[VT] AOE and Ed-Fi Updates for 26-27

What Districts Should Know

As Vermont districts prepare for the 2026–27 school year, the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) continues its shift toward Ed-Fi-based state reporting and has begun publishing updates specific to the new reporting year.

Here are the key developments district data teams should have on their radar.

Ed-Fi Remains Central to Vermont State Reporting

Vermont’s Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) uses Ed-Fi to receive data from supervisory unions and districts, including data needed for major state reporting collections. The AOE’s goal is to reduce manual reporting by allowing districts to maintain information in their local student information systems while using state data-quality and validation tools to identify reporting issues.

For districts, that makes the quality of the information maintained in the SIS—and the reliability of the SIS-to-state Ed-Fi connection—increasingly important.

AOE Has Started Publishing SY 2026–27 Updates

The AOE’s Data Collection and Reporting Knowledge Base shows that work for the new school year is underway. In its February 17, 2026 update, AOE:

• Published the first version of the SY26–27 Household Income Form (HIF).
• Migrated to a new integration method with AOE systems.
• Updated collection information and corrected documentation for an NSLELG eligibility code so that the documentation matches the value implemented through Ed-Fi.

That last point is particularly important for data managers: districts should rely on the current AOE documentation and Ed-Fi values rather than assuming codes and mappings from previous reporting years remain unchanged.

Ed-Fi Is Also Evolving for 2026–27

At the national level, the Ed-Fi Alliance released Data Standard 6.1 in May 2026. The release includes non-breaking enhancements intended to reduce the need for state-specific extensions and introduces early-access improvements for special education data, including additional support for IEP and IDEA-related information.

Ed-Fi’s current documentation identifies its 6.x standard as supporting the 2026–27 and 2027–28 school years.

This does not necessarily mean Vermont is adopting every new Ed-Fi 6.1 feature for 2026–27. Districts and SIS vendors should follow Vermont AOE’s published specifications for the definitive state requirements.

What Vermont Districts Should Do Now

For 2026–27, district data teams should make the AOE Data Collection and Reporting Knowledge Base their primary reference, review new SY26–27 documentation as it is released, and work with their SIS vendor to confirm that Vermont-specific Ed-Fi mappings, descriptors, and integrations are current.

With Ed-Fi now embedded in Vermont’s reporting process, state reporting is increasingly less about preparing a file at the deadline and more about maintaining accurate, continuously reportable data throughout the school year.

Reporting requirements can change. Vermont districts should always verify current specifications, codes, collection dates, and guidance directly with the Vermont Agency of Education before submitting state data.