Reminder and updated guidance for rescheduling and requesting waivers for storm days

Once again, the winter has resulted in an increased amount of snow storms causing schools to close to avoid dangerous weather conditions. Winter storm closures coupled with the wind storm that occurred earlier in the school year and resulted in power outages across Maine, has caused school administrative units to exceed the number of storm days that were originally planned for in the school calendar.

As a reminder, the requirement is 175 instructional days for students in grades K-11, and 170 days for high school seniors.

Rescheduling instructional time

Acceptable efforts to reschedule classes include the following:

Rescheduling or shortening scheduled vacation
Postponing the scheduled school closing date
Conducting classes on weekends
In addition, districts sometimes choose to revert a scheduled teacher in-service day to a student instructional day

Please note, under Chapter 125 Section 6.02, subsection C, school administrative units may schedule a one hour extension of the school day for up to 25 days in a school year; 5 one hour extensions may be counted as an additional school day. It is important for school boards that vote on revised calendars to notify the Commissioner’s office, particularly for school administrative units that choose to extend the school day, as this option will alter the attendance counts for the unit.

Also, schools that choose to extend the school day in lieu of attending additional days, please be aware that SAUs that participate in federal reimbursement for USDA food funding may be affected. USDA food funding is calculated based on the number of lunches served in the previous year. Therefore, if an SAU has less lunches served due to extending school days rather than going extra days in the 2017/2018 school year, it will result in less federal reimbursement for the meal program in the 2018/2019 school year.

For further information about the Child Nutrition Program, contact Walter Beasley, Maine DOE Director of Child Nutrition at (207) 624-6875 or Walter.Beesley@maine.gov.

Requesting waivers

In Chapter 125: Basic Approval Standards: Public Schools and School Administrative Units Section 6.01, subsections C (1) and (2), regulations state that the Commissioner may waive the minimum school year requirements upon submission of a written request from the school board to the Commissioner, and that waivers will be granted only after school officials have exhausted all reasonable avenues for making up lost school days, and only in extraordinary circumstances.

For further information about rescheduling school days or requesting waivers please view the Department’s updated Waivers for Snow Days Frequently Asked Questions.

For further questions or to notify the Department of the intent to file for a waiver please contact Pamela Ford-Taylor, Maine DOE School Enrollment Specialist at (207) 624-6617 or Pamela.Ford-Taylor@maine.gov.

Preschool & Kindergarten Assessment opportunity using Teaching Strategies Gold©

The Maine Department of Education will be supporting a cohort of public preschool & kindergarten teachers for the 2018-19 school year using Teaching Strategies Gold©, an online and authentic formative assessment tool that aligns to Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards for PreK and Maine’s College and Career Ready Standards for kindergarten.

Interested districts must have at least one PreK and one kindergarten teacher from the same school in order to participate, as well as principal involvement and support.

Teachers will be required to attend one 2-day training in August 2018, held in Augusta, as well as two check-in webinars throughout the year and a 1-day training in March 2019.

Those interested in participating should complete and submit the survey below no later than end of business on Monday, April 30, 2018.

Due to the limited number of student portfolios that can be supported, this opportunity is available on a first come, first served basis – per the date and time on the submitted application. Once the cohort has been set, a Memoranda of Understanding will be sent to each participating district for signature. Notification via email will be sent to those districts that were not selected.

April conference call

To learn more, administrators and teachers are invited to join a conference call that will be scheduled during the beginning of April. If interested in joining the call, notify Nicole Madore by Friday, March 30, 2018 at nicole.madore@maine.gov or (207) 624-6677.

Specific requirements of participation

New Teachers:

PK and K teachers, from the same school, attend a two-day training at the end of August 2018 (date TBD, looking at the week of August 20-24). The training will be held in Augusta.
Principals must attend the first day of this training.
PK and K teachers will attend a one day follow-up training in mid-March 2019 (date TBD, looking at March 15) in Augusta.
PK and K teachers complete the online TSG assessment with their students and submit at summative checkpoints tentatively set for Oct. 29, 2018, Feb. 18, 2019 and June 3, 2019.
PK and K teachers must participate in two webinars (one at the end of October 2018-before checkpoint 1, one at the end of January 2019-before checkpoint 2)
Administrators, as appropriate and in consultation with Maine DOE, will remove/eliminate duplicate assessments required by kindergarten teachers.

The 2018-19 TSG online application for participants
(must be submitted no later than end of business on Monday, April 30, 2018)

More information on Teaching Strategies Gold

For further questions please contact Nicole Madore at Nicole.madore@maine.gov or (207) 624-6677.

MaineCare Seed adjustments to be made, review Q218 reports by April 13, 2018

The recovery of Q218 MaineCare Seed will occur in the April 2018 subsidy payment and the Maine DOE is asking Districts to review their reports to ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy. SAU staff must review student by student claims on both the public and private MaineCare reports for Q218 by April 13, 2018.

To access the MaineCare Seed reports, please follow the instructions below.

Log into NEO using the link below

https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/Dashboard

Anyone who currently has permissions to the Special Education modular, will automatically have permissions to access MaineCare reports.

As in the past, if a new staff member needs permission to access this modular, a request from the Superintendent to the Maine DOE helpdesk will be necessary.

Click on the Student Data tab

Click on the Student Report tab

Select MaineCare in the Reporting Area drop-down

Choose the quarterly Seed report and the report type (private/public)

Click view report button
Once the report appears on the screen, choose the export button.

You may export the reports to Excel but, please be aware that there may be multiple worksheet tabs within the workbook. Save the file to your computer.

If you disagree that a particular student or time period should be on the report, please provide the reason that you disagree along with the following to Denise.towers@maine.gov.

Identify the type of report (public or private) and the quarter in which the claims are located.
State Student ID
Service provided dates (to and from)
Total amount of Seed being disputed

Summer services: Students must be enrolled for the time period they are receiving educational services. This means that students that are receiving extended school year services in district or extended school year services in an out of district placement must have a primary enrollment for that time period in order for the MDOE to have the most accurate enrollment data to determine SAU responsibility for MaineCare Seed.

For more information or technical assistance related to MaineCare Seed, please contact Denise.towers@maine.gov.

School Nurse Day is May 8, 2018; Maine DOE offers professional development and celebration

Let’s recognize the contributions to student health and learning that school nurses make every day! Students across Maine and the country are able to fully access their education because of the interventions and actions performed by school nurses every day. School nurses optimize student health and learning every day of the year. But, on National School Nurse Day, we take special time to celebrate and recognize the contributions that school nurses are making to the health and learning of our state’s children and the nation’s 50 million children. This year, Maine celebrates National School Nurse Day on May 8, 2018.

Established in 1972, National School Nurse Day is set aside to recognize school nurses and foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting. National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurse Week and National Nurse Week is always May 6th through May 12^th

Start out your School Nurse Day with some professional development and a celebration for school nurses.

School Nurse Professional Development

Where: Burton Cross Office Building, Room 103 (ground floor), 111 Sewall Street, Augusta, Maine 04333
When: May 8, 2018 from 12:15 pm to 1:45 pm
Contact Hours: 1.25

Overview of current mental health trends
Discussion of bullying and risk of suicide
Continuum of care and school reintegration following in/out patient treatment

School Nurse Celebration

After the presentation, walk across the street for the Blaine House Tea from 2:00-3:30
We will celebrate the School Nurse of the Year and honor retiring school nurses!

Blaine House
State Street in Augusta, Maine
$5 fee for non-MASN members, please bring payment with you.

For more information contact Emily Poland at 207-624-6688 or emily.poland@maine.gov

Registration

Nominations sought for the 2018 Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year

The Maine Curriculum Leaders’ Association is accepting nominations for the 2018 Curriculum Leader of the Year until April 27, 2018.

The Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year is a champion of learning both within and outside his or her district and has held a curriculum leadership role for at least five years. Read the selection criteria and nomination information here.

Recommendation letters describing the nominee’s leadership of curriculum, instruction, and assessment should be emailed to director@mainecla.org

Maine DOE Update – March 15, 2018

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Save the date: 2018 Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents

The 107th Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents will be held Wednesday, June 27th through Thursday, June 28th at the Augusta Civic Center. | More

Maine DOE begins math achievement pilot program in 6 Maine elementary schools

The Maine Department of Education is embarking on a new initiative called the Numeracy4ME K-4 Mathematics Pilot program. The project is designed to improve the mathematics achievement of students in kindergarten through grade four in 6 pilot schools: Academy Hill, Cherryfield Elementary School, Cornville Charter School, G.D. Cushing School, Indian Township School, and Milbridge Elementary School. | More

Technology Plan Update

Technology plans are designed to help educators and school leaders think about how they use technology and how to better leverage technology to improve student learning. The Learning through Technology team at the Department of Education manages the technology planning process and assists schools in learning to use technology more effectively. This communication sets forth guidance regarding technology plans that are due in the 2017-18 school year as well as plans that were due in prior years. | More

Template Letters for School and District Leaders to Notify Parents about State Assessments

Two parent notification letter templates have been updated for use by school and district leaders in 2018 to notify parents about state assessments: one letter template for the “general assessment” and one letter template for “alternate assessments.” These templates are available for your school or district to modify and customize with local information prior to being used to notify parents in your community about the upcoming state assessments. | More

More Dispatches | Press Releases | Priority Notices

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Equitable Services Training for ESEA Coordinators and Private School Officials

The Maine Department of Education will host a workshop regarding Equitable Shares for Private Schools. This workshop is designed as guidance and technical support for all ESEA Coordinators and Private School Officials that receive funds for equitable services across the state. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Template Letters for School and District Leaders to Notify Parents about State Assessments

Assessment Template Letters:

MEA Parent Letter

Alternate-MEA Parent Letter

Technology Plan Update

Plans Due in 2018

For plans that are due by June 30, 2018, school administrative units (SAUs) have two options:

Submit a learning technology plan following the guidelines from the 2016-2017 school year.
Submit a learning technology plan using the guidance for the 2017-2018 school year. This guidance was developed recognizing that SAUs have a smaller window of time to complete this process and that many SAUs have asked for more clarity about what exactly the Department is looking for in these plans.

More information about the specific requirements can be found here: http://www.maine.gov/doe/mlti/techplan/

For both options, schools will need to administer the BrightBytes Technology and Learning Survey to students and use their data to inform planning for technology use in their schools and SAUs. BrightBytes offers webinars and in-person workshops to help schools and SAUs leverage their BrightBytes data for technology planning.

(Note: Webinars will be recorded and posted to be viewed at a later date.)

Webinar: Technology and Learning for Curriculum Leaders: Using T&L to Transform Instruction (March 15, 2018 from 3:30 -4:30pm) – still accepting registration.

Webinar: Technology and Learning for District Admin: Vision to Action, Lighthouse Schools, and Pilots (April 10, 2018 from 3 – 5pm)

Onsite “Data Into Action” Workshops: Building Actionable Instructional Technology Plans that Really Drive Change (Offered regionally during the weeks of May 7th and May 14th – specific locations and times TBD)

Registration and more information about these sessions (as well as recordings of past webinars) can be found here: http://bit.ly/2sxx7CZ

If you have any questions about technology plans due in 2018, please contact Amanda Nguyen, Digital Learning Specialist at Amanda.Nguyen@maine.gov or 207-624-6656.

Plans Due in 2016 or 2017

If you haven’t received an approval letter from the department for a technology plan that was due from your SAU in 2016 or 2017, , please send an email requesting an approval letter to mlti.project@maine.gov. If you have questions about those pre-2018 plans, please contact Deb Friedman, Learning through Technology Project Manager at Deborah.Friedman@maine.gov or 207-624-6834.

Maine DOE begins math achievement pilot program in 6 Maine elementary schools

Students in kindergarten through grade four in the pilot schools are the focus of the Numeracy4ME Project. These learners will be supported by their teachers, who will be engaging in high quality professional learning on numeracy related instructional practices delivered by trained mathematics specialists. In addition, each school will be supported by a Maine Department of Education mathematics specialist coach.

Schools were selected based on mathematics achievement, defined by Maine Education Assessment (MEA) proficiency rates in Grades 3 and 4, and economic need, defined by free and reduced lunch counts. The pilot includes schools in two Regions: Washington County and Franklin/Somerset County.

As a pilot project, the Numeracy4ME program is designed to study results of implementation to inform decisions about extending the opportunity to other Maine schools in the future. The resources available to support the project are limited to 25 teachers in each region.

The Numeracy4ME Pilot Project will run from January 2018 through June 2018 and, pending funding, will continue through July 2019.

For more information about the Numeracy4ME Pilot Project contact Cheryl Toby, Mathematics Specialist for the Maine Department of Education at Cheryl.Tobey@maine.gov.

Equitable Services Training for ESEA Coordinators and Private School Officials

Participants will gain a better understanding of providing Equitable Services under ESSA through the following:

ESEA Titles including Title I, Title II, Title III, and Title IV
A review of Statute, Regulatory, and Non-Regulatory resources in providing Equitable Services
A review of the Role of State Ombudsman
A clear understanding of the consultation requirements under the law
An understanding of the impact of transferability and equitable shares
The process for disputes between public and non-public schools
How allocations are derived for public and non-public schools
Type and Delivery of Equitable Services
Allowable costs for private schools in each title

When: Thursday, April 12, 2018

Time: 9:00 A.M.-12 Noon

Where: Capital Area Technical Center, 40 Pierce Drive, Augusta, Maine 04330

Who Should attend: Private Schools officials responsible for delivery of equitable services, ESEA Coordinators, Curriculum Coordinators, Principals, Assistant Superintendents, Superintendents.Why: Under ESSA the provision of equitable services has changed. It is critical that public and non-public schools work together to provide fair and equitable services to eligible students according to the law. This workshop will help guide your decision making as a school administrator and ensure responsible fiscal stewardship in federal funding for both public and non-public schools across the state.

Register by clicking on the link below:

http://events.egov.com/eventreg/ME/event.htm?name=equitableservicesunderessa

Please register by no later than April 1, 2018. Space is limited.

For questions regarding this workshop or equitable services please contact Charles.lomonte@maine.gov