Vermont

In 2018, the Vermont Agency of Education adopted four tiers of evidence, based on the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), to inform the distribution of education funds, including federal education and state-funded grants (such as BEST/Act 230 in 2022 and the Community Schools Act in 2022; see sample statement of evidence). The guidance states: “applying the same requirement to both federal and state grants will allow for greater consistency in the review and approval of grant applications.” In 2019, the Agency built on this guidance, creating the Vermont School Wellness Policy Guidelines and Implementation guide. This resource created the Local Wellness Policy (LWP) that informs program creation for local education agencies (LEAs), including requiring the use of evidence-based strategies in determining the policy’s goals.

In 2014, the Vermont State legislature passed Act 186 to collect information on how well State government is working to achieve desired population-level outcomes for Vermonters in order to determine how to best invest taxpayer dollars. The population-level outcomes (e.g., Vermont has a prosperous economy, Vermonters are healthy, etc.) and indicators (e.g., unemployment rate, percent of adults who smoke cigarettes) in Act 186 were developed using Results-Based accountability (RBA), which uses ends-to-means thinking to improve the quality of life for communities and/or the performance of programs. This was Vermont’s first step towards performance accountability and continuous improvement.

Act 186 also established a Chief Performance Office (CPO) whose mission is to provide information, tools, expertise, and services that strengthen the state’s ability to effectively solve problems, manage operations, and improve results.  The CPO, in collaboration with the Department of Finance and Management, has been tasked with developing an annual Programmatic and Performance Measure Budget (PPMB) Report. This report fulfills the requirements in 32 V.S.A. § 307(c)(2) to report on the programmatic performance measures used to demonstrate the outputs and results of the Governor’s budget

In 2017, Vermont’s Governor launched the Program to Improve Outcomes Together, (PIVOT) in conjunction with the Governor’s Government Modernization and Efficiency team. PIVOT combines Results-Based Accountability and Lean frameworks, among others, into a unified effort to achieve the Governor’s strategic plan and create a modern government that provides efficient and effective services and programs for Vermonters.

Vermont’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan includes four statewide goals: the economy, affordability, vulnerability, and modernization. These priority areas were established by a 2017 Vermont executive order, which required all agencies “to establish the following cornerstones as their strategic and operational goals: growing the Vermont economy; making Vermont an affordable place to live, work, and do business; and protecting vulnerable Vermonters.” The State is currently in the process of developing a new strategic plan that is more data and outcome focused.