Commissioner’s Update – March 20, 2014

From the Maine DOE

Yesterday, Governor LePage and I announced the 12 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Centers who will share in $500,000 granted by the Department to support the expansion of the innovative Bridge Year Program.

This funding will allow as many as 225 students to earn approximately two semesters of college credit before they even graduate from high school and develop technical and life skills for success in college, careers and civic life. More importantly, this program reflects an unprecedented collaboration between high schools, CTE centers, higher education and the workforce that will certainly change the lives of these students and the future of our state.

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Notices and Reporting

School Bus Purchase Report, due March 31
Highly Qualified Teacher Data (Reminder), due March 31
EPS April 1 Enrollment Reporting (Reminder), due April 15
Private School April 1 Enrollment Reporting (Reminder), due April 30
Regional School Calendars (Reminder), due May 1
2014 Maine Educator Talent Pool Recommendations (Reminder), due May 2

More Notices
Administrative Letters
Reporting Calendar

News & Views

Maine DOE selects student artwork for MLTI screensavers

AUGUSTA – Twenty-two young Maine artists, including Bangor High School junior Liam Reading’s whose painting is seen at right, will soon have an audience of tens of thousands of their fellow students and teachers for their artwork. | More

Schools to represent Maine at regional conference on education innovation

PORTLAND – Three Maine schools and one Maine school district—Ellsworth High School, Troy Howard Middle School, Westbrook High School and Regional School Unit 2—have been invited to represent their state at a regional conference on effective strategies for improving teaching and learning in the 21^st century. | More

Maine DOE bridges transition to college, careers with $500,000 in grants

AUGUSTA – As many as 225 students will earn approximately two semesters of college credit before they even graduate from high school, thanks to $500,000 from the Maine Department of Education to support the innovative Bridge Year Program. | More

Priority schools invited to apply for $1.7 million in SIG support

For the fifth straight year, the Maine DOE has been awarded money from the U.S. Department of Education Title I School Improvement Grants (SIG) program to turn around our state’s persistently most struggling schools. | More

Project guides for integrating math, CTE available

The project guides in this publication are intended to give inspiration and guidance to teachers who are looking to develop collaborative units that include mathematics and CTE. They have the intended outcome of improving student engagement, participation and achievement and contain a wealth of resources that can be used as is or adapted to fit particular partnerships. | More

Maine’s PAEMST winners recognized in Washington, D.C.

Karen Jagonlinzer and Elizabeth Heidemann were among the 101 teachers recognized by President Obama earlier this month in Washington, D.C. as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science (PAEMST). | More

Maine schools collaborate to support proficiency-based diploma implementation

Rather than grapple with these challenges on their own, many of Maine’s educators are recognizing the value in building collective intelligence about proficiency-based education. | More

Equipment grants available for Maine food service programs

Maine has received $73,808 in National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grant funds to assist school food authorities (SFAs) in purchasing equipment needed to meet the new nutritional standards for schools as required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. | More

PD opportunities for math teachers, leaders

The Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine (ATOMIM) will host two events for math teachers, leaders and administrators in April at the University of Maine at Augusta. | More