Weekly Field Memo: Recent News and Items of Interest From the Agency

Audience: Current or prospective BTA team members

BTA Team Office Hours are available on Tuesdays from 12 to 2 p.m., and Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. for questions and guidance from the BTA Consultants about the BTA policies and procedures, process tools, best practices, or readiness activities to prepare a BTA Team, including prospective team members. Please use this BTA Team Consultation Office Hours Meeting Link to join.

Contact: Michele Hartje at michele.hartje@vermont.gov

Audience: Current and Future School Behavioral Threat Assessment Team Members

The Agency of Education, in partnership with the Vermont School Safety Center, is pleased to announce a series of upcoming Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) Team workshops, to be held on May 8 and 9. These workshops are designed to support current and future BTA teams in building and maintaining effective BTA programs under the new requirements of Act 29 (2023).

Please note that these workshops are an optional, separate offering from the required annual BTA training.

Please visit the 2025 BTA Workshop webpage for more information and registration. Registration closes on Thursday, May 1.

Contact: Michele Hartje at michele.hartje@vermont.gov and Taylor Goodwin at taylor.goodwin@vermont.gov

Audience: Curriculum Directors, School Counselors, Flexible Pathway Coordinators, PLP Coordinators, Teachers

Join us to learn about a new grant opportunity that will help SU/SDs integrate the personalized learning planning process and PLPs into curricula across content areas; explore the critical role of adults in developing student agency; and help students plan for their futures. Participants will contribute to the development of new guidance documents and tools, such as a sample integrated PLP curriculum and guide to assist SU/SDs in meeting the requirements of 16 V.S.A. § 941. For more information on the grant, see Integrating PLPs Across the Curriculum Grant Overview. This session is a part of our ongoing Collaborative Pathways: Personalizing Learning Together Series.

We have scheduled two sessions to best accommodate scheduling demands. The content for each session is the same and interested staff need only attend one of the meetings.

Contacts: Ryan Parkman (Flexible Pathways, Virtual/Blended Learning) at ryan.parkman@vermont.gov; Amy Dodge (Flexible Pathways, Dual Enrollment, Early College) at amy.dodge@vermont.gov; Sigrid Olson (Curriculum and Instruction, Personalized Learning Plans) at sigrid.olson@vermont.gov

Audience: Superintendents and Designees

Please submit your Provisional License Reports to Ronald Ryan by Friday, May 30, 2025. More detailed directions on how to create and complete the report using the ALiS online licensing system are posted on our website. Creating the Provisional Licensing Report includes a link to our video tutorial, which demonstrates how to complete the report using your online ALiS account.

Contact: Ronald Ryan at Ronald.Ryan@vermont.gov

Audience: Vermont Educators

The Ken Burns film, "The American Revolution," and PBS LearningMedia classroom resources for Grades 3-12 will be available on Ken Burns in the Classroom, timed to the film's November 16 premiere on PBS and PBS.org. Visit the Vermont Public Educators page for more recommendations for high-quality resources.

Contact: Emily Leute at emily.leute@vermont.gov

Audience: Educators, Support Staff, Principals, Administrators

The BEST Project is offering a webinar on May 8. This webinar is designed to validate educators' feelings, honor their skills, and highlight their positive impact on students. Utilizing reflection, humor, and inquiry, participants will identify and use tools to celebrate the powerful impact vicarious resilience and collective care have on their strengths and endurance. This webinar will help educators refresh and energize their compassion to sustain them through the rest of the school year and beyond. Learn more, and register to join us!

Contact: Anne Dubie at anne.dubie@uvm.edu

Audience: Elementary and Middle School Administrators, Teachers, Librarians; Middle School ELA and Social Studies Teachers

The Center for Civic Education is providing a professional development (PD) opportunity for educators in grades 4-8 for Project Community, which is focused on engaging students in media literacy with hands-on engagement in public policy. Apply to this expense-paid summer training that will take place in New Jersey July 7-11, 2025. Stipends will be provided to applicants that complete the summer institute, virtual follow-up PD, and 20 hours of curriculum delivery in the classroom/library during the 2025-2026 school year (with anonymous student and teacher pre and post-testing). Priority will be given to early applicants.

Contact: Martha Deiss at martha.deiss@vermont.gov