Maine Department of Education

The Maine Department of Education provides leadership and support to educators and families in preparing all Maine students for success in college, careers and civic life.

The Maine DOE Newsroom highlights the work of Maine schools and the Department of Education.

Maine Educators Provide Valuable Input Through Maine Educational Assessments Panels

The Maine Department of Education wishes to extend a special thank you to the Maine educators who recently participated in educator panels across the Maine Educational Assessments: Maine Through Year, Maine Science, Multi-State Alternate Assessment, and WIDA ACCESS for ELLs. 

Below is a list of panels and the dates they were held:

  • Multi-State Alternate Assessment, Item Review Committee, June 2023 
  • MSAA Science, Standard Setting, July 2023 
  • Maine Science Assessment, Rangefinding, July 2023 
  • Maine Through Year Assessment, Alignment Study and Embedded Standard Setting, July 2023 
  • WIDA ACCESS for ELLs, Online Forms Review August 2023 
  • Maine Through Year Assessment, Content & Bias Review, August 2023 

The expertise of Maine educators is critical to the development of the state’s assessments. Their engagement ensures that Maine continues to strive towards high standards and achievement for all Maine students. Many thanks to the following panelists for sharing their time and expertise during this review! 

Below are the names of educators pictured above, listed from left to right:

  • Row 1: Mark Dennett, Kelley Wallace, Morgan Brewer, Melanie Bowlus, Abbey Trask, Rachel Ahearn, Nicole Lemay 
  • Row 2: Travis Michaud, Amanda West, Lisa Russell, Lacey Todd, Brian Rounds, Christina O’Grady, Erin McGuan 
  • Row 3: Amy Tucker, Melanie Duran, Sarah Collins, Tricia Alley, Misty Favreau, Jennifer England, Karen Galella 
  • Row 4: Karen Laliberte, Amy Mousseau, Michelle DeBlois, Jenny Chichocki-Perry, Stacy Del Gallo, Michelle Hayward, Emily Darby 
  • Row 5: Wendy Dunbar, Tammy Craig, Teresa Sinclair, Anne Tibbets 

Below are the names of educators who participated but are not pictured:

Andrea Bozzino, Kailie Bascom, Ann Kenny, Barbara Marshall, Katherine Miller, Victoria Kasper, Autumn Pepin, Machaela Howatt, James Skrabak, Daniel Magas, Michelle Reynolds, Elizabeth Ross, Tamara Flewelling, Kerry Lathrop, Paula Cole, Misty Houlsen, Melanie Ruark, JoDell Torrey, Melissa Adams, Lori Smith, Molly Perry, Melissa Arbour, Karen Mayo, Sharon Pelkey, MaryAnn Wheeler, Kristina Swensen, Nicole Ellis, Diana Iwaszkiewicz Carson, Danielle Pouzol, Francine Young, April Flagg, Sara Crabtree, Scott Bickerstaff, Shannon Scribner, Juliet Tinckham, Ian Campbell, Amanda Boynton, Megan Moyniham, Kaitlyn Silva, Patricia Adams, Kate Greeley, Fallyn Adams, Linda Ross, Melanie Slocum, Rachel Larrabee, Melanie Doran, Rebecca Eugley 

13th Annual Maine PBIS Conference

Join us to celebrate, learn, and network with PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) leaders and implementers from across Maine and beyond to enhance the quality of life of students by promoting evidence-based and effective positive behavior supports to realize socially valid and equitable outcomes for people, families, schools, agencies, and communities.

Thursday, November 9, 2023
Augusta Civic Center
9:00 AM until 3:45 PM

Registration Cost:

  • General (individual)- $195
  • Group (groups of 3 or more attendees)- $165
  • Student (full-time undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in 6 credits per semester for at minimum 2 semesters per year)- $85
  • Lead Presenter (those accepted to present; only lead presenters are at no charge; co-presenters will be charged the individual rate)- $0

Keynote Speaker:

Lindsay Fallon, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor and Director of the School Psychology Ph.D. Program in the College of Education and Human Development at University of Massachusetts Boston. She is a former New York City special education teacher and special education faculty member. She is a licensed psychologist and a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has presented her work nearly 150 times at international, national and regional conferences. Her work focuses on multi-tiered systems of support, behavioral interventions, implementation science, as well as culturally responsive practice. She works extensively with school districts to design and implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in and around Boston.

Register here.

Questions regarding the conference or proposal submissions may be directed to: Courtney Angelosante  (courtney.angelosante@maine.edu) and Sarah Wilkinson (sarah.wilkinson@maine.edu)

Application Deadline Extended for ConCEPT Asynchronous Professional Learning Opportunity

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is piloting a program designed to support educators throughout the state with professional learning that is practical and flexible. 

Conceptual Classroom and Educational Programs for Teachers (ConCEPT) is focused on providing professional learning to educators across Maine through asynchronous evidence-based modules, topic-driven office hours, asynchronous book studies, and customized support from the Maine DOE Interdisciplinary Instruction team. ConCEPT offers a menu of choices for educators to choose from that can be tailored to your team’s goals. ConCEPT is completely free to Maine educators. Contact hours and reimbursement for planning purposes outside the regular contracted day are available. 

Set up a time to have a conversation by making a request through this link.

To learn more about ConCEPT, you can watch the prerecorded webinar below or visit the ConCEPT webpage.

You can also reach out to Kathy Bertini at Kathy.Bertini@maine.gov for further questions.

Opportunity to Strengthen Nurse Leaders in Maine Schools

As part of funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for COVID-19 Emergency Response, Public Health Crisis Response, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was awarded $8,861,778 for a two-year period, starting July 1, 2021, which has been extended through June 30, 2024. This grant requires that at least 25% of the award support school-based health programs, including nurses or other personnel.  Maine DHHS in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has partnered to provide opportunities to promote continued development of the current school nurse workforce. Emphasis on school nursing workforce development strengthens the quality of health services within schools. The purpose of this opportunity is to strengthen leadership confidence, values, and competencies to improve student health and achievement in Maine schools.

Encourage your outstanding nurse leaders to apply!

This opportunity is open to Maine school nurses who have demonstrated leadership within their district. Outcomes include identifying competencies for improvement and leadership style, creating a plan for professional growth, and demonstrating best practices for leadership.

This program includes individual consultations with the instructors and includes topics such as the following: developing leadership, goal setting, using technology effectively, using data to tell a story, conflict management, advocacy, finance, budgeting, ethics, legal requirements, and policy development.

To be eligible for this opportunity, school nurses must:

  • be employed and have worked in a Maine school for at least three years;
  • hold a current 524 professional endorsement from the Maine Department of Education;
  • submit a letter from your Superintendent confirming your demonstrated leadership within your school unit; and
  • be willing to share your experience and learning with school nurses in Maine as part of the School Nurse Summer Institute or other educational school nurse events.

Apply here.

There are limited slots available and will be filled to ensure all areas of the state have access.  Applications will close on November 1, 2023.

For more information, please contact Emily.Poland@Maine.gov.

Professional Learning Community: Explore 2nd Grade for ME

Between 2018-2023, the Maine Department of Education has engaged in the development of interdisciplinary, open-source instructional programs for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grade 1.  These programs, Pre-K for ME and K for ME, and 1st Grade for ME, are housed on the Maine DOE’s website. Many schools across the state have implemented these instructional programs and the Maine DOE is planning to extend its work related to interdisciplinary, open-source instructional programming into grade two during the 2024-25 school year by adapting the Boston Public Schools’ Focus on Second program to become 2nd Grade for ME.

For grade two teachers interested in exploring the Focus on Second instructional program that will serve as the foundation for Maine’s development of 2nd Grade for ME, a professional learning community (PLC) experience is being planned for the 2023-24 school year.  There is no obligation to implement the program, but this PLC will provide time to learn about the program design, its components, and how the program connects to Pre-K for ME, K for ME, and 1st Grade for ME.

Teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators interested in this instructional program are encouraged to participate.  Grade two teachers who participate may have the opportunity to pilot the program during the 2024-25 school year.

To preview the program, visit Focus on Second. An outline of the PLC series and a registration link is included below.

Professional Learning Community: Exploring 2nd Grade for ME

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Registration Link

Date Topics/Component Focus
October 24th Goals for the PLC, Structure of Focus on Second (2nd Grade for ME)
November 15th Read Alouds, Routines, Vocabulary
January 16th Play, Studios, Projects
February 27th Science and Engineering, Math
March 26th Phonics, Literacy Stations, Small Groups, Writing, Closing

If you have questions, please contact Lee Anne Larsen, Director of Early Learning, at Leeann.Larsen@maine.gov.