Last month, the Maine Department of Education held regional trainings for over 350 educators from school administrative units (SAUs) around the state. The trainings were held in Portland, Farmington, Ellsworth, and Presque Isle. The Maine DOE hosted presenters from the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC) in all four locations.
Participants deepened their understanding of student learning objectives (SLOs) and the SLO process. Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. Susan Ward, a kindergarten teacher at RSU 22 stated, “The information was practical, straightforward and extremely helpful; it will help us move forward with our pilot and become a resource for staff.” Curt Jack who attended the Portland session noted, “This was a very valuable day of training. It gave us exactly the information and resources we needed for where most of the districts are in the development and piloting process. Timely and well done….exactly what the doctor ordered!”
The workshop was interactive and with activities and discussions that deepened participant understanding of the criteria and importance of quality SLOs. SAU team members came away with: research-based approaches to SLO implementation, turn-key activities to facilitate with their SAUs and electronic resources to support districts in their SLO implementation.This session provided a comprehensive overview of SLOs for district leaders to take back to their districts.
All of the materials and presentation will be made available to the field on the Maine DOE Educator Effectiveness General Resources page, including a video of the Ellsworth presentation. The Maine Department of Education would like to give a special thanks to the Hancock County Technical Center media students for videotaping the event and the culinary arts students for providing the meal at the Hancock County Technical Center in Ellsworth.
For information, contact Educator Effectiveness Coordinator Charles Lomonte, at Charles.lomonte@maine.gov or call 624-6748.