WIDA Standards Framework 2020 to be Introduced at Maine ESOL Meeting on May 7

The WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, is now available! This new framework provides a clear and coherent structure to guide the development of curriculum, instruction, and assessment of content-driven English language learning. The 2020 Edition:

Incorporates ideas and feedback from educators around the world
Refines and enhances ideas and concepts from prior editions and resources
Continues to advance the field of language development and academic achievement for multilingual learners, pushing forward the latest theory, policy, and practice
Serves as the foundation for systems that foster engaged interactive student learning and collaborative educator practice
Is centered on equity and fosters the assets, contributions, and potential of culturally and linguistically diverse children and youth

Maine Department of Education (DOE) will be introducing the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, on May 7th at the Maine ESOL Meeting. All educators, administrators, and community partners are invited to attend this free, virtual event, which will include a session on the 2020 ELD Standards Framework and Maine’s implementation plan, as well as a variety of other ESOL-related sessions for participants to attend.

For more information and to register for the Maine ESOL Meeting, please visit the Maine DOE professional development calendar.

Visit the WIDA ELD Standards webpage to download the 2020 Edition, learn about professional learning opportunities, and access resources. WIDA is offering a free, self-paced, six-module training called The WIDA 2020 ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach. This training is available to all Maine public school educators through the WIDA Secure Portal. If you do not yet have a WIDA Secure Portal account, contact WIDA Client Services to have one set up for you.

In addition, the Maine Department of Education is hosting two eWorkshops, facilitated by WIDA, on Planning with 2020 WIDA ELD Standards. The eWorkshops will take place on June 9^th from 9:30am to 11:30am and June 16th from 9:30am to 11:30am. Registration is not yet open, so stay tuned for announcements or contact April Perkins at april.perkins@maine.gov for more information.

Priority Notice: Maine Department of Education Speaks Out Against Attacks on Asian American and Pacific Island Community Members

The Maine Department of Education joins our colleagues and communities across Maine, as well as leaders across the nation, in taking a stance against the demonstrations of hate and violence endured by our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) friends and neighbors. The reported attacks on members of the AAPI community members across our country, and here in Maine, and the horrific murders in Atlanta on March 16, 2021 are painful reminders of the importance of recognizing the harm that prejudice and racism inflict upon all of us.

Race-based violence has no place in our society; we strongly denounce such actions, and we stand in solidarity with AAPI communities to demand the end of the discrimination and attacks. We encourage Maine schools and educators to join us as we engage in education about the impact of discrimination and violence on our society.

We understand that discussions about discrimination and violence can be emotional and at times difficult to navigate for both educators and our students. With this in mind, the Maine DOE has created a resource page to help support these conversations in our classrooms. It is also important for both educators and students to take time to reflect on our own biases and beliefs in order to help us understand how we see the world around us. Our webpage on Personal, Student, and Staff Reflection and Engagement has a variety of videos and tools to help with this process of reflection.

The Maine Department of Education, in partnership with our schools and educators across Maine, pledges to continue to speak up with and on behalf of every student and every person in our education system. We strive to create an inclusive culture within all Maine schools, where all people are supported, celebrated, and heard.

Bath Middle School 8th Graders Find Their Passion

Eighth graders at Bath Middle School (BMS) are preparing for high school with “Journey to Success,” a cross-disciplinary learning initiative (called an “expedition”) with a presentation component. Students were recently asked to identify something they are passionate about and present the topic in front of their classmates.

Pictured above: Sawyer Wright demonstrates his model airplane before his presentation on the aerodynamics of flight.

“Middle school is the transition between ‘everything is possible’ and narrowing your field,” said science teacher Monica Wright, describing the importance of helping students identify their passions so that they can pursue them in high school and beyond. “Before winter break, we helped students make their own ‘interest bracket.’ On one side they put things that they think about often; things that jazz them up. On the other side they put things that make them mad. Going through the bracket helped them articulate things they are passionate about.”

Projects spanned a broad range of topics, and every eight-grade teacher played a role in each student’s success: social studies teacher Tiffany Alexander helped them perform interviews with local experts, tech ed teacher Steve Richard supported hands-on building projects (like setting up wave tanks, house models, and engineering cars), art teacher Jackie Johnson helped them create their displays, and ed techs, like Roman Quinn, offered ongoing support.

Tirzah Berglund’s scale model house presentation

Shealyn Brochu shows a video where she dissected a pig heart to show the innerworkings of the organ.

Presentations took place on February 25 and 26 in the BMS cafeteria – it was the first time that some students had spent class time together since the pandemic started. Topics included everything from suicide prevention to traditional chip boat design to the aerodynamics of flight. Shealyn Brochu filmed herself dissecting a pig’s heart and demonstrated the inner workings of the organ in her presentation, “How can the heart be cured?” Gaffney McDonough, who had been helping his father with the restoration of a Ford Model A, documented his repair of the car’s signature “ahooga” horn. Belle Watson wrote and recorded a heartfelt song about discrimination.

Despite the breadth of topics, there was one common thread: the students’ enthusiasm and pride in their work.

“Every student put themselves out there,” said Wright. “There were so many moments where they had to let themselves be vulnerable. In the end, their perception about the project went from, ‘This is something I have to do,’ to ‘This is something I’m really passionate about doing.’ Every kid did that, and that’s what’s so important to me.”

Wright said the passion projects could not have been done without the one-on-one support of ed tech Roman Quinn, who joined BMS this year. Quinn discovered a 3D printer in the school’s library and taught himself how to use it so he could help students create unique props for their presentations. For example, when student Brady Wallace wanted to make a presentation on turbochargers vs. superchargers, Quinn helped him locate a design and print a model turbocharger to show his class. Quinn even lent his own car to the passion process when student Jackson Murray wanted to learn how to change a tire.

“I filmed Jackson changing the tire at BMS,” Quinn said. “It turns out that he was born to be in front of the camera – he was so personable. So determined. The whole experience was awesome.”

Quinn, who worked in finance before switching careers, said projects like this make him wish he had become a teacher “right out of the gate.”

“I know what it’s like to watch the clock at work. Now, every day I leave work, I’m still energized. I have just as much fun as the kids, if not more,” he said.

The final step in the eight grade’s “Journey to Success” expedition will come at the end of the year when students present evidence to a panel of judges that they are ready to start high school; a process guided by English language arts teacher Adelle Carter. But these have students already accomplished something that they can carry forever: finding and sharing their passion.

This article was provided by Bath Middle School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Emergency Rental Assistance Program Available for Eligible Families

The Maine Department of Education asks that our school and district partners please share this important information with families that may need housing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MaineHousing and Maine’s Community Action Agencies are accepting applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This program helps pay rent and utility costs for eligible renters affected by COVID-19. Maine’s Community Action Agencies are running this program in communities across Maine.

Program information and the application link can be found here: mainehousing.org/covidrent

Marketing Materials:
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For further information or questions, please reach out to MaineHousing at (800) 452-4668 or (207) 626-4600.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Vaccination Appointments Available NOW for School/Child Care Staff

Have you received your COVID-19 vaccine? Your shot is waiting for you!

All Maine residents who are Pre-K through Grade 12 school staff/teachers, or who work at licensed child care providers are eligible to be vaccinated, regardless of age.

APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE: Click here to view a list of locations and instructions for scheduling an appointment.

Questions? Answers to frequently asked questions are available here.

The Early Learning Team Releases New Public Pre-K Guidebook

The Maine Department of Education’s Early Learning Team and Head Start State Collaboration Office are excited to offer a new resource to facilitate the expansion of high-quality and inclusive public Pre-K in Maine.

The Public Pre-K Guidebook describes high-quality pre-k programming, provides guidance for developing and implementing inclusive public pre-k programs that align with state requirements, and offers links to a wide variety of useful tools. This guidebook will support not only school administrative units planning new programs, but also existing programs with continuous improvement efforts. The guidebook can be accessed digitally on the Early Childhood Education homepage or downloaded as a PDF document.

In the guidebook you’ll find detailed information related to the following topics:

Program Standards and Learning Standards
Program Structure
Inclusive Student Support
Collaborations and Partnerships
Preschool Budgets
Family Engagement
Transition to Preschool and Kindergarten
Technical Assistance

Information will be updated as appropriate.

Any questions can be directed to Nicole.Madore@maine.gov Early Childhood Specialist, Nena.m.cunningham@maine.gov Head Start State Collaboration Director, or Marcy.r.whitcomb@maine.gov Early Childhood Monitor.

Berwick Teacher Selected for National History Day Spring Webinar Series

Ms. Christa Boeykens-Bui, a teacher at Noble Middle School in Berwick, Maine is one of only 120 teachers selected for a National History Day® (NHD) spring professional development program. This course focuses on using online Library of Congress resources to develop and support historical arguments and is a feature of NHD’s membership in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Consortium.

The teachers chosen for this honor represent NHD’s 58 affiliates across the country and around the world, and the National History Day program in Maine selected Ms. Boeykens-Bui. NHD affiliates include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and international school programs in China, South Asia, and South Korea.

“The skills and strategies Ms. Boeykens-Bui is developing through this series will benefit her students over the course of their academic and professional careers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “As a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member, NHD is incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity for teachers, especially now as teachers and students continue to address challenges of non-traditional learning settings required by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

For several months, Ms. Boeykens-Bui works with her peers around the country and National History Day staff to build knowledge for teaching with online Library of Congress resources. Upon completion of the series, she will have demonstrated the ability to share with her students key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments bolstered by these primary sources.

NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website.

For more information about the national level program, visit nhd.org. for more information about National History Day in Maine visit http://www.mcslibrary.org/national-history-day-in-maine/ or contact State Coordinator John Taylor at john.m.taylor@maine.edu or 207-474-7133.

Registration Open for Black Student Caucus Hosted by MYAN

This April, MYAN (Maine Youth Action Network) is hosting a multi-day virtual caucus for Black Student Unions and Black students from across Maine. Each Saturday of the month (four events in total), Black youth in Maine will have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another and four incredible keynote speakers.

Each Saturday is dedicated to one of four main topics: Black Excellence, Black Self Preservation and Wellness, Shades of Blackness, and Black Expression.

This space is explicitly reserved for Black student unions and individual Black youth. Participating Black youth currently in middle school, high school, college, and out of school will have an avenue to foster networks and dialogues with each other. We additionally welcome Maine high school graduates from the Black community who are pursuing plans for themselves outside of post-secondary education.

To learn more about this event or to register, visit our website using the button below!

Learn more here or contact MYAN.

April 1st Enrollment Count Report to Open on April 1st, 2021

The Maine Department of Education is asking schools to submit and have their superintendents certify their April Enrollment Count Report. The April Enrollment Count Report is utilized by the Maine Department of Education for the purpose of calculating public school tuition rates.

Please note that, new for 2021, the April Enrollment Count Report will consist of two sets of counts, one for attending counts and one for enrollment counts. Each of these count sets are as of April 1st, 2021. Enrollment counts will be given to all students who are enrolled at your district/school as of April 1st, 2021. Attending counts will be given to all students who are enrolled at and attending your district/school as of April 1st, 2021, this will exclude any of your students that attend a special purpose privet school, a regional program or non-traditional limited purpose school. The attending counts will be utilized for calculating tuition rates in accordance with Title 20-A, §5805, subsection 1.B and the enrollment counts will be used for all other April 1st reporting requirements.

The April Enrollment Count Report will be available for districts to submit and certify, beginning on April 1st with a certify by date of April 15th.

The Maine Department of Education’s data management team will be hosting a webinar where we will be discussing the April 1st Enrollment Count Report and fielding any questions that you may have from 10AM to 11AM on Tuesday April 6th, 2021. Register Here

In order to view this report, you will need access to NEO – Student Data, if you do not have this access please have your superintendent fill out our NEO Access Request Form

April 1st Enrollment Count Report Instructions (PDF)

April 1st Enrollment Count Report Instructions Video (MP4)

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to the April 1st Enrollment Count Report please feel free to contact us at the MEDMS Helpdesk at MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896.

MYAN to Host Virtual Youth Leadership Conference April 15th and 16th

MYAN (Maine Youth Action Network) is hosting its very first virtual youth leadership conference on April 15th and 16th.

The virtual conference is designed by and for middle school and high school aged young people, as well as recent graduates and college-aged youth. Unlike the in-person conferences from years past, this event is free to attend!

Happening across two days – April 15th and 16th – the virtual conference flows between community spaces, interactive workshops, and featured keynotes from storied youth leaders here in the state of Maine. Main conference events last from 10:00am to 2:30pm each day.

The interactive workshops and keynote speakers will connect you to other young leaders and to topics that support your passions, advocacy, leadership skills and interests!

View full Workshop Descriptions on MYAN’s blog, or download the conference agenda and workshop descriptions using these links:

The conference is also a place for young people to meet like-minded youth and start important conversations. Some community focused workshops will focus on building skills or connections to work already happening that might support young people in their lives such as:

Storytelling through music and art, community driven research, spoken word & poetry, self-care strategies, facilitation skills, public speaking, outdoor adventure, Maine youth organizing efforts and much more!

How to register

To register for the conference, click the button below and fill out the registration form! Registration will close on April 6, 2021. MYAN will send you details for how to log in to the conference after you register. The first 50 registrants will be mailed a free conference tee shirt!

Virtual conference platform

Whova will be used to host the conference virtually! It’s a secure virtual conference platform you’ll use to access workshops and keynotes. More info about how to access the platform will be emailed to all registrants. You can either access Whova from an internet browser or download the app on Apple and Android devices. From there you’ll be able to sign up for specific workshops, make your own profile, access the schedule, and start connecting with other participants!

For further information or questions, contact MYAN: https://www.myan.org/contact-us/