Vermont 3rd Grade Curriculum & Standards Guide

Vermont standards

Math

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

Common Core · adopted 2010

Adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010, used as written with the national codes unchanged (for example 3.MD.C.7.d) and in force for 2026-27, so Grade 3 math matches Third Grade. The Grade 3 columns of the Vermont Early Learning Standards repeat the same expectations and add none.

Official standards

English Language Arts

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy

Common Core · adopted 2010

Adopted by the State Board in summer 2010 and in force for 2026-27. Vermont also uses its Early Learning Standards through Grade 3, but their Grade 3 columns repeat the national reading, writing and language expectations and add none. The Agency's page lists no added handwriting or cursive standard.

Official standards

Science

Vermont science standards (the national science standards)

National science standards · adopted 2013

The State Board adopted the national science standards in 2013 and they are in force for 2026-27. Grade 3 covers forces, life cycles and traits, ecosystems and fossils, and weather and climate, as in Third Grade. The Grade 3 columns of the Vermont Early Learning Standards repeat the same 18 expectations and add none.

Official standards

Social Studies

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework, with the Vermont Framework for Social Studies

State standards informed by the national social studies framework

Vermont adopted the national C3 Framework as its standards in 2017. The Agency's Grade 3 guide, 'Global Interactions', on Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, is guidance for local curriculum writers, not a requirement; it has no codes of its own and cites the national indicators, for example (D2.Geo.1, 2, 3). The older Vermont Early Learning Standards (2015) list Grade 3 expectations about the community and Vermont.

Official standards

Grade 3 differences

1. In Vermont

   Social studies: the Agency's Grade 3 guide (guidance, not a requirement) is 'Global Interactions', a year on Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, while Third Grade studies U.S. communities. In the Agency's guidance, Vermont history is placed in Grade 4.

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Weeks 13, 15 and 16 (movement and trade; culture; immigration) and flex Week 14: study one community a week, in Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania in turn, and compare each with your Vermont town.

2. In Vermont

   Social studies (Agency guidance, geography): find countries, cities and landforms in the four world regions, such as Egypt and the Nile, China and the Himalayas, the Alps, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef (D2.Geo.1, 2, 3), and describe how people adapt to and change their environment, such as dikes, dams and terraced farms (D2.Geo.10, 11, 12).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 3 (maps and globes): add a world map and label five countries, a city and a landform in each of the four regions. Week 4 (landforms, water and resources): look at a dike, a dam and a terraced farm in other parts of the world and list one good and one bad effect of each.

3. In Vermont

   Social studies (Agency guidance, civics): compare how governments work around the world, past and present, for example the United Kingdom, India, South Africa and China, and compare Vermont's governor with the President (D2.Civ.1-6).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 20 (three branches): compare the U.S. government with two other countries' governments, and Vermont's governor with the President.

4. In Vermont

   Social studies (Agency guidance, history): a timeline of early civilizations and later eras in the four regions, such as Ancient Egypt, the Mali Empire, Han China and the Roman Empire (D2.His.1, 3), and the causes and effects of trade networks such as the Silk Road (D2.His.14).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 23 or 32 (flex week): read about two early civilizations from different regions, place them on a timeline and trace the Silk Road on a map.

5. In Vermont

   Social studies (Agency guidance, economics): barter and world currencies (D2.Econ.10, 11, 12, 13), what each region produces and trades (D2.Econ.3, 4, 5, 6, 9) and why countries depend on each other (D2.Econ.15).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 28 (interdependence): add world currencies and a chart of what each region sells to the others; in Week 24 (economics basics) add barter.

6. In Vermont

   Social studies (Agency guidance, civics): how people such as Mandela and Gandhi changed their societies (D2.Civ.11-14).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Weeks 33-34 (civic action): read a short biography of Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi and talk about the problem each worked on and how he brought about change.

7. In Vermont

   Social studies (Agency guidance, inquiry): ask big questions and smaller supporting questions (D1.1-3), then gather information from several sources and judge how trustworthy each is (D2.His.10, 12 with D3.1-3).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 17 (state project): have your child write one big question and three smaller ones first, use at least three sources, and say which source is most trustworthy and why.

8. In Vermont

   Social studies: the Vermont Early Learning Standards (dated August 2015, birth through Grade 3) list their own uncoded Grade 3 expectations, centered on the community and Vermont: for example the physical and political regions of Vermont, timelines of community and state history, how Vermont goods such as maple syrup are produced and sold, how taxes pay for town services, and class elections. We found no official statement on how these relate to the 2017 framework and the Grade 3 guide.

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 17 (state project): choose Vermont, map its regions and make a timeline of your town and the state. Week 19 (local government): link local taxes to town services. Week 22 (voting): hold a family or class election. Week 25 (producers and consumers): trace maple syrup from tree to store.

Grade 3 public-school test

Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program (VTCAP)

Grade 3 public-school students take VTCAP in English language arts and math (grades 3-9). Science is tested in grades 5, 8 and 11.

About this test

Shown for context. Homeschool testing rules are separate; see below.

Homeschool rules

Check your state's current homeschool rules with its education department. Vermont homeschool page

Sources

• Mathematics · Vermont Agency of Education
• English Language Arts · Vermont Agency of Education
• Science · Vermont Agency of Education
• Social Studies · Vermont Agency of Education
• Grade 3 - Global Interactions (revised August 26, 2026) · Vermont Agency of Education
• State Board of Education Item N, January 17, 2018 (adopted standards and dates) · Vermont Agency of Education
• Vermont Early Learning Standards, birth through Grade 3 (dated August 2015) · Vermont Agency of Education
• Statewide Assessments · Vermont Agency of Education
• Home Study · Vermont Agency of Education
• Minimum Course of Study and Curriculum Development · Vermont Agency of Education

Verified 2026-10-08