The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) announced an expanded agreement today with the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC) to provide Continuity of Learning resources to Vermont schools and students across the state. This partnership will provide a virtual learning management system to support school districts and supervisory unions, Career Technical (CTE) Centers and Adult Education centers. The system is targeted to serve students grades 6 – 12, and offers support to educators and schools as they serve students for the remainder of the school year and prepare to meet student needs in the coming year. This option will be provided at no cost to districts, schools or providers.
“Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative has long been a great partner with schools and the Agency to provide online and blended learning opportunities,” said Secretary of Education Dan French. “They are stepping up to help Vermont students during this difficult time and their experience and expertise with online learning are greatly valued as we work to ensure Continuity of Learning for all Vermont schools.”
“For over eleven years we have worked collaboratively with Vermont schools and we’re proud to support Vermont teachers as they transition to remote teaching environment in this time of crisis,” said Jeff Renard, Director of VTVLC.
VTVLC is a trusted state partner who has served over 14,000 Vermont students through online courses. They have partnership agreements with 25 schools across the state, building on the expertise of local Vermont educators, as well as offering courses to individual students at multiple non-partner schools. Their delivery model relies on participation of both students and Vermont educators
The VTVLC instructional model is well suited to providing continuity of learning, as their platform allows students to transfer between different sections of the same class with minimal disruption in the event an instructor becomes ill. Current VTVLC instructors are licensed Vermont educators who are certified in online teaching. VTVLC will leverage this cadre of professionals as well as their own staff to provide training, professional learning, and mentorship to other Vermont educators as the system is scaled up. Already, nearly 1,400 educators have taken VTVLC’s Up and Running course as they prepared for the shift to remote learning.
As part of the agreement, VTVLC will expand use of their Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas LMS. Canvas is a known and trusted LMS that is highly compatible with other platforms, and is used by other education institutions in Vermont, such as the Vermont State Colleges system. This will allow seamless integration with Flexible and Career Pathways work, including dual enrollment and early college. The Canvas LMS system will allow content to be published statewide and account for rapid changes as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses. VTVLC will work with school districts around the state to expand the system and provide expanded content.
Additional information about VTVLC and the Canvas LMS can be found in a fact sheet on the Agency’s Continuity of Learning webpage.
“VTVLC has always stood in a position of service to schools, providers and educators. This expansion to a statewide license allows an unprecedented, collaborative opportunity to Vermont schools to provide greater flexibility and access to standards-based instruction to its students, with the assurance that courses will be delivered by licensed Vermont educators,” Jess DeCarolis, Division Director for Student Pathways at the Vermont Agency of Education.