LUDLOW — The State Board of Education recently approved 10 educational programs, including licenses for independent schools, special education programs and general education programs.
The approvals were granted unanimously by the state board at their recent meeting held at the Okemo Mountain Resort, preceding the board’s annual retreat. All of them were recommended for approval by the Agency of Education.
To be recommended for approval for licensure, the schools were evaluated by AOE staff, including reviews of financial capacity, policies, student health, assessment and attendance records and more.
Some were initial approvals following reviews, and others were renewals of earlier approvals, and are part of an annual approval process for education programs, said Jill Remick, spokeswoman for the Vermont Agency of Education.
Approved were the following programs:
• Central Vermont High School Initiative, Plainfield. The program was given a two-year approval, to serve students in grades 9-12, and was granted an initial general independent school approval. The Central High School Initiative rents space from Goddard College, and the main school building is an old dorm on the northern part of the campus.
• Pacem School, Montpelier. The school was granted initial general independent school approval to serve students in grades 6-12. The approval is for one year. Pacem School rents space from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
• East Meadow School, Morrisville. The school was granted initial general and special education independent school approval to serve students in K-12 within the disability categories of Specific Learning Disabilities, Developmental Delay, Autism Spectrum Disorder (high functioning), Emotional Disturbance, and Other Health Impairment. The approval was granted for two years.
• The Village School of North Bennington. The school was granted a renewal of its general and special education independent school approval to serve students in K-6 within the disability categories of Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Developmental Delay, Multiple Disabilities, Other Health Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Visual Impairment, Hearing Loss, Orthopedic Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Deaf-Blindness. The approval is for five years.
• Killington Mountain School. The school was granted a renewal of its general independent school approval, for five years. The school services students in grades 6-12 who are involved in competitive skiing and/or riding.
• Laraway School, Johnson and Hardwick. The school was granted a renewal of its general and special education year-round independent school approval. The school serves students ages 5-22 in grades K-12 in the disability categories of Emotional Disability, Specific Learning Disability, Intellectual Disability, Other Health Impairment, Speech/Language Impairment, Orthopedic Impairment, Visual Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Multiple Disabilities. The renewal is for five years.
• The Family Place, Norwich. The board granted a renewal of Other Education Program approval, to serve a maximum of 15 pregnant and/or parenting students in grades 9-12. The approval is for three years.
• The Northeast Kingdom Parent Child Center South’s New Reflections Program, St. Johnsbury. The state board granted a renewal of the approval for the center as an Other Education Program, to serve a maximum of 20 pregnant and/or parenting students in grades 7-12. The approval is for three years.
• Beckley Day Program, South Barre. The program was granted a renewal of its tutorial program to serve up to 12 students in grades K-6 in need of a transitional program to their home school from a residential or day treatment program or who are at risk of being sent to a residential or day treatment program. The approval is for two years.
• Mountainside House Tutorial Program, Ludlow and Proctorsville. The program was granted a renewal of its tutorial program to serve a maximum of 12 male and female students, ages 13-18, in need of crisis stabilization and emergency housing. The approval is for two years.
For more details on any of the approvals recently approved by the Vermont State Board of Education, including full reports on each program from the AOE, click here and look for items listed under the June 25-26 meeting/retreat.
Read the story on VTDigger here: State Board of Education OKs 10 education programs.