Official correspondence. Letters from before July 1, 2010, are in the archive.
Last week I had the honor of announcing Jennifer Dorman as the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Dorman, who dreamed of being a teacher since her very first day of Kindergarten, has been a special educator in Somerset County schools for two decades, most recently at Skowhegan Area Middle School (SAMS) where she is a seventh-and eighth-grade special education and reading intervention teacher.
Continue reading “Celebrating Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year”
The following guidance on Enterovirus D68 from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention was distributed by the Maine DOE to all Maine school nurses on Friday, Oct. 3.
Each year, millions of people become ill due to respiratory illnesses. Some of the more common respiratory illnesses in schools may include influenza, pertussis and the common cold. The common cold can be caused by many viruses including enteroviruses, one strain of which (EV-D68) is responsible for several outbreaks in the United States in 2014, including one recent case here in Maine. Schools should be aware of these illnesses, how to prevent them and what is reportable. Continue reading “Guidance to Maine schools on EV-D68”
The daily education rates for special purpose private schools have been set for the 2014-15 school year.
Continue reading “Daily education rates set for special purpose private schools”
The Maine DOE is reminding superintendents, Infinite Campus (IC) data managers, building administrators and school office personnel of the expectation to identify English learners for the EPS October 1 Enrollment Reporting requirement due Oct 31.
Continue reading “Maine DOE reminds districts to identify English Learners for fall reporting”
The following Priority Notice was sent to Maine Superintendents and Directors of Special Education by Commissioner Jim Rier and Maine DOE Director of Special Services on Sept. 17.
Dear Superintendents and Directors of Special Education,
As Maine moves towards a proficiency-based system that will ensure that all students graduate from our high schools having met rigorous learning standards, some have asked about the impact of this new expectation on students with disabilities. Continue reading “Proficiency standard applies to special education students”
In response to recent positive tests in mosquito pools in southern Maine, the Maine Department of Education in collaboration with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is sharing this important guidance developed by the Maine CDC to schools regarding mosquito borne illnesses. Continue reading “Keeping Maine students safe from mosquito borne illnesses”
The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents on Tuesday, August 19.
Dear Superintendents,
As part of ongoing efforts to support school administrative units in ensuring that teachers are led by highly effective building administrators, I am pleased to announce the release of the Maine DOE Principal Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) Model.
The Department has adopted as a State Principal PEPG Model the Administrator Evaluation Framework, which was prepared by the Auburn School Department in collaboration with the Department and the Maine Principals’ Association.
The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents on Tuesday, August 19.
Dear Superintendents,
Ensuring the safety of our students is a commitment we all share and by providing supportive places to learn and thrive, we are doing our part to help our young people reach their full potential.
That is why today, I am pleased to announce the release of an online training video and toolkit, Suicide Prevention Awareness for Maine School Personnel, prepared by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maine and available at no cost to Maine schools. This important resource aids school districts in complying with Maine’s school-based suicide awareness and prevention law (LD 609, PL 53, DOE Rule Chapter 38) that was passed in April 2013.
Continue reading “Educator resources for suicide awareness and prevention”
The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents today to announce the release of PEPG resources for educator effectiveness.
Dear Superintendents,
Discussions at the Commissioners Conference in June yielded valuable input for the development of the Maine DOE Teacher Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) Model. In the weeks following the conference, the Department met with a variety of stakeholder groups to revise and finalize the model and companion documents, a collection of resources that will support schools in ensuring that every learner has access to highly effective teachers and school leaders.
The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents Tuesday, July 22.
Dear Superintendents,
Discussions at the Commissioners Conference in June yielded valuable input for the diploma extensions application process. In the weeks following the conference, three school administrative units in Maine agreed to pilot the application process by completing the extension request best suited to their level of preparedness to award a proficiency-based diploma.
Continue reading “Proficiency-based diploma extension applications now available to SAUs”
Maine DOE Newsroom 