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.
Universal Screening Guidance
Guidance on K-3 Universal Reading Screeners
Guidance on K-3 Universal Reading Screeners provides guidance on the use of universal reading screeners and reviews the screening instruments most commonly used in Vermont. This review is based on 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. This document fulfills the Act 139 screening review and guidance requirements, outlines the purpose of various types of assessments and the role of screening, and provides practical advice for screener selection.
-
Register to attend an informational session about this screening guidance on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Parent or Guardian Notification
Act 139 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
- 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).