§ 2903a — Advisory Council on Literacy [Repealed effective June 30, 2027]

(a) Creation. There is created the Advisory Council on Literacy. The Council shall advise the Agency of Education, the State Board of Education, and the General Assembly on how to improve proficiency outcomes in literacy for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and how to sustain those outcomes.
(b) Membership. The Council shall be composed of the following 16 members:
(1) 10 members who shall serve as ex officio members:
(A) the Secretary of Education or designee;
(B) a member of the Standards Board for Professional Educators who is knowledgeable in licensing requirements for teaching literacy, appointed by the Standards Board;
(C) the Executive Director of the Vermont Superintendents Association or designee;
(D) the Executive Director of the Vermont School Boards Association or designee;
(E) the Executive Director of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators or designee;
(F) the Executive Director of the Vermont Principals’ Association or designee;
(G) the Executive Director of the Vermont Independent Schools Association or designee;
(H) the Executive Director of the Vermont-National Education Association or designee;
(I) the State Librarian or designee; and
(J) the Executive Director of the Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association or designee; and
(2) seven members who shall serve two-year terms:
(A) [Repealed.]
(B) three teachers, appointed by the Vermont-National Education Association, who teach literacy, one of whom shall be a special education literacy teacher and two of whom shall teach literacy to students in prekindergarten through grade three;
(C) three community members who have struggled with literacy proficiency or supported others who have struggled with literacy proficiency, one of whom shall be a high school student, appointed by the Agency of Education in consultation with the Vermont Family Network; and
(D) one member appointed by the Agency of Education who has expertise in working with students with dyslexia; and
(3) two faculty members of approved educator preparation programs located in Vermont, one of whom shall be employed by a private college or university, appointed by the Agency of Education in consultation with the Association of Vermont Independent Colleges, and one of whom shall be employed by a public college or university, appointed by the Agency of Education in consultation with the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and the Vermont State Colleges Corporation.
(c) Members with two-year terms.
(1) A member with a term limit shall serve a term of two years and until a successor is appointed. A term shall begin on January 1 of the year of appointment and run through December 31 of the last year of the term. Terms of these members shall be staggered so that not all terms expire at the same time.
(2) A vacancy created before the expiration of a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term.
(3) A member with a term limit shall not serve more than two consecutive terms. A member appointed to fill a vacancy created before the expiration of a term shall not be deemed to have served a term for the purpose of this subdivision.
(d) Powers and duties. The Council shall advise the Secretary of Education on how to improve proficiency outcomes in literacy for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and how to sustain those outcomes and shall:
(1) advise the Secretary on how to:
(A) update section 2903 of this title;
(B) implement the statewide literacy plan required by section 2903 of this title and whether, based on its implementation, changes should be made to the plan; and
(C) maintain the statewide literacy plan;
(2) advise the Secretary on what services the Agency should provide to school districts to support implementation of the plan and on staffing levels and resources needed at the Agency to support the statewide effort to improve literacy;
(3) develop a plan for collecting literacy-related data that informs:
(A) literacy instructional practices;
(B) teacher professional development in the field of literacy;
(C) what proficiencies and other skills should be measured through literacy assessments and how those literacy assessments are incorporated into local assessment plans; and
(D) how to identify school progress in achieving literacy outcomes, including closing literacy gaps for students from historically underserved populations;
(4) recommend evidence-based best practices for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 literacy instruction within the multitiered system of supports required under section 2902 of this title to best improve and sustain literacy proficiency; and
(5) review literacy assessments and outcomes and provide ongoing advice as to how to continuously improve those outcomes and sustain that improvement.
(e) Report. Notwithstanding 2 V.S.A. § 20(d), annually on or before December 15, the Council shall submit a written report to the House and Senate Committees on Education with its findings, any recommendations for legislative action, and progress toward outcomes identified in this section. The report shall contain an executive summary, which shall not exceed two pages.
(f) Meetings.
(1) The Secretary of Education shall call the first meeting of the Council to occur on or before August 1, 2021.
(2) The Council shall select a chair from among its members.
(3) A majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum.
(4) The Council shall meet not more than four times per year.
(g) Assistance. The Council shall have the administrative, technical, and legal assistance of the Agency of Education.
(h) Compensation and reimbursement. Compensation and reimbursement. Members of the Council shall be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under 32 V.S.A. § 1010 for not more than four meetings of the Council per year. (Added 2021, No. 28, § 5, eff. May 13, 2021; repealed on June 30, 2024 by 2021, No. 28, § 7; amended 2023, No. 139 (Adj. Sess.), § 9, eff. May 30, 2024.)