Category: Newsroom Articles

UMaine 4-H offering new “Follow a Researcher” opportunity for classrooms

The University of Maine is once again gearing up for a Follow a ResearcherTM expedition!  Follow a ResearcherTM is an innovative University of Maine 4-H program that connects youth with a graduate student while the graduate student is conducting field research in a remote location. This October the program is going to Antarctica with Lynn, a PhD student at the University of Maine, to study ice and glacial movement.  Lynn’s project involves Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and lots of modeling and numbers.

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Updated College Scorecard available online for researching higher education institutions

The U.S. Department of Education recently released its first annual update of the redesigned College Scorecard — available at CollegeScorecard.ed.gov — to ensure that students and families have the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and reliable information available on colleges, all in an easy-to-understand format. The site allows visitors to sort and filter their search results to easily compare schools and decide which college makes the most sense when considering the typical costs, average student loan amount, students’ ability to repay their loans, and their future earnings.

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Addition made to MUSER FAQs on diagnostic placements

The Maine DOE has made an addition to the Maine Unified Special Education Regulations frequently asked questions concerning the placement into special education settings, as a general education intervention, of students not identified as eligible for special education.

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Maine DOE ACCUPLACER® units discontinued

As of July, Maine DOE discontinued access to ACCUPLACER® for students as part of the State’s testing program. High schools who would like to continue to utilize the ACCUPLACER® as a diagnostic assessment and placement tool for college-bound students are encouraged to establish independent accounts and transfer units from the State account.

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Maine DOE updates teacher mentoring materials for 2016-17

The Maine DOE is announcing the official release of the newly revised teacher mentoring materials for the 2016-17 school year. The new materials have been reviewed and reworked, and replace older versions of print-based documents.

All mentoring materials are now available here on the Department’s Educator Effectiveness website including presentations, forms, training templates and video.

The new materials are comprehensive and make teacher mentoring a vital part of the overall effectiveness of a teacher. This support system is not only essential in growing and supporting our new teachers  but affords highly effective teachers an opportunity to expand their leadership.

For more information contact the Department’s Educator Effectiveness Coordinator Charles Lomonte at charles.lomonte@maine.gov or 624-6748.

Physical education requirements for children with disabilities

Under Maine’s system of learning results, each student is required to study and achieve proficiency in the eight content areas including physical education. In addition to State requirements, federal regulations for implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) require that states follow the guidelines set forth in sections 34 CFR 300.39 and 300.108.

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OSERS issues “Dear Colleague Letter” regarding positive behavior interventions and supports

On August 1, 2016, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) on the requirement that schools provide positive behavioral supports to students with disabilities when needed.

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