UP for Learning Partners with the Vermont Agency of Education to Gather Student Feedback on the Proposed Statewide Graduation Requirements

 

UP for Learning is excited to share our report “Youth Engagement and Feedback on Vermont’s Proposed Statewide Graduation Requirements”. This report is the culmination of a partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education. Youth and adults from UP for Learning designed and led an effort to bring students from around Vermont into conversations about the Agency’s recommendations for new statewide graduation requirements to the Vermont State Board of Education.  

 

Through surveys and focus groups, students from across Vermont were invited to share their experiences with graduation requirements, their perspectives on the proposed changes, and their vision for what they want their education to be. This work did not just reveal what students think about the proposed requirements: It also shed light on how students experience graduation requirements, what values shape their perspectives, and what they believe policymakers should consider as Vermont moves toward statewide requirements.

Through this project, the youth-adult team at UP for Learning engaged more than 1,500 Vermont high school and CTE students in sharing feedback on the proposed graduation requirements, as well as their experiences working toward current graduation requirements. The culminating report and accompanying presentation to the State Board of Education documents that effort, and shares the key findings and recommendations that emerged from the process. (You can view the presentation slides here.)

 

From the start, it was clear that student voice was essential to shaping the outcomes of the proposed statewide graduation requirements. Following an audit by the U.S. Department of Education in 2024, it was found that the vast differences in graduation requirements across Vermont created large inequities for Vermont students and created disparities in rigor, quality, and content being learned across the state. Vermont’s Act 73 directed the creation of clear, consistent statewide graduation requirements; the VT Agency of Education finalized its recommendations for what the requirements should be in December 2025. 

 

In the Spring of 2026, the AOE partnered with UP for Learning to ensure that student voice was integral in shaping their recommendations to the State Board of Education, which will finalize the graduation requirements before the end of 2026. From February to July, UP for Learning’s youth and adult staff members worked with Agency leaders to design focus groups, surveys, and outreach protocols. UP for Learning’s youth-adult team was also responsible for the administration and analysis of the focus groups and survey data. 

 

Although students expressed a wide range of opinions regarding the proposed graduation requirements, a remarkably consistent set of values emerged throughout the data. Students care about what the requirements are, but more than that, they care about the conditions that make school meaningful, manageable, and enjoyable. Through our research, we found that students want graduation requirements that:

  • Are relevant to their future lives. Students repeatedly emphasized that they want school to connect to life after graduation, whether that means college, a career, entrepreneurship, or another pathway.
  • Offer flexibility and choice. Students generally understand and accept the need for graduation requirements, but do not want requirements to crowd out opportunities to pursue personal interests, electives, Flexible Pathways, and CTE programs.
  • Are inclusive and accessible. Students want graduation requirements that work for all learners and do not unintentionally create barriers for students with different learning needs, identities, responsibilities, or life circumstances.
  • Are supported by clear guidance and caring adults. Students identified the importance of caring adults, clear communication, school counselors, and accessible systems for helping them understand and meet graduation requirements.
  • Reflect what makes their schools special. Students generally recognize the value of statewide consistency while also expressing pride in the programs, opportunities, and experiences that make their schools unique.

Find the summary report here. 

UP for Learning extends its heartfelt thanks to the students from across Vermont who shared their perspectives throughout this process, and to the educators and adult partners who supported their meaningful participation.