If you are like many teachers and parents at this time of year, you are celebrating the growth students have made as learners but wondering if that growth will be maintained over the summer months. Keeping young minds stimulated during summer vacation is so important to maintaining learning gains and one of the best ways for students to keep their minds active is through regular reading.
Continue reading “Has your school joined the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge?”
Summer vacation is a welcome break from the daily school routine for children and parents alike, but the summer months can be a significant interruption to students’ learning if young minds are not kept active while school is out of session. Summer learning loss is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly with respect to reading achievement. Students can lose up to three months of reading progress during the summer. When all of the summers in a child’s PK-8 school career are combined, this can result in 1-2 years of lost reading progress.
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.
The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce registration is now open for the 2016 Summer Literacy Institute: High Impact Instructional Routines and Strategies. The one-day institute will provide a foundation for ongoing professional development throughout the 2016-17 school year.
Continue reading “Registration open for 2016 Summer Literacy Institute”
Making meaning of a complex text is itself a complex process. When students flex their literacy muscles to read something that is challenging for them, they grow as readers, as thinkers, and as writers. Helping students develop stamina and supporting a productive struggle with challenging texts through routine practices provides the foundation for strong writing skills.
Continue reading “Close reading with text-dependent questions: conducting a text investigation”
The following Priority Notice was sent on Monday, March 14
To best prepare Test Administrators and Proctors for a successful administration of this spring’s Maine Educational Assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy for grades 3 through 8, the following resources are provided.
Prior to testing, Test Administrators and Proctors must be familiar with the Test Administration Manual found here.
Two required webinars include:
All Test Administrators and Proctors are required to sign the TA Test Security and Data Privacy Agreement which can be downloaded here.
In addition, Maine DOE recommends two segments of the eMPower™ ME Accessibility: Tools, Supports & Accommodations webinar (25 minutes). The first segment is at 4:40 minutes in to 8:05, and the second segment is 11:02 minutes in to 20 minutes. These segments will familiarize TAs with the embedded tools, testing taking aids, and basic navigation of the test environment. They are ideal for TAs who wish to work through the practice tests with their students but are short on time.
Questions may be addressed to Maine DOE’s Assessment Coordinator Nancy Godfrey at nancy.godfrey@maine.gov or call 624-6775.
The following Priority Notice was sent on Saturday, March 12
The following updates are available regarding 2016 Maine Educational Assessment:
Student Data loaded into the iTester portal – This enables School Test Coordinators to begin the work of loading student accommodations and creating classes for testing sessions.
Test Security Webinar- This training is required for all School Test Coordinators, Test Administrators and Proctors who will be involved in the administration of the eMPowerME assessment of mathematics and English language arts/literacy at grades 3-8.
https://maine.onlinehelp.measuredprogress.org/training/
Test Security & Data Privacy Agreements- Agreements must be signed by each School Test Coordinators, Test Administrator and Proctor and maintained by the District Assessment Coordinator. http://www.maine.gov/doe/assessment/math-ela/administration/stc-testsecurityagreement-eMPowerME.docx http://www.maine.gov/doe/assessment/math-ela/administration/ta-testsecurityagreement-eMPowerME.docx
School Test Coordinator Manual- This manual provides guidance for the School Test Coordinator related to preparation for a secure administration of the 2016 eMPowerME assessment. It is required reading for School Test Coordinators.
Test Administration Manual- This manual provides instructions for Test Administrators and Proctors regarding preparation for and the actual administration of the 2016 eMPowerME assessment, including the script to be used during the test administration. It is required reading for Test Administrators and Proctors.
For more information, contact Assessment Coordinator, Nancy Godfrey at nancy.godfrey@maine.gov.
The following Priority Notice was sent on Wednesday, March 9.
President and CEO of Measured Progress Martin Borg has provided the following important update regarding preparations for the 2016 MEA assessment for grades three through eight. This message is in keeping with Measured Progress’ agreement with Acting Education Commissioner Bill Beardsley to maintain the current schedule for test administration.
The following priority notice was sent on Wednesday, March 9.
The following updates are available regarding 2016 Maine Educational Assessments:
2016 Operational Procedures for the Maine Educational Assessments – This document assists schools with participation, enrollment, and administration issues. The Operational Procedures should be used in conjunction with each MEA’s Test Coordinator/Administration Manual.
Sample Parent Letter template regarding 2016 MEA (eMPower™ME and SAT)
eMPower™ME 25 minute webinar webinar regarding Accessibility: Tools, Supports & Accommodations
With the availability of paper-based, browser-based, and kiosk-based practice tests/sample items, the following documents outline the Directions for Administration (DFA) of Paper-Pencil and Online Sample Items for eMPower™ME Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy.
For more information, contact Assessment Coordinator Nancy Godfrey at nancy.godfrey@maine.gov.
On behalf of the Maine Department of Education, I want to extend sincere thanks to all who participated in the Read to ME Challenge and to our partners for your efforts in making this first year of the Challenge a huge success.
Continue reading “Thank you for taking the Read to ME Challenge”
Maine DOE Newsroom 