Welcome to the September issue of Maine DOE Monthly.
Just as it is for you, the school year is off to a busy start for us here at the Department. Already this month, we celebrated Karen MacDonald as Maine’s 2014 Teacher of the Year, announced our new partnership with high school equivalency assessment provider ETS and bid a fond farewell to Commissioner Bowen, who has joined the Council of Chief State School Officers as their Director of Innovation. We’ve also continued moving forward our focus on supporting school improvement, resuming our free webinar series and affirming our commitment to high standards, implemented locally.
Meanwhile, as five charter schools – including three new ones – welcomed students through their doors, the Maine Charter Commission received seven letters of intent from organizations interested in opening their own public charter schools in Maine next fall.
Dispatches & Press Releases
Portland’s Karen MacDonald named 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year
PORTLAND – A 24-year veteran teacher at the state’s most diverse middle school is the 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year. | More
Maine replaces GED with new equivalency exam
AUGUSTA – In an effort to better support the college and career readiness of all Mainers, the State has chosen a new high school equivalency assessment provider. | More
Thank you for putting our students first
This week, I had the honor of presenting the 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year to Karen MacDonald of King Middle School in Portland. The sixth-and seventh-grade English language arts teacher is described by students as a “gift,” by colleagues as a teacher leader who is “the most consistently innovative,” and by her principal as “relentlessly committed to the success of all of her students.” By Stephen Bowen | More
School improvement webinars offer tangible tips
With schools now settled into the new academic year, Maine DOE resumed our School Improvement Webinar Series this week. Perhaps not surprisingly for a session on increasing attendance, we had our best turnout yet, with more than 60 educators from the across the state participating. | More
Affirming Maine’s commitment to high standards, implemented locally
As you may have seen in the press, some concerns and questions have been raised recently about the Common Core standards in math and ELA, which the State incorporated into its Learning Results standards in 2011. By Stephen Bowen | More | Governor LePage signs Executive Order protecting local control, student privacy
Commission receives notice of 7 charter school proposals
AUGUSTA – Seven groups informed the Maine Charter School Commission that they plan to submit applications to open public charter schools in Maine. All of the groups hope to open a school in the fall of 2014. | More
Proficiency-based learning resources available
The Maine DOE Center for Best Practice has created and posted five flyers designed to help districts move forward the conversation about the shift to a proficiency-based learning system. | More
Maine DOE’s legislative summary posted
Maine DOE has prepared a summary of major laws related to education enacted by the First Regular Session of the 126th Maine Legislature. This information may prove helpful to educators when planning during the 2013-14 school year. | More
Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities
- Coordinator of Educational Technology
- Higher Education Specialist
- Legislative Affairs Director
- Migrant Education Program Director
- School Nutrition Specialist
- State Director of No Child Left Behind, Title I
- State School Accreditation Development Services