Seeking Innovative Educational Leaders to Join Maine’s Leadership Development Program

The Maine Department of Education is thrilled to announce that the facilitator candidates for Maine’s Leadership Development Program (Maine LDP) have been selected. The selected facilitator candidates represent the following regions of the state: Washington, Kennebec, Penobscot, Cumberland, Androscoggin, and York counties. The Department is looking forward to highlighting the selected facilitator candidates in August. Maine’s LDP is an initiative designed to build and strengthen instructional leadership skills among Maine’s educational leaders at the school, district, and state levels. In our ongoing efforts to support and foster the educational expertise in Maine, educators who aspire to do the same are invited to take advantage of this high impact opportunity!

In recent weeks, the Department has been contacted by educational leaders interested in participating in the Maine LDP, but not able to commit to serving as future facilitators. In response to this feedback, the Department has made available a limited number of seats for Maine leaders join the cohort. If you are interested in participating in Maine’s LDP and are able to make the one-year commitment, this is your chance to join this exciting professional learning opportunity. Maine’s LDP brings together the Maine DOE’s successful Transformational Leaders’ Network with NISL’s nationally recognized Executive Development Program (EDP).

Maine’s LDP is delivered through a blended learning model and includes study, inquiry, and hands-on activities with practical applications that meet the rigorous expectations for today’s educational leaders. Completion of the program can contribute to credit hours for participants pursuing an advanced degree, or contact hours for re-certification purposes.

Benefits for Maine Schools

Prepares educational leaders to lead for excellence and equity
Increases student achievement, fosters a culture of high expectations
Enhances teacher recruitment, retention, and quality

Program Curriculum

Nationally researched, evidenced-based, and locally delivered in a cohort model
Improves the practice of leadership, transforms instruction and student achievement in schools
Consists of 12 two-day units, delivered in 12 to 15 months
Bridged with online coursework, readings and job-embedded application of key concepts

Characteristics of Ideal Candidates

A belief in and commitment to improving instruction and increasing student achievement
Experience (five years) in a leadership role at the school, district, and/or state level and background as a classroom teacher. Ideal candidates include, but are not limited to, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, deans, Title I directors, department leaders, ESEA coordinators, special education directors, English Learner directors, assistant superintendents, instruction and curriculum directors, and superintendents.
Excellent communications skills; able to effectively facilitate professional development for peers
Demonstrated skills in mentoring and coaching
Experience as a successful practitioner—able to translate concepts to actions, theory to practice, and programs to craft
Able to participate in the entire NISL program and attend all required sessions
Likely to live and work in Maine for the next five years

The Department encourages experienced educational leaders to consider applying to join the initial cohort of participants for Maine’s LDP. The deadline for participant candidates is August 5, 2019. Please visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/educators/maineldp for more information and email nisledp.doe@maine.gov with any questions. Interviews will be scheduled upon review of submitted applications.

Cultivating Safe, Equitable, Strengths Focused School Communities- A Collaborative Opportunity

What:

The goal of this convening is to build capacity, communication, and collaboration among youth serving practitioners based in schools, law enforcement, community corrections, and community programs to cultivate safe, equitable, strengths focused school communities where all youth experience positive outcomes. The meeting will advance effective and ongoing multidisciplinary partnerships to increase communication, expand training and resources, align strategies, and measure progress across youth serving systems.

When:

Tuesday, July 30, 2019
8am-4pm

Where:

Cony High School
60 Pierce Dr.
Augusta, ME 04330

More Details:

Registration and breakfast open at 8 am, the program will begin at 9 am. The full agenda, featuring Judge Steven Teske presenting the School Justice Partnership Model, will be published in July.

Contact:

Contact Jay Pennell with questions:
jay.h.pennell@maine.gov

WHY DATA MATTERS: SAU Leaders Invited to Train and Talk!

Are you a school or district leader who wonders why the Department of Education collects certain data sets, and what they are used for? Have you ever wanted to have a frank discussion with the DOE’s Data Team about the data collections and how they could be improved? Charlotte Ellis, the Maine Department of Education’s Data Manager will be hosting open discussion sessions throughout the state during the first two weeks of August. These sessions will be held from 1-3pm in the same locations as the MDOE Data Team Summer Trainings.

The sessions will be geared toward each location’s participants, and the topics they have indicated interest in during the registration process. Please use the following link to register and select the topics for the session you wish to attend. Tip – if you have any interest in a topic, please move the indicator bar. Leaving the bar in the middle without moving it registers a null response.

https://mainedoe.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8owiimlOciexsEt\

Dates and Locations – all sessions 1-3PM

August 6, Caribou High School

August 7, Brewer High School

August 8, Ellsworth Elementary/Middle School

August 12, Cony High School (Augusta)

August 13, Mt. Blue High School (Farmington)

August 14, Mt. Ararat Middle School (Topsham)

August 15, Buxton Center Elementary School

Please contact Charlotte Ellis with any questions at Charlotte.ellis@maine.gov 207-624-6696 or 207-485-3445

Maine DOE Data Management Systems Summer Training

The Maine Department of Education Data Team is holding their annual summer training during the first two weeks of August. The focus of the training this year will be on tips and resources to assist districts with their data reporting and viewing/certifying their reports. The sessions will be focused on sharing resources to assist districts with the data tasks required.

Training Dates and Locations

August 6, Caribou High School, 308 Sweden St Caribou, ME 04736

August 7, Brewer High School, 79 Parkway south Brewer, ME 04412

August 8, Ellsworth Elementary/Middle School, 20 Forrest Avenue Ellsworth, ME 04605

August 12, Cony High School, 60 Pierce Drive Augusta, ME 04330

August 13, Mt. Blue High School, 129 Seamon Rd Farmington, ME 04938

August 14, Mt. Ararat Middle School, 66 Republic Avenue Topsham, ME 04086

August 15, Buxton Center Elementary School, 912 Long Plains Road Buxton, ME 04093

All sessions will begin with registration at 8:30, with presentations beginning at 9. We will serve a light lunch and will finish no later than 4:00. Coffee and water will also be provided throughout the day.

Agenda for each session:

The following is the daily agenda for this year’s summer data trainings Please note that these times are tentative and are subject to change. Thank you.

8:30 – 9:00 – Check-in, Meet & Greet, Welcome
9:00 – 9:30 – Why Data Matters – Charlotte Ellis and Paula Gravelle
9:30 – 9:45 – A.C.T. & Data Security – Ryan Cunningham
9: 45 – 10:15 – Web Page, Helpful Resources & What’s New for 2020 – Ryan Cunningham
10:15 – 10:30 – DC&R and Maine Schools/Approvals – Kathy Warren
10:30 – 10:45 – Break
10: 45 – 11:30 – NEO Staff Module & MEIS – Drew Mitchell
11: 30 – 12:45 – Synergy – Michael Mikrut
12:45 – 1:30 – Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 – Graduation/Student Reports– Trevor Burns
2:30 – 3:00 – Behavior/Bullying/RAS – Sarah Adkins
3:00 – 3:30 – Truancy – Gayle Erdheim
3:30 – 4:00 – Closing – Questions, Comments and Concerns

To register for the training, please visit Summer 2019 Training Registration.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding these training sessions, please contact Ryan Cunningham Maine DOE Data Systems Helpdesk Manager at (207) 624-6809 or Ryan.L.Cunningham@maine.gov.

Professional Development Opportunity: Creative Assessment- Teacher as Curator

Description:

For Visual and Performing Arts teachers, or those looking to more robustly intertwine the arts into their curriculum: The Maine Department of Education invites you to be part of its upcoming professional development opportunity, Creative Assessment: Teacher as Curator. This session will explore the use of the arts as creative assessment strategies where participants explore artistic approaches to demonstrate academic learning and devise ways of gathering and presenting evidence of learning through documentation. Renowned facilitator and arts specialist, Dr. Lisa Donovan will provide an in-depth view of how the processes and products of the creative process can fuel a feedback loop for teaching and learning. We will wrestle with the question of “How do you tell the story of learning?” Participants will leave with a wide range of strategies for authentic, performance-based formative and summative processes for assessing learning in arts integrated work.

Participants will:

Explore their role as a curator, intentionally selecting, organizing and presenting information, strategies for teaching and learning as well as presenting evidence of student understanding.
Demonstrate how documentation and creative assessment strategies and processes utilizing the visual and performing arts to provide a holistic view of teaching and learning.
Explore a variety of models that can be adapted and used by educators across content areas and grade levels.
Engage in an experiential exploration of an arts integrated progression
Learn and apply several creative assessment strategies to their own work
Design documentation of their learning as models that can be used in their classrooms.

Participant Responsibilities:

Attend two day-long professional development training, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Senator Inn, 284 Western Ave., Augusta, ME 04330.
Dates for training are: Thursday, July 18^th and Friday, July 19^th.
Arrive at the first workshop with an arts lesson, in writing, in order to apply the concepts addressed throughout the sessions practically.

Compensation:

Each participant will receive a stipend of $150.00 (maximum: 20 participants).

To Register:

Interested parties should register HERE by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10^th. Please forward all questions to Visual and Performing Arts Specialist, Nate Menifield, at: nathaniel.j.menifield@maine.gov.

Registration now open for the 2019 state Custodial and Maintenance Conference

Registration is now open for the 51^th Custodial and Maintenance Conference for Maine school custodians and facilities directors.

Location: Waterville Senior High School, Waterville, Maine

Dates: Wednesday, June 26, 2019 – Thursday June 27, 2019

2019 Highlights:

The Wednesday keynote is motivational speaker Andrew Raycroft, former National Hockey League Goalie and Assistant College Coach
The Thursday motivational speaker will be Roseann Sdoia, Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor
Discussions and meeting topics include: school indoor air quality, oil storage tanks and spills, hands on strategies for fields and landscaping, school security and safety, inspections and preventative maintenance for roofs, all-hazards emergency preparedness, floor covering systems, facilities manager certification roundtable, and much more.
This year’s conference will include Maine School Integrated Pest Management certification sessions where conference attendees can complete required IPM training delivered by Dr. Kathy Murray from Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
The Annual A. Burleigh Oxton Award for Excellence that recognizes the vital role of custodians in facilities and education

Review Draft Agenda

To register and find additional resources including pricing, lodging options, further details about registration, including guest registration, by contacting Jim Reny of Educational Plant Maintenance Association (EPMA) by phone 861-2351 or email jreny8@roadrunner.com .

NOTICE: Maine School Wellness Summit POSTPONED, New Dates TBD

Regretfully, due to low registration, the 2019 Maine School Wellness Summit planned for June 25 & 26 has been postponed. The Maine Schoolsite Health Promotion Program (MSHPP) Planning Committee is committed to hosting the planned two-day agenda in the 2019-20 school year. We are thankful to the scheduled presenters, who have indicated that they are very willing to work with us to deliver their presentations at a future date.

Registrants should have received an email from the planning committee via Cristina.stade@maine.gov. If you have additional questions, please email either Cristina or susan.berry@maine.gov.

Please know that the decision to postpone was made with great thought and consideration of presenter cost, time and efforts, as well as the desire for participants to have a robust and collaborative experience.

The MSHPP Planning Committee wishes everyone a restful, rejuvenating, and well-deserved summer break.

New School Nurse Orientation Registration Now Open!

If you have hired or will be hiring a new nurse for your school over the summer, be sure to include THIS workshop in their new hire work plan. The New School Nurse Orientation is a specialized program, designed to help nurses transition into the educational setting which is very different than hospital, urgent care, or other medical settings. Some of the topics included in the newly revised sessions include a review of the School Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, certification requirements, resources, a review of Maine’s Nurse Practice Act, medication administration policies in schools, screening requirements, concussion management, communicable diseases, and much more. The 2-day session in August will be followed by additional virtual support sessions via Zoom, the first scheduled for September 26.

When: August 14-15, 2019
Where: Bangor Savings Bank, 5 Senator Way, Augusta Maine
2^nd Floor Conference Room
Cost: $60 for both days to cover the cost of lunch and materials

If you have any questions, please contact: Emily Poland, MPH, RN, School Nurse Consultant, at 207-624-6688 or Emily.poland@maine.gov

Successes Shared by Districts at Closing Event of 4-Year Preschool Expansion Grant

(Pictured: Kindergarten teacher Heidi Sturgeon, pre-k teacher Olesia Pazdro, and Curriculum Director Suzanne Day from MSAD 55- Sacopee Valley, talk to the audience about their goals for their Birth – Third Grade Action Plan.)

The Maine Department of Education hosted a closing event of the 4-year Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) that was awarded to Maine DOE in December 2014 by the US Department of Education. Eighteen states were awarded grants to support local school districts in the development of new preschool classrooms, and to expand access to high-quality, full-day pre-k programs for children whose families were at or below 200% Federal Poverty Level.

Maine used the grant to launch and expand pre-k programs for 13 districts in Maine, 8 of which used the opportunity to partner with local Head Start programs. The districts included RSU 12, RSU 13, MSAD 17, RSU 23, SAD 37, SAD 44, RSU 55, RSU 74, Cornville Regional Charter School, Cherryfield, Lewiston (Longley Elementary), Millinocket, Vassalboro. The 13 districts were chosen for their percentage of students with an economic disadvantage and willingness and availability to embark on the effort.

The grant allowed these districts to add or expand their pre-k classroom spaces and resources, hire and train needed teachers in using evidence based curricula and instructional practices, align appropriate assessment of pre-k students with kindergarten assessments, develop a plan for kindergarten transition, and form a community literacy team, all as part of a long-term “Birth to Third Grade plan” that aligns with the districts’ strategic goals. The grant implementation was supported by grant coordinators at each of the participating districts, and trained coaches, all of whom were former Maine educators.

A cross-section of state employees from Maine DOE, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Child Development Services (CDS) worked collaboratively on this project, with facilitation provided by the Education Development Center (EDC).

*(Left to right) Sarah Adkins, Kathryn Zwicker, Nena Cunningham, Karen Bergeron, Nicole Madore, Lee Anne Larsen, Dee Saucier, Sue Reed, Crystal Arbour, Jessica Nixon, Rich Meserve, David Jacobson.*

Three years into the 4-year grant, tremendous improvements in child outcomes were celebrated, including:

76%-86% of children moved out of the high-risk identification in all developmental domains
76%-96% of children moved out of high-risk identification in literacy skills (predictive of kindergarten success)
53% of children moved out of high-risk identification in the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, which assesses receptive language and is a predictor of later reading success

The end of the year event was an opportunity for each of the participating districts to present their Birth to Third plans to their peers and to reflect on their successes, lessons learned, and plans moving forward.

IMG_0196_cropped — RSU 12 Curriculum Coordinator, Deb Taylor (right) and Southern Kennebec Child Development Center Head Start Director Cristina Salois (left) shared details of their action plan with the full audience which included a “ghost walk” to each pre-k classroom across the district’s 4 elementary schools. This was an opportunity for pre-k teachers to share and collaborate on environmental design and instructional practices and learn from one another.

The gathering included presentations by each participating district, who all began by sharing varied and often-times unique community challenges. For example, while some experienced a lack of licensed child care providers to connect with and engage families early on, another had migrant families with students in and out of school frequently. There were many other unique community characteristics shared, yet all of the districts had the common challenge of a high percentage of families facing economic disadvantage.

The common areas of focus for each Birth to Third Grade action plan included a focus on quality, shared teaching and learning practices, family engagement starting before children enter pre-k, a focus on positive transitions from pre-k to kindergarten, social emotional learning and trauma informed teaching.

The closing event was a successful day of presenting, idea sharing, and collaboration by early childhood educators from across the state who will now be able to continue their research based, and collaborative birth to third grade plans for district-wide success and beyond.

Seeking Innovative Educational Leaders to join Maine’s Leadership Development Program

The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce the launch of Maine’s Leadership Development Program (Maine LDP), an initiative designed to build and strengthen instructional leadership skills among Maine’s educational leaders at the school, district, and state levels. In our ongoing efforts to support and foster the educational expertise in Maine, educators who aspire to do the same are invited to take advantage of this high impact opportunity!

The launch phase will focus on building a strong foundation for making the program widely accessible. The Maine DOE has partnered with the National Institute for School Leaders (NISL) to prepare the first cohort of candidates to become certified trainers and facilitators of future cohorts, providing a unique and rewarding leadership opportunity. The Maine DOE’s ESEA Federal Programs, School Turnaround, and Higher Education and Educator Support Services teams are collaborating to provide the executive leadership training to instructional leaders across Maine. Maine’s LDP brings together the Maine DOE’s successful Transformational Leaders’ Network with NISL’s nationally recognized Executive Development Program (EDP).

Maine’s LDP is delivered through a blended learning model and includes study, inquiry, and hands-on activities with practical applications that meet the rigorous expectations for today’s educational leaders. In the first cohort, NISL experts will deliver the Maine LDP curriculum and provide additional training for Maine LDP facilitators. Successful graduates from the initial cohort will deliver the Maine LDP curriculum to future cohorts regionally. Completion of the program can contribute to credit hours for participants pursuing an advanced degree or contact hours for re-certification purposes.

Benefits for Maine Schools

Prepares educational leaders to lead for excellence and equity
Increases student achievement, fosters a culture of high expectations
Enhances teacher recruitment, retention, and quality

Program Curriculum

Nationally researched, evidenced-based, and locally delivered in a cohort model
Improves the practice of leadership, transforms instruction and student achievement in schools
Consists of 12 two-day units, delivered in 12 to 15 months
Bridged with online coursework, readings and job-embedded application of key concepts

Characteristics of Ideal Candidates

A belief in and commitment to improving instruction and increasing student achievement
Experience (five years) in a leadership role at the school, district, and/or state level and background as a classroom teacher. Ideal candidates include, but are not limited to, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, deans, Title I directors, department leaders, ESEA coordinators, special education directors, English Learner directors, assistant superintendents, instruction and curriculum directors, and superintendents.
Excellent communications skills; able to effectively facilitate professional development for peers
Demonstrated skills in mentoring and coaching
Experience as a successful practitioner—able to translate concepts to actions, theory to practice, and programs to craft
Able to participate in the entire NISL program and become certified as a Maine LDP facilitator
Likely to live and work in Maine for the next five years

The Department encourages experienced educational leaders to consider applying to join the initial cohort of candidates to become certified Maine LDP facilitators of future cohorts. Please visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/educators/maineldp for more information and email nisledp.doe@maine.gov with any questions. The schedule and application can be found here.