Month: April 2017

10 Maine school districts awarded instruments as part of Maine Kids Rock! pilot program

The Maine Department of Education (DOE), in partnership with Little Kids Rock, today announced the selection of 10 Maine school districts who will be awarded instruments and resources necessary to run modern band programs in their schools.

This project, Maine Kids Rock!, is a pilot program developed between the Maine DOE and Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that is dedicated to building a world where kids can live rich, purposeful lives by ensuring that all public school children have the opportunity to unlock their inner music makers.

The selected schools are:

  • Central Community Elementary School, RSU 64
  • Crescent Park and Woodstock Elementary Schools, RSU 44
  • East End Community School, Portland Public Schools
  • Houlton Middle/High School, RSU 29
  • Katahdin Elementary, Middle and High Schools, RSU 50
  • Medway Middle School, Medway School Department
  • Meroby and Rumford Elementary Schools, RSU 10
  • Penobscot Valley High School, RSU31
  • Troy Howard Middle School, RSU 71
  • Waterville Senior High School, AOS 92

Schools were chosen by review teams who scored applications based on need, sustainability, and quality of proposed programing. In order to be eligible for the pilot, school districts must serve 50% or more free or reduced lunch to eligible students, and agree to offer modern band during the 2017-2018 school year, taught by a certified music teachers.

 

Maine teacher certification moving to new online system

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is in the process of building an online portal for a new web-based credentialing system. The new system, being put in place by Hupp Technologies, will be fully operational by the July 1st teacher, educational specialist and administrator renewal expiration date.

The online system will completely replace the Maine DOE’s current paper application system. Highlights include effortlessness in account creation, electronic notifications about actionable items for both teachers and administrators, and the ability to pay fees online.

Once the new system is in place, all teachers will need to create an account. The Maine DOE’s Certification team will be sending out individual notices to the email addresses that are on file in the NEO staff system.

Training will be made available soon for Superintendents and Support System Chairs. In addition, webinars will be available for educators to assist with account creation, and the renewal process.

It is important to note, allowances will be made if the system goes up later than expected. Current Maine State rules state that if a certificate is held up for any reason beyond the teachers’ control, then the previously held certificate is still valid. This addresses the concern some may have about not being eligible to sign teacher contracts.

For more information contact Ángel Martínez Loredo at 207-624-6603 or email cert.doe@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Announces 11 New Appointees for the Maine Commission for Community Service

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce that the following individuals have been appointed by Governor Paul R. LePage and Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr. to serve as commissioners for the Maine Commission for Community Service (MCCS). Founded in 1994, MCCS seeks to foster community service and volunteerism to meet human and environmental needs in the State of Maine.

  • Aaron Dombroski
    A major in the U.S. Army Reserves, Dombroski has taught military science at MIT, worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Veterans Benefits Administration. He is currently a veterans’ service officer for the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services serving Cumberland County and is active in the State of Maine’s plan to end veterans’ homelessness.
  • Beth Lambert
    Serving as the Commissioner of Education’s designee to the Commission, Lambert is the Visual and Performing Arts Specialist and Aroostook County Regional Representative for the Maine Department of Education. She brings 10 years of education experience at the middle and high school levels and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts, English, and Education from Lawrence University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Harvard University.
  • Brianna Tibbetts
    A 17 year-old homeschool high school student from North Waterboro, Tibbetts is currently dual enrolled at York County Community College. She is a volunteer camp counselor at Camp Good News in Livermore, Maine and has worked as a Jr. Ski School instructor at Shawnee Peak. Interested in civic engagement, Tibbetts is also participating in TeenPACT, a Christian program that brings teenagers to Augusta to understand the political process and how to engage in it.
  • Cary Olson-Cartwright
    Olson-Cartwright is Assistant Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Unum, and serves on several boards that are focused on supporting Maine’s youth and education including Jobs for Maine’s Graduates and Thomas College. She is a graduate of UMaine and the Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
  • Coleman LaPointe
    A 2011 Maine Maritime Academy Graduate, LaPointe is the Director of Strategic Alliances at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. He previously worked as a special assistant and personal aide to former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and served as a personal aide to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush during his 2016 presidential campaign.
  • Honorable David C. Burns
    Senator David C. Burns formerly served in the Maine State Senate, serving the people of Washington County, as well as Gouldsboro, Sullivan, Winter Harbor, and a portion of the East Hancock Unorganized Territory. He has also served for the Maine House of Representatives, as the Chair of the Government Oversight Committee, was a member of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, and a member of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Burns is a retired Maine State Trooper who specialized in investigating major crimes.
  • Diane Dickerson
    Dickerson has been serving as the CEO of Bangor YMCA since 2014, she has dedicated her life to community involvement, serving in previous roles as the chairman of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the University Medical Center Foundation, and chairman of The Children’s Miracle Network among others, she has also served as the CEO of her own successful companies throughout her professional career.
  • Jacinda Goodwin
    Jacinda Goodwin currently works for the National Center for Homeless Education. Prior to that she served as the Maine State Homeless Education Coordinator for the Maine Department of Education and also oversaw Maine truancy, dropout and alternative education programs. She has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Maine at Farmington and a Master’s degree in clinical/behavioral psychology from UMass-Dartmouth.
  • Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
    Currently the president of Unity College, Dr. Khoury’s has also held positions at Paul Smith’s College, Culver Stockton College, Upper Iowa University, and Unity College. Prior to joining the world of academia, Dr. Khoury was an international business executive, serving as Director of Euro-Gambian Trading (E.G.T.). He received a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maine, and his Baccalaureate from University of Maine Fort Kent.
  • Hon. Nick Isgro
    Nick Isgro is the mayor of the City of Waterville, where he is a lifelong resident and lives with his wife and 5 children in the home that his grandfather built in 1960. Nick is also Controller at Skowhegan Savings Bank and is a board member and financial advisor for St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Oakland.
  • Sean Ingram
    An Alabama native, Sean Ingram currently works for the Governor of Maine as a legislative policy coordinator. He formerly served Governor LePage in the office of Boards and Commission, an office responsible for recruiting and placing thousands of volunteer board and commission members for gubernatorial appointment.

Maine DOE Update – April 13, 2017

From the Maine Department of Education

Notices and Reporting Items

More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar

News & Views

PYDI Conference – Creating Positive Climates for Youth scheduled for June 29-30

The Maine Event: Creating Positive Climates for Youth conference will be held June 29-30 at Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. This year’s event combines the annual conferences of the Positive Youth Development Institute and the Collaboration for Perpetual Innovation into a single gathering of youth serving professionals and volunteers. | More

Maine Schools Update: Required Reporting Open 5/1 – 6/15

The NEO Maine Schools Update form is required by all public school units and private schools to inform the Maine Department of Education of school and district contact information, changes in grade spans, and other SAU and school related information. | More

2017 ESL Summer Retreat

The 2017 ESL Summer Retreat is open for registration. The retreat is scheduled for June 26th, 27th and 28th at the University of Maine in Orono. Superintendents, principals, district level administrators and ESL coordinators and teachers are encouraged to register for the retreat. | More

Spring ESEA Training and Updates for ESEA Coordinators, Title Administrators and Private Schools

The Maine DOE will be providing training for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Coordinators and individual Title administrators who manage Federal ESEA programs and funds with responsibilities for the ESEA Consolidated Application and Performance Report. | More

Maine DOE Partnering with UMFK to Expand AP4ALL Program

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) are pleased to announce a partnership for the statewide AP4ALL program. | More

Maine student artwork selected for screensaver challenge

Twenty Maine student artists will have an audience of more than 70,000 students and educators for their artwork starting this fall. | More

More Dispatches | Press Releases | Priority Notices

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Maine Schools Update: Required Reporting Open 5/1 – 6/15

The NEO Maine Schools Update form is required by all public school units and private schools to inform the Maine Department of Education of school and district contact information, changes in grade spans, and other SAU and school related information.

Changes:

  • Report will open May 1 and close June 15
  • Update any information for the District. All fields with the exception of Administrative Office Fax are required. PO Boxes will not be accepted in the “Physical Address” box. Mailing address is needed only if different from Physical address. Check the box to confirm that all SAU information has been reviewed before moving on to individual schools information.
  • The Cost Center information that has been added to Maine Schools references the three digit code that the business office uses in the financial system to assign building level costs. Each building will have at least one Cost Center, but may have two codes if the building has a combination of PreK-8 grade students and 9-12 grade students. PreK-8 grade will have a range of 010 through 290, and 9-12 grades will have a code in the range of 300 through 380. CTE Centers will have a Cost Center of 390. If school districts operate an alternative education program where they need to enter the building those will use a cost center in the range of 500 through 590. The cost center report can be downloaded here: http://www.maine.gov/education/data/handbook/codereport.htm
  • Student information system – enter the system you use to upload data to the state.  **This is important ** we need your correct SIS vendor information for training and communication with the vendor**
  • If a school offers All-day K or Alternative Education, please indicate.

To log in:  https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo

Click on Maine Schools (if you do not see this option on your menu, and are a superintendent, technical coordinator, or administrative assistant, please contact the MEDMS Helpdesk at MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.

PYDI Conference – Creating Positive Climates for Youth scheduled for June 29-30

The Maine Event: Creating Positive Climates for Youth conference will be held June 29-30 at Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. This year’s event combines the annual conferences of the Positive Youth Development Institute and the Collaboration for Perpetual Innovation into a single gathering of youth serving professionals and volunteers. With a long history of support and involvement from the Maine Department of Education, the event draws a strong following with presenters and participants from as many as seventeen states, Canada, and Scotland by providing training and information about key components to positive climate in all settings in which children and youth gather.

For educators, the conference supports many initiatives within the Maine Department of Education related to positive school culture/climate, brain-based practices for student engagement, and encouraging school-wide practices of inclusion for all students.

 For more information including a list of this year’s topics and registration information, visit the Maine Event: Creating Positive Climates for Youth conference website.

 For questions related to the conference, contact Donna Duffey, Conference Manager at 800-294-4322 or duffey.donna47@gmail.com or Maine Department of Education specialist Sarah Ricker at 624-6685, or sarah.ricker@maine.gov.

 

The State of Maine is implementing a new grant management system for all State Agencies

The State of Maine is implementing a new grant management system for all State Agencies.

For the Department of Education, the new grant management system will replace the GEM system currently used to apply for education grants and manage invoicing against those grants.

Phase I of the project includes the following programs using the new grant management system for the FY 18 grant cycle beginning on 6/1/17.

  • Local Entitlement
  • Career and Technical Education

Phase II of the project includes the following programs using the new grant management system for the FY 18 grant cycle beginning on 9/1/17.

  • Title IA
  • Title ID
  • Title IIA
  • Title III
  • Title V (previously Title VI)

Additional Education grant programs below will begin using the new grant management system when the new grant cycle begins for that program. This will vary depending on the grant.

  • Adult Education
  • Assessment
  • McKinney Vento
  • Migrant Education
  • Pre K
  • Sexual Health
  • 21st Century Community Learning Centers

The Department will provide ongoing communication to update School Administrative Units of training dates and other important information.

Please contact Denise Towers at 624-6863 or Denise.Towers@Maine.gov if you have any questions.

PRESS RELEASE: Maine student artwork selected for screensaver challenge

Twenty Maine student artists will have an audience of more than 70,000 students and educators for their artwork starting this fall.

More than 200 students submitted images to be considered for the Maine Department of Education (DOE), Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Screensaver Challenge.

An annual tradition of the Maine DOE, students in grades K-12 can submit artwork at the beginning of the year to be selected for display. The images are scored and selected by an independent panel of three judges.

The winning student artists will have their work showcased on MLTI devices for the 2017-18 school year. In addition, the student artists will have their registration fees waived for the 2017 MLTI Student Conference, and their winning pieces will be printed and displayed at the Department of Education’s Augusta offices from June 1 – August 31, 2017.

The selected students are listed below. Their artwork is available for viewing on the Maine DOE Website.

  • Griffin Vulture, Anna Labbe, Grade 10, Freeport High School
  • Abstract Ocean Life, Elizabeth Young, Grade 9, Freeport High School
  • Duck at Dawn, Bennett Hight, Grade 12, Freeport High School
  • Fallen Leaves, Zoe Fox, Grade 12, Freeport High School
  • Lights of the City, Griffin Agnese, Grade 11, Freeport High School
  • House Barn, Julian Lindholm Fiske, Grade 12, George Stevens Academy
  • Beneath the Surface, Corinne Ahearn, Grade 9, Greely High School
  • Eel Life, Maddie Hall, Grade 8, Greely Middle School
  • Knot a View, Alexis Merchant, Grade 10, Jonesport-Beals High School
  • Seeing Through, Emily Segal, Grade 7, Lincoln Middle School
  • Dandelion, Ana Rogers, Grade 9, Mount Desert Island HS
  • Scraffito, Erin Corcoran, Grade 8, Oceanside Middle School
  • Dream, Zabina Zimmerman, Grade 1, Pond Cove Elementary School
  • Bikes, Megan Gordon, Grade 11, Camden Hills Regional High School
  • Children’s Space, Corilie Green, Grade 10, Freeport High School
  • Wolf, Grace Neal, Grade 11, George Stevens Academy
  • Hummingbird, Toni MacDonald, Grade 12, Houlton Middle/High School
  • Moose, Blair Tweed, Grade 11, Wells High School
  • Lost and Forgotten, Samuel Livingston, Grade 12, Wells High School
  • Umbrella, Lauren Dow, Grade 10, Wells High School

For more information about the Maine Learning Technology Initiative Screen Saver challenge visit: http://maine.gov/doe/mlti/student/artchallenge/index.html

2017 ESL Summer Retreat

The 2017 ESL Summer Retreat is open for registration. The retreat is scheduled for June 26th, 27th and 28th at the University of Maine in Orono. Superintendents, principals, district level administrators and ESL coordinators and teachers are encouraged to register for the retreat. Developed in collaboration with the University of Maine Project Reach, this year’s retreat’s agenda is linked below, highlights include:

  • Presenter Dr. Jessica Costa, nationally recognized professional development senior outreach specialist for WIDA.
  • Panel of Expert consisting of Superintendent(s), Assistant Superintendent(s), ELL Coordinator(s), Principal(s) and more to hold open discussion on best practices for enhancing collaborative structures and relationships to build quality language programs.

Retreat Information:

  • ESL Summer 2017 Registration » $125 – Full 3-day conference fee (includes on-campus housing). $100 – Full 3-day conference fee (does not include housing). Registration includes meals and materials.
  • ESL Summer Retreat webpage – additional updated information including retreat materials will be posted as they become available.

For more information about the conference, please contact Nancy Mullins at 624-6788 or nancy.mullins@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Partnering with UMFK to Expand AP4ALL Program

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) are pleased to announce a partnership for the statewide AP4ALL program.

In its tenth year running, the AP4ALL program has become increasingly popular among high school students throughout the state by offering the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses, completely online, regardless of where they live or their school’s ability to support AP courses.

With experience and resources from their own Rural U early college program, UMFK will be administering all of the AP4ALL courses for the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 school years. The shift will help to improve the quality and outcomes of the program by offering students additional resources including new course software and management platforms, as well as digital texts and other classroom materials. In addition, the partnership will allow for expanded class sizes for popular courses, improved retention rates, and increased opportunity to reach rural students.

In order for this first year to be successful, information was reviewed from prior years to help create a list of course offerings that will better serve students. While the number of different courses offered has decreased, more spots have been created for courses that students previously wanted but couldn’t get into due to class size limits. The list was created based on many criteria, some of which included: course availability and need across Maine, prior enrollment, current retention and success rates for students, and the ability to transfer credits, subject knowledge, and skills into future higher education opportunities.

See the full listing of 2017/2018 courses on UMFK’s website.

In the first year of the pilot partnership, the previously available dual enrollment opportunities will be put on hold to ensure a smooth transition with available resources. Students interested in other early college opportunities can visit Maine DOE’s website to see a listing of other programs that are being offered around the state.

As the partnership grows, steps will be taken to continually evaluate the program in order to ensure the success of online learning, and to assess the quality of the programming. The evaluation will not only facilitate the growth of the AP4ALL program, but will also provide information that will help inform changes and decision making about AP courses and online learning more generally.

For questions or more information, contact Amanda Nguyen, Digital Learning Specialist for Maine Department of Education at 207-624-6656 or amanda.nguyen@maine.gov.