A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Vermont

Team Report

• Vermont has recently developed a comprehensive state plan to ensure that all students read by the end of third grade. Most of the recommendations from the Report are addressed in that plan or through Vermont?s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities.
• Baseline-year assessment of early reading, using the Vermont Developmental Reading Assessment, has just been completed. All Vermont second graders were assessed individually using this standards-based performance assessment.
• All Vermont schools are now required to develop action plans in areas where their assessment results indicate needs. These plans need to include specific performance targets based on statewide assessments as well as other local assessments/indicators.
• Early Reading Challenge grants are available to Vermont schools/communities to help promote early reading success.
• Over 200 America Reads "partners" have been trained to work with young people in Vermont schools, libraries, and child care centers.

A Vermont Success Story

Accomplishing statewide assessment of early reading through the Vermont Developmental Reading Assessment has been a milestone for us. This individualized assessment of students? reading accuracy and comprehension at the end of grade 2 has been generally well-received by teachers and students as well. A team of researchers from the University of Vermont (and funded by the NE Lab at Brown) helped us modify Celebration Press?s D.R.A. (copyright Upper Arlington City Schools) so that it could be used in our comprehensive assessment system. Over 8,000 second graders were individually assessed by teachers who completed 9 hours of training and audiotaped the assessments. Papers were then sampled and rescored during the summer so that reliability of scoring and consistency of administration could be determined. Overall, we?re pleased with the results, although we have quite a bit of work ahead.

For further information, contact:

Sue Biggam
Elementary Reading-Language Arts Consultant
Vermont Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620
(802) 828-5412
(802) 828-3146 Fax
E-mail sbiggam@doe.state.vt.us

State Commitment Form

State: Vermont
Team Leader: Susan C. Biggam
Phone Number: 802-828-5412

As a result of attending this Summit, what two things does your state team commit to doing in the next six months toward enhanced literacy for children and their families?

1. Review Vermont's Comprehensive Plan for Early Reading Success - in light of key points presented in the Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children Report and at the Summit. Are there gaps? Are the strategies we've identified truly strategic? Do they need "winnowing" to make sure they can actually be accomplished?
2. Help Vermont educators better understand the New Standards Reading data - from the New Standards English - Language Arts exam administered in Vermont at the end of grade 4. What do the data mean? Why do we often see a gap between early reading success (as evidenced by the Vermont Developmental Reading Assessment, administered at the end of grade 2), and later needs, (as evidenced by the New Standards English-Language Arts Reference Exam at grades 4,8, 10 - especially in the area of Analysis and Interpretation?) Develop a short paper to communicate this simply and understandably. Use material from PRD to help explain importance of focusing early on comprehension. Broadly describe actions that might be pursued during action planning. (Note: There are some current materials that address this, but are not yet broadly distributed).

1. Continue to produce and disseminate well-written helpful materials such as "Checkpoints for Progress". Documents such as these avoid over-simplifying the challenges, but are also clear and accessible to a variety of audiences.
2. Help state and local educators understand the key points of the Reading Excellence Act, and understand how it can help us reach the goal of helping all children read well and independently by the end of third grade.
3. Assist states in considering a variety of options for operationally defining what it means to be a reader at the end of third grade, as well as for determining the degree to which the goal has been achieved.

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