The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is offering a new, six-part professional learning series titled, “Beyond Compliance: Integrated Supports for Multilingual Learners with Disabilities,” to be facilitated by Maine DOE Teacher Leader Fellow Melissa Frans.
When students are both multilingual learners and students with disabilities, the supports they receive sometimes operate in parallel rather than in partnership. In Maine during the 2024-2025 school year, 17 percent of identified multilingual learners were also identified as requiring special education services. This data underscores the importance of coordinated, interdisciplinary approaches that address language development and disability-related needs together rather than separately.
This new professional learning series will promote a collaborative, integrated approach and support educators in designing cohesive systems that build on student strengths while aligning ,supports across language development and disability services. Participants will move beyond compliance-driven practices toward meaningful, coordinated action that addresses the full range of student strengths and needs.
Through active, collaborative learning, teams will:
- Build unified support systems.
- Integrate asset-based instructional models.
- Co-create and apply practical resources.
- Exchange feedback and strategies.
- Engage in professional dialogue grounded in real-world practice.
Audience
Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged to attend together. This opportunity is relevant for:
- Classroom teachers.
- Special educators.
- ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) specialists.
- Instructional coaches.
- Interventionists.
- Special education and multilingual directors/coordinators.
- School and school administrative unit (SAU) administrators.
Schedule
Virtual sessions (via Zoom) will be held on the following Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m.:
- March 4 and 18, 2026
- April 1 and 15, 2026
- May 6 and 20, 2026
Participants may earn 12 total contact hours, including nine hours of live participation and three hours of supplemental work. Registration is required; please register here.
This series reflects the Maine DOE’s ongoing commitment to helping schools implement cohesive, student-centered systems that integrate language development and disability-related supports. Offered through the Teacher Leader Fellows program within the Office of Teaching and Learning, it is part of the Maine DOE’s broader effort to strengthen instructional leadership statewide.
The Maine DOE Multilingual Learner Dashboard offers educators and leaders an interactive view of key data to inform decisions and strengthen support for multilingual learners statewide.
For more information or with questions, please contact Jane Armstrong, Maine DOE ESOL State Specialist, at Jane.Armstrong@maine.gov.
Maine DOE Newsroom 