Thanks to a generous grant from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the Maine DOE is holding a one-day institute, “From Preschool to Kindergarten-Connecting the Language & Literacy Standards” at Thomas College on Friday, Oct. 3.
The purpose of the institute is to introduce teachers and administrators to the two documents guiding their work: Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards, which define what children should know and be able to do at the end of preschool, and the Maine Learning Results college and career ready standards (end of kindergarten). The institute will focus on the English Language Arts/ Literacy domains.
Maine’s Education Commissioner Jim Rier will open the event and Dr. Dorothy Strickland will be the keynote speaker, providing an overview of initiatives that foster a cohesive preschool-third grade continuum as it relates to language and literacy development.
Schools must register by sending a team consisting of: preschool/Head Start teacher, kindergarten teacher, curriculum/ literacy specialist (if applicable) and principal. Dr. Strickland will lead the school teams throughout the day as they examine how the standards align from preschool to kindergarten and to see what they look like in classroom practice.
The cost of the institute is $60 per team and includes lunch. Online registration is on a first-come/first serve basis, and space is limited.
For more information please contact Maine DOE Early Childhood Consultant Sue Reed at susan.d.reed@maine.gov or 624-6632.