What is Graduation Rate? #success4ME

The graduation rate indicator is one of four indicators used in Maine’s Model of School Support. It will be used as an indicator of success for high schools only. Graduation is defined as graduating within four years after entering ninth grade. In Maine, the graduation rate indicator reflects the number of students graduating “on-time”, as well as the graduating students who progressed at a different rate and graduated in either five or six years.

In the past, graduation rate was never utilized when making determinations of schools eligible to receive support. Under Maine’s Model of School Support, the graduation rate for students meeting graduation requirements in four years in addition to the graduation rate of students meeting graduation requirements in five or six years will be utilized.

graduation rate 4 yr (blue) — 4 Year Graduation Rate

What does this look like in Maine?

Achieving a diploma is a major accomplishment and marks a significant milestone in a student’s life. It is important to highlight the number of students achieving a diploma, whether it takes some students four years or longer to do so. As it relates to Maine’s Model of School Support, the Graduation Rate indicator is split into two rates of graduation:

5 and 6 Year Graduation Rate

The 4-year rate is the number of students who graduate in four years with a high school diploma, divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class.
The 5 and 6 year rates reflect the number of graduating students who took 5 and 6 years, respectively to graduate from high school.

How will graduation rate data be presented on the school report card?

The school as a whole will receive a performance measure related to individual student groups meeting the annual graduation target.

Graduation Performance Descriptors:

Graduation – 4 Year

Emerging	Developing	Meeting	Excelling
No eligible student group made their annual graduation target	At least one eligible student group made their annual graduation target	All eligible student groups made their annual graduation target	All eligible student groups have met or exceeded the long-term goal of 90%

Graduation – Combined 5/6 Year

Emerging	Developing	Meeting	Excelling
No eligible student group made their annual graduation target	At least one eligible student group made their annual graduation target	All eligible student groups made their annual graduation target	All eligible student groups have met or exceeded the long-term goal of 92%

Eligible student groups include: Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Two or More Races, White, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged, Migrant Students, and English Learners.

Goals for four year adjusted cohort graduation rate:

Subgroup	Baseline (Data and Year)	Long-term Goal (Data and Year) 2030
All students	86.83% 2016	90% or maintain current 2016, whichever is greater, graduation percentages by 2030
Economically disadvantaged students	77.77% 2016
Children with disabilities	72.19% 2016
English learners	78.14% 2016
Race – Hispanic/Latino	83.46% 2016
Race – American Indian	84.91% 2016
Race – Asian	90.68 % 2016
Race – Black or African American	76.77% 2016
Race – Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	88.24% 2016
Race – White	87.29% 2016

The measurements of progress are based on increases in the percentage of all students in Maine who make progress toward the long-term goals on a three-year basis. Long-term goals were developed to reduce the percentage of non-graduating students to result in student groups all meeting the goal of 90% by 2030. The calculation process, for example, is as follows:

Subgroup: All Students

Step 1: 2016 Graduation Rate = 86.83%
Step 2: 90% (goal) – 86.83% (baseline) = 3.17%
Step 3: Differential for each 3-year step is 3.17 divided by 5 = .61%
Step 4: Add to the baseline .61 % and add the .61% to each subsequent step to reach the goal of 90% by 2030.

Goals for extended- year cohort graduation rate

Subgroup	Baseline (Data and Year)	Long-term Goal (Data and Year) 2030
All students	88.61% 2016	92% or maintain current 2016, whichever is greater, graduation percentages by 2030
Economically disadvantaged students	80.82% 2016
Children with disabilities	77.27% 2016
English learners	86.12% 2016
Asian	94.27% 2016
American Indian	83.49% 2016
Black	83.47% 2016
Hispanic	84.13% 2016
Native Hawaiian	93.33% 2016
White	88.84% 2016
Multiple Races	86.62% 2016

Graduation rate will be presented on the initial page of the report card in the following way:

reportcard1

reportcard2

reportcard3

reportcard4

For further information please contact Janette Kirk, Acting Director, Office of Learning Systems at Janette.Kirk@maine.gov.

Love to Code: STEAM Professional Learning Workshop – Register by 11/16

Maine educators are invited to participate in a professional learning workshop that supports the integration of technology across multiple content areas with a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) as well as computer science, coding, and computational thinking. By using arts and craft techniques to teach circuits and programming, the workshop will introduce ways to engage learners of diverse backgrounds and interests in designing and building their own technologies and getting excited about STEAM!

During the workshop, educators will:

Engage in activities that can be used in classrooms with students who are learning STEAM, coding, and computational thinking concepts
Explore techniques that blend craft and code: students can use skills they have (crafting) to learn new skills (coding), offering new pathways to coding for students who find traditional pathways to learning code less accessible
Learn how to develop integrated learning opportunities, where the technology is used in service of the learning (instead of as the focus of the learning).
Understand how to create and foster a sense of wonder (instead of fear) when students try something new and somewhat challenging

The workshop will be led by a team from Chibitronics that has created Love to Code, an electronics and coding toolkit that gets students building circuits and coding in an art-friendly, hands-on way. Students will learn to build and program functioning circuitry within the pages of a picture book and then take these skills to design their own paper circuits (sample paper circuit projects). Students can then program a “Chibi Chip” to control their art work, making interactive artwork that comes to life with code!

Love to Code’s innovative features include a:

Picture book format, which teaches complex coding concepts by embedding them in metaphor and story;
Blend of craft and code, which allows learners to use skills they already have (crafting) as they learn new skills (coding).

Learn more about the presenters and see some of their projects, Jie Qi and Natalie Freed.

Event Information:

Date: Saturday, December 1st, 2018
Time: 8:30am – 3:30pm
Location: RiSE Center, University of Maine, Orono
Contact Hours: 8 hours can be earned
Cost: $15 (includes light breakfast, lunch, and Love To Code Kit)
Register here

Please bring a laptop or tablet with you to the event. In order to program the Chibi Chips, devices need to have a headphone port available. This might require you to bring an adapter/dongle depending on your device.

Draft Agenda:

8:00am: Registration and light breakfast
8:30am: Welcome, Introductions, and Connections
9:00am: Jie Qi and Natalie Freed– “From Make Believe to Making Tech: Paper Circuits and Programming”
10:00am: Break
10:15am: Learning with the Love to Code Kits
11:45am: Lunch – includes a networking activity
12:45pm: Expectations and goals for afternoon design and creation time
1:15pm: Design and Create: Make what you’ll take back to your school – workshop for colleagues, unit or lesson with students, etc
3:00pm: Wrap up, reflections, connecting forward

For answers to questions or more information, please contact Amanda Nguyen, Digital Learning Specialist for the Maine Department of Education at Amanda.Nguyen@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Hosts Meeting of Regional Service Center Executive Directors

The Maine Department of Education recently hosted the 9 regional service center (RSC) executive directors in the inaugural meeting of RSC statewide leadership. Representatives from each RSC participated in the meeting led by the Maine Department of Education’s EMBRACE team.

The meeting provided opportunities for:

Discussing a framework for continued state-level support for RSCs
Creating a professional cohort of RSC Executive Directors
Questions and answers from Maine DOE staff and each other
Gaining a statewide perspective on RSC implementation, organizational development, activities, and services

Maine DOE outlined the data points the regional service center will report in the first year of operation, in addition to the following:

Define the RSC goals
Define how the RSC will measure year 1 success
Provide financial reports
Detail specific elements of state-level support needed

Regional Service Center executive directors shared their RSC’s activities. It was noted that RSCs are in varying stages of development; some are further along because the regional collaboration is a continuation of efforts already in place.

RSCAnnualEDmeeting2018 — Ben Sirois, Superintendent of MSAD 27 & Executive Director of Valley Unified RSC updates other RSC Executive Directors

Some highlights include:

In 2015-16 Valley Unified’s RSC (prior to becoming an RSC) began working on their comprehensive regional strategic plan, which allowed them to be well-positioned to apply for Maine DOE’s EMBRACE I and II grant funding opportunities. Most recently the RSC was approved for an integrated, consolidated 9-16 facilities project.
In southern Maine, the Greater Sebago Education Alliance RSC is developing, among their many services, resources for a leadership academy in partnership with the University of Southern Maine, and developing resources for English Learners diversity training and intake procedures.

For more information on statewide regionalization initiatives visit the EMBRACE Regionalized Programs and Services webpages or contact the EMBRACE team Regionalization Specialists Jennifer Pooler at jennifer.g.pooler@maine.gov or Deb Lajoie at deborah.j.lajoie@maine.gov.

2018-2019 Maine School Immunization Report Due December 31, 2018

Maine law (20A M.R.S.A. 6358, Chapters 126 & 216) requires students enrolled in grades K-12 to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio and varicella (chicken pox). Additionally, all students enrolled in grades 7-12 must be immunized against meningococcal meningitis. Under this law, students are required to have either vaccine administration records, a physician note or laboratory evidence to prove immunity, a physician note indicating the student is medically exempt, or a religious or philosophical objection note from a parent/guardian for each of the required vaccines listed above.

In accordance with this law, each year, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Maine Immunization Program, in conjunction with the Maine Department of Education, sends out the Maine School Age Immunization Assessment Survey to collect immunization information on all students enrolled in Maine public and private schools. The data from this survey is used to measure compliance with this law and also to assess the level of immunization coverage throughout the State of Maine. The survey can be completed online using Survey Monkey through the following web link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/school2018me

Who must report and what is reported:

All schools with students enrolled in these grades (K, 7^th, 12^th) MUST report. If you fail to report by the deadline the superintendent of your school will be notified.

- - Kindergarten – reporting on all required school age immunizations (DTaP, Polio, MMR, Varicella)
  - Seventh grade– Tdap and meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) ONLY – 1 dose of each is required
  - Twelfth grade – MCV4 ONLY – 1 or 2 doses required based on age the first dose was given

Missing immunizations will require follow up. All students must either have an immunization record or exemption on file for each required vaccine. Superintendents will be notified of any non-compliance.

To complete the survey, you will need the number of students enrolled (full or part-time) for grades K, 7^th, and 12^th. For each required vaccine, you will need the number of students vaccinated, the number of students with either medical, religious, or philosophical exemptions, and the number of students missing records (non-compliant). A pdf copy of the survey is available here:

Complete the survey online
The deadline for completing the survey is December 31, 2018, after which the survey will be closed. This is extended from the usual December 15 deadline.

For additional information or assistance, contact Jessica Shiminski from DHHS at 207-287-3746 or 1-800-867-4775 or email: jessica.shiminski@maine.gov.

Resource to Help Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences

Adverse childhood experiences—commonly known as ACEs—affect children and families across all communities. ACEs can impact kids’ health and well-being, and they can have long-term effects on adults’ health and wellness. They can even have consequences that impact entire families, communities, and our whole society. Thankfully, ACEs are preventable.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Cervices, Center for Disease Control has provided an new online training tool, Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences.

This training will help you understand, recognize, and prevent ACEs. You’ll learn about risk and protective factors, outcomes associated with ACEs, and evidence-based strategies you can use to reduce or eliminate the impact of ACEs and stop them from occurring in the first place.

Get the knowledge and insights you need to help create healthier, happier childhoods for kids today, and bright futures for adults tomorrow.

Training topics include:

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Brain Development, and Toxic Stress
The ACE Study
Prevalence and Consequences of ACEs
Risk and Protective Factors for ACEs
Essentials for Childhood: Assuring Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships and Environments

For further information, contact Emily Poland, School Nurse Consultant for the Maine Department of Education at emily.poland@maine.gov.

11/6/18 TransACT Training in Machias Cancelled

The TransACT training scheduled for November 6, 2018 in Machias, as described in this DOE newsroom article, has been cancelled due to low registration. Please note that the trainings scheduled for November 5, 2018 in Portland and Bangor are still happening as planned.

If you would like further information about TransACT Parent Notices, especially as it pertains to their use as a parent and family engagement tool, please contact April Perkins, Director of ESOL/Bilingual Programs & Title III at (207)624-6627 or april.perkins@maine.gov

What is Academic Progress? #success4ME

academic progress ela (blue) — Academic Progress – English Language Arts (ELA)

The Academic Progress indicator, is one of four (4) indicators utilized in Maine’s Model of School Supports and is used for grades 3-8. Academic Progress is defined as the comparison of individual student assessment performance scores from one year to the next, aggregated to the school level.

At the state, district, school, and classroom levels, Maine educators are committed to creating a culture of support and encouragement for families with children experiencing challenges. In the past, Maine has focused solely on achievement and in particular, achievement gaps between student groups. Academic achievement records the number of students on average, who are performing at state expectations. Although this is beneficial to track, when conducting a more detailed analysis of data, academic achievement does not take into account the individual growth of a student.

academic progress math (blue) — Academic Progress – Mathematics

What does this look like in Maine?

Each year students in grades three through eight are administered statewide assessments in both English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Student performance on the state assessment is scored on a scale of 1 to 4. A performance level of 3 or above indicates that a student is meeting grade-level expectations. Every student grades 3 -8 who has been in the same school for two consecutive years will receive a progress score by looking at his or her assessment results from the previous year in comparison to the current year. Individual students are assigned scores of 0 to 450 according to academic achievement scores from one year to the next. A score of 100 indicates expected growth. An individual score of less than 100 indicates that a student has not yet made adequate growth. The progress scores of all eligible students are added together and then divided by the number of eligible students. The resulting number is the school indicator scores for ELA and math.

The above is repeated to determine a progress indicator score for mathematics and a progress indicator score for ELA.

How will academic progress data be presented on the school report card?

The school as a whole will receive a performance measure related to the percentage of students who are making academic progress. Academic progress rates will never be reported at the student level.

The school level descriptors for academic progress are as follows:

Academic Progress – English Language Arts (ELA)

Emerging	Developing	Meeting	Excelling
A score of less than 100 for all eligible student groups	A score of at least 100 for at least one eligible student group	A score of at least 100 for all eligible student groups	A score of at least 150 for all eligible student groups

Academic Progress – Mathematics

Emerging	Developing	Meeting	Excelling
A score of less than 100 for all eligible student groups	A score of at least 100 for at least one eligible student group	A score of at least 100 for all eligible student groups	A score of at least 150 for all eligible student groups

Eligible student groups include: Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Two or More Races, White, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged, Migrant students, and English Learners.

Academic progress data will be presented on the initial page of the report card in the following way:

reportcard1_AP

To assist parents and community members in understanding academic progress, the report card provides “hover over” features that explain the definition of the performance level.

reportcard2_AP

Further questions can be directed to Janette Kirk, Acting Director, Office of Learning Systems at janette.kirk@maine.gov

Reminder: Annual Audit Requirements

Iinitial report to the Commissioner is due November 1st:

Pursuant to Title 20-A MRSA 6051 §4, statements of assurance and Maine Education Financial System reconciliations are due to the Department by November 1, 2018. Please submit via email to DOE.audit@maine.gov . Any adjustments identified by these reconciliations should be uploaded to the Maine Education Financial System in NEO by November 30, 2018.

Annual Audit Reports Due December 30th:

Annual audit reports are due within six months after the end of the audit period (e.g., reports for the fiscal year ending June 30^th are due on or before December 30^th).
- Per statute, it is the school board’s responsibility to submit the annual audit document unless it is included in the engagement letter that the audit firm will submit the audit to the Department on behalf of the school board.
Per statute, the auditor is required to review the audit with the school board.
- Municipal school units are required to submit either a combined annual audit or a school department audit and a municipal audit to the Department. The municipal annual report (a.k.a. town report) cannot be accepted in lieu of the complete municipal annual audit.

Per statute, Maine DOE must receive a SEFA (Schedule of Expenditure of Federal Awards), which includes federal award expenditures for all reporting entities, regardless if a Single Audit (formerly A-133 audit) is not required to be conducted. The SEFA provides information needed by Maine DOE to conduct sub-recipient monitoring as required by US DOE and is due at the time of the annual audit.
- In municipal school units where a combined audit is not conducted, Maine DOE is to receive two audits: an audit with a SEFA for the school department and a city/town including a SEFA.

If a management letter is prepared by the auditor, a copy must be submitted to MDOE with the annual audit as this letter provides MDOE with information needed to conduct sub-recipient monitoring as required by US DOE.
Please submit all annual audit documents, reports, information requests, questions and other audit correspondence via email to DOE.Audit@Maine.gov or via the direct link provided on the Fiscal Review and Compliance webpage.

Extensions and Subsidy Payments

It is the Superintendent’s responsibility to request audit deadline extensions and/or exceptions, regardless if the request is for the municipal audit and/or school department audit. The forms are available on the Fiscal Review and Compliance webpage.

Extensions will expire no less than 30 days from the date the extension was submitted.
Extension requests will be considered until June 30th (six months after due date); extensions will not be valid after June 30th and all municipalities and school administrative units with overdue audits that have not submitted an extension request before May 30^th will be place on the hold subsidy list and subsidy will be withheld in July.
Submitting the required documents will be the only way to be removed from the Hold Subsidy List.

For more information, review statutory requirements in Title 20-A MRSA 6051 §4 or email to DOE.Audit@Maine.gov.

Certification Updates and Reminders

Please share this notice with all educators.

Rule Chapter 115 reminders – New Chapter 115 Part I regulations went into effect on July 14. The Department encourages all educators to be familiar with the laws governing certification. Rule chapters can be found on the Secretary of State’s Rule Chapters in order by chapter number.

Special Note for Educators:

Create an account – All educators who have not yet created an account in the new online certification system are encouraged to do so. By creating an account, educators are ensuring the certification team has the most recent contact information available. Step by step instructions on how to create an account are available on this webpage.
Please ensure applications are complete upon submission – Submitting incomplete applications or parts of applications at different times will result in significant delays in processing.
Two week processing time for CHRC – Criminal History Records Checks (CHRC) applications are being processed in approximately two weeks. If it has been longer than two weeks and if there was significant time between submission of application and the fingerprint appointment, please contact the certification office at 207-624-6600.
Please do not call the certification office to get a status update on your application – The bulk of calls are regarding this question. The certification team can process applications faster with less calls regarding status updates. The same information can be found in the new online Maine Education Information System (MEIS), including:
- If your application is not in the MEIS system, it means that the application has not yet been manually entered.
- Once the application is entered, applicants can see the application listed in the system. After evaluation of the application, either a deficiency letter will be mailed listing the items still needed or a certificate will be issued.
- If the certificate has been issued it will be listed under “Certificates” in the MEIS system.

MEIS Updates:

Call wait times are typically between 0 – 30 minutes.
Since January 1, 2018 – 17,445 applications have been evaluated.
There are currently approximately 3,000 applications in queue to be evaluated.
The certification office posts updates on Maine DOE’s Official Facebook and Twitter pages, and in the DOE newsroom.

WIDA Early Years Online Learning Modules (to Support Multilingual Children) Now Available at No Cost to Teachers and Administrators

The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce that Maine’s early care and education community is now able to access to the WIDA Early Years online learning modules. These modules focus on supporting young multilingual children, ages 2.5 to 5.5 years and are available at no cost to teachers and administrators. Multilingual children, commonly referred to as dual language learners, are children who are developing more than one language.

Each self-paced, interactive module provides opportunities for reflection and offers suggestions for applying content to local practice. The following modules are available:

Dual Language Learners and their Families
WIDA Early English Language Development Standards Framework
Dual Language Learners with Disabilities
Scaffolding Language Learning
Promising Practices

A description of each module, frequently asked questions, and instructions for creating a user account and registering for the modules can be found in the documents listed below:

Access the modules: WIDA Early Years online modules (visit and create your user account)

If you are a program leader, administrator, trainer, or coach, we hope you will utilize these modules as a resource to support the professional learning needs of those serving multilingual children. The modules can be used in staff development sessions and/or shared with individual educators or teams of educators, such as professional learning communities.

Contact hours are available upon completion of a module. To receive a contact hours certificate, please download the certificate of completion generated by the WIDA Early Years online system and email it to april.perkins@maine.gov.

Additionally, the Department has purchased a set of WIDA Early Years Promising Practices Implementation Kits to assist districts in refining their programs for young multilingual children. These kits serve as a program self-evaluation tool, highlighting several evidence-based, highly effective strategies for supporting children’s development of multiple languages. Several districts with a significant number of dual language learners will receive these kits. A district that does not receive its own kit may request to borrow one from the Maine Department of Education.

WIDA Early Years resources have been provided to Maine educators through Title III, CDS, Head Start and public pre-k funds.

If you have any questions about these resources, or to request to borrow a WIDA Early Years Promising Practices Implementation Kit, please contact Maine DOE Director of ESOL/Bilingual Programs & Title III April Perkins at april.perkins@maine.gov or (207)624-6627.