As a part of our regular review cycle schedule, The Department of Education is performing a review of the Maine Learning Results for English language arts, career and education development, and mathematics, and is looking for participants to serve as part of the writing teams for each content area. The purpose of each writing team is to revise the current standards based on guidance provided from a steering committee. For more information about the standards review process, check the new Maine DOE standards revision website.
The Department will be convening three writing teams, one for each content area under review. The writing teams will serve as a representative sample of Maine K-12 educators covering K-12 grade levels, geographic locations, and content area strengths. While specific dates are still to be determined, a majority of the work will take place in July and August, and will include at least one face to face meeting in Augusta.
All interested educators are encouraged to participate. To help ensure that the geographic diversity of our state is represented, those who teach in the following counties are strongly encouraged to apply: Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, or Washington.
Participants will receive contact hours for time worked, be reimbursed for travel costs, and be provided lunch at face to face meetings.
If you are interested in participating as a member of one of these writing teams, please complete the application associated with your desired content area by 4:00pm on Friday, May 24th to be considered. We will reach out to interested participants with more information in the coming weeks.
It is school budget time of year again for each school administrative unit (SAU) and Career & Technical Regions. School district budget uploads are due within 30 days of the school budget passing, or by August 2, whichever comes later. This is in accordance with 20-A M.R.S. Chapter 606-B.
Municipal school units and Charter Schools must upload the budget expenditure and revenue files to MEFS, submit the school budgets warrant articles, budget meeting minutes, and vote declaration of the referendum (if required) to the department.
Regional School Units, School Administrative Districts, Community School Districts must upload the budget expenditure and revenue files to MEFS, submit the school budget warrant articles, budget meeting minutes, vote declaration of the referendum (if required), and fill out the EF-M-46 in NEO.
Career & Technical Regions must upload the budget expenditure and revenue files to MEFS along with meeting minutes of the meeting where the budget was approved and fill out the EF-M-46V in NEO.
Budget uploads to MEFS must reconcile to the budget warrant articles and other supporting documents.
For more information or assistance please contact Denise Towers, 624-6863 or Tyler Backus, 624-6635.
The Maine Department of Education Career and Technical Education Team is currently developing a CTE Statewide Plan. This plan is being developed to address the requirements as part of the Carl D. Perkins federal funding that Maine receives to support CTE. As part of developing this plan, we are holding regional stakeholder meetings throughout the state, in order to get feedback and input and to share some of the initiatives around Career and Technical Education. These meetings are open to the public and we welcome the opportunity to hear from many stakeholders.
The times and locations for all of the regional stakeholder meetings are as follows:
Tuesday April 23, 2019
United Technology Center; Bangor, Maine
From: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Wednesday April 24, 2019
Westbrook Regional Vocational Center; Westbrook, Maine
From: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday April 25, 2019
Capital Area Technical Center; Augusta, Maine
From: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Wednesday May 1, 2019
Caribou High School; Caribou, Maine
From: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Dwight A. Littlefield, State Director for CTE, at dwight.a.littlefield@maine.gov.
James Hotham, Maine FFA State Vice President (second from right) joins State FFA Advisor Doug Robertson, Legislative Aide David Knorr, Representative Dustin White and Maine DOE Staff Support Specialist Faith McLaughlin at display in the Hall of Flags.
Maine FFA State Vice President, James Hotham, joined representatives from a number of Maine agriculture and natural resources organizations in the Maine State House on Maine Agriculture Day, March 21, 2019.
In addition to staffing a display on his 500-member agriculture student leadership organization, James and Maine FFA participants Doug Robertson & Faith McLaughlin in the Maine Department of Education were recognized by the Maine House of Representatives courtesy of Aroostook County Representative Dustin White.
James Hotham speaks before members of the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.
James also had the opportunity to present to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs information on the statewide organization for students grades 7-12 in programs related to agriculture and natural resources, with chapters extending from Sanford to Caribou. He explained that FFA members gain valuable technical and leadership skills to assist them in future careers. For those interested in chartering new chapters, James noted that technical agriculture and natural resources programs would qualify schools for membership, as would science curricula incorporating these concepts and including features such as school gardens or greenhouses. He encouraged legislators to promote FFA to their home communities and elsewhere in the state so that more students could take advantage of opportunities such as the $2,000,000 in national scholarships, exciting competitions, travel opportunities, and top-notch leadership trainings.
For more information on FFA and on starting a new FFA chapter, please contact State FFA Advisor in the Maine Department of Education, Doug Robertson, doug.robertson@maine.gov (207) 624-6744
Teachers of all grades: Looking for an exciting and informative summer opportunity related to agriculture? Consider the upcoming July 29 – August 2, 2019 “Agriculture for ME on Land and Sea” Summer Teachers’ Institute. Located at the University of New England, on their beautiful coastal Biddeford Campus, and offered by Maine Agriculture in the Classroom! With stimulating local trips, talks featuring hands-on activities, and high quality lesson plans to take home with you, this event promises to be a great success. The cost of the 5-day training (registering through July 1st) is just $200, including lodging, travel and meals, with scholarships available. Participants will receive 36 contact hours, or 3.6 CEUs, from the University of Maine for re-certification credit, as well as many valuable materials. For further information, and to register, please go to https://www.agclassroom.org/me/programs/summer_inst.htm For any additional questions, please contact Maine Agriculture in the Classroom at maitc@mainel.gov or (207)287-5522.
Group photo of Region 4’s afternoon class students and Narraguagus students with Maine FFA student State Officers in Hampden.
On January 16-17, 2019, high school student State FFA Officers of FFA (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”), worked with nearly 30 FFA student volunteers and their teachers from Sanford Regional Technical Center, Region 4 United Technologies Center (Bangor) and Narraguagus High School to assist at Good Shepherd Food Bank facilities in Auburn and Hampden.
Good Shepherd, the largest distributor of food assistance in the state, addresses food insecurity in Maine, which affects 1 in 5 children. FFA has traditionally been involved in food, landscaping and agricultural literacy community service activities at the local and state levels, and Good Shepherd Food Bank depends on the assistance of volunteers such as those from the FFA. Membership in the FFA consists of middle and high school students who are enrolled in courses related to agriculture and natural resources. Sanford Regional Technical Center FFA students are enrolled in environmental landscaping and horticulture programs taught by Katie Hoagland. At Region 4, Bangor-area FFA student members are enrolled in the horticulture program with teacher Jeff Beswick, while Narraguagus High School FFA students, accompanied by teacher David Rinkle, come from both the marine trades “Skippers” program, as well as those working with the Food Justice League.
Group photo of Region 4’s morning class students and Narraguagus students with Maine FFA student State Officers in Hampden.
The Maine FFA Association is supported by the Career & Technical Education division of the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, as well as by additional sponsors, and travel and other costs associated with assisting Good Shepherd were supported by a “State Day of Service” grant from the National FFA Organization. Through this grant, an additional supported event included conducting a service/leadership workshop in Presque Isle for nearly 100 Aroostook County FFA members. The National FFA grant is also supporting the donation of two industrial grade scales and ramps for the Hampden and Auburn Good Shepherd facilities that will facilitate processing food donations and shipments transported by tractor trailers,
At the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Sanford FFA students were involved in inspecting, sorting and boxing over 7,000 pounds of fresh produce and nearly 6,000 pounds of packaged foods. One Sanford student said “I can’t believe we made so many meals in such a short amount of time!” Student State FFA President, Graham Berry, noted “It’s great to be able to volunteer at Good Shepherd Food Bank. Anything that we can do to help feed those who go without makes the world that much better of a place than it was before.”
Narraguagus High School teacher David Rinkle (left) and Region 4 Horticulture teacher Jeff Beswick (right) help their students to inspect, sort and box donated food at Good Shepherd in Hampden.
In Hampden, FFA students from Region 4 and from Narraguagus helped Good Shepherd move into their newly renovated 40,000 square foot Hampden warehouse, now nearing completion. Students finished the day by helping to inspect, sort, and box donated food items. Maine FFA Vice President James Hotham commented that the Region 4 and Narraguagus helpers were a “really great group of students.” Narraguagus teacher David Rinkle noted that his students were not only happy to help out, but also found the information on Good Shepherd and food needs in Maine very educational. He commented “The food bank was enlightening for everyone and they really had a good time.”
According to Auburn Volunteer Coordinator, Bethany Tatro, Good Shepherd Food Bank “distributes 28 million pounds of food a year, or 25 million meals, to Mainers in need.” Despite the size of the Hampd
en and Auburn facilities, Good Shepherd Food Bank relies heavily on volunteer labor, such as that by the FFA group, to process food donations, and depends on private food donations and those by food retailers throughout the state.
Maine FFA State President, Graham Berry (second from right), Vice President James Hotham (left) with Sanford FFA teacher Katie Hoagland (right) and her FFA landscaping/horticulture classes.
The FFA Organization is one of the largest student leadership organizations in the United States, providing recognition, awards, travel opportunities, competitions and scholarships for over 650,000 high school and middle school students enrolled in courses related to agriculture and natural resources. Schools with green houses and school gardens for students grades 7-12 are among those eligible for membership. Not all FFA members are “farmers,” though many do come from agricultural families who recognize the many benefits and connections FFA membership bestows. In addition to providing organizational and leadership skills valuable to any profession, active involvement in FFA is often one of the first things looked for by agricultural organizations across the country when hiring new employees.
For more information, please contact State FFA Advisor, Doug Robertson, doug.robertson@maine.gov
On Friday, January 11, 2019 at the Northeastland Hotel, student State Officers of FFA (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”) and their assistants conducted a workshop on topics of community service and leadership for Aroostook County FFA chapters. The one-day workshop, featuring topic overviews and hands-on activities, was held for nearly 100 high school and middle school students from Ashland, Easton, Hodgdon, Mars Hill, and Presque Isle. Implementing the theme of community service, student FFA member participants brought food items to be donated to the Aroostook County Action Program, with Ashland High School winning the award for the greatest number of donated goods.
In addition to Community Service, FFA members learned about areas of leadership related to goal setting, values, taking initiative, and teamwork. Students commented that the workshop was “fun” and helped them think more about leadership. Many indicated hoping to implement community service activities at their local FFA chapters. In the past, such community service activities have included teaching elementary school students about agriculture, conducting landscaping for public areas, holding food drives, and many other endeavors.
Marble Track Goal Setting Activity
One of the student trainers, Jack Reuthier of Ashland, noted that defining goals well was an “important step to accomplishing any activity.” Another, James Hotham, State Vice President, addressed the topic of “taking initiative,” and congratulated some veteran FFA members for all of the accomplishments they have already attained through the FFA. State President, Graham Berry, encouraged FFA members to pursue other upcoming FFA opportunities, including the State Convention in May and positions as State FFA Officers. Guest speaker, Kaley Norsworthy of Fort Fairfield, past State FFA President, addressed her experience with post-secondary transitions, “made so much easier by FFA,” and likewise strongly encouraged members to consider State Office.
FFA Members Brainstorm Leadership Concepts
The Maine FFA Association is supported by the Career & Technical Education division of the Maine Department of Education and by the Maine Department of Agriculture, as well as by additional sponsors, and costs for the workshop were supported by a “State Day of Service” grant from the National FFA Organization. Through this grant, additional events will also be conducted in Maine locations of Auburn and Hampden. The FFA Organization is one of the largest student leadership organizations in the United States, providing recognition, awards, travel opportunities, competitions and scholarships for over 650,000 high school and middle school students enrolled in courses related to agriculture and natural resources. Not all FFA members are “farmers,” though many do come from agricultural families who recognize the many benefits and connections FFA membership bestows. In addition to providing organizational and leadership skills valuable to any profession, active involvement in FFA is often one of the first things looked for by agricultural organizations across the country when hiring new employees.
For more information, please contact State FFA Advisor, Doug Robertson, doug.robertson@maine.gov
School administrative units and private schools approved for tuition purposes are expected to establish regional school calendars, in coordination with their local secondary career and technical education school, by May 3, 2019.
The Legislature enacted that requirement as part of Public Law 2011, Chapter 686, which expands access to career and technical education in Maine and ensures that students completing career and technical education (CTE) coursework have greater access to post-secondary opportunities. Specifically, the law addresses scheduling conflicts that pose barriers to students by requiring that those school districts and private schools approved for tuition purposes that share a CTE school adopt a regional school calendar with no more than five dissimilar days. Furthermore, implementation of the law is intended to promote collaboration among local school administrative units that may benefit other forms of inter-administrative unit collaboration beyond CTE. The law became effective Aug. 30, 2012, and establishing the regional calendar is a condition for eligibility for state subsidy.
For school year 2019-20, both regional school calendars and individual calendars for each school administrative unit must be submitted by the director of the local CTE Center/Region to the Department of Education no later than May 3, 2019 for a decision on approval by June 7, 2019. Guidance and templates can be accessed electronically at www.maine.gov/doe/regionalcalendar/.
Given the coordination required for fulfillment of this law, the Maine DOE recommends that school districts initiate discussions as soon as possible, including representatives from all affected secondary schools and their associated career and technical education center or region.
As a reminder, the Maine Department of Education has scheduled public hearings this week as part of the scheduled periodic review of the Maine Learning Results. The Department is seeking public comments regarding the current English language arts, mathematics, and career and education development standards.
Public hearings for each standard have been scheduled back to back in room 103 of the Burton Cross Building in Augusta. 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.
Below is a list of relevant links, as well as hearing times including live broadcast links for each event:
Hearing information:
November 7, 2018
Location: Cross Office Building, room 103, 111 Sewell Street, Augusta
Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm
Live link: https://zoom.us/j/136003377
Anyone unable to attend the public hearing may send written comments by 5pm on December 1, 2018. Written comments may be emailed to sis.doe@maine.gov with the subject “CED Standards Review,” “Mathematics Standards Review,” or “English Language Arts Standards Review,” or mailed to Maine Department of Education, attn: Beth Lambert, 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.
For further information about the standards review process contact Beth Lambert at Beth.Lambert@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.
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:
2-4pm: Career and Education Development
4-6pm: Mathematics
6-8pm: English Language Arts
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.
Maine DOE Newsroom 