Author: Maine Department of Education

Proposed Revisions to Rule Chapter 115: Credentialing of Educational Personnel

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s efforts to streamline and clarify certification processes for Maine educators, the Department is proposing revisions to Rule Chapter 115: Credentialing of Educational Personnel. The Department had withdrawn an earlier proposal in order to make necessary changes and fall within the timeframe needed for public hearings and legislative action during this session. Having made those changes, the Department is now releasing a refined proposed rule for public comment.

Please note: The Part I proposed changes are to the current Rule Chapter 115, Part 1, adopted in July 2018. The Part II proposed changes are to Rule Chapter, Part II, adopted in August 2017, which had been scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2019.

The proposed Rule Chapter 115 can be found here (proposed rules are listed in order by rule number).

Summary of changes: Part I revisions refine and correct for articulation with statute and Part II and clarify certain provisions. Part II revisions include clarifications and refinements as well as more substantial changes, including the elimination of some provisions scheduled to take effect July 1, 2019. Part II proposed changes include:

  1. Eliminating literacy course work for Secondary Teacher Endorsement, Pathway 2
  2. Proposing grade spans: Public preschool-3, K-8, 6-12, Public preschool-12, and K-12
  3. Establishing a pathway to qualifying as a secondary teacher based on work experience and specified education course work
  4. Refining Career and Technical Education endorsement requirements to better meet the needs of the field.
  5. Sun setting endorsement 093: School Psychologist (Specialist or Doctoral), Pathway 4; and updating the requirements for this pathway
  6. Repealing and replacing endorsement pathways for some certificates to account for statutory changes in types of certificates (e.g. the elimination of the targeted certificate) and for clarity.

Public Comment Period Information for Rule Chapter 115:

Public Comment Period: December 26, 2018 – January 28, 2019
Comments should be submitted to Mary Paine at mary.paine@maine.gov or to the address below.

Public Hearing: January 14, 2019, 9:30 – 11:00 am Rm. 500, Cross State Office Building, 111 Sewall Street, Augusta, Maine. People wishing to speak are asked to sign in and provide two written copies of their comments.

Anyone unable to send comments via email or attend the public hearing may send written comments to:

Mary Paine
Department of Education
23 State House Station, Augusta, ME

McKinney Vento Sub-grant for the Education of Homeless Students

The Maine DOE congratulates the Bangor School Department for being conditionally awarded a $40,000 McKinney Vento sub-grant for the education of homeless students.  Through a focused needs assessment, Bangor discovered that their homeless students need help catching up to their peers in language arts, math, and high school credit accrual.  Bangor has committed to using the grant award in part to reduce school social worker caseloads, enabling them to coordinate more regularly with guidance staff, monitor and support students’ academic success, and focus on meeting identified needs of homeless students and families.

Maine DOE annually receives approximately $200,000 in federal McKinney Vento sub-grant funds to distribute statewide to supplement annual homeless education resources, such as Title IA funds. Maine DOE remains committed to distributing the unawarded sub-grant funds across the state so that they are broadly available to address statewide concerns and documented local needs.  A new RFP will be issued in early 2019 for the remaining funds. Districts who were not awarded a grant in this round are encouraged to apply.

If you have questions about homeless education or the McKinney Vento sub-grant program, contact Gayle Erdheim, gayle.erdheim@maine.gov or (207) 624-6637.

 

Professional Development Opportunity – Poverty: The Multiple Influences and Effects

The Maine DOE is providing a 3-part workshop series with Miriam Dodge, a GoldStar speaker for Communication Across Barriers, that will challenge participants to understand poverty at a deeper level and to think about their own biases and beliefs around poverty. The series will be limited to 20 participants and will focus on the Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten age span. This series will address the following goals:

  1. Increase educators’ knowledge base to understand key concepts of poverty;
  2. Recognize personal biases, thoughts and beliefs around people living in poverty;
  3. Increase understanding of the effect poverty has on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES);
  4. Increase the foundational understanding that if basic needs are met (nutrition, medical, social/emotional), students can focus engage in higher order thinking skills; and
  5. Help educators recognize personal beliefs and how they can indirectly influence collaboration between school staff and families.

By understanding the effects poverty has on Maine’s children; teachers, principals and other school leaders will be better able to individualize supports and increase learning outcomes for students most at risk.

Schools are strongly encouraged to register 3-member teams representative of classroom teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and special educators. Time will be provided for individuals to share their learning and to collectively plan for how to with colleagues in their respective schools.

Dinner will be provided during each session which will run 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm. Six contact hours will be provided to each participant over the course of the series.

Cost is $90 per team to attend the 3-part series. Registration requires a credit card.   Event Registration Link

Training Dates:                                             Training Location:
January 14, 2019                                             Educare Central Maine
March 18, 2019                                               56 Drummond Ave
May 13, 2019                                                  Waterville, ME 04901

For further information, please contact Nena Cunningham Ed.D., Head Start State Collaboration Director at 207-624-6601 or nena.m.cunningham@maine.gov

MEA Released Item Workshop Webinars

In November 2018, Maine DOE content specialists provided workshops to help Maine educators utilize the released items associated with Maine’s eMPower English language arts and math assessments and MEA science assessment. For those who were unable to attend, recordings of these sessions are now available.  The recordings can be accessed at the following links:

Educators will find documents related to these sessions in the file boxes included as part of the recordings or via links provided to Padlets incorporated within the recordings. Additionally, educators viewing the recordings will be encouraged to access released item data in the MAARS system.  Access to the released item data requires a user name and password which educators can obtain from their District Assessment Coordinator (DAC).

Please share the recording links with classroom teachers and instructional coaches who might not have been able to attend.

For questions or additional assistance, please contact the appropriate content specialist:

Professional Learning Opportunity: #DigCit4ME Challenge and Workshops

The Maine Department of Education will be facilitating a series of opportunities for educators to participate in professional learning related to digital citizenship, as well as interacting in the digital world in healthy and safe ways.

  • Part one of the series is an online game, which is called the #DigCit4ME Challenge. Participants who register for part two of the series (the in-person workshop) will obtain access to play the game. Playing the game is a prerequisite to attending the workshop.
  • Part two of the series is a regional in-person workshop, which is open to all educators to attend. Educators are encouraged to attend in school teams. There are a number of opportunities to attend a workshop in January. More information is below.
  • Part three of the series is an opportunity for health education and physical education educators to engage in this learning at the spring Health/Physical Education Conference.

In-person workshops

In January, there will be in-person regional #DigCit4ME Workshops. Participants will develop a better understanding of the Cross-Curricular Framework for Digital Citizenship from Common Sense Media and its connection to the Maine Learning Results Health Education and Physical Education standards and content areas. Educators will be able to create relevant learning experiences for students to help them incorporate this knowledge and these skills into their daily lives.

Cost: Free to attend
Contact Hours: Earn 6.5 contact hours
Target Audience: Educators who interact with students in grades 5-12
Draft Agenda
9:00am – 3:30pm

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Digital Citizenship Framework from Common Sense Media with Maine’s Health Education and Physical Education Standards
  • Resources to build educator knowledge, to share with families, and to use in classrooms
  • Lunch (provided)
  • Goals and expectations for afternoon
  • Planning time in small groups
  • Sharing time
  • Announcements and directions to continue with online game

Locations and Registration

Register Here

January 8th, South Portland High School
January 16th, Auburn Middle School
January 25th, University of Maine at Fort Kent
January 29th, Washington Academy (East Machias)
January 30th, Husson University (Bangor)

For more information or answers to questions, please contact: Amanda Nguyen, Digital Learning Specialist, Amanda.Nguyen@maine.gov

Maine DOE to Launch Maine Harvest of the Month Program in Schools

The Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Program is excited to announce the launch of Maine’s Harvest of the Month Program. Currently in planning phases, the program is slated to launch in schools in the Spring of 2019. Jenn So has been hired by the Maine DOE as the Harvest of the Month Program Manager and will be leading the development, implementation, and trainings for the program statewide. This program is a collaboration between the Maine DOE Child Nutrition Program and the Maine Farm to School Network.

Program Background

Harvest of the Month (HOM) is a nationwide marketing campaign promoting the use of seasonally available, local products in schools, institutions, and communities. Each month, a different local product is highlighted and participating entities pledge to serve the product and promote it through educational materials and activities. The program launched in California and has been replicated by dozens of other states across the country. With Maine’s participation, all of New England will now have Harvest of the Month programs.

Maine Harvest of the Month Background 

In its pilot year, Maine’s HOM program will develop a unique Maine HOM crop calendar and create corresponding marketing materials and recipes for food service directors and schools to display and utilize. Regional trainings will be delivered to train food service staff and other interested stakeholders on how to best implement the program; support will be provided to schools as needed. The program’s goal is to increase the procurement and consumption of local Maine products in schools (K-12), and thus the total number of meals provided. To participate in the program, schools will sign a  pledge committing to: serve the local HOM product at least twice per month (local being defined as grown or caught in Maine); display HOM materials provided by the Child Nutrition office; and participate in pre-and post-evaluations. Schools are also encouraged to integrate the HOM into educational activities.

If your school or district is interested in participating, please contact Jenn So at jenn.so@maine.gov or 207-624-6639 for more information.

Upcoming Review of Local MACM Programs; SAUs to be Contacted

As a reminder, Maine’s Alternative Certification and Mentoring Program (MACM), in response to OSEPS’s requirements for qualified special educators, is in progress. The goal of MACM is to ensure that conditionally certified special educators earn Professional Certification by the end of a three year period.

As part of this work, the Department has contracted with Elaine Tomaszewski, a former special educator, special services director, and superintendent, to facilitate the development of structures in school administrative units (SAUs) to ensure strong systems of support. The intent is to strengthen existing district systems of mentoring or coaching whenever possible, or assist in developing systems as necessary.

As an early step in the process, SAU’s across the state will be contacted via email by December 21st requesting access to their existing support system information (manuals, plans). The intent is to review and compare them to national standards.

If your Special Services or Curriculum Director is contacted please encourage them to participate in this early phase of the work. If your district is not contacted but would like to have their information shared please contact Elaine Tomaszewski directly at elaine.tomaszewski@gmail.com

 

Certification of Superintendent Election or Re-election

The Maine DOE is reminding administrators and school board members of the approaching deadline for annual certification to the Maine DOE of employment of Superintendent of Schools.

A school board must meet by December 31 to elect a superintendent if its superintendent’s contract expires in 2019 and then must submit a certification of employment report with all required documentation to the Maine DOE by March.

The instructions and forms and can be found at the Maine Department of Education, Data & Reporting, Helpdesk, Data Reporting Instructions. Please click on Superintendent/Agent Certification Form & Instructions (found at the bottom of the list).

If you have any questions, contact Danielle McKay at danielle.mckay@maine.gov or 207-624-6663.

Maine DOE Update – December 13, 2018

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Online Bullying Reporting Program Available to Maine’s Schools Through Optania

Optania has created an online bullying reporting program that is aligned with Maine DOE’s model bullying policy and procedures. | More

Reminder to Complete Dropout Certification

This is a general reminder that dropout reporting is due on Friday, December 14th. All public schools that contain any grades 7 through 12 are required to complete this report. Please start working on these reports as soon as possible in order to give the DOE and yourselves time to make any corrections/changes to the dropout reports before it is too late. | More

Report of Adult Education (EF-M-39B) – opened December 1st, due by January 15, 2019

Starting on December 1, the EF-M-39 Report of Adult Education opened for submissions through the NEO Student Data Module. The report is a resident-based aggregate count of students aged 16 to 20 who live within the boundaries of a school administrative unit (SAU), are no longer enrolled in regular education classes, and are taking academic courses through a Maine Adult Education program, but not necessarily through the SAU in which they reside. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Withdrawal of Proposed Changes to Chapter 101 MUSER

The Maine Department of Education’s Office of Special Services has reviewed comments made to the proposed changes to Chapter 101: Maine Unified Special Education Regulations (MUSER) Birth to Twenty and has decided to withdraw the proposed changes at this time.| More

Recording & Materials from Presentation About ESSA & Report Cards

The Maine Department of Education held a presentation on Monday, December 10 about the details of Maine’s Model of School Support under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which includes the release of the new, user-friendly, public Report Cards in early January.| More

New District Human Resource Role Available in Online Certification System

The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce the availability of a new district human resource role in the state’s online educator certification system. The new role in MEIS (Maine Educator Information System) can be requested for district human resource staff by the superintendent.| More

Join Maine DOE for the 2019 Read to ME Campaign

For the past 3 years, Mainers have strongly engaged in the Maine Department of Education’s Read to ME Challenge.  We are pleased to announce that Read to ME will launch for its 4th year.  | More

Administrative Letter: Clarification About Determining the Existence of a Specific Learning Disability for a Child

The 128th Legislature passed L.D. 127 which adopted portions of Rule Chapter 101 and added the requirement that when an Individual Education Plan (IEP) team is deciding whether or not a child has a specific learning disability, then (1) general education interventions must be included in the data selected by the IEP team when it uses a process based on the child’s response to scientific research-based interventions, and (2) psychological processing data from standardized measures to identify contributing factors must be considered by the IEP team.| More

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

School Safety and Security Bulletin: Emergency Operations Planning

Throughout the 2018- 2019 school year, the Maine Department of Education, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Department of Health and Human Services, Maine State Police, Maine Sheriffs Association, Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maine Emergency Management Agency will provide tips and resource information to Maine schools to help provide some guidance for identifying signs and preventing school violence. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Online Bullying Reporting Program Available to Maine’s Schools Through Optania

Optania has created an online bullying reporting program that is aligned with Maine DOE’s model bullying policy and procedures.  Click here to check out the demonstration.

This online program allows students, parents and others to report allegations of bullying 24/7, with the allegation report (JICK-E1) being sent to pre-determined school staff (ie. principal, assistant principal, school guidance counselor, social worker, superintendent) who will then initiate the investigation procedure using an electronic form (JICK-E2).  The program also includes the remediation form (JICK-E3).  In addition, using artificial intelligence, students can create their own Safety Plan in the moments after reporting an allegation of bullying so they don’t have to wait until the next school day when they can meet with a school staff member.

To learn more about Optania, attend a free, live informational webinar this week.

Sessions are 1 hour in length and will give an in-depth overview of Optania and allow time for questions and comments.

Click on the Zoom link on a day and time that works for your schedule.  There is no need to sign-up or RSVP to this email to attend.

Bullying reporting made easy with Optania (pdf)

Further questions or information about future webinars can be sent to Sarah Adkins, Student Assistance Coordinator at sarah.adkins@maine.gov or by calling her at 207-624-6685