Category: News & Views

Input Sought for Teacher Shortage Areas

As part of a federal requirement, the Maine Department of Education submits to the U.S. Department of Education teacher shortage areas for designation, based on collected data and public input.  The U.S. DOE annually designates teacher shortage areas for purposes of deferment of loan repayments or reductions of teaching obligation.

The Department intends to propose the following as K-12 teacher shortage areas during the 2022-2023 school year:

  • General Elementary (K-9)
  • Early Childhood (Pre-K)
  • English/Language Arts (7-12)
  • Teacher of Students with Disabilities (all grade levels)
  • Mathematics (7-12)

The Maine Department of Education is committed to working with our schools to represent the needs and shortage areas most accurately across our state. We recognize the diverse geographic regions and varying conditions that comprise our public education system and strive for equitable and accurate representation.

To provide input regarding a specific shortage area, or to propose additional shortage areas, please submit correspondence to Stephanie Fyfe at stephanie.fyfe@maine.gov by January 7.

Madison Memorial High School STEM Geometry, STEM Lab & Sustainable Agriculture Project Recognized by Samsung

Madison Memorial High School (MSAD/RSU 59) STEM Geometry, STEM Lab & Sustainable Agriculture project has been named Samsung’s Solve For Tomorrow 2021-22 Maine State Winner.

As part of Maine’s state-wide career exploration program, Madison High School’s project helped kick off the Franklin and Somerset Counties’ STEM Pilot Project which aims to fund vocational and innovative programs in science, technology, engineering, and math. The project also helps connect students in Franklin and Somerset Counties with career exploration programming, paid internships and scholarships for Maine Community Colleges serving students from these counties.

The Madison Memorial High School STEM Geometry, STEM Lab & Sustainable Agriculture Project was highlighted by Samsung for their hard work to develop a STEM solution to an issue that impacts their local community.

“The innovative practices of fostering the Engineering Design mindset, using 3D technology as well as sustaining and regenerating natural systems will help address local food insecurity and contribute to the overall reduction of Madison’s global footprint,” said Kathy Bertini, MASD/RSU 59 Curriculum Coordinator, STEAM Person, and 2019 Somerset County Teacher of the Year.

“In order to give MSAD 59 students the best opportunities moving forward, it is critical that we connect innovation with technology,” said Madison High School Principal Chris LeBlanc. “Our students will have a skillset that allows them to use the area’s natural resources in a way that ensures sustainability while enhancing the local community.”

Maine DOE Certification Team Celebrates Successful 2021

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is encouraged by the volume of educator credentials the Certification Team has processed this year through pandemic working conditions for Maine’s education workforce and Maine DOE Employees.

On top of the thousands of emails and hundreds of phone calls the Certification Team responds to per week, they are also evaluating applications, multiple times in many cases as additional information is submitted, all while implementing new and updated certification regulations. Since the start of 2021, Maine DOE’s Certification Team has processed more than 21,500 initial and 10,500 renewal certifications and records checks for administrators, education specialists, education technicians, and teachers.

The team continues to expand online resources on the Maine DOE’s Certification website, be flexible in meeting the needs of the field, and invest in staff training to improve systems and advance workflow.

For more information or assistance with Maine education credentialing, contact our Certification Office at (207) 624-6603 or cert.doe@maine.gov. Please note that all Maine state offices, including the Maine Department of Education’s Certification Office, will be closed on Friday December 24th and Friday, December 30th in observance of the upcoming holidays.

Ed Techs Featured in New Promo Video from Greater Sebago Education Alliance

The Greater Sebago Education Alliance has collaborated on a video that showcases the benefits and joys of working on as an education technician (ed tech) in Maine schools. The video features current ed techs in the Greater Sebago region talking about why they enjoy working as a support staff person at school, and why it’s a job that works for their lifestyle.

If you or someone you know is looking for a change of pace in employment, try contacting your local school to find out what positions are available! For more information about Maine education credentials visit our Certification & Credentialing webpage.

 

Vaccination Promotion Materials for Maine Schools

The Mills Administration is distributing printable 4×6 cards and 8.5×11 posters encouraging Maine people to get vaccinated this season in order to protect their health and the health of their communities. Maine Schools are important partners in this effort, which is why we wanted to provide you with these materials to post in your spaces to help spread the word about the importance of getting vaccinated. Helping reinforce the importance of vaccinations is even more important right now during this sustained surge of COVID-19.

We hope you will join us in this effort to spread the word. Thank you for your partnership and all you do to keep Maine safe and moving forward.

WEBINAR: Averting Targeted School Violence – January 12, 2022

Due to an increase in requests for training, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) will host an encore presentation of their latest study, Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools.

  • Event date: January 12, 2022
  • Event time: 12:00 – 3:30 pm ET
  • Register here.

As part of its mission to prevent targeted violence, NTAC has long maintained a particular focus on the safety of children in schools. The following NTAC resources are available to assist community partners in developing behavioral threat assessment programs and to inform the decisions for when and how to initiate a threat assessment.

Additional resources:

  • Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence provides eight actionable steps for establishing multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams. Behavioral threat assessment is a proactive approach to identify, assess, and appropriately intervene with students who display a behavior that elicits concern for the safety of themselves or others. – Enhancing School Safety
  • Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence is the most comprehensive analysis of targeted school violence ever produced by the federal government. The study offers unparalleled insight into the motives, behaviors, and other situational factors that ultimately led to school violence. – Protecting America’s Schools
  • Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools examines instances when a student advanced a plan to attack their school, but was stopped before violence occurred. The report affirms the importance of bystander reporting and intervention before a student’s behavior escalates to violence. – Averting Targeted School Violence

Yarmouth High School Black Student Union Club Takes Experiential Learning Trip to Boston

The Black Student Union (BSU) is a club at Yarmouth High School composed of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students and their allies.  The mission of BSU is to bring awareness to topics that African Americans and Black People face by having safe discussions on ways to eliminate racism, prejudice, inequality, discrimination and more.

One of BSU’s goals is to help students and staff reexamine our community’s history to better understand racism and its origins.  As a first step, the BSU applied for a grant from the Yarmouth Educational Foundation to take a trip to Boston and spend the day specifically dedicated to exploring African American and Black history and culture.  The day was an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions of the Black community as well as look back at history in New England from the perspective of a person of color.  The students participated in a walking tour of the Black Heritage Trail (Beacon Hill), attended a guided visit to the Museum of African American History and enjoyed Ethiopian food at a local restaurant.

“I learned so many things that I didn’t know before. I learned about important African-American people who helped others and shaped this country. This field trip made me realize how much this information and knowledge needs to be taught in school. This benefited me a lot and helped me better understand our history. I think that this information is too valuable to be just shared with BSU. It should be shared with everyone,” said sophomore Neena Panozzo.

After the field trip, the BSU created a short video presentation for faculty about their experience.  The students are currently working to help provide recommendations to faculty and administration about how our curricula, particularly those focused on history and culture, can be more inclusive.  This field trip helped students in their objective to better educate others in the community about possible discrepancies and gaps in our retelling of history.

“Field trips and experiences like this make such a positive impact on learning for students and you are able to learn so much in only a day,” said ninth grader Madison Beaudoin.

For more information about this initiative, contact Justine Carlisle, BSU Club Advisor at justine_carlisle@yarmouthschools.org.

Maine State Board Member Elected as Secretary-Treasurer of National Board

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has announced the election of Fern Desjardins, chair of the Maine State Board of Education, as secretary-treasurer for a two-year term on its board of directors.  Desjardins previously served a two-year term as new member representative on the NASBE and was also chair of NASBE’s Public Education Positions Committee.

Janet Cannon, a member of the Utah State Board of Education, became NASBE’s board chair at the close of the organization’s virtual Annual Conference and business meeting this year and Christine Benson, a member of the Illinois State Board of Education, was voted NASBE’s chair-elect also.

A former Superintendent of Schools in MSAD #33, Desjardins has spent a 43-year career in public education in Maine and has served on Maine’s State Board of Education since 2018. She has taught graduate level courses for UMaine as an adjunct faculty member in their outreach programs in Aroostook County for almost a decade.  She holds a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership and a Master’s Degree in Language Arts from UMaine, a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership from USM, and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from UMFK.

“NASBE’s board of directors plays an important role in helping the organization achieve its mission of developing, supporting, and empowering state boards to fully embrace their role as citizen leaders,” said NASBE President and CEO Robert Hull. “This board is primed to work closely with incoming President and CEO Paolo DeMaria to expand the robust work of developing state boards’ capacity to lead in these important times of high needs and unprecedented resources.”

NASBE serves as the only membership organization for state boards of education. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASBE elevates state board members’ voices in national and state policymaking, facilitates the exchange of informed ideas, and supports members in advancing equity and excellence in public education for students of all races, genders, and circumstances. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

Translations for Updated COVID-19 Pre-Screening Tool Now Available

The Maine Department of Education updated its Pre-Screening Tool this fall for School Attendance – translations of this document are now available in the 10 most spoken languages in Maine schools. Changes to the prescreening tool included only clarifying language and the addition of common and less common symptoms of COVID-19 (which are unchanged from when they were previously listed on the pre-screening tool).

(This link can also be found on the Maine DOE COVID-19 Toolkit under the “School Health Resources” dropdown).

For feedback or questions about the pre-screening tool email – Emily.poland@maine.gov

Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Showcased on National Stage

Maine Department of Education (DOE) Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning Beth Lambert, was invited to present at the 2021 National Edtech & Innovation Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, NV, this fall. The presentation showcased Maine’s MLTI (Maine Learning Through Technology Initiative) and its recent evolution from the nation’s first statewide 1:1 technology initiative in 2002 to its current iteration, MLTI 2.0.

The presentation featured Maine’s success in sustaining the 1:1 technology initiative for the past 20 years and the process for re-imagining the program to continue to be relevant in 2021, which included the creation of an advisory board of current Maine educators and stakeholders.

Participants got the chance to learn the details of how the newly designed program emphasizes individualized and local level support through the MLTI Ambassador program, which provides a technology integration coach in each school; providing a state infrastructure specialist to work with districts to update infrastructure for learning needs in 2021 and beyond; and, creating local, regional, and statewide professional learning communities, all while still providing 1:1 laptops for students.

Maine is incredibly proud of the work that has gone into sustaining and expanding the MLTI program, both within the Department and through the critical input we have received and partnerships we have made with educators, students, and stakeholders that have been working with us to make this program the very best it can be. Thank you!

To learn more about MLTI 2.0 visit the Maine Department of Education website or contact Brandi Cota MLTI Project Manager Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov