AUGUSTA – Teachers of the Year for each of Maine’s counties were announced in a formal State House Hall of Flags ceremony today. From Kingfield to Princeton, from Limestone to South Berwick, from a field of 300 nominees, an outstanding Teacher of the Year has been announced for 15 of Maine’s counties.
Continue reading “Maine’s 2016 County Teachers of the Year recognized”
The MSAA alternate assessment closes this Friday, May 13.
All “in progress” assessments must either be closed or submitted by 5:00 p.m. No extensions are available.
Assessments for students that have received a Special Consideration should remain open. All requests for additional Special Considerations must be received by the Department by the close of the assessment on Friday, May 13.
For assistance, contact Alternate Assessment Coordinator Sue Nay at 624-6774 or sue.nay@maine.gov.
We have all heard of young ones enjoying their journey on the Magic School Bus, but the magic came to life as part of the STEM curriculum showcased recently at the 2016 USA Science & Engineering Festival in the nation’s capital.
Continue reading “School Bus to Mars? Engaging students in engineering and science”
The Maine Charter School Commission consists of seven members appointed by the Maine State Board of Education. The Commission has begun a search to fill a vacancy for the unexpired term May 2016 – June 2018. Upon successful completion of the term, the member will be eligible to seek his/her own three year term.
The Maine State Charter School Commission’s mission is to provide thoughtful stewardship in authorizing and monitoring public charter schools consistent with State statutes to create unique, high-quality learning options for Maine students.
The Commission seeks candidates, who share in this mission. The Commission is particularly looking for a new member who has the following qualities:
Persons interested in serving on the Commission should mail or hand deliver a letter of interest and a current resume to:
Maine Charter School Commission
182 State House Station
Augusta ME 04333-0182
Located at 111 Sewall Street 5th floor, Augusta.
In the letter, applicants should describe how their experience and strengths will match the need for the open position on the Maine Charter School Commission. The position will be filled once a suitable candidate is identified.
Read more about Maine’s Charter Schools and the Maine Charter School Commission.
For questions, contact Executive Director of the Maine State Charter Commission Bob Kautz at 592-8352 or bob.kautz@maine.gov.
Members announced to Blue Ribbon Commission to Reform Public Education Funding
AUGUSTA – The Commissioner’s Office at the Department of Education has announced the members of the Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine. The Commission was created during the 127th Maine State Legislature as part of the bill that added an additional $15 million in education funding for local schools. The Commission will examine increasing costs throughout the public education system in Maine and recommend action to reform public education funding and to improve student performance in the State.
Governor Paul R. LePage has appointed Bill Beardsley, who leads the Department of Education, to chair the 15-member Blue Ribbon Commission on which the Governor will also serve. Joining them will be four members of legislative leadership, the Chancellor of the University System, the President of the Maine Community College System, and additional members designated according to the legislation that created the Commission.
In announcing the members of the Blue Ribbon Commission, Beardsley said, “This is an extraordinary group of leaders. They bring diverse experience, perspectives, interests, and a sphere of influences to this body. The intent is to identify and prioritize potential higher order outcomes where there is a broad consensus and then build grand bargains in terms of strategic action plans. Commissions are challenged, yet this is a team that has the potential to move the marker in Maine’s K-16 public education. I consider it a privilege to be involved.”
By law, the Commission must be convened no later than May 1, 2016. The Governor has invited the members of the Commission to the Blaine House on April 25, 2016, so that they may meet each other and discuss how they will work together in furtherance of the goals outlined in LD 1641. The Commission is tasked with submitting a report to the Governor and the legislature’s Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.
The full list of Commission members includes the following:
Senator Garrett P. Mason (R) of Senate District 17 is the Senate Majority Leader representing the Senate Republicans. Mason is currently serving his third term in the Maine State Senate. He resides in Lisbon Falls.
Senator Justin L. Alfond (D) of Senate District 8 is the Senate Minority Leader. Alfond was first elected to the Senate in 2008. He resides in Portland.
Representative Sara Gideon (D) of House District 106 is the Assistant Majority Leader. Gideon is serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives. She resides in Freeport.
Representative Kenneth W. Fredette (R) of House District 25 is the House Minority Leader. He has served in the Maine Legislature since 2011. Fredette is an officer in the Maine Air National Guard and resides in Newport.
Jana F. LaPoint, a member of the State Board of Education, has been designated to the Commission by the Chair of the State Board. She also serves on the Maine Charter School Commission, which she formerly chaired. LaPoint previously served as a trustee on the Maine Community College System board for 11 years, with two years as Chair. She resides in Falmouth.
Tayla Edlund, the 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year, has been designated to the Commission by the Maine Education Association. Edlund teaches third grade at Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth.
Michael Wilhelm, a member of the Maine Charter School Commission and the 2003 Superintendent of the Year, has been designated to the Commission by the Chair of the Charter School Commission. After 19 years of service in Topsham, Wilhelm retired in 2003 and has served in interim positions. He resides in Casco.
Robert T. Callahan, director of the Lewiston Regional Technical Center, has been designated by Maine Administrators of Career and Technical Education to serve on the Commission. Callahan served as Director of Lewiston Adult Education before becoming the Director of LRTC. He resides in Gorham.
Douglas Larlee has been designated a public member of the Commission. Larlee is a second grade educator in RSU 74’s Carrabec Community School in North Anson. With over 40 years as an educator in Maine, Larlee has a wealth of experience and has served as chief negotiator for the local teachers’ contract. He resides in Norridgewock.
Joshua Reny, the assistant city manager of South Portland has been designated as a public member with municipal management experience, reflecting his current role as well as his former role as the Town Manager in Fairfield, Maine. Reny serves as a board member of the Southern Maine Community College Foundation and previously served with the Kennebec Valley Community College Foundation. He resides in Fairfield.
Richard P. Colpitts, Superintendent of Schools for SAD 17, Oxford Hills School District, has been designated by the Maine School Management Association. Colpitts served as Principal in School Administrative Districts 44 and 39. In 2010, he became Superintendent in SAD 17 and in December was named Superintendent of the Year. He resides in Peru.
James H. Page, Chancellor of the University of Maine System, has agreed to serve on the Commission. In 2012, Dr. Page was named Chancellor of the UMaine System after serving as CEO of the James W. Sewall Company in Old Town. Page is the first University of Maine System Chancellor to be born in Maine and to have been educated at one of the System’s universities. Page has also served as an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University. He resides in Old Town.
Derek P. Langhauser, President of the Maine Community College System, has also agreed to serve on to the Commission. Langhauser was named President earlier this year after serving as Interim President following his 20-year tenure on the leadership team of the Maine Community College System. Langhauser is a nationally recognized expert on higher education law and has served as General Counsel to the Community College System since 1994 as well as special counsel to Maine Maritime Academy. He resides in Cumberland Foreside.
For more information, contact Director of Communications, Anne Gabbianelli at anne.gabbianelli@maine.gov or 624-6747.
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The following is an announcement from the Maine Arts Commission
The Maine Arts Commission has awarded a grant, “Hopes for the Future,” to provide dance education to K-12 students in Frenchville and St. Agatha in the northern most part of Aroostook County. The $2,650 award to Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) 33 will give the district’s 240 students and teachers a unique opportunity to participate in the dance making process.
Continue reading “Dance education grant announced for Aroostook County”
The following notice was sent to superintendents and NCLB coordinators on April 15, 2016.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires that State assessments cover the full range of the state’s academic content standards.
Maine’s English language arts/literacy standards include standards for speaking and listening. However, our state assessment, at this time, does not assess speaking and listening.
The Maine DOE is choosing to proceed thoughtfully as we explore options for how to best assess speaking and listening. In order to effectively design these assessments, we need time to research options, listen to educators, test our technology, and work with our testing contractors.
Maine will be requesting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 school years from the requirement to assess speaking and listening.
We invite public comments through April 29, 2016, about this waiver request.
Questions and/or comments may be directed to Charlene Tucker, Director of Assessment & Accountability at charlene.tucker@maine.gov.
For students to have adequate opportunity to acquire language and develop proficiency in a language other than English, maximum use of the target language in the classroom by teachers and students is critical. While the research-based recommendation is that target language use represents 90% of teacher and student discourse in the classroom, many teachers struggle to maximize the use of L2 (world language that the student is working to learn during instruction).
Continue reading “Creating a discourse community in the world language classroom”
The following Priority Notice was sent Monday, April 11
Monday, April 11
Dear Superintendents,
I am writing to remind you that registration is open for our 105th Annual Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents, scheduled for June 26-28 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. School board members and other school or district level administrators are encouraged to register for the conference based on their interest (please see the draft agenda below).
We’re excited about how the agenda – developed in collaboration with the Maine School Superintendents Association – is coming together to best focus on the topics we continue to hear are of most importance to you and are looking forward to working with you.
Draft conference agenda to include:
Sunday, June 26 (Registration opens at 2 p.m.)
Maine School Superintendents Association (MSSA) Reception and Awards Banquet
(Networking reception sponsored by Apple – 5 p.m./Dinner – 6 p.m./Awards – 7 p.m.)
Monday, June 27 (Registration opens at 7:15 a.m. and breakfast opens at 7:45 a.m.)
General Session
Commissioner’s Welcome, Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Bill Beardsley
General Session
Keynote Address by Dr. David Silvernail with comments by Catherine Barbour, Carmen Coleman and Jacinda Goodwin
Concurrent Sessions – Continue the keynote discussion with one of the experts
General Session
ESSA – Stakeholder Engagement and Discussions
Networking reception sponsored by HP
Dinner on your own
Tuesday, June 28 (Registration and Breakfast open at 7:15 a.m. Conference adjourns at 3:45 p.m.)
MSSA Business Meeting
Maine DOE Updates, Maine DOE Staff (General Session)
General Session
FERPA 101 – Dale King, Director of the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office
Concurrent Workshop Sessions (each session will be offered twice)
Concurrent Workshop Sessions (same as listed above)
General Session
Lunch and closing remarks, Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Bill Beardsley
One-on-One Technical Assistance will be offered on Tuesday from 8:00am – 3:00pm
*Please note this is a working agenda.
Presenters are already working to prepare their conference materials, which will be posted as they become available here on the 2016 Commissioner’s Conference webpage.
To register for the conference, please click here today. The fee for superintendents to attend the full conference is $200 and includes all sessions, meals and materials. For additional registration options including partial conference attendance, guest meals and discounted lodging opportunities, please click here.
We look forward to working with you June 26-28 in Bangor.
Sincerely,
Bill Beardsley, Acting Commissioner
Maine Department of Education
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Education is promoting locally grown products in school meals by holding the first annual 2016 Maine Farm to School Cook-off.
The regional cook-offs will be held Wednesday, April 13 at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center and Thursday, April 14 at the Capital Area Technical Center in Augusta. The final cook-off on May 17 will be held at the Kennebec Valley Community College, Harold Alfond Campus in Hinckley.
Each volunteer team will prepare two meals within a specific time frame using at least three ingredients that are grown, raised, caught, or manufactured in the State of Maine and meet National School Breakfast and Lunch Program requirements. All recipes will later be shared in a Maine farm to school cook-off recipe book.
Food service staff representing RSU 61, Portland, Lewiston, RSU 38, Five-Town CSD and RSU 13 will participate in this year’s event. Westbrook and Augusta CTE centers along with KVCC were chosen as cook-off sites for their culinary arts facilities which include well-equipped kitchens and individual cooking and presentation areas.
A panel of judges for the regional cook-offs consists of a CTE culinary arts student, school nutrition director, and professional chef. They will score the dishes based on presentation, taste, creativity, and feasibility to be used in a school breakfast or lunch program.
For final judging, a Kennebec Valley Community College culinary arts student will join a school nutrition director and professional chef. The winning team will be awarded a plaque and have the opportunity to be spokespeople for the second annual cook off in 2017.
The cook-off is part of the State’s child nutrition projects and follows legislation to support healthy meals in schools. For more information on Maine’s Local Foods to Local Schools program, visit www.maine.gov/doe/nutrition/programs/localfoods/.
Members of the media are welcome to attend but need to confirm prior to the event. This event is NOT open to the public.
For more information and to confirm coverage, contact: Anne Gabbianelli at anne.gabbianelli@maine.gov or call 624-6747.
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