Vermont Comprehensive Assessment System¶

The Agency of Education coordinates the implementation and administration of all components of the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment System (VTCAS), including the development of alternate assessments. The Agency also identifies, analyzes, and reports on outcomes and data measured by the VTCAS.

Established by the State Board of Education in 1996, the Vermont Comprehensive Assessments System evaluates student performance in the state's schools based on Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Next Generation Science Standards, CCSS Essential Elements and English Language Development Standards with the goal of improving teaching and learning.

School Year 2024-25¶

In the winter and spring of 2025, Vermont students will participate in two statewide assessment programs.

Assessment of English Language Proficiency¶

All students identified as English learners, including those with the most significant cognitive disabilities, take the State’s annual English language proficiency assessment to monitor their progress in acquiring academic English.

As such, Vermont participates in the WIDA consortium of states working together to meet the requirements for standards and assessments outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The WIDA ACCESS, ACCESS for Kindergarten, and Alternate ACCESS assessments are aligned with WIDA English Language Development Standards and measure proficiency in each of four domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

The English Language Proficiency assessments will be administered from January 6 to March 14, 2025.

For more information visit the Vermont WIDA site or contact Heidi Jo Bartlett at HeidiJo.Bartlett@vermont.gov.

Assessment of Proficiency in Math, Science, and English Language Arts¶

All students in grades 3-9 take the State’s annual academic assessment in mathematics and English language arts, and all students in grades 5, 8, and 11 take the State’s annual academic assessment in science.

Most students will fulfill this requirement by taking the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program (VTCAP). Students on IEPs with the most significant disabilities may fulfill this requirement by taking the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA). The VTCAP and the MSAA collectively fulfill the State’s federal accountability requirements under ESSA regarding the assessment of academic proficiency in math, science, and English language arts.

The VTCAP and the MSAA will be administered from March 10 to April 25, 2025. A make-up window for the VTCAP only will be from April 28 to May 2.

For more information about VTCAP visit the Vermont Help & Support site or contact Goma Mabika at Goma.Mabika@vermont.gov.

For more information about MSAA visit the Alternate Assessment site or contact Ana Russo at Ana.Russo@vermont.gov.

National Assessment of Educational Progress¶

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools; instead, it offers results regarding subject-matter achievement for populations of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and groups within those populations (e.g., female students, Hispanic students). National and state NAEP results are based on a sample of such student populations.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress was administered in spring 2024. The next administration is expected in spring 2026. This year, selected Vermont schools are participating in the High School Transcript Study in grade 12.

Contact Neuvic Malembanie at Neuvic.Malembanie@vermont.gov for questions about NAEP.