Districts are encouraged to celebrate April as the Month of the Military Child

The Maine Department of Education is encouraging local school districts and the greater education community to celebrate the Month of the Military Child in April this year by participating in any of the following ways.

In coordination with the National MIC3 Council, on April 9th the Department encourages students to create posters either thanking military children and their parents for their service, or if a student has parents in the military, they can create a poster that reflects their experience as military child.

In addition to having students create posters, the Department is also encouraging education communities and students to “Purple Up” for military children on April 9th (or another day that makes sense for each individual community). Purple Up refers to wearing the color purple for the day to recognize and celebrate the Month of the Military Child. With the permission of participants, we encourage local schools to take a group picture and post it on social media. When posting pictures, if you tag Maine DOE’s official Facebook and/or Twitter page and we will share your picture with our social media audiences.

In addition, this month on April 17th, military children will be Legislative Pages for both Maine State Senate and House Chambers. For those that work, visit and plan on being present at the Maine State House building on April 17th, please Purple Up to show your support. We also encourage all Maine DOE staff and legislators to Purple Up in support of military children on this day.

For further questions and information on how to participate in the Month of the Military child please contact Maine DOE Military Family Education Liaison, Tyler Backus at Tyler.Backus@maine.gov.

Maine Education Financial System to update identification numbers for uploads

The Maine Education Financial System will be moving from MEDMS IDs to ORG IDs on July 1, 2018. Over the past few years the Maine Department of Education data collection systems have been migrating towards using ORG IDs to identify School Administrative Units, and other organizations, in their data collection systems.

Starting on July 1, 2018 the Maine Education Financial System will also use the new ORG IDs for all uploads from the school accounting systems.

ORG ID can be located at the top of the ED 279, on each page, to the left of the SAU name. ED 279s can be located here: http://www.maine.gov/doe/eps/

School units should work with their vendor to update this field for the export that their local accounting system creates. Starting July 1, 2018 if a school administrative unit is still using the MEDMS ID their file will not upload to the Maine Education Financial System.

For further information contact Tyler Backus, School Finance & Compliance Coordinator at 207-624-6635 or Tyler.Backus@maine.gov.

Preparation for April Attending Student Report

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) is in the process of preparing an April Attending Student Report for the purpose of calculating tuition rates. In preparation for this report, it is vital that each school administrative unit (SAU) keeps their attendance data accurate as well as complete.

The April Attending Student Report will be based on the SAUs attending students as of April 1^st and will be due by June 30, 2018.

It is expected that the report will be available mid to late April. Once it is ready, the Attending Report will be available in the Maine DOE’s NEO system within the student data link-under the student reports tab with the title “April Attending Student Report”.

Please continue to monitor future DOE updates in the Maine DOE Newsroom about instructions and webinars regarding this reporting requirement.

If you are unable to login to NEO, contact the Helpdesk 624-6896 for assistance.

If you have questions about the report please contact Travis Wood at 624-6742.

Repeal of Chapter 82 School Bus Driver Fitness Determination

The enacted repeal of Code of Maine Regulations 05-071 Chapter 82 School Bus Driver Fitness Determination became effective on March 25, 2018. Current motor vehicle laws provide substantial protections for public safety. The repeal supports local school districts in the selection and hiring of school bus drivers. This repeal effects those bus drivers hired by public schools. Public school bus drivers must still have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) with a school bus endorsement for school bus operation pursuant to Maine Motor Vehicle Statutes 29-A MRS § 2303.

More information regarding commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL endorsements including for school bus operation is available on the following Bureau of Motor Vehicle websites: http://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/licenses/commercialexam.html and http://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/forms/index.html

Date set for presentation of Major Capital Improvement Program priority list

The scoring process for the Major Capital Improvement Program is close to completion for the 75 schools visited during the Fall of 2017. A Proposed Priority List will be presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting. The acceptance of that list will initiate a 30 day appeal period.

Once the State Board has taken action after the scheduled meeting date, the Major Capital Improvement Program priority list will be posted on the Department’s website at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/facilities/construction/index.html

For further information, contact Maine DOE Director of School Construction Scott Brown at (207) 624-6883.

ESEA Federal Programs to provide May sessions for program updates and technical assistance

As a result of feedback received from ESEA Coordinators and Title I Directors, the Maine Department of Education’s Federal Programs team will be providing updates and technical assistance at the following sessions scheduled at locations across the State during the month of May.

Technical assistance and program update sessions:

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Hampden Inn

768 Main Street,

Presque Isle, ME 04769

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Jeff’s Catering

15 Littlefield Way,

Brewer, ME 04412

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Thomas College

180 West River Road,

Waterville, ME 04901

Friday, May 4, 2018

Keeley’s Banquet Center

178 Warren Avenue

Portland, Maine 04103

Registration is required. Please register by April 20, 2018.

Please note: Due to the preparation required for each of the individualized sessions, registration is required to attend. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Register here »

Download draft agenda »

Registration is now open through April 20, 2018.

Questions regarding changes to registered participants, availability to attend or general questions can be directed to Daniel Weeks, Maine Department of Education Title V Coordinator at (207) 624-6749 or via email: Daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov.

Edward Little High School teacher selected for Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Program

High School teacher Erin Towns from Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine has been selected as one of this year’s Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in recognition of her commitment to geographic education. The 2018 Fellows, a group of 40 highly respected educators from the United States and Canada, will embark on global expeditions on board the Lindblad Expedition ships for a hands-on experience for professional development.

Starting later this year, the 2018 Fellows will begin their 10 to 17 day expeditions to locations including the Canadian High Arctic, Antarctica, Southeast Alaska, Arctic Svalbard, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Galápagos Islands. Accompanied by Lindblad-National Geographic expedition experts, ranging from undersea specialists to National Geographic photographers, the Fellows will experience landscapes, cultures and wildlife unique to their regions of exploration.

For more information about Ms. Towns and the other fellows, check out the Grosvenor Teacher Fellows website.

Supports for Advanced Placement and College Board assessments

As part of a notification provided in September 2015, the Maine Department of Education provided guidance regarding the removal of supports provided for some assessments administered by the College Board. This included the ACCUPLACER, PSAT/NMSQT and the former Readistep.

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, removed previously designated funding to support subsidies for Advanced Placement assessments.

In collaboration with the Title I Committee of Practitioners, the Department has determined that setting aside an additional 3% of Title I funds (beyond the mandated 7% for School Improvement and 1% for State Administration) was not in the best interest of all Maine students. This approach would have removed funding from each Title I school district, making it more challenging to support students in need. Maine receives the minimum Title IV allocation from the federal government, therefore State level activity funds available under Section 4104 are also not sufficient to support all students currently enrolled in Advanced Placement courses (Section 1003A and Section 4104).

The Department encourages local education agencies look to federal funds awarded to them under Titles I and IV to support students taking Advanced Placement courses and examinations. Below are options available:

Under ESSA, locally received ESEA Title I federal funds can be utilized to support Advanced Placement courses and assessments in Title I schools for the appropriately identified population as outlined in a comprehensive needs assessment, SAU consolidated plans or schoolwide plans.
Similarly, local education agencies receiving an allocation of funding under Title IV, Part A of ESSA may also utilize funds to support the costs associated with access to accelerated learning opportunities. Section 1112(b)(12) & 1112 (b) (13) Section 1114(b) (7)(A) (iii)(II) Section 4107(a)(3)(D).

Should you have further questions, please contact Janette Kirk, Deputy Director, Office of Learning Systems at 624-6707 or Janette.Kirk@maine.gov.

eMPowerME Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy Assessment Item Review Committee Opportunity

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is currently recruiting educators to serve on item review panels for the eMPowerME Assessment in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The work will be facilitated by Measured Progress on June 19-21, 2018 in Portland, Maine. Maine DOE is seeking educators with expertise in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 to serve as content reviewers. Selected panelists will review eMPower materials for Measured Progress’s content specialists, who are eager to receive advisory feedback from Maine educators, in addition to the feedback Measured Progress seeks from its national panel.

A content reviewer’s job is to review items, passages, graphics and other stimuli based on criteria such as the following:

Is the content of a reading passage appropriate for the age/grade level of students?
Is a stimulus (e.g., graph, diagram, timeline) appropriate for the age/grade level of students?
Is a test item appropriate for the age/grade level of students?
Is a test item aligned with the targeted content standard(s)?
Are the scoring rules (rubrics) for open-response items aligned with the targeted content standard(s)?
Does a test item present a realistic task to students?
Will students’ responses to a test item provide information that is useful to teachers for identifying students’ strengths and needs and to plan instruction?
Is a mathematics test item mathematically correct?
Is the content of an ELA passage factually correct?

On the morning of the first day, Measured Progress content specialists will provide training on these criteria and on review procedures. Panelists will then review new Measured Progress items and passages, and the specialists will facilitate discussions and capture your feedback.

If you are interested in being considered for one of the item review panels, please complete the online application by April 13, 2018. If invited to participate on a panel, you must commit to attend all three days (June 19-21). Measured Progress will pay a stipend OR substitute reimbursement for meeting attendance, and will reimburse travel expenses that conform to the guidelines we will provide to selected panelists. Applicants will be notified if they are selected or not by April 25, 2018. Selected panelists will need to commit to the panel by May 4, 2018.

For further questions please contact Nancy Godfrey at nancy.godfrey@maine.gov or 207-624-6775.

Reminder and updated guidance for rescheduling and requesting waivers for storm days

Once again, the winter has resulted in an increased amount of snow storms causing schools to close to avoid dangerous weather conditions. Winter storm closures coupled with the wind storm that occurred earlier in the school year and resulted in power outages across Maine, has caused school administrative units to exceed the number of storm days that were originally planned for in the school calendar.

As a reminder, the requirement is 175 instructional days for students in grades K-11, and 170 days for high school seniors.

Rescheduling instructional time

Acceptable efforts to reschedule classes include the following:

Rescheduling or shortening scheduled vacation
Postponing the scheduled school closing date
Conducting classes on weekends
In addition, districts sometimes choose to revert a scheduled teacher in-service day to a student instructional day

Please note, under Chapter 125 Section 6.02, subsection C, school administrative units may schedule a one hour extension of the school day for up to 25 days in a school year; 5 one hour extensions may be counted as an additional school day. It is important for school boards that vote on revised calendars to notify the Commissioner’s office, particularly for school administrative units that choose to extend the school day, as this option will alter the attendance counts for the unit.

Also, schools that choose to extend the school day in lieu of attending additional days, please be aware that SAUs that participate in federal reimbursement for USDA food funding may be affected. USDA food funding is calculated based on the number of lunches served in the previous year. Therefore, if an SAU has less lunches served due to extending school days rather than going extra days in the 2017/2018 school year, it will result in less federal reimbursement for the meal program in the 2018/2019 school year.

For further information about the Child Nutrition Program, contact Walter Beasley, Maine DOE Director of Child Nutrition at (207) 624-6875 or Walter.Beesley@maine.gov.

Requesting waivers

In Chapter 125: Basic Approval Standards: Public Schools and School Administrative Units Section 6.01, subsections C (1) and (2), regulations state that the Commissioner may waive the minimum school year requirements upon submission of a written request from the school board to the Commissioner, and that waivers will be granted only after school officials have exhausted all reasonable avenues for making up lost school days, and only in extraordinary circumstances.

For further information about rescheduling school days or requesting waivers please view the Department’s updated Waivers for Snow Days Frequently Asked Questions.

For further questions or to notify the Department of the intent to file for a waiver please contact Pamela Ford-Taylor, Maine DOE School Enrollment Specialist at (207) 624-6617 or Pamela.Ford-Taylor@maine.gov.