ACADEMICS / PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

Registration
Most Vermont schools enforce a cutoff date of September 1th for children to reach five years of age before they are eligible to register for kindergarten. Required documentation will include a legal birth certificate, the child’s social security number, proof of residency, and custody papers if applicable. Each state mandates immunization requirements prior to school entrance, and only Vermont allows a grace period with proof of compliance appointments. For some grade levels, a physical exam will also be required.

Your local school district office is the best source of specific information about enrollment, immunizations, and exams.

Vermont Board of Education
802-479-1030
https://education.vermont.gov

Assessment & Testing
This program coordinates the implementation and administration of all components of the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment System (CAS), including the development of alternate assessments, assessments that have been modified to accommodate the specific testing needs of students who have disabilities. The team also identifies, analyzes, and reports on outcomes and data measured by the CAS.

Established by the State Board of Education in 1996, the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment System (CAS) evaluates student performance in the state’s schools, based on Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities, with the goal of improving teaching and learning. Statewide assessments include:

• The New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) mathematics, reading and writing assessments are administered in grades 3-8 and 11 each October.
• The NECAP science assessment are administered to all students in grades 4, 8 and 11 each May.

Schools also assess student performance in additional subject areas and at additional grade levels using portfolios (collections of student work), norm-referenced standardized tests, and locally developed assessments.

Vermont Board of Education
802-479-1030
https://education.vermont.gov/