From Maine Education Commissioner Jim Rier
As Maine moves toward a proficiency-based education system that will ensure students graduate from our high schools having mastered State learning standards, I am often asked what this expectation means for our nearly 30,000 students with disabilities.
A free appropriate public education must include support to allow students with disabilities to achieve the same high standards as other students.
I – like all of my colleagues at the Department and so many of you – believe that Maine students with disabilities deserve to graduate knowing that they have the knowledge and skills needed for future success. And I am confident that they can, even if their path toward proficiency sometimes looks different than that of their classmates. After all, in the true learner-centered system envisioned in Maine’s Education Evolving strategic plan, all students are active participants in and directors of their own learning, taking a meaningful role in planning learning activities and being allowed to choose the manner by which they display proficiency, whether it be a final exam, paper, project or other demonstration.
Notices and Reporting
- MEDMS Staff Data Collection 2014/15, due Oct. 15
- 2013-14 Dropout and Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, due Oct. 31
- EPS October 1 Enrollment Reporting, due Oct. 31
More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar
News & Views
Maine DOE welcomes new federal programs staff
Janette Kirk, David Fisk and Chelsey Fortin have joined Maine DOE as members of the No Child Left Behind Federal Programs Team. | More
Maine DOE announces principals as instructional leaders workshops
The Department is hosting a second series of workshops to support principals as instructional leaders. | More
Portland principal wins $100,000 for school
Casco Bay High School Principal Derek Pierce has won the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s 3rd Annual Larry O’Toole Award. | More
Maine DOE offering free workshops for world languages educators
The Maine DOE will be again offering free regional workshops for world language teachers statewide. | More
Nominations for Senate Youth Program and Scholarship due Oct. 10
All Maine principals and headmasters are encouraged to nominate one student for the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). | More
Maine DOE provides guidance on world language proficiency
The Maine DOE has recently published guidance on what constitutes proficiency in a world language. | More
Maine DOE offers bomb threat report training for superintendents
The Department is encouraging all superintendents to attend NEO bomb threat report training. | More
Daily education rates set for special purpose private schools
The daily education rates for special purpose private schools have been set for the 2014-15 school year. | More
Notice of proposed rule changes: Chapter 60 & 61, Major Capital School Construction Projects
The Maine DOE is proposing changes this fall to the rules regarding major capital school construction projects. | More
Smarter Balanced Digital Library surpasses 2K item mark, workshops offered
The Maine DOE is pleased to announce the Smarter Balanced Digital Library currently contains more than 2,000 resources. | More
Due date extended for MEDMS Staff Data Collection
The reporting requirement for school administrative units to complete the MEDMS Staff Data Collection for 2014-15 has been extended to Oct. 15. | More
Districts reminded to identify English learners for fall reporting
The Maine DOE is reminding superintendents, Infinite Campus (IC) data managers, building administrators and school office personnel of the expectation to identify English learners. | More
Maine DOE seeking members for NCLB committee
The Maine DOE is seeking recommendations to fill vacancies on the Title I Committee of Practitioners. | More
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