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State Board finalizes Education Quality Standards; independent-school rules updated and ethnic-studies standards next
Summary
Board members and staff told the House Education Committee that they completed a multi-year rewrite of the Education Quality Standards to reflect Act 1, updated independent-school approval rules, and are now reviewing ethnic‑studies standards and upcoming CTE rule changes; implementation and accountability rest with the Agency of Education.
Tammy Colby, vice chair of the Vermont State Board of Education, told the House Committee on Education on Jan. 22, 2025, that the board completed a multi-year rewrite of the Education Quality Standards (EQS) to align rules with Act 1 recommendations and statutory changes and that the board has begun considering ethnic‑studies standards proposed by the Act 1 Working Group.
The EQS set the regulatory framework public schools use for curriculum, staffing and reporting; Colby said the board’s rewrite was intended to ensure substantially equal, equitable and inclusive educational opportunities across Vermont districts and to make the rules implementable in the field.
Colby summarized the public process and outcomes. She said the review began after the Act 1 Working Group submitted recommendations in April 2022 and that the EQS committee met 28 times during the pre‑rulemaking phase. The board held three public hearings during the formal ICAR rulemaking process, drawing about 180 attendees and receiving more than 100 written comments, she said. The board unanimously approved the EQS in April 2024 and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) approved it in June 2024.
Colby described how the EQS and independent‑school rules (Rule series 22100) were revised to be consistent where statute allows. The board updated Rule series 22100 to require annual assurances from approved independent schools, provide a framework for recognizing accrediting agencies rather than maintaining an explicit list, and clarify processes for approval and reapproval. Colby said most of the 22100 updates went into effect on July 1, 2024, while some sections addressing instructional strategies and curriculum content are scheduled for July 1, 2025.
On nondiscrimination and tuition eligibility, the board told the committee that the agency sent an assurance form to independent schools that includes checkboxes for approval status and tuition eligibility. Colby said two schools that previously submitted applications with an asterisk next to nondiscrimination withdrew their applications and one remaining school is subject to pending litigation: "The 3rd school is subject to a lawsuit," she said, declining further comment.
The board emphasized the distinction between rule adoption and implementation. Colby said the board adopts standards and rules but the Vermont Agency of Education is responsible for implementation, accountability and monitoring, including development of guidance tied to district quality standards. "The accountability monitoring work is on the agency's shoulders," she told the committee.
Colby said the board is now reviewing recommended ethnic‑studies standards (the IRIS framework provided to the board in June 2023) and that it expects to resolve those standards before July 1 if required by the implementation timeline. The board also plans to update career and technical education (CTE) rules; the Agency of Education will provide technical recommendations to the board before the board begins formal rulemaking.
Ending: With EQS and 22100 revisions completed, the board said it will shift focus to reviewing ethnic‑studies standards and CTE rules, while the Agency of Education prepares guidance and begins accountability work tied to the District Quality Standards.
