Application Form, providing an overview of your preferences and experiences. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 18, 2024.
Contacts: Pat Fitzsimmons at [email protected] or Erica Wallstrom at [email protected]

2024 Governor's Annual School Safety Conference - Professional Development Hours

Audience: Conference Participants
Last week, the Agency of Education, Department of Public Safety, and Vermont School Safety Center hosted the 2024 Governor's Annual School Safety Conference. The conference brought together over 200 participants - including education leaders, law enforcement and community partners - to learn and share effective strategies to safeguard our schools. Events included presentations from nationally recognized school safety experts, break-out sessions hosted by Vermont educators and emergency management partners, and more. Thank you to all who participated. If you attended the conference and would like to receive a certificate of participation for potential CE credit hours, please email Taylor Goodwin, Safe and Healthy Schools Coordinator.
Contact: Taylor Goodwin at [email protected]

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