WCUUSD Curriculum Newsletter

Hi, WCUUSD educators--

I've been taking a course this fall about the science of writing. The foundational texts are The Writing Revolution 2.0: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler and Shift Writing into the Classroom with UDL and Blended Learning by Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak.

One of the strategies from The Writing Revolution that has resonated most with me is called "Because, but, so." Essentially, teachers craft a sentence stem and students complete the sentence using because, but, and so. "Because, but, so" not only supports and strengthens students' understanding of sentence structure, it also deepens their understanding of content. It is a strategy that can be applied across all grade levels and content areas.

I've experimented with AI as a way to generate some sentence stems as well. I am getting both savvier about and more comfortable with leveraging AI as a tool to support learning.

Here is an example that I drafted based on a Grade 1 global citizenship unit entitled My Community:

Rules are important in schools and communities because...
Rules are important in schools and communities, but...
Rules are important in schools and communities, so...

Here is an example that I drafted with support from AI for a Grade 6 global citizenship unit about the US economy:

The government plays a role in the US economy because...
The government plays a role in the US economy, but...
The government plays a role in the US economy, so...

And here's one I drafted just for fun:

Reading the monthly curriculum newsletter is helpful because...
Reading the monthly curriculum newsletter is helpful, but...
Reading the monthly curriculum newsletter is helpful, so...

Please share with me any sentence stems you create for use in your context. Let me know how it goes! Please reach out if you'd like to learn more about the strategy and its application. And, as always, please reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about this newsletter.

Warmly,

Jen

October Update

Curriculum Council’s goal for this school year is to inform, lead, and monitor the implementation of the professional learning plan that was developed over the past year to insure its success so that instructional practices and student outcomes improve.

The areas of focus included in the professional learning plan–universal design for learning, the new Educational Quality Standards, functional skills, social emotional learning assessment, the science of writing–are aligned to our district’s core beliefs of Humanity, Justice, Community, and Belonging; Well-Being; and Rigorous Curriculum and Instruction.

We are aligning professional practices across the district in service to our students, and the implementation of our professional learning plan is evolving. We are trying to be intentional about presenting professional learning in the best possible way for our staff, and we are tweaking our plans based on staff feedback. We are also working on designing the plans for the upcoming half day for elementary staff on December 10, keeping in mind our professional learning needs, adult learning principles, and ways to maximize the opportunity to bring staff together from across the district.

Curriculum Council Members 2025-2026

Berlin: Celia Guggemos, Melissa Maring
Calais: Ainsley Burroughs, Jenna Howard, Jarrod Weiss
Doty: Allison Fayle, Gillian Fuqua
East Montpelier: Alicia Lyford, Hilary Paquet, Dave Willard
Rumney: Veronica Fair, Karoline May
U-32: Jenn Ingersoll, Brittany Perry, Becca Tatistcheff
WCUUSD: Ellen Dorsey, Jen Miller-Arsenault

Updates and Next Meeting

The EQC met on October 9 to review our disaggregated district level data (i-Ready math, i-Ready reading, Acadience K-6 reading) from Spring 2025. I shared a few slides last month as I wrapped up the presentation. Here is the full version.

The EQC meets again on November 13 to focus on Post-Secondary Outcomes. The presentation will not be finished until after November 1 because we want to include information about Early Decision and Early Action college applications. I will share the full presentation next month. In the meantime, below are a few slides.

Later this year we will be focusing on Transferable Skills and Science. I would love to include examples of student work and teacher perspectives in these presentations and will reach out with a more formal request in the weeks to come.

Humanity and Justice Coalition (HJC) 2025-2026

As I shared with you last month, the purpose of the HJC is to support the actualization of our district's Commitment to Humanity and Justice Vision Statement. Our goal this year is to document, monitor, and sustain practices and processes that increase educational equity through the implementation of the Education Quality Standards (EQS) and the elevation of student voice.

Earlier this month we held our first daytime meeting at U-32 in the hope that students would join us during part of our meeting. Eleven students joined us during callback! We shared some information about the Education Quality Standards, including some of the data that we've shared with staff this fall. We reviewed the purpose statement in the new EQS--The purpose of these rules is to ensure that all Vermont students are afforded educational opportunities that are substantially equal in quality and are equitable, anti-racist, culturally responsive, anti-discriminatory, and inclusive, thus enabling each student to achieve or exceed the standards approved by the State Board of Education--and asked them what the purpose statement sounds like, looks like, and means to them. We are hoping to collaborate with students as we continue planning for the district inservice day on January 20, 2026. It was a joy to have students join us and we are really looking forward to continuing to partner with them.

Our next meeting is Thursday, November 13 from 12:30-1:55 p.m. at U-32. There is a virtual meeting link for those who need it (and, in the spirit of transparency, we are still trying to figure out how to improve the hybrid format, and we welcome feedback). Please reach out to a member of the HJC if you'd like to join us for our next meeting.

Current members of the HJC include:

Ellen Cooke (U-32 school counselor)
Steven Dellinger-Pate (superintendent)
Natasha Eckart (school board member)
Jen Miller-Arsenault (curriculum director)
Amy Molina (U-32 assistant principal)
Steve Sheeler (U-32 social studies teacher)
Michael Sherwin (East Montpelier Elementary behavior coach)
Flor Diaz Smith (school board chair)
Shelley Vermilya (district scholar-in-residence)
Erica Zimmerman (community member)

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card, is administered in selected schools every two years. Earlier this fall the VT Agency of Education informed us that Grade 4 students at Berlin, Calais, East Montpelier, and Grade 8 students at U-32 have been selected to participate in the NAEP this year. As recipients of federal funds, we are required to participate if selected. We receive results at the state level; individual schools do not receive results. The NAEP testing window is January 26-March 20, 2026.

More details, including exact testing dates and subjects, will be forthcoming to Berlin, Calais, East Montpelier, and U-32 soon. In the meantime, click here for more information about the NAEP in general.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

By now all schools have rolled out Katie Novak's first UDL module and some schools have rolled out the first two modules. I hope that you are finding the learning to be relevant and engaging.

UDL resources shared last year:

CAST's updated UDL guidelines
Katie Novak's monthly newsletter
Lesson planning template
Loui Lord Nelson's podcast series
Novak Education Teacher's Guide to UDL
The Science and Research Behind the UDL Framework
UDL Personalized Learning Profile
Video about implementing UDL in a manageable way (2:31)
Video likening UDL to planning a successful dinner party (3:21)
WCUUSD unit design template

AOE Licensing System Update

I am sharing information about Vermont's new licensing system for teachers and administrators one more time. If you haven't yet registered for your new account, please read below. If you have already registered, please feel free to skip this section 🙂.

The Vermont Licensing System for Educators (VLSE), Vermont's new teacher licensing platform, is up and running. You can find tutorials and FAQs about the new system from the AOE here and you can find directions to register within the VLSE system here.

If you have not yet registered for your new account please do so soon, following the AOE's directions above. If you need support, please reach out to a member of our Local Standards Board (LSB).

LSB members for 2025-2026 include:

Berlin: Lynn Wagner (co-chair)
Calais: Lauralea Curavoo
Doty: Maureen McDermet
EMES: Claire Gallagher
Rumney: Diana Costello
U-32: Brian Divelbliss, Erin Mooney, Rebecca Sweeney
Administrative representative: Jen Miller-Arsenault (co-chair)

WCUUSD Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Website

Our most current curriculum, instruction, and assessment documents can be found here.

WCUUSD Curriculum Newsletter