Due to movement between facilities for population management and releases to the community corrections education does not have students enrolled for a long period of time like a typical school.

Courses are offered in three curricula areas:

• Foundational Skills (K-8 grade level): Students assessed for our basic skills & living courses often have multiple deficits in their learning. This group of students present specific challenges when it comes to consistent attendance. Corrections Education is
  consistently working to develop systems to reach adult students who are learning at lower education levels.
• Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT; high school level): Students enrolled in CHSVT courses tend to be more motivated to complete their high school diploma. Movement, RIS groups, work, and facility schedules can create many challenges for students to consistently attend courses.
• Career & Technical Education (post-secondary level): Student enrolled in workforce readiness courses have a higher level of educational readiness. Motivation is increased as students often have personal educational goals to prepare for the workforce. Adult students are working at a typical educational level for their age which we often find helps with consistent attendance.

Total enrollment in FY23 included 626 individuals with an average enrollment of 65 days. Although the retention rates are slightly down from last year (with an average enrollment of 72 days in FY22), the number of participants enrolled was significantly higher in FY23 than in FY in all three curricula areas (FY22 had 420 individuals vs the 626 individuals for FY23). More specifically, in FY22 there were the following average number of days of enrollment:

• Foundational Skills: 38 days
• CHSVT: 44 days
• Career & Technical Education: 43 days
• Total: 65 days

Education Services partners with the following:

Foundational Skills: AOE Special Education and Adult Education & Literacy Division, HireAbility Vermont

CHSVT: McGraw Hill, Vermont high schools and independent school, New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), AOE Special Education and Adult Education & Literacy Divisions.

Career & Technical Education: Community College of Vermont (CCV), University of Vermont (UVM), Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), the Department of Labor (DOL), HireAbility Vermont, AOE Career & Technical Education Division

Foundational Skills: Our support services team that is assigned to each facility with a state-wide lens to consult with RIS staff to assist in developing interventions that meet the needs of struggling adult learners. Foundational Skills courses use the Wilson Reading Program, Illustrative Math k-5, and the Strategic Instructional Method (SIM) sentence and paragraph strategies to address academic skills gaps.

CHSVT: CHSVT uses McGraw Hill high school curriculum. All curriculum materials are aligned with the common core standards. Using a consistent curriculum across Corrections
Education assists students who are moved between facilities to continue their personal learning plans. All CHSVT Courses now have a common syllabus that maps out the McGraw Hill curriculum to meet the needs of our adult students.

Career & Technical Education: Offer Industry Recognized Credentials with the proper academic supports so adult learners with disabilities and other barriers can access the material and make learning gains. Support the living skills that incarcerated individuals may lack so they better understand what it means to be work ready.

Foundational Skills: Continue to refine our support services model for all of RIS. Develop strategies within RIS and DOC to engage learners with disabilities and other learning barriers.

CHSVT: Continue working with ADS, First Light and Education Networks of America to develop an education network that will connect all correctional facilities and allow for more distance learning opportunities.

Career & Technical Education: Continue to develop the RIS Vocational Training Unit to better support the vocational and workforce development needs of incarcerated individuals.