Category: Newsroom Articles

Get to Know the DOE Team: Meet Carole King

Maine DOE Team member Carole King is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Carole in the question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I began working in DOE afternoons while I was still employed at Cony High School as an Office Secretary to the Principal 1979-2009. I worked full time in the summer months as my position at the school was school-year-only. After two years, I resigned from the position at school and began work at MDOE full time under a contract through the Maine Math and Science Alliance.

What do you like best about your job?

I enjoy the variety of work I perform for the Specialists on the Maine DOE Learning Systems Team. The work has varied over the years and I have assisted each specialist at one time or another setting up interviews, sending out letters, making entries into Advantage for Contracts, POs, and other clerical duties as requested.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I’ve always enjoyed working in the field of education supporting students and teaching staff.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I enjoy time with my family, knitting, gardening and spending time outside during all our seasons. We are so lucky living in Maine!

Graduation Certification Report to Open December 21st, 2020

New for 2019-2020: To assist schools in the data process, there have been changes to the Graduation Certification Report. The transfer-In/Out counts of students will no longer be used to determine adjusted cohort, and there will be no more validating of the start and exit codes of students during this report. The report will also no longer be required to be ‘Accepted’ by the Maine Department of Education (DOE). With that said, please make sure that all the data is accurate, as we are losing this step of data validation.

Users looking to complete the Dropout Certification Report will need access to the Student Data module within the Neo application. If you do not have access to this module, please have your superintendent submit a NEO access request form on your behalf.

NEO Access Request Form

Graduation Certification Report Instructions

Report Open Date: December 21st, 2020
Report Due Date: January 15th, 2021

We are hosting the following two webinars in the Graduation Certification Report:

Tuesday December 22nd @ 10AM – Register Here
Wednesday January 6th @ 1PM – Register Here

Questions, comments, or concerns in regards to the Graduation Certification Report should be directed to the Maine Educational Data Management Systems helpdesk at:

MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896

Priority Notice: Taking Care of our School Community Members

We know that this time of year has historically been one that can be difficult for many people. While there are times of reveling and joy, there can also be feelings of stress, loss, and isolation. This experience has been compounded with the physical, fiscal and emotional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing the possible emotional impact on students and educators early on, your Maine Department of Education worked to prioritize mental health and social-emotional supports. Since March, the DOE’s Office of School and Student Supports has been deeply committed to bolstering the emotional well-being of our school communities by providing resources, technical assistance and general support.

At the outset, a focus was on the foundational support of relationships and creating safe schools where students could connect, engage, and get support, no matter if they were in a school building or learning remotely. Mental Health supports were recognized as an integral part of our summer “back to school” planning, and this has been instrumental in the successful engagement of students this fall. Ongoing content support, specific to social emotional development and school based mental health supports, have provided educators with practical and real time guidance in connecting with and addressing the needs of vulnerable students.

This fall, a free, preK-12 prevention curriculum was launched so that every Maine educator would have access to social-emotional learning to support their students. These materials are focused on developing resilience, compassion and self-advocacy skills, as well as regulating emotions and caring for one’s physical and emotional well-being.

At the DOE we will continue to hold student and staff mental health and wellbeing as one of our highest priorities, and as we move into the winter, we would like to again share these resources with you. As always, please feel free to reach out directly and thank you for all that you do to support Maine students, families, our communities and each other.

Media Release: Mills Administration Updates COVID-19 School Health Advisory System

Androscoggin, Oxford, and York counties remain in yellow designation; Cumberland and Kennebec counties closely monitored in green

AUGUSTA — The Mills Administration today released an update to its color-coded Health Advisory System that classifies counties’ relative risk of COVID-19 transmission to assist schools as they continue with their plans to deliver instruction and support to students safely. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) assessed COVID-19 data and trends for all counties.

Based on this assessment, the following designations have been determined:

  • REMAIN YELLOW: Androscoggin, Oxford and York counties each have experienced rising positivity rates and new case rates per 10,000 people, which now exceed the statewide averages.
  • NOW GREEN: Somerset County’s new case rate per 10,000 people and positivity rate have fallen below the statewide average.
  • CLOSELY MONITORED: Cumberland and Kennebec counties’ new case rates per 10,000 people increased significantly over the past week, and positivity rates for both counties remain close to the statewide average.

Maine DHHS and Maine CDC continue to review evidence that indicates lower transmission of COVID-19 in schools compared to the general population. Over the last 30 days, the rate of new cases is 20.2 per 10,000 staff and students, compared to 49.8 per 10,000 people statewide, which is generally consistent with previous weeks.

 

 

Under the “yellow” designation, which indicates an increased (moderate) level of community risk, schools may consider additional precautions, such as limiting numbers of people in school buildings at the same time, suspending extracurricular or co-curricular activities including competitions between schools, limiting interaction through cohorting, or other measures based on the unique needs of each school community.

These designations are made out of an abundance of caution and for the consideration of school administrative units in their decisions to deliver instruction.

It is essential that school districts across the State of Maine continue to implement plans that adhere to the six requirements for returning to in-person instruction, regardless of their county’s designation.

The Health Advisory System categorizations are defined as follows:

  • RED: Categorization as “red” suggests that the county has a high risk of COVID-19 spread and that in-person instruction is not advisable.
  • YELLOW: Categorization as “yellow” suggests that that the county has an elevated risk of COVID-19 spread and that schools may consider additional precautions and/or hybrid instructional models to reduce the number of people in schools and classrooms at any one time.
  • GREEN: Categorization as “green” suggests that the county has a relatively low risk of COVID-19 spread and that schools may consider in-person instruction, as long as they are able to implement the required health and safety measures.  Schools in a “green” county may need to use hybrid instruction models if there is insufficient capacity or other factors (facilities, staffing, geography/transportation, etc.) that may prevent full implementation of the health and safety requirements.

The county-level assessments are based on both quantitative and qualitative data, including but not limited to recent case rates, positivity rates, and syndromic data (e.g., symptoms of influenza or COVID-19). Those data are publicly posted every week on the Maine CDC website. DHHS and Maine CDC also consider qualitative factors, such as the presence of outbreaks that may potentially affect school-age children.

The Health Advisory System reflects ongoing analysis of evolving data, and serves as one piece of information that school and district leaders can use to make decisions about how to deliver education during the school year. The qualitative and quantitative considerations and data used by the CDC in determining community transmission risk levels for schools can be located here: How County Risk Levels for Maine Schools are Determined

The Health Advisory System can be found on the Maine DOE website in Part I of the Framework for Reopening Schools and Returning to In-Person Classroom Instruction: https://www.maine.gov/doe/framework/part-I.

The next update is scheduled for December 18, 2020

###

Maine DOE Child Nutrition Team Provides USDA with Virtual Tour of Culinary Classroom

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Child Nutrition team provided a virtual tour and presentation of its Culinary Classroom recently in an effort to showcase to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) how the classroom has benefited Maine schools since its initial launch in September of 2019.  

USDA helped fund the project as a way to improve Maine DOE’s capacity to provide Maine schools with additional skills and training with preparation and cooking as part of the national school meal programs administered through Maine DOE. 

camera angle looking from aboveThe call featured Maine DOE Chef Michele Bisbee and Maine DOE Director of Child Nutrition Walter Beesley who provided national representatives with a virtual tour of the culinary classroom including a look around the kitchen, a demonstration of how the equipment is used, and the various angles the state-of-the-art cameras can provide. The kitchen and its ability to present virtually and record provides multiple options for in-person, virtual, and online learning opportunities for school nutrition staff statewide. 

Participants from the USDA included Administrator Pam Miller along with Kurt Messner, Regional Administrator from Northeast Regional Office; Christine Ruggieri, Deputy Regional Administrator; Cheryl Fogerty, Special Nutrition Division Director; Martine Cherry, Schools Branch Chief; and Jan Kallio, Community Nutrition Branch Chief. SNP Program Specialists, Deborah Roach, Susan Gentile, Pam Griffin, and Greg Piotrowicz along with Cynthia Tackett, Public Affairs Director and Heriberto Ortega were also in attendance virtually. 

During the presentation, Beesley made a point to mention the many considerations are taken into account for trainings, for example providing different options for prepping and cooking with appliances that local school units would have handy, and not just using commercial grade appliances that may not be available in all school kitchens. “It is important to make our trainings relevant to school staff no matter what they have in their kitchen,” said Beesley during the presentation. 

Another important aspect of the presentation was the many partnerships the Child Nutrition Team has been able to obtain and grow through its expansion of the culinary classroom. In addition to partnering with schools to provide trainings, they have also grown their partnerships with higher education institutes in Maine, and other industry professionals who use the kitchen as well. 

The presentation was well received by our national school lunch partners, and garnered continued support for the kitchen and Maine DOE’s ongoing projects to support Maine Schools. 

For more information about the Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition team and its programs visit their website. To see recordings of their trainings, visit the their YouTube Playlist or training website. For more information about the Culinary Classroom, contact Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Team. 

Thoughts from a Virtual Session with 2020 National Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy

On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, the Maine Department of Education welcomed 2020 National Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy for a virtual question and answer session with Maine educators. Joining from her home in Kansas, Tabatha introduced herself and greeted a group of early childhood educators from the public, private, and special education sectors in Maine and beyond.

Ms. Rosproy spent the one-hour session discussing early childhood topics of interest in Maine, as well as responding to questions from participants. Tabatha’s honesty and passion for the field was evident through her down-to-earth and personable demeanor with session participants. By the end of the hour, it was apparent that Maine and Kansas aren’t all that different. And, although early childhood education has gained some traction nationally, there is still room for growth.

Key takeaways from the session included the value in making connections with colleagues and families, promoting classroom inclusion, and growing school leadership. Tabatha also emphasized the importance of early childhood educators “bring(ing) their seats to the table.” She encouraged each educator to, “Be an advocate for your students and get involved in your classroom, school, district and state.” She went on to inspire educators to think of leadership as an “activity, not a position.” Tabatha suggested it takes courage to do the right thing but that educators should feel empowered to be advocates, not reliant on individuals in positions of power. She also reminded participants that early childhood is not just the early grades of public school, but birth through eight years old. This time in a child’s development is critical and special. and they need a whole system of supporters, not just teachers.

When interacting with families, Tabatha shared that engagement and communication are crucial to building positive relationships and learning atmospheres. “Think of it like a bank account, you make deposits and withdrawals. The deposits are those positive daily comments about each child. The withdrawals are the occasional conversations of concern and goals for growth. Let’s make regular deposits!”

By the end of the hour, participants were thankful for Tabatha’s insights. While Tabatha has many doors open for her now, she shared she “has a hard time not seeing herself in the Pre-K classroom.” When asked what final advice she has for early childhood educators, she responded, “Keep speaking up! In some way, keep using your voice.”

For more information about Tabatha Rosproy and CCSSO’s National of Teacher of the Year Program, visit https://ntoy.ccsso.org/. You can also follow Tabatha on social media at: @NTOY20 on Facebook, @NTOY2020 on Instagram, and @TabathaRosproy on Twitter.

Any questions or comments about this opportunity can be directed to Nicole.madore@maine.gov.

Portland High School Seniors Create Online Historical Journal to Publish Student Research Papers

Three Portland High School seniors who excel in doing original historical research have created a digital journal so that they and other high school students can have a place to publish their historical scholarship.

 

“Our idea and our current mission is to create an outlet for students wishing to share their hard work and research in a published historical journal, one made specifically for high school students by high school students,” say the three co-founders and editors of The Nor’Easter High School Historical Journal, Lucy Howe, Hannah Prue, and Zoe Bertsch.

 

They have sent out a call for papers to high school principals in Cumberland County, encouraging them to have their students submit research-based history papers to the journal by the deadline of Feb. 28, 2021. The journal, which also serves as the three students’ senior capstone project, will issue its first edition in the spring.

 

Since they were sophomores, Lucy, Hannah and Zoe have been working closely with PHS history teacher Gavin Glider to do historical research and write papers based on their scholarship.

 

“In our sophomore year, we had the honor and opportunity to present research done in our AP U.S. History class at the Maine Bicentennial History Conference, held at the University of Maine,” the students explained in their call for papers. “Over the summer, a similar opportunity arose at the New England Historical Association’s bi-annual conference at Roger Williams University. At both conferences, we attended seminars, spoke to graduate students and professors, and learned about the history of Maine, New England, and beyond.”

 

At the first conference, Lucy presented an essay titled “A History of Female Power;” Zoe presented a paper on “Feminism and Female Combat in the American Revolution;” and Hannah’s presentation was on “The Salem Witch Trials and Modern Day Witch Hunts.”

 

At the second conference, Hannah presented a paper titled “Dorothea Dix and Prison Reform in the 1800s;” Zoe’s presentation was on “Harriet Tubman’s Unifying Effects on Abolitionism and Feminism;” and Lucy presented a paper titled “Elizabeth Cady Stanton: The Fight for Women’s Suffrage and Beyond.”

 

The three said they were the only high school students at the conferences. While there, “several attendees at both conferences asked us where our work was published, as they wanted to learn more. To this inquiry, we had to sadly report that it was not yet published anywhere.”

 

That inspired the three to create the online journal, Glider explained. “Due to the lack of opportunities for high school students to publish research, they decided to create their own journal as a capstone project,” he said. “The goal is to expand this project over the next couple of years to encompass all of New England. All three plan to continue as editors of the journal during their college careers.”

 

The three journal co-founders and editors plan to include 30 papers in the journal, which may cover any topic in any discipline of history. “Whether they see this as an experience to learn, to boost their college applications, or to further immerse themselves in historical research, we hope that students will participate in this truly unique project,” the editors say.

For more information, contact PHS history teacher Gavin Glider at glideg@portlandschools.org

This story is submitted by Portland Public Schools 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.

 

Dropout Reporting Certification for Federal Reporting Year 2019-2020 to Open December 14th, 2020

Dropout reporting is now for all students of compulsory age regardless of grade. 

On December 10, 2019 the DOE Data Governance team voted to bring Maine’s dropout reporting into compliance with USDOEs guidance, starting with the 2019-2020 school year. As a result, our state level dropout reporting, and your review of your district’s data, will include all compulsory age students that meet the dropout definition of being enrolled as of 10/01/2019 and not enrolled on 10/01/2020 and were expected to be in enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year (i.e. – did not graduate, exit to home instruction, etc.)

The dropout certification report no longer has the functionality to change exit codes of students, instead we are only asking you to verify that the report is correct and accurate. The following instructions link will guide users in locating the dropout report, as well as a guide users on how to validate that the report is correct and accurate.

Users looking to complete the Dropout Certification Report will need access to the Student Data module within the Neo application. If you do not have access to this module, please have your superintendent submit a NEO access request form on your behalf.

NEO Access Request Form

Dropout Reporting Instructions

Report Open Date: December 14th, 2020

Report Due Date: January 15th, 2021

We are hosting the following two webinars in the Dropouts Certification Report:

Tuesday December 15th @ 10AM – Register Here

Thursday January 7th @ 10AM – Register Here

Questions, comments or concerns in regards to the Dropout Certification Report should be directed to the Maine Educational Data Management Systems helpdesk at:

MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896

Priority Notice: Public Comment Welcomed on Additional Title IV, Part A Waiver Opportunities

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) intends to apply for several new waiver options related to Title IV, Part A funds awarded to school districts for the 2020-2021 school year.

Recognizing that many schools and communities continue to face unprecedented challenges this year, the federal government has provided states with additional waiver opportunities related to Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Pursuant to the authority granted under section 8401(b) of the ESEA, the U.S. Department of Education has invited states apply for waivers for one or more of the following Title IV, Part A program requirements:

  • Section 4106(d) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, related to LEA needs assessments for the 2020-2021 school year;
  • Section 4106(e)(2)(C), (D), and (E) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, with respect to content-area spending requirements for Title IV, Part A funds awarded in the 2020-2021 school year; and/or
  • Section 4109(b) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, with respect to the fifteen percent (15%) spending limitation for technology infrastructure for Title IV, Part A funds awarded during the 2020-2021 school year.

The Maine DOE intends to apply for a waiver to each of the statutory requirements outlined above as part of our continued efforts to provide schools with as much flexibility as possible.  Please note, however, that all other Title IV, Part A statutory requirements not subject to these waivers would remain in effect.

Earlier this year, Maine requested and received a waiver of these provisions for funds awarded to school districts during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years.  This was accomplished through the waiver authority of section 3511 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  Unfortunately, the CARES Act did not provide any authority to extend these waivers beyond the 2019-2020 school year. Accordingly, the federal government has now made this separate opportunity available for states to further waive these requirements for Title IV, Part A funds that were awarded to school districts for the 2020-2021 school year.

As part of the statutory requirements for seeking this waiver, the Maine DOE must solicit and respond to public comment on its waiver request as well as provide evidence of the available comment period.  This 15-day public comment period shall begin on December 9, 2020 and conclude on December 23, 2020.

Comments may be submitted to: travis.w.doughty@maine.gov

Computer Science Education Week Starts Dec. 7th

Monday Dec. 7th kicks off the start of Computer Science Education Week, 2020! Join the computer science community in celebrating computer science in education. Whether you’re new to the world of computer science or have been involved since its inception, you’ll find many interesting events and activities that are ongoing throughout the week.

Computer Science Education Week began in 2009 to encourage and increase participation and offerings of computer science in education. CS Education Week’s 2020 focus is social justice. To learn more about computer science in education, and social justice in computer science education, check out the Computer Science Education Week website and explore the #CSEdWeek2020 and the #CSforSocialJustice hashtags on social media.

Events & Activities

Social Media

  • Follow @mdoenews on Twitter and Maine Department of Education on Facebook for #CSEdWeek posts throughout the week.
  • Use the #CSEdWeek and #CSforSocialJustice hashtags to share and engage with the computer science community.
  • Check out the #CSEdWeek2020Photos challenge on social media to see what teachers are doing in their classrooms during #CSEdWeek2020.
  • Interested in learning more about CS in Education? Check out #CSforAll #CSforGood #CS4Maine #ComputerScience

For more information contact Emma-Marie Banks, Secondary Digital Learning & Computer Science Specialist for the Maine Department of Education at emma-marie.banks@maine.gov.