.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
Vermont has been on an ambitious journey to implement student-centered, proficiency-based learning for over twenty years. That journey continues to evolve today, and this blog shares some of the key points along the way.
A publication by the Vermont Department of Education in 2003, “High Schools on the Move,” addressed “the critical issues facing Vermont high schools” and identified principles that remain at the heart of Vermont’s work today. These include:
(A Report to the Vermont Legislature on Career and Technical Education)
The task force recommended a focus on personalized learning environments that would enable students to take risks in a supportive setting and prepare them for life after graduation. The What and Why of Act 77 outlines additional milestones along Vermont’s path towards the Flexible Pathways Initiative, created by Act 77 of 2013 and found in statute under 16 V.S.A. § 941. This Act was “established to encourage and support the creativity of school districts as they develop and expand high-quality educational experiences that are an integral part of secondary education in the evolving 21st Century classroom; to promote opportunities for Vermont students to achieve postsecondary readiness through high-quality educational experiences that acknowledge individual goals, learning styles, and abilities; and to increase the rates of secondary school completion and postsecondary continuation in Vermont.”
The Flexible Pathways Initiative paved the way for the inclusion of proficiency-based learning in Vermont’s State Board of Education Rules, Series 2000, The Education Quality Standards, that went into effect in April 2014. These rules state:
In an effort to develop a shared vision for both proficiency-based learning and college and career readiness, in 2017 the VT Agency of Education began collaborating with the field to develop a statewide Portrait of a Graduate (PoG). Approximately sixty educators from across the state gathered to react to the initial draft. That version was influenced by a blog post, The Graduate Profile: A Focus on Outcomes, from Edutopia by Ken Kay that stated:
Over the next two years, more than three hundred students, parents, educators, and community members contributed to the final version of the Vermont PoG. The PoG provided guidance in the development of proficiency-based graduation requirements and articulates the vision for learners who are prepared for success in college, career, and life. Personalized Learning Plans, a requirement in Act 77 for students in grades seven through twelve, serve as a vehicle for documenting a learner’s progress towards the attributes of the PoG.
Fast forward to 2020. . . Vermont educators had been working hard to implement the expectations within the Education Quality Standards for local graduation requirements, however, a survey that year revealed a wide variation in requirements across the state. Depending upon the supervisory union or district a student attended, there was a range from six to one hundred thirty-five Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements. This indicated that expectations for graduation, which are determined locally and approved by school boards, were being interpreted in a variety of ways. Educators moved forward with the development of PBGRs with good intentions, however, a collective understanding for these expectations had not been developed. Unintentionally, this range in PBGRS created inequitable expectations for learners across the state.
Concern about this lack of coherence and the impact on students, especially those who move frequently or attend Career Technical Education Centers from several different sending schools, gave “birth” to the Proficiency-Based Graduation Hierarchies. Content Specialists started by determining what it means to be literate in their content area and distilled the essential information into an overarching Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirement. Critical Proficiencies represent the enduring knowledge and skills within a content area and promote high expectations for all students. Priority Performance Indicators represent the skills and knowledge that will be taught and assessed. Finally, Proficiency Scales indicate the progression of learning over time. Once this information was drafted, the Hierarchies went through an internal review process using quality criteria documents as lenses for providing feedback. After an additional two rounds of feedback from the field, the Hierarchies were revised, finalized, and posted on the VT AOE website.
Since Vermont is a local control state, supervisory unions and districts are not required to adopt the PBGR Hierarchies. However, in the spirit of continuous improvement, educators are encouraged to adopt the PBGR Hierarchies, adapt them to fit their context, or use each Hierarchy to refine locally defined PBGRs.
As part of VT AOE’s continuous improvement process, members of the Student Pathways Division are working with educators in SU/SDs to support the processes of adapting, adopting, or refining local PBGRs through Participatory Action Research (PAR).
Numerous resources have been developed over time to support Vermont’s efforts to implement proficiency-based learning. The Vermont Framework for Proficiency: Resources to Support Implementation is composed of stackable documents that enable educators to access the information that is most relevant to the needs of their particular school system. It is organized from a backward-designed perspective so that the initial documents lay the foundation for subsequent work and inform decisions regarding next steps. The resources also demonstrate how different parts of the Framework for Proficiency connect and build upon one another. The hope is that by sharing these resources and Vermont’s journey, others can benefit and join us on the road to proficiency.
Guest Blog written by Pat Fitzsimmons
Learn more heading
content paragraph
Insights, partner highlights, guest perspectives, and resources to support your work
A newly published case study from the Center for Innovation in Education (C!E), featuring Envision Learning Partners in Appendix C, highlights Allen County, Kentucky’s multi-year effort to redesign assessment and accountability through Inclusive Design. The report, Better Together, shows how the district co-created their graduation competencies called “Profile of A Patriot” and embedded project-based learning and performance assessments to place students’ passions and real-world skills at the center of learning.
Envision Learning Partners has been proud to support Allen County in this work, and we’re excited to share C!E’s new case study. We’ve partnered closely with C!E through the Assessment for Learning Project, working together to advance learner-centered assessment practices nationally.
A reflection on how the Linked Learning Conference renewed momentum for Envision’s college and career pathways, inspiring stronger partnerships and the return of Envision Academy’s job fair.
By Michael Viera, Envision Education’s College and Career Pathways Manager
Several years ago the city of Oakland came together to support college and career programming for high schoolers, by advancing and deepening career pathways in alignment with the Linked Learning Alliance standards and methodology. The Linked Learning Alliance hosts an annual conference where educators share best practices and takeaways from school sites around the state. Oakland schools always show out in big numbers at the conference, but this year it took place in downtown Oakland, so the presence was even greater.
I had been to the conference previously, but this time was different. Being my 3rd year at Envision in this role, I felt like I finally understood what it was all about. I had colleagues from Envision Learning Partners in attendance and collaborating with me. I got to connect with colleagues from other Oakland schools. I knew what to look for and who to listen to in order to improve our programming at Envision Academy and across the Envision network.
The conference was motivating, to say the least. It is a breath of fresh air being in rooms of educators who are excited and realistic about their work in schools, and who understand the skills students need to have success in their futures.
I came back from the conference and immediately organized Envision Academy’s first job fair since COVID. We had twelve community partners visit our campus to share information with students on internship opportunities, after school and summer programs, and community resources. Students seemed excited about these experiences that they can be a part of outside of their regular curriculum.
At the end of the event, two students stayed back and pulled me aside. I thought something bad had happened. Instead, one of them simply said, “Mr. Viera, we just wanted to thank you for putting together this event. It’s really inspiring to see all these opportunities we didn’t know about until now.”
After a couple of weeks of back and forth emails and phone calls with partners, planning meetings with administration, and quite literally running around setting up tables and chairs on the day of the event, those students made it all worth it. When students are able to take their learning outside of school walls and make connections with their community, they feel seen and they thrive.
Hear from Michael and ELP Assessment Design Partner, Josette Neal-De-Stanton on their takeaways from the Linked Learning Conference.
A reflection on how the Linked Learning Conference reinvigorated Envision’s college and career pathways work, leading to strengthened community partnerships and meaningful opportunities for students. Michael Viera shares how renewed insights and collaboration resulted in Envision Academy’s first post-COVID job fair—and the student impact that made it all worth it.
Envision Education is excited to share the culmination of its two-year research project, Pursuing Equity for Black & Latine Students with Learning Differences, which
documents and illustrates the systems, practices, cultures, and supports that are associated with the well being and success of Black and Latine students with learning differences – students with disabilities and multilingual students with disabilities.
In 2023, Envision Learning Partners (ELP) and Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) embarked on a research study to identify and learn from schools that demonstrated positive outcomes for Black and Latine students with learning differences (including students with disabilities and multilingual learners). After a review of data from secondary schools across the country, the study team identified two schools for a more in-depth study, which was conducted during the 2023–2024 school year.
The results of the research are shared through case studies of the two schools that were the focus of the research: 1) Crosstown High: Building a Culture of Inclusion; 2) Capital City: An Inclusive School Community Committed to Whole-Child Learning and Well Being; and 3) An Executive Summary/Synthesis of Findings.
In addition, we have authored four practice briefs based on the findings of the research that provide practical steps that schools can take to create more inclusive environments that support the success of Black and Latine students with learning differences.
This research was made possible through the generous support of New Profit, a venture philanthropic organization, and the Oak Foundation.
Envision Education is excited to share the culmination of its two-year research project, Pursuing Equity for Black & Latine Students with Learning Differences, which documents and illustrates the systems, practices, cultures, and supports that are associated with the well being and success of Black and Latine students with learning differences – students with disabilities and multilingual students with disabilities.
Explore our diverse events. Enhance your expertise, connect with thought leaders, and broaden your horizons.
A newly published case study from the Center for Innovation in Education (C!E), featuring Envision Learning Partners in Appendix C, highlights Allen County, Kentucky’s multi-year effort to redesign assessment and accountability through Inclusive Design. The report, Better Together, shows how the district co-created their graduation competencies called “Profile of A Patriot” and embedded project-based learning and performance assessments to place students’ passions and real-world skills at the center of learning.
Envision Learning Partners has been proud to support Allen County in this work, and we’re excited to share C!E’s new case study. We’ve partnered closely with C!E through the Assessment for Learning Project, working together to advance learner-centered assessment practices nationally.
By Michael Viera, Envision Education’s College and Career Pathways Manager
Several years ago the city of Oakland came together to support college and career programming for high schoolers, by advancing and deepening career pathways in alignment with the Linked Learning Alliance standards and methodology. The Linked Learning Alliance hosts an annual conference where educators share best practices and takeaways from school sites around the state. Oakland schools always show out in big numbers at the conference, but this year it took place in downtown Oakland, so the presence was even greater.
I had been to the conference previously, but this time was different. Being my 3rd year at Envision in this role, I felt like I finally understood what it was all about. I had colleagues from Envision Learning Partners in attendance and collaborating with me. I got to connect with colleagues from other Oakland schools. I knew what to look for and who to listen to in order to improve our programming at Envision Academy and across the Envision network.
The conference was motivating, to say the least. It is a breath of fresh air being in rooms of educators who are excited and realistic about their work in schools, and who understand the skills students need to have success in their futures.
I came back from the conference and immediately organized Envision Academy’s first job fair since COVID. We had twelve community partners visit our campus to share information with students on internship opportunities, after school and summer programs, and community resources. Students seemed excited about these experiences that they can be a part of outside of their regular curriculum.
At the end of the event, two students stayed back and pulled me aside. I thought something bad had happened. Instead, one of them simply said, “Mr. Viera, we just wanted to thank you for putting together this event. It’s really inspiring to see all these opportunities we didn’t know about until now.”
After a couple of weeks of back and forth emails and phone calls with partners, planning meetings with administration, and quite literally running around setting up tables and chairs on the day of the event, those students made it all worth it. When students are able to take their learning outside of school walls and make connections with their community, they feel seen and they thrive.
Hear from Michael and ELP Assessment Design Partner, Josette Neal-De-Stanton on their takeaways from the Linked Learning Conference.
Envision Education is excited to share the culmination of its two-year research project, Pursuing Equity for Black & Latine Students with Learning Differences, which
documents and illustrates the systems, practices, cultures, and supports that are associated with the well being and success of Black and Latine students with learning differences – students with disabilities and multilingual students with disabilities.
In 2023, Envision Learning Partners (ELP) and Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) embarked on a research study to identify and learn from schools that demonstrated positive outcomes for Black and Latine students with learning differences (including students with disabilities and multilingual learners). After a review of data from secondary schools across the country, the study team identified two schools for a more in-depth study, which was conducted during the 2023–2024 school year.
The results of the research are shared through case studies of the two schools that were the focus of the research: 1) Crosstown High: Building a Culture of Inclusion; 2) Capital City: An Inclusive School Community Committed to Whole-Child Learning and Well Being; and 3) An Executive Summary/Synthesis of Findings.
In addition, we have authored four practice briefs based on the findings of the research that provide practical steps that schools can take to create more inclusive environments that support the success of Black and Latine students with learning differences.
This research was made possible through the generous support of New Profit, a venture philanthropic organization, and the Oak Foundation.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
