Submitted by Josie Perkins, Director of Theatre Arts Education at Wells Junior High School.
Students from Wells Junior High School were highlighted recently for their efforts to take action against hunger in their community.
“We give back through our arts. We affect people’s lives by doing arts and entertainment and taking them out of their daily lives. But what else can we do as global citizens to give back to our community?” says play Director Josie Perkins.
Submitted by Debbie Jamieson, Principal of Pembroke Elementary and Darlene Bassett, Literacy Coach and Maine DOE, School Turnaround.
On February 6, 2019, Linda Fuller, Ed.D., Associate Director of Educational Studies at the College of the Atlantic, made a long awaited visit to Pembroke Elementary School in Pembroke, Maine. Linda had contacted the school last year in response to a post on the Commissioner’s blog highlighting the student success with Richardson’s Guided Reading Model. She coordinated the visit with Chelsey Fortin-Tremble, Maine DOE Director of the ESEA Federal Programs and the School Turnaround Team, and Deborah Jamieson, Principal of the Pembroke Elementary School. Plans were made for her students – teachers in training – to visit two teachers, Rosie Griffith – Grades 7/8 ELA Teacher and Beckery Renaud – Grades 5/6 ELA Teacher and Lead Teacher for Pembroke. Both teachers have combined grade levels in their classrooms.
The visit began with a debriefing between the teachers and their visitors. Beckery and Rosie shared the profiles of their groups (anonymously) based on assessments and teacher observations. Then they provided a framework for the instruction the guests were about to observe. This session was interactive, allowing the visitors to pose questions and share opinions.
Visitors then observed Beckery Renaud in the 5/6 ELA Lesson teaching using Reading Street’s readers. As always, Beckery’s focus was comprehension.
She prompted students to make connections between themselves and the texts, reviewed the nonfiction format, and supported them while they learned strategies on how to access information using this text structure. Meanwhile, the rest of the class worked independently on their own learning for the day.
Next, the guests observed in Rosie Griffith’s room. Rosie’s classroom was organized in the same manner. Students were focused and engaged at their desks, working on individual learning, while Rosie introduced a new book, A Day No Pigs Would Die. Rosie scaffolded students as they made predictions after previewing the book. She put a heavy emphasis on each student’s metacognitive process and we observed as students made links and explained their thinking.
After the observations were completed, we re-grouped for the final debriefing.
Deb Jamieson was able to join us. We discussed many issues drawing on the insights of both teachers and administrators alike. The student visitors were well informed and eager to learn and teach! Everyone had a delightful day and learned a great deal from one another.
We would like to thank Linda Fuller and her team for taking the time to visit Pembroke. Great things are happening in Maine Schools. Many, like this implementation, require a huge commitment of time and energy to the students we serve. Young educators need to know they have the opportunity to join a dedicated cadre of teachers and administrators in the field who are looking forward to growing with you and making Maine kids’ lives as good as they can be. We welcome you on board.
Here are some pictures from the day:
Recognizing the collection of attendance data remains relatively new to Maine schools and districts and in response to school and district feedback, the Maine Department of Education is pleased to provide an opportunity for schools to correct errors related to data in the following three (3) areas:
Revised data sets will update elements related to federal reporting for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) including schools’ eligibility to receive support under ESSA and the ESSA Data Dashboards (formerly called Report Cards).
For data related to the 2018 school year, requests to correct data from Superintendents must be submitted to MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov by Friday, February 8, 2019 at 4 p.m. The following information must be included with the correction request:
Below is the proposed timeline for review and amendment of data:
February 11 -22, 2019:
Maine DOE will send a survey to the identified contact to solicit questions to help with the review of the request and validate data to be corrected.
March 1, 2019:
Survey and revised data set is due back to Maine DOE by 4 pm.
Please note: If the data is incorrect due to district error, the request should include if the district requires additional support from the Maine DOE and district next steps to correct the error for 2018-2019 data. A Data Correction Template is available here.
March 4-15, 2019:
Maine DOE will retrieve data sets and recalculate appropriate data sets.
The Department is working on to refine this process for each school year going forward, and will provide further information on the DOE website.
Also, as a reminder, upon completion of data revisions, districts and schools will be provided the opportunity to review the ESSA Data Dashboards prior their public release.
Further questions should be directed to Charlotte Ellis, Education Data Manager at Charlotte.Ellis@maine.gov.
The Maine Department of Education’s World Language Specialist, Lavinia Rogers is available to talk with and support districts interested in creating a plan to realize world language programs for all students, especially those districts who may be experiencing a teacher shortage in that area.
More information and resources about world languages can be found on the Maine DOE’s website, or feel free to contact Lavinia directly to request a meeting or ask questions. She is available at lavinia.m.rogers@maine.gov or (207)624-6825
The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of a request for proposals (RFP) seeking bids from interested parties to implement comprehensive 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs in 2019-2020. It is anticipated that an estimated $1.75M will be available to issue grant awards later this year.
21st Century Community Learning Center Programs RFP (PDF)
Authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Act of 2015, the 21st CCLC program provides competitive grant funding to support before school, after school, and summer learning programs that focus on improving the academic performance of students in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.
The primary purpose of Maine’s 21st CCLC program is to provide school and community partnerships with funding to establish or expand programs that provide students in high-need, economically-disadvantaged communities with academic enrichment opportunities designed to complement their traditional school day curriculum. In addition, these programs can provide a broad array of additional support services related to overall student health and well-being.
Local 21st CCLC programs – which can be located in elementary schools, secondary schools or similarly accessible community facilities – provide high quality support services to students during non-school hours. As such, these programs also support working parents and families by providing safe, supportive learning environments for students at times when school is not in session.
The request for proposal (RFP), which includes information regarding eligibility, program requirements, and more, is available here. An informational webinar for this RFP will be posted to the Department’s application website on January 17, 2018. It is strongly encouraged that interested parties view this presentation prior to completing an application for 21st CCLC program funding.
Below is the anticipated timeline for the Department’s 2019 21st CCLC grant competition:
| Date | Task |
| January 8, 2019 | Grant Application Released to Public |
| January 17, 2019 | Informational Webinar Posted Online |
| January 31, 2019 | Deadline for Submission of Questions in Response to RFP |
| February 14, 2019 | Interested Parties Submit Letter of Intent to Apply |
| April 4, 2019 | Application Deadline |
| April 2019 – May 2019 | Peer Review of Applications |
| May 2019 | Grant Award Notifications |
| July 1, 2019 | Grant Award Start Date |
Please be advised that the dates above are subject to change. Interested parties must consult the RFP document for the most accurate dates and deadlines regarding this opportunity.
For more information on the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) Program, contact Federal Grant Coordinator, Travis Doughty, at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov.
As part of the scheduled periodic review of the Maine Learning Results, the Maine Department of Education is seeking public comments regarding the current English language arts, mathematics, and career and education development standards. Find links to each of the current standards below along with details for submitting comments.
Current Standards:
The standards review process opens with a public comment period and a public hearing prior to the convening of steering committees who are charged with reviewing all submitted comments and with developing blueprints for the revision of the state standards in their assigned content area. Once the blueprints are created, writing teams, consisting of pk-12 teachers who represent Maine’s cultural and geographical diversity, will assemble to draft the standards revisions.
Anyone may speak at the public hearings which will be live-streamed. People wishing to speak will be asked to sign in and it will be helpful, but not mandatory, to provide a written copy of comments.
Public hearings will occur on November 7th in room 103 at the Cross Building, 111 Sewell Street, Augusta, at the following times:
A link to the live-streamed hearings will be available prior to the public hearings.
Anyone unable to attend the public hearing may send written comments by 5 pm on December 1st, 2018. Written comments may be sent to Standards Review at sis.doe@maine.gov, or mailed to Beth Lambert, 23 SHS Station, Augusta, ME 04333.
The Maine Department of Education’s new certification system began the pilot phase of its launch on April 27, 2018. The initial 4 pilot districts have reported that the system as intuitive and have found the Department’s directions easy to use and helpful. More than 200 recommendations have been processed using the new system as of today, May 3, 2018.
Following the success of the initial 4 pilot districts, the Department has opened the pilot to an additional 6 districts:
These districts have been contacted by Maine DOE’s Certification office with instructions and log in credentials to access the district portal allowing support chairs to begin verifying renewal requirements for educators in their districts.
Pending the success of the added pilot districts, the Department will continue to open the district portal to more districts, until all districts have access. This approach will help ease the load on the system, while also allowing districts time to login, get help if needed, and become familiar with the system.
The educator portal has not yet been released to pilot districts. Once districts complete verifications, the educator portal will begin a phased rollout in the same fashion as the district portal. Again, this will ease the load on the system and allow Department staff to answer questions in a timely manner as educators state-wide start logging in to submit renewals.
Superintendents should expect direct contact from Certification Coordinator, Stephanie Fyfe when the system will open to their district/s.
Further communications and updates will be posted on a weekly basis through the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage well as on Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, in addition to the DOE newsroom.
A new national state-by-state report shows more young children enrolled in public Pre-K programs nationwide, with Maine investing more in Pre-K, serving nearly 40 percent of 4 year olds in high-quality pre-K.
The State of Preschool 2017 annual report reflects that Maine pre-K served 39 percent of the state’s 4-year-old population, above the nationwide average. Maine boosted pre-K funding by more than $1.1 million and continued to implement policies supporting both high-quality pre-K and young Dual Language Learners.
“This is the first-time Maine has met 9 out of 10 benchmarks for public preschool,” said Maine Education Commissioner, Robert G. Hasson, Jr. “The Department has dedicated the extra time and resources needed to support Maine Pre-K programs in their work toward meeting these high-quality national standards. We are committed to continuing the work so that students can benefit from access to quality Pre-K programing state-wide.”
This year’s report includes a special section on policies affecting Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and highlights changes since 2002, when National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) began tracking state pre-K. Read more about Maine’s report below.
Maine 2016–2017 fast facts:
Enrollment in state-funded preschool programs has more than doubled since 2002, according to the report. Nationally, 43 states, D.C. and Guam now provide publicly funded preschool to more than 1.5 million children.
For more information about the State of Preschool report and detailed state-by-state profiles on quality access, and funding, please visit www.nieer.org.
The following message has been provided by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Influenza activity in Maine is widespread with laboratory confirmed influenza reported in all counties. Influenza A/H3, and influenza B have been confirmed in Maine indicating both strains are circulating. Maine CDC has followed up on 52 outbreaks of influenza as of Thursday January 25, 2018. Influenza vaccination is still strongly encouraged and is widely available, especially to protect those persons at risk of severe disease. The vaccine appears to be a good match to three strains (A/H1, B/Yamagata, B/Victoria) this year, and it is not too late to get vaccinated. Nationally, the majority of the circulating A/H3 strains are not a good match to the vaccine. Maine specific data is not available at this time, but it is assumed to be similar to the national picture. Vaccination is still recommended as it will protect against the other three strains, and it may offer cross protection and decrease the severity of illness.
What can Maine schools do to prevent and control influenza?
Where can I find more information?
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) will start using a “cut score” that includes State expectations for the essay portion of the SAT for the first time. A cut score is the minimum score required for performance at each State expectation level. The essay cut scores are expected to help educators further enhance student writing.
The essay cut score was researched and determined as a collaborative effort among the Maine DOE, Maine educators, technical support from assessment experts, the Delaware Department of Education and approval by Maine’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
While essay scores have previously been reported to the State, no expectation has been provided for satisfactory performance until now. Starting in 2018, the SAT essay score will have a designation of “Meets Expectations” or “Does Not Meet Expectations.” There are no changes to the State expectations for student performance in the SAT mathematics and reading score metrics.
In order to meet expectations for the essay cut score, students must score at least 3 out of 8 points on each of the three sub scores, and they must achieve an overall essay score of at least 13. Schools and districts will be provided with data that includes the percentage of students that meet the SAT expectation.
In addition to providing school officials with a measurement of the over-all student achievement level in writing, the new essay cut scores will also provide educators with an opportunity to seek improvement in teaching students analytical writing techniques.
While the goal may be a challenge for some Maine students, the Maine DOE is eager to assist educators in helping students achieve these expectations through professional development opportunities. A set of workshops took place in the fall of 2017 and materials are available on the Maine DOE Website. For questions or to discuss future professional development opportunities contact Morgan Dunton, English Language Arts Specialist at morgan.dunton@maine.gov or (207) 624-6625.
The SAT essay cut scores will also be one of the factors that contribute to performance in the federal Every Students Succeeds Act Accountability System. For more information about ESSA contact Chelsea Fortin-Trimble, ESEA Federal Programs & Title I Director at Chelsey.A.Fortin@maine.gov or (207)-624-6815.
For more information about Maine Education Assessments including the SATs contact Andrew Hudacs, Director of Assessment at Andrew.Hudacs@maine.gov or (207) 624-6636.
Maine DOE Newsroom 