Month: August 2013

2014 Maine Teacher of the Year finalists named

The annual educator recognition program is now administered by Educate Maine, a business-led organization whose mission is to champion college and career readiness

AUGUSTA – Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen has announced that two elementary school teachers and one middle school teacher have been selected as the state finalists for the prestigious title of 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year.

The 2014 finalists are Mary Graziano, a fourth grade teacher at Hartland Consolidated School in Hartland; Karen MacDonald, a sixth and seventh grade English language arts teacher at King Middle School in Portland; and Suzen Polk-Hoffses, a kindergarten teacher at Milbridge Elementary School in Milbridge.

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Commissioner’s Update – August 22, 2013

From the Commissioner

In the days since I announced I would be leaving Maine DOE to become the national Director of Innovation for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), I’ve received calls and notes of support from many in Maine’s learning community, for which I am very grateful. Thank you.

The decision to accept the opportunity offered by CCSSO was the most difficult of my career, and hearing from you was a reminder of why I’ve felt so honored this past two and a half years to be Maine’s Commissioner of Education.

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Notices and Reporting

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School lunch, milk eligibility criteria set

AUGUSTA – With the start of school fast approaching, the Maine Department of Education is releasing the criteria for students to qualify for free or reduced school meals and milk for the 2013-14 school year.  

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Planning for a seamless transition

In the days since I announced I would be leaving Maine DOE to become the national Director of Innovation for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), I’ve received calls and notes of support from many in Maine’s learning community, for which I am very grateful. Thank you.

The decision to accept the opportunity offered by CCSSO was the most difficult of my career, and hearing from you was a reminder of why I’ve felt so honored this past two and a half years to be Maine’s Commissioner of Education. I can move on assured that the reforms that are underway to improve educational outcomes for all students will continue to move forward, because of your commitment – and that of the incredible team here at DOE – to our kids.

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MIT seeks math, science teachers to pilot STEM learning game

Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Scheller Teacher Education Program and Education Arcade were recently awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an immersive virtual learning environment to support high school math and biology instruction. The resulting Radix Endeavor, a multi-player online game, will be available for pilot during the 2013-14 academic year.  Continue reading “MIT seeks math, science teachers to pilot STEM learning game” →

New tools help teachers navigate ELA standards

New implementation resources focused on central elements of the new English language arts and literacy standards are now available to Maine educators.

They include a new set of online tools to guide teachers in analyzing texts for complexity and using them in instructional units. These resources, developed by a dozen states including Maine in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and Achieve the Core, include text complexity roadmaps, model text sets for instruction, tools for analyzing texts, recommended text-dependent questions and sample lesson videos.

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Online training available for reporting abuse, neglect

Teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, bus drivers and others responsible for student welfare in schools are required by Maine law to report to their supervisors or to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services whenever they have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or neglect has occurred.

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One of Time’s “2012 Most Influential People” speaks to Maine’s STEM educators

Freeman Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), was the keynote speaker at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ (MSSM’s) second annual STEM—also known as science, technology, engineering and mathematics—Collaborative Educators’ Camp. Continue reading “One of Time’s “2012 Most Influential People” speaks to Maine’s STEM educators” →