Maine DOE Update – September 21, 2017

From the Maine Department of Education

Notices and Reporting Items

Professional Development Opportunities

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News & Views

FEDES regional grant opportunity info session on 9/26

The Maine DOE is seeking proposals to fund eligible projects through the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES) – RFP # 201708145 and is reminding school district administrators and other interested stakeholders of an online/telephone Informational Session next Tuesday, September 26 at 3 p.m. The session will begin with a brief introduction and overview of the FEDES grant opportunity and then be opened up to questions and answers. Those planning to participate in the Informational Session are encouraged to review the RFP in advance and have questions prepared. The RFP can be downloaded from the Division of Purchases website. | More

Update about revisions to Rule Chapter 232, expansion of CTE to middle school

Public Law Chapter 171, “An Act To Enable Earlier Introduction of Career and Technical Education in Maine Schools,” was enacted in June to expand career and technical education opportunities by requiring Maine schools to provide access to developmentally-appropriate career and technical education for middle school students (grades 6-8). The expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) to middle school builds on a long history of providing high-quality and industry-relevant CTE to students in high school grades 9-12. | More

Maine DOE to release 2016/17 ESEA Report Cards on 9/25

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires all states to provide an annual report card to inform stakeholders about the progress of students and schools on indicators of student achievement, graduation rates, status of ESEA accountability and information on fully certified teachers – information that is related to student success. | More

Maine DOE to release 2016-17 Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) results on 9/25

The Maine Department of Education will release the 2016-17 MEA results on Monday, September 25, 2017, within the Maine Assessment and Accountability Reporting System (MAARS) Public Portal | More

Repeal and replacement of Chapter 81: Uniform School Bus Standards for Pupil Transportation in Maine

The enacted new regulations that replaced Chapter 81: Uniform School Bus Standards for Pupil Transportation in Maine and became effective on 9/16/17 can be found on the following link:  | More

Arts Education Participation and Access Data Needed

The Maine Department of Education is committed to supporting access to and participation in the arts as part of Maine students’ well-rounded education. In order to provide a view of trends, challenges, and successes in PreK-12th grade arts education, the department is asking school district to submit student participation and access data for the 2016-2017 school year. School level data that includes courses and enrollment numbers forms the basis of the data collection. Student names, personal information, and unique student identities are not included in this collection. | More

Proposal of a new model for Child Development Services (CDS)

Child Development Services (CDS) is currently responsible for the state-wide administration of special education services for children with disabilities who are ages 3 to 5 years (or in the school age range) under Part C and Part B 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Recently, the Department of Education has developed a new model for providing these services, the intent of which is to move the provision of children with disabilities ages 3 years to school age range (Part B 619) from current State run programming to the public schools systems. Under this model, all aspects of special education services for this age group would become the responsibility of the local district. This includes case management, child find, evaluation, eligibility determination, IEP development, and the provision of special education and related services. | More

Update on launch of Synergy State Edition Student System and access for school administrative units

Progress is continuing toward the full release of Synergy as Department staff have successfully uploaded and created thousands of student IDs. The next phase in the process will begin on Friday morning, September 22, when the Department will begin a “soft roll out”.  | More

Health update: mosquito-borne illnesses and schools

Maine Department of Education in collaboration with Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is sharing this important guidance with schools regarding mosquito-borne illnesses. Maine CDC developed the information and guidance in this letter. Two mosquito-borne illnesses are considered a local risk in Maine: Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV).  Both are potentially serious viral infections transmitted to people from the bite of an infected mosquito.  The disease is especially severe in children (as well as adults over 50).  There is no vaccine or effective treatment for humans.  Therefore, prevention strategies are critical. | More

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