As part of the Maine Department of Education’s goal of ensuring accurate and efficient educator credentialing, we are asking educators to manage their Maine teacher credentials electronically. The Department is transitioning to the new online certification system, and effective July 9, 2018, the Certification office will eliminate walk-in office hours in order to increase productivity and better serve the tens of thousands of educators in the State of Maine.
Previously, to accommodate the paper-based application system, educators could travel to the Department in Augusta and walk-in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to drop off applications and materials, or meet with certification specialists to ask specific questions.
Now that the online certification system is available and application materials can be submitted and managed electronically (either through the online system or via email), and questions can be answered more efficiently using the website, over the phone, or via email, the Department will be eliminating the walk-in office hours effective July 9, 2018.
In-person processing of applications can be lengthy and inconvenient for educators, and significantly reduces the number of applicants the Department can serve. By eliminating the walk-in office hours, the Department will decrease application processing times, be better able to answer questions with significantly lower wait times, and better assist educators using the new online system.
The Department will continue to keep the certification website up-to-date with current information, support documentation, and answers to frequently asked questions.
If educators have additional or more specific questions, they can call 207-624-6603 or email the certification office at cert.doe@maine.gov.
Further communications and updates are available on the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage, Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, and the DOE newsroom.