Category: News & Views

Reminder: Computer Science Day is Monday, August 13th

Please plan to join us in Augusta for Computer Science Day at the State House and Maine State Library on August 13th from 9am to 4pm. All ages are welcome! Note that educators can earn up to seven contact hours.

There will be engaging activities, panels, and presentations led by students, educators, and businesses, such as:

Apple, Baxter Academy of Technology and Science, CashStar, Code.org, Eastern Maine Community College, Esri, Falmouth High School, Gizmo Gardens, Henry L. Cottrell Elementary, Husson University, Learn to Mod, Maine Department of Labor, Maine Office of Information Technology, Maine Central Institute, Maine CSTA, Microsoft, Monmouth Academy, Pi-Top, Project Lead The Way, RSU 19, South Portland High School, Sphero Edu, Texas Instruments, Thomas College, Tyler Technologies, University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4H, University of Maine, Unlimited Technology, University of Southern Maine, and Wonder Workshop.

You’re also encouraged to participate in a scavenger hunt throughout the day. Light refreshments will be provided. More information can be found below!

 

For more information or questions, contact any of the following event organizers:

The State of Maine announces the first round of competitive funding under the VW Environmental Mitigation Settlement Funds

Some public and private schools may have school buses eligible for Maine’s Volkswagen (VW) settlement allocation.  The U.S. District Court in Northern California approved a partial consent decree to settle allegations that VW had installed defective devices on 2.0 and 3.0-liter diesel vehicles sold or leased in the United States.  Maine’s VW settlement allocation totals just over $21 million dollars.  Individuals and entities that have an interest in applying for Maine VW Environmental Mitigation Settlement funds are encouraged to submit a completed application.

Key Points

  • Round one application due date is September 15, 2018
  • Eligible school buses include 2009 engine model year or older and class 4 school buses
  • Applicants for funding must use the fillable application form available at:  https://www1.maine.gov/mdot/vw/application/
  • Maine anticipates several application rounds for competitive Appendix D-2 qualifying actions.  Approximately $2million will be distributed to qualifying proponents during round 1; however, the State of Maine reserves the option to adjust the total distribution based on applications received.
  • Decision criteria are included in the application.

Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) is the lead State agency for Maine’s VW settlement.  If you have any questions, please contact Maine Department of Transportation’s Judy Gates by email at Judy.Gates@maine.gov , or visit Maine’s VW settlement website: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/vw/  for more information.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Computer Science Day to be Held 8/13 in Augusta

What: The Maine Department of Education, the Maine State Library, Project Login, and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance will be hosting Computer Science Day. Attendees can join presentations, hear from panelists from multiple industries, and visit booths with hands-on learning opportunities. The goal of the day is to offer participants the opportunity to explore how computer science skills can be learned in formal and informal learning settings, and how those skills can be applied in current and future jobs in Maine.

Who: The event is free and open to the public to attend. Educators and students from K-12 schools, higher education partners, businesses with employees engaged in computer science work, non-profits, informal learning providers, and companies that have computer science education products will spend the day networking, sharing their experiences with others, and learning from each other.

Where: Maine State House (Hall of Flags), Maine State Library (Atrium), and Various Committee Rooms in the Maine State House

When: Monday, August 13th from 9am – 4pm

  • 8:30 am – Registration begins and continues throughout the day (Hall of Flags and Maine State Library Atrium)
  • 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Presentations, Panels, Hands-on learning at tables (various spaces)
  • 3:00 pm – Closing Event (Hall of Flags)

Schedule Highlights:  

  • 10:00am – 10:45am – Student Panel, Legislative Council Chambers, Maine State House. Students from local schools will share their experiences with Computer Science education, as well as programing and coding projects.
  • 1:00pm – 1:45pm – Higher Education Panel, Legislative Council Chambers, Maine State House. Faculty and students from Maine colleges and universities will discuss learning opportunities, potential career pathways, and resources available related to Computer Science.
  • 2:00pm – 2:45pm – Education and Business Partnerships Panel, Legislative Council Chambers, Maine State House. Panelists will discuss ways that businesses and school communities can create stronger connections that result in a better understanding of career pathways, experiential education opportunities, and an awareness of the skills needed in the workforce.
  • 3:00pm – 3:45pm – Closing Event, Hall of Flags, Maine State House. Host organizations will share ways to connect to resources and continue to engage in learning about Computer Science while participants who have completed the activities for the day enjoy some ice cream!

More information:

Members of the media are welcome to attend. For further questions contact, Maine DOE Director of Communications Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747.

Maine Schools/School Approval FAQs Now Available

The Maine Department Education has posted a Maine Schools/School Approval FAQs  document on the Maine DOE Public School Approval webpage to addresses questions about public school approval and can further assist schools in the approval process for 2018-2019 specifically.

The frequently asked questions with answers have also been provided below for your convenience.

For further questions, please contact Maine DOE School Enrollment Specialist, Pamela Ford-Taylor at 207-624-6617 or Pamela.Ford-Taylor@maine.gov.

 Maine Schools/School Approval FAQs

  1. How do SAUs that operate only K-8 schools answer the CTE questions (#21 and #22)?
    The SAU may check “no” and comment “Grade Level K-8.” Please note that it is recommended currently that 6-8 schools consider introducing students to the concept of alternative pathways, in preparation for high school CTE opportunities. In addition, new legislation (see LD 1576 – An Act To Enable Earlier Introduction of CTE in Maine Schools) will require middle schools to include a CTE experience as part of the curriculum beginning in September of 2019.
  2. How do SAUs that don’t operate CTE schools answer the questions regarding CTE?
    For Question 22, regarding Perkins funding, the SAU may check “no” and enter a comment indicating CTE programming details if they are not the fiscal agent for the CTE. SAUs with a secondary school (and soon, SAUs with a middle school) each have an assigned CTE (Center or Region) as outlined in M.R.S. 20-A, Chapter 313 and must offer students an opportunity to participate in state approved CTE programing as required by M.R.S. 20-A Section 4725.
  3. How should SAUs respond when the law doesn’t go into effect until later this year; should they answer what they plan to do or what is in place currently?
    The SAU may check “no” and indicate the timeline and plan for compliance in the comment section.
  4. Will the comments be read even if the answer to the question is Yes?
    Yes.
  5. Do SAUs need to have actual policy documents with the titles that are in the SAU approval questions? Or can the policies be embedded within other SAU policy documents? If specific types of documents are required, are there templates available?
    The policies may be embedded within other SAU policy documents. Per DOE Rule Chapter 125, “The school administrative unit shall determine the format of the Comprehensive Education Plan. The unit’s Comprehensive Education Plan shall address all plans required by the Department to meet state and federal requirements. This may be done by integrating the multiple requirements or by including each required plan as a distinct component of the Comprehensive Education Plan.” The Department recommends indexing the location of required policies, whether they are standalone documents or part of a larger subset.
  6. How do SAUs that do not operate schools answer these questions?For the following NEO School Approval questions [only], SAUs that operate no schools may check “no” and enter a comment “SAU has no schools” and indicating where the resident students attend school:#s 1, 2, 4, 7-10, 12, 13, 15-18, 20, 22, 25-27, and 30-44.
    The requirements represented by the above questions will be waived.
    Although a Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) is currently not required of SAUs that operate no schools, the following school approval questions refer to policies and process requirements that apply to all SAUs, including SAUs that do not operate schools. These requirements will not be waived:

3 – Nondiscrimination

5 – School finances

6 – Property disposal

11 – Transportation

14 – Personnel clearance

19 – Students with disabilities

21 – CTE opportunities

23 – English Learners (EL)

24 – Homeschool students

28 – Student assessment

29 – Dropout Prevention

45 – Rosters/Records

Please verify that the above required policies/processes are in place, and select the appropriate response during the school approval process

7.  What happened to the information that I entered in NEO?
The application will time out in 20 minutes, please save often.

Anticipated Timeline for Release of Maine Education Assessment (MEA) Results

The anticipated date for providing confidential Maine Education Assessment (MEA) results to districts for review is October 8, 2018.

The anticipated date for releasing final MEA public data and Individual Student Reports is October 29, 2018.

The preliminary release of confidential student results will allow districts approximately three weeks to review and verify the data manually in the individual and aggregate assessment reports in the Maine Assessment and Accountability Reporting System (MAARS) prior to the public release on October 29, 2018.

For further information please contact Maine DOE Deputy Director of Learning Systems, Janette Kirk at janette.kirk@maine.gov.

 

Clarification of the Process for Addressing Complaints of Discrimination

The Maine Department of Education would like to clarify the process for addressing complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq. requires that schools communicate with families in their primary language as much as possible regarding academic, extracurricular, and family engagement activities. Schools are also required to provide students who are English learners (ELs) with an effective language support program that:

  • is evidence-based;
  • is regularly evaluated and modified as needed;
  • enables ELs to meaningfully access grade-level curricula while acquiring English;
  • is designed and implemented by qualified, ESOL-endorsed staff;
  • does not unnecessarily separate ELs from their non-EL peers;
  • does not place ELs in a facility below the standard provided to their non-EL peers; and
  • does not provide ELs with educational materials below the standard provided to their non-EL peers.

The US Department of Justice and the US Department of Education have issued guidance for schools and families regarding Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Requirements for schools to provide translation/interpretation are described in this notice: Information for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Parents and Guardians and for Schools and School Districts that Communicate with Them. The January 7, 2015 Dear Colleague Letter outlines an EL’s educational rights.

To file a discrimination complaint, contact the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. A complaint may be submitted online or by downloading the complaint form and submitting it by mail or email. For more information and access to the online form and pdf, go to https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html.

If you have questions about this notice, please contact:

April Perkins
Director of ESOL/Bilingual Programs & Title III
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Office: (207)624-6627
Cell: (207)441-9043
april.perkins@maine.gov

Annual Audit Requirements

Initial Report to the Commissioner 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 30th are due on or before December 30th).
    • 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 30th 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.

Special Statement about Proficiency Based Diplomas (L.D. 1666)

Following the passage of L.D. 1666: An Act To Ensure the Successful Implementation of Proficiency-based Diplomas, the Department is in the process of conducting a legal review to understand the changes that come with the passage of L.D. 1666, and will be working to determine how best to support schools going forward.

Further guidance will be available to schools and districts as soon as possible.

To help better understand the Department’s sentiments about the new diploma law, please view this statement that Governor Paul R. LePage provided to the Legislature when he signed L.D. 1666. The Department shares the Governor’s concerns and hopes on the passage of L.D. 1666, as expressed in this statement.

The Department thanks the field for their patience as we work through these changes. It is our sincere hope that the way forward will be collaborative and toward a shared vision of excellence and opportunity for all Maine students.

 

 

Schedule for Computer Science Day Now Available

Please plan to join us in Augusta for Computer Science Day at the Capital on August 13th from 9am to 4pm, hosted by Maine DOE, the Maine State Library, Project Login, and Maine Math and Science Alliance. Students, educators and businesses can all benefit from exploring how computer science skills can be learned in formal and informal learning settings, and how those skills can be applied in current and future jobs in Maine.

The day will include presentations and booths with hands-on learning activities. More information can be found below and will continue to be updated over the next few weeks!

For more information or questions, contact any of the following event organizers:

 

Further Work Permit Application Revisions

The Maine Department of Labor’s (MDOL) State of Maine Work Permit application has been revised as of 07/19/18. This additional change, since the most recent update about the work permit process, was necessary in order to protect certain Personally Identifiable Information (PII).  In addition to this change, a second document must now be submitted along with the Work Permit. This second form is an Age Verification Form.  The Age Verification Form must be submitted to MDOL by one of the following methods only:

With the final changes to the permit application itself, the new version, which is absent any PII, may be sent by email (if sent by itself), or it can be included in a secure manner using the same process for and along with the new Age Verification Form.  It is important that your issuing officers support use of the new Work Permit Application and Age Verification forms, using the aforementioned modes of dissemination for managing each of the documents.

MDOL is committed to serving the citizens of Maine at the highest level and will continue to seek ways to streamline this process. We are confident that these additional efforts will ensure the safe transmission of this sensitive information and thank you for your assistance in the process.

Here are the links to the new documents:

If you have any questions regarding Work Permits or this new process, please call Rachel Bowler at 207-623-7930.