Thanks for reading,

Jen

Curriculum Council met once during the month of February. Our major area of focus was K-6 writing. We reviewed revised rubrics for Standard 6 Language and recommended moving them forward for use with the winter writing prompt. Jen Miller-Arsenault will update all materials related to the rubrics on the CIA website. Grade alike teams will get together to score student work using a data protocol shortly after the assessment window closes. Stay tuned for more information in the days and weeks ahead.

We would like to consolidate announcements about upcoming summer professional learning opportunities. In the meantime, we have been selected to host Responsive Classroom courses at both the elementary and middle levels from August 12-14, 2025. As soon as Jen has received a registration discount code, she will promote the course more earnestly and articulate why it might be a worthwhile learning experience for middle school teachers as well as elementary teachers.

We engaged in a preliminary review of our district’s winter Acadience and i-Ready diagnostic results in the aggregate. We will continue looking at our district’s data next month, including examining disaggregated data.

• Berlin: Celia Guggemos

• Calais: Jenna Howard

• Doty: Allison Fayle

• East Montpelier: Alicia Lyford, Hilary Paquet, Dave Willard

• Rumney: Veronica Eldred

• U-32: Erin Galligan-Baldwin, Elizabeth Marks, Amy Molina, Brittany Perry

• WCUUSD: Ellen Dorsey, Jen Miller-Arsenault

The Education Quality Committee does not meet in March. The next EQC meeting will take place in April and will focus on our fall and winter benchmark assessments in literacy and math. We will examine both students' performance levels and their growth thus far this school year.

It's not too late to complete this brief survey. Shelley Vermilya, our equity scholar-in-residence, will use the results to design professional learning opportunities based on your interest and availability this spring. Only a handful of folks have completed the survey so far. We'd really love to hear from more of you as we consider engaging, responsive, and relevant ways to move this vital work forward. Thank you.

By all accounts folks really appreciated the opportunity to work in grade alike groups to analyze data and consider next instructional steps.

Our consultant created a padlet to curate all of the materials from the day. Check it out to see pacing charts, data protocols, implementation tips, and more.

In March all proctors will complete the required proctor training as we prepare to administer the VTCAP in late March and April.

We are in the process of updating our district's timeline for administering this state required assessment. You can find all updated materials on the WCUUSD VT Comprehensive Assessment Program section of the CIA website. Interested in getting a head start? Check out the Spring 2025 version of the Test Administrator's Manual.

Here is a brief video (2:31) where Katie Novak explains how to approach UDL in a way that is both manageable for teachers and impactful for students. Check it out!

UDL resources shared so far:

• CAST's updated UDL guidelines
• Katie Novak's monthly newsletter
• Lesson planning template
• UDL Personalized Learning Profile
• The Science and Research Behind the UDL Framework
• WCUUSD unit design template

The VT AOE has updated its template for Continuous Improvement Planning. This year each school must submit a Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) using the new template and instructions provided by the AOE, and schools that have K-3 students will be required to include a reading goal related to Act 139.

The leadership team is in the process of deciding our district's approach, timeline, and process as we work to meet this state requirement and align each school's CIP with our district's strategic plan.