Category: Data Management

Upcoming Fall Reports Due on October 30

The following Maine Department of Education (DOE) data reports are due for certification by school administrative units (SAUs) on October 30, 2025. All reports require review, validation, and certification by special education directors and superintendents. These reports have a direct impact on the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) subsidy.

Please note that it is recommended to wait until October 30 to complete the following certifications:

  • EF-S-05 Part 2 Special Education Staff FTEs Certification
    • This report must be certified by special education directors before the Staff Certification report can be certified.
  • Staff Certification
    • This report must be certified by superintendents.
  • EF-S-05 Part 1 Special Education Child Count
    • This report must be certified by special education directors before the October 1 Student Enrollment can be certified.
  • October 1 Student Enrollment
    • This report must be certified by superintendents.

Reporting guidance, instructions, and webinars about these reports can be found on the Maine Education Data Management Systems (MEDMS) Data Systems Support webpage.

With questions about these reports, please contact MEDMS at MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.

NEO Dropout Report Due Soon

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Dropout Report is due to be certified by superintendents by Wednesday, October 15, 2025, in NEO.

This report is based on federal reporting requirements for students who were enrolled in public education at any point from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, andwho are expected to return but who are not enrolled on October 1, 2025.

“Expected to return” is determined based on the student’s last exit code from the Maine DOE’s State Synergy system. The Dropout Certification Report Instructions outline codes that indicate a student has dropped out on the NEO Dropout Report.

Report Resources

For questions about data reporting, please contact Maine Education Data Management Support (MEDMS) at MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or call 207-624-6896. Reporting guidance, instructions, and webinars about these reports can be found on the MEDMS Support webpage.

Seeking Members for Maine DOE Truancy, Drop Out, and Alternative Education Advisory Committee

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking individuals who are invested in identifying and reducing barriers to school attendance for Maine students. The Truancy, Drop Out, and Alternative Education (TDAE) Advisory Committee will advise the Commissioner of Education on the development and implementation of state and local policies and programs that are needed to deal effectively with the incidence of truancy and dropouts in Maine schools.

In accordance with PL 2007, c. 667, §10 (AMD), the committee will consider its mandate in a broad context to assess the causes of truancy and dropouts, the effectiveness of alternative education and prevention programs, and the social and educational programs or changes needed to encourage students to remain in school, including reintegration planning and aftercare services provided for juvenile offenders who have been released from juvenile facilities in the state and have enrolled in schools in the state.

Details

  • This 15-member committee meets monthly throughout the year to review and discuss current information related to student attendance, as well as to examine policy and guidance practices for the state. Committee members will join for a two-year period, with the option of being reappointed. The committee represents diverse backgrounds from different parts of the state. 
  • The committee has the following openings for a two-year term:
    • school counselor or school social worker
    • representative of a local positive action committee on truancy, dropout, and alternative education programs. (In the past, this position has been filled by nonprofit executive directors or those in leadership positions within state associations such as the Alternative Education Association of Maine.)
    • business community representative

Please consider sharing this opportunity with your network. If you are interested in being considered for appointment, please send an email with a paragraph explaining your background in areas of truancy, dropout, and alternative education—and how your area(s) of expertise will support the work of the committee—to Susan Lieberman, Co-Chair of the TDAE Committee, at susan.lieberman88@gmail.com and Julie Smyth, Director of the Maine DOE Office of School and Student Supports, at julie.a.smyth@maine.gov. The deadline to send this email is October 10, 2025.

Please address any questions to susan.lieberman88@gmail.com or julie.a.smyth@maine.gov.

Fall Data Reports Now Open in NEO

Several fall data reports are now open in the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) NEO system, including Dropout, October 1 Enrollment, and Staff Certification. Superintendents must review, validate, and certify the following reports in October:

  • Dropout Report – Due October 15, 2025.

  • EPS October 1 Student Enrollment Report (including EF-S-05 Part 1) – Currently Open for review only. Certification opens on October 16, 2025. This report is due on October 30, 2025.
    • MEDMS Support recommends waiting until October 30 to certify this report.
    • Certification is required by superintendents and special education directors.

  • Staff Certification Report (including EF-S-05 Part 2)– Due 10/30/2025.
    • Certification of the EF-S-05 Part 2 is required by special education directors prior to superintendent certification.

Reporting guidance and instructions about these reports can be found on the MEDMS Data Systems Support webpage. Recorded webinars that may help those filling out these reports are available on the Maine DOE Data YouTube playlist.

With questions about fall reporting, please contact the Maine DOE MEDMS Support at MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or call 207-624-6896.

Upcoming Data Reports Due in October

The following data reports are due to the Maine Department of Education (DOE) in the month of October: Dropout Report, October Enrollment, and Staff Certification. Please find instructions, resources, and important dates in the information below.

Dropout Report

The Dropout Report defines dropouts based on the federal requirements, meeting allof the following criteria: students enrolled at any time from October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025, who are exited from State Synergy with a code, who are expected to return, and who are not enrolled on October 1, 2025.

Dates:

  • Open: October 2
  • Due: October 15

Resources:

October Enrollment

This report will populate based on enrollment data entered by upload or manual entry into State Synergy. Certification of the October 1 Student Count Report opens on October 16 and is due on October 30. This report is used in the calculation of essential programs and services (EPS) funding allocations and federal reporting. Special Education Directors in school administrative units (SAUs) will need to review and certify the EF-S-05 Part 1 (Special Education Child Count) before superintendents can certify overall counts. Superintendents in SAUs with publicly funded students are required to review and certify the October 1 Student Count Report in NEO before submitting it to the Maine DOE.

Note: It is recommended to wait until close to October 30 to certify these reports to avoid decertifying and recertifying multiple times.

Dates:

  • Report begins to populate: October 1
  • Certification becomes available: October 16
  • Due for certification: October 30

Resources:

Staff Certification

This report will populate based on active staff assignments in NEO Staff. Certification of the Staff EPS Counts is due on October 30. This report is used in the calculation of EPS funding allocations. Special Education Directors must review and certify the EF-S-05 Part 2 (Special Education Staff Count) before superintendents can certify overall counts. Superintendents are required to review and certify the Staff Certification Report in NEO before submitting it to the Maine DOE.

Dates:

  • Due for certification: October 30

Resources:

For further information, questions, and technical support, please contact the Maine DOE Help Desk at MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or call 207-624-6896.

Graduation Report Due August 30; Please Review Synergy Records before August 15

Graduation reporting is due on August 30, 2025. The Maine Department of Education’s data system, Synergy, will be open in the 2024-2025 school year until August 15 for student records to be updated with accurate exit codes and dates.

After August 15, Maine Education Data Management Systems (MEDMS) Support staff will need to update student exit codes and dates.

Please review records in Synergy and update as necessary before August 15.

Resources:

For further questions, please reach out to MEDMS support staff at MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.

July Reporting Due Dates and Upcoming Reports

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team would like to remind school administrative units (SAUs) of the following reports and their upcoming due dates: Truancy and Daily Attendance Certifications are due on July 15; all staff positions should be reviewed as soon as possible in NEO Staff following the rollover to the 2025-2026 school year on July 1; and the Graduation Certification Report is due on August 30.

Please find detailed information and resources for each report below.

Truancy and Daily Attendance Certifications

The final certifications of Truancy and Daily Attendance for the 2024-2025 school year are due on July 15. Superintendents must certify these reports once data specialists and SAU data teams have reviewed and updated them. Data on the Daily Attendance Certification report are used to calculate Chronic Absenteeism for public reporting and accountability measures.

Resources:

NEO Staff Rollover to 2025-2026

NEO Staff was rolled to the 2025-2026 school year on July 1. During this rollover, all staff were updated to Pending status. All staff must be updated to reflect their current position. Please review all staff positions in NEO, add new staff if necessary, and update salary, contact, and position information to reflect each staff member’s position for this school year. 

New superintendents should be updated in NEO Staff immediately to ensure that they can perform state-level reporting, complete report certifications, and receive critical and time-sensitive communications from the Maine DOE.

Resources:

  • NEO Staff Data Entry Webinar on August 26 at noon – Register here.

Graduation Certification Report

This report allows SAUs to validate graduation counts for the school year. Students still working toward finishing their graduation requirements have until August 15 to complete them for this reporting cycle. Students who finish their requirements over the summer can be exited from State Synergy on the date of the graduation ceremony. The graduation date must be prior to June 30.

Open Date: July 1
Due Date: August 30
Resources:

For further information or with questions, please contact the MEDMS Data Systems Support at 207-624-6896 or medms.support@maine.gov.

Procedures for End-of-Year Exiting of Students from State Synergy

All student enrollments must be exited from the Maine Department of Education State Synergy system on or before June 30, 2024. This includes students who are attending year-round programs.

Exiting students, either manually or via upload, with the most up-to-date code, will help to ensure that fall reports are accurate. This can specifically impact graduation and dropout reporting for fall collections.

Information about exit codes for specific situations can be found on the Synergy Instructions webpage under the Data Dictionaries for Student Exit.

Resources:

Questions about exiting student enrollments from State Synergy can be submitted by emailing MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or by calling 207-624-6896.

Special Education Exit Report Opens on June 1

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Special Education Exit Report opens on June 1, 2025, and is due on July 30, 2025.

Students who have exited special education services during the reporting period (2024-2025 school year, July 1-June 30) must have special education exit dates and an exit reason added to their enrollments in Synergy State Edition. Student information must be entered or uploaded into Synergy State Edition by the school the student attends. If a student will still receive special education services the next year, their special education status in Synergy remains the same.

School administrative units (SAUs) are required to certify the exit data using the Special Education Exit Report found in NEO on the Student Data/Student Reports module.

Details

  • Open Date: June 1
  • Due Date: July 30

Resources:

  • Webinar on Thursday, May 29 at noon — Register here. This webinar will also include information about Perkins 3S1 CTE Post Secondary Reporting.

For questions about end-of-year reports, please contact MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or call 207-624-6896.

Due Dates and Procedures for Quarter 4 End-of-Year Reports

Four end-of-year reports require certification in June and July. These reports aggregate data from the entire school year’s reporting timeframe. The data are used to aggregate dashboards and reports for public availability on the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Warehouse and ESSA Dashboard and for federal reporting.

Behavior and Bullying Certification Reports

Daily Attendance and Truancy Certification Reports

Questions about end-of-year quarterly reports may be directed to MEDMS.Support@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.