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Watch: 8/20 Unpacking Vermont’s New Literacy Law, Act 139, to Teach All Students to Read
August 20 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Free on ZoomWatch the recording for the “Unpacking Vermont’s New Literacy Law, Act 139, to Teach All Students to Read” workshop here.
With the May 2024 passage of Act 139, an act relating to supporting Vermont’s young readers through evidence-based literacy instruction, educators in both public and independent schools eligible for public tuition are required to conduct reading screening and provide evidence-based classroom instruction, intervention, and services in the five components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The structured-literacy framework, dyslexia screening, parental notification, and state reporting are among the legislative provisions that Dr. Dorfman unpacks for Vermonters in this presentation. Ms. Lovejoy discusses the law as it relates to the real-life experiences of students, parents/caregivers, and their advocates with the goal of improved literacy proficiency.
Presenters:
- Dorinne Dorfman, Ed.S., Ed.D., OG/A, has served as a teacher and principal for nearly 30 years in Vermont’s schools. As a postdoctoral Fulbright Scholar, she taught at the Technical University of Berlin and conducted research on democratic education in Germany. In 2023, she traveled to Mississippi to observe structured literacy in PreK-5 classrooms and interview school and state leaders. With support of the International Dyslexia Association, she presented her findings in, “Improving Reading Performance: What Northern New England Can Learn from Mississippi.” Since completing an Education Specialist Degree in Reading and Literacy Instruction, Dr. Dorfman has taught evidence-based literacy to struggling readers at Barre Town Middle School.
- Brittany Lovejoy, M.Ed., OG/A, served as a special educator in northern VT and as an Adjudications Officer with the Dept. of Homeland Security. Currently, she is a private literacy tutor working towards the Orton Gillingham Certified Level, and is a special-education advocate focusing on equity for diverse learners and their families. She is a board member of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA Northern New England Alliance – Serving Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire). She has completed various workshops with The Dyslexia Training Institute, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, and the Snelling Center for Government – Early Childhood Leadership Institute (Class of 2017).