Priority Notice: Maine DOE seeks assessment waiver

The following notice was sent to Superintendents, District Assessment Coordinators and Special Education Directors on November 30, 2017.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), limits the percentage of students assessed using an alternate assessment to no more than one percent (1%) of the total number of students assessed in the state.

The Maine DOE and Maine’s special education directors have steadily been working toward this goal through trainings about criteria and reviews of student data. As a result, Maine’s percentage of tested students who participate in the alternate assessment is steadily decreasing. However, in 2016-17, the percentage remains greater than 1%. While we are working to meet the 1% statewide limit on the 2017-18 test administration, we are not certain that we will reach that target.

Therefore, the Maine DOE will request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education from the requirements of 34 C.F.R. §200.6(c)(4), that limit the allowable percentage to no more than 1%. The waiver request will provide: (1) data regarding progress toward the 1% expectation, (2) documentation of our increased efforts in implementing the guidance criteria, and (3) justification for Maine’s current alternate participation rate.

The Proposed USED 1% Waiver request is now available for review and public comment. Individuals and organizations may submit written comments on the proposed waiver request pursuant to 34 C.F.R.§200.6(c)(4) through December 14, 2017.

Questions and/or comments may be directed to Charlene Tucker, Director of Assessment, at charlene.tucker@maine.gov.

Webinars planned for districts over 1% for alternate assessment

All districts above the 1% for alternate assessments will receive an Action Plan document to provide justifications on November 20th. Action Plans will be submitted to the State by December 10th.. Maine will provide an opportunity for Public Comment before the December 19th submission of a state waiver.

Two webinars will be available to aid districts over the 1% for alternate assessments in development of their action plan. Districts will be given the opportunity to choose a webinar on November 27th at 2:00 pm or November 30th at 3:00 pm.

As a reminder, Maine’s percentage of students that participate in the alternate assessments is currently above the 1% federal regulation. If data is not entered into the Synergy State Edition Student System by November 17th to allow the Department to determine anticipated participation for the 2018 test administration, the MAARS reporting information for the spring 2017 tests will be used to capture the information.

For more information contact Sue Nay at sue.nay@maine.gov or 624-6774.

Register for Alternate Assessment Workshops by Nov. 6

Teachers may register for PAAP (MEA Alternate Science ) and MSAA (MEA Alternate Mathematics and ELA/Literacy teacher administration through November 6^th at https://iregister.measuredprogress.org/client/

Training locations include:

Location	Date	Meeting Venue	Address
Presque Isle	11/14/2017	Hampton Inn	768 Main Street Presque Isle, ME 04769
Orono	11/15/2017	Black Bear Inn	4 Godfrey Drive Orono, ME 04473
Auburn	11/16/2017	Hilton Garden Inn	14 Great Falls Plaza Auburn, ME 04210
Portland	11/17/2017	Clarion Hotel	1230 Congress Street Portland, ME 04102

Please contact Sue Nay for more information at sue.nay@maine.gov, or 624-6774.

Upcoming DOE sponsored assessment workshops

The Maine DOE is sponsoring a series of four workshops for the MEA Alternate Mathematics and ELA/Literacy (MSAA) and the MEA Alternate Science (PAAP) assessments.

These workshops will be held:

Tuesday, November 15^th in Presque Isle at the Hampton Inn
Wednesday, November 16^th in Bangor at the Black Bear Inn
Thursday, November 17^th in Auburn at the Hilton Inn
Friday, November 18^th in Portland at the Clarion Hotel

Session One – 8:30 to 12:00 – MSAA

This session is open to all teachers responsible for planning and implementing the MSAA assessment. It will include an overview of the MSAA System, the new stage adaptive design, important documents, training requirements and student eligibility. The MSAA assessment is required to be administered to eligible students in grades 3-8, and 3rd year high school for ELA/literacy and Mathematics.

Session Two – 1:00 to 4:00

This session is open to all teachers new to the PAAP portfolio process and those needing a brush up with the Profile process. This workshop will provide a step by step overview of the handbook, show how to submit a portfolio electronically, and help you decide which tasks to choose for students in grades 5, 8, and 3^rd year high school participating in the alternate science portfolio assessment.

Please register at: http://iregister.measuredprogress.org/. Registration will close November 6^th. Please contact Sue Nay at 624-6774 or sue.nay@maine.gov with questions.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine students improve on state assessments

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to release the 2016-17 Maine Education Assessment (MEA) results in the content areas of mathematics, English language arts (ELA)/literacy, and science. In all content areas, performance has improved or remained stable.

“I am encouraged with how well our students are performing. In 2016-17, students were assessed for the third time on the rigorous standards Maine adopted in 2011 and while participation rates remained high, students showed consistent improvement,” said Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Maine Department of Education Commissioner. “This is a true testament to the hard work and determination of our students and their teachers.”

With two years of data from the same assessments, this is the first opportunity since 2013 that the State has been able to compare results over two years in mathematics and ELA/literacy. Results are very encouraging.

Highlights include:

In ELA/Literacy 52.58% of Maine students scored at or above state expectations – a notable improvement over 50.58% in 2015-16.
In Mathematics 38.54% of Maine students scored at or above state expectations – a slight improvement over 38.31% in 2015-16.
In Science 61.07% of Maine students scored at or above state expectations – a slight improvement over 60.97% in 2015-16.

The number of students exempted from the state assessment due to special considerations (e.g., serious medical condition) was reduced by about half from 2015-16 to 2016-17.
Participation rates in all subjects were greater than 95%.

The public results can be viewed by school or district and by subgroups, including grade level groups, in the MAARS Public Reports system.

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Maine DOE to release 2016-17 Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) results on 9/25

The Maine Department of Education will release the 2016-17 MEA results on Monday, September 25, 2017, within the Maine Assessment and Accountability Reporting System (MAARS) Public Portal

Users will be able to see both 2015-16 data and 2016-17 data in the content areas of: (1) mathematics; (2) English language arts (ELA)/literacy; and (3) science. In all content areas, the assessments have remained stable, and results can be compared across those two years. This is the first opportunity since 2013 to compare results over two years in mathematics and ELA/literacy.

Mathematics and ELA/literacy results are based on the following assessments:

eMPowerME for most students in grades 3-8
SAT for most students in 3^rd year high school
MSAA for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8, and 3^rd year high school

Science results are based on the following assessments:

MEA Science for students in grades 5 and 8, and 3^rd year high school
PAAP for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades 5 and 8, and 3^rd year high school

MAARS Public Reports of assessment results are presented in two ways:

QUICK REPORTS (default) show high level participation and performance data for schools, districts, and the state.
INTERACTIVE REPORTS (click Interactive in the upper left corner) allow users to make specific comparisons across years, subgroups, selected schools or districts.

For more information, please contact charlene.tucker@maine.gov or varun.motay@maine.gov.

Update about participation in the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA)

Using the October 1, 2017 enrollment counts, the Maine Department of Education will calculate the percentage of students in each district that have been identified as students eligible to take Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA), Maine’s MEA Alternate Mathematics and English language arts/literacy assessment.

Districts are encouraged to use the participating guidelines http://www.maine.gov/doe/alternate/resources.html to ensure all students identified meet the criteria to participate in alternate assessments. All districts with more than one percent of their students identified in the testing grades, 3 – 8 and third year high school will be notified by the Department as being above the current Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 1% cap and given an opportunity to reassess their numbers.

The final date for resubmission of student identification or justification for a district above the 1% is November 15^th.

Assistance to look at student’s achievement levels in MAARS, identifying a student’s status in Synergy and an overview of the participation criteria for the alternate assessment will be given at the MADSEC conference on Friday, November 3, 2017.

For more information on participation in alternate assessments contact Sue Nay at sue.nay@maine.gov or 624-6774.

2017-2018 MeCAS Testing Dates Posted

The 2017-2018 Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MeCAS) testing dates have been posted. This includes Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) and National/International Assessments:

Science grades 5, 8, high school (general and alternate)
WIDA English Language Proficiency (general and alternate)
Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA)/Literacy grades 3-8 and high school (eMPowerME, SAT, and alternate)
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (sample grades 4 & 8)

NOTE: eMPowerME Math and ELA/Literacy Essay test session is incorporated into the 4-week test window with all other eMPowerME test sessions (reading, math, writing & language), not in a separate window.

Click here to see 2017-2018 Maine Comprehensive Assessment System testing dates.

For further information and questions, contact:
Eric Buckhalter – Office Associate II
Eric.buckhalter@maine.gov
207-624-6770

MEA Alternate Science – PAAP submissions due April 30th

The Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP) Science testing window is coming to a close. The PAAP assesses students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades 5, 8, and third year high school as an alternate to the MEA Science assessment.

All electronic PAAP submissions are due April 30^th. Measured Progress has provided return material kits for student portfolios to be returned. UPS will pick up all portfolios on MAY 2^nd. Please have the completed portfolios sealed in the envelopes provided by Measured Progress and in school offices by 8:00 am May 2nd.

All return mailing kits should contain individual student return envelopes, a student roster, directions for mailing the portfolio and directions for submitting an electronic Principal’s Certification of Proper Test Administration.

Those with questions regarding the return of PAAP portfolios should contact Measured Progress at 1-800-431-8901: Sarah Greene, x7344 or email greene.sarah@measuredprogress.org or Jimmy Hartman, x7406 or email hartman.jimmy@measuredprogress.org.

Webinar about Maine: 2017 ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Score Changes

Maine: 2017 ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Score Changes Webinar
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 3:00 pm
Event address for attendees

During the webinar WIDA will discuss the anticipated ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 score changes.

In 2017, you may notice a change to your students’ ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 proficiency level scores: some students’ scores may go down; and fewer students may exit program support.

Earlier this month, WIDA held webinars detailing expected changes to ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 scores in 2017, to explain the reasons for anticipated changes in students’ scores as well as suggestions for how to communicate with students and families, other educators, and administrators about how it might impact them. These two webinars were recorded and posted to the WIDA website.

During the March 29^th webinar, WIDA will briefly summarize the key information shared on these earlier webinars. Participants in the March 29, 2017, webinar will have ample opportunity to ask questions of either WIDA or their state representative(s). The Maine March 29, 2017, webinar will also be recorded and posted on https://www.wida.us/membership/states/Maine.aspx

For more information about the score changes visit https://www.wida.us/Assessment/ACCESS%202.0/proficiency.aspx

Direct questions about educational or English language acquisition services for English learners to ESL/Bilingual Programs, Nancy Mullins at nancy.mullins@maine.gov (207) 624-6788.