Act 139 Parent/Guardian Screening Notification Template
The AOE is providing the following parent or guardian notification letter template. Schools will need to customize the template to reflect local screening and supplemental processes.
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.
Safety in the physical school environment is an essential component of school climate and belonging. Refer to Act 29 of 2023 School Safety and Security and the Vermont School Safety Center School Safety Planning Resources for important information related to school safety protocols and emergency operations planning.
What gets measured, gets managed, gets improved, gets done. (Paraphrased from the work of Peter Drucker)
Best practice and educational research findings reinforce using data and progress information to enhance instruction and support and promote positive student outcomes. This concept applies to academic and non-academic skills. Here are some resources to measure the dimensions of school climate. More information will be added to this section with each future update.
School climate surveys offer educational leaders a way to understand the perceptions of the students, staff, and parents in a school, district or supervisory union; monitor progress; make data-driven decisions; involve stakeholders; and adapt to shifting needs related to school climate.
The State of Vermont does not currently offer a state-wide school climate survey rather this is measured locally. The following school climate survey resources are available to Vermont schools without charge:
VTPBIS offers the School Climate Survey Suite which is a set of four multidimensional surveys to measure student, teacher, administrator, faculty, and family/caregiver perceptions of school climate.
The National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) has published several climate survey resources at Learn About ED School Climate Surveys.
An effective way to positively impact School Climate is to use a continuous improvement systems approach. If you are interested in engaging in this process, here is a link to the Education Quality Assurance Continuous Improvement framework with several actionable resources, templates and toolkits.
A positive school climate that invokes a strong sense of belonging does not happen by chance but is the result of a collective effort by the members of a school’s community. The collective school community's belief system helps shape the culture of a school and ultimately serves as the measure of school climate and culture. The goal of this page is to provide easy access to resources that will be helpful for Vermont educators and families to collaboratively cultivate school environments that foster strong and trusting family relationships while also being responsive to the differing needs of all students.