Category: News & Views

Updates and FAQs Regarding New Online Certification System

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to provide an update on the progress of the new online certification system.

  • 8,474 individual renewal applications have been received (many of those with multiple endorsement renewals)
  • 64% of teachers whose certificates expire have applied for renewal
  • 6,995 endorsements have been auto issued back to applicants within minutes of submission
  • An additional 2,205 applications have been processed by the certification team
  • There are currently 2,700 applications in queue to be worked on

The Department’s certification team is fielding more than 500 calls a day and wait times can be significant. Many of the questions asked via phone have been addressed in the “Things to Know/Frequently Asked Questions” list below in this notification.  In addition to the FAQ, please be sure to use the resources available on the Certification Webpage to help reduce the amount of calls for both wait time purposes and to enable the team to process additional applications.

Things to Know/Frequently Asked Questions:

  • One contact point is sufficient – your inquiry will be answered as soon as possible. The certification team has noticed there are multiple emails in addition to multiple calls from the same individual at the same time. When applicants are reaching out in multiple ways to multiple department staff it causes longer wait times and inefficacies in the ability to get to everyone.
  • Not all renewals will be auto issued. If yours is not auto issued, there is no need to call. The receipt you received during the renewal process shows that it was received and the website also indicates current processing times.
  • If you need to have your fingerprints done, please select “new hire” and not “renewal” on the IdentoGo website. If you select renewal, you will be instructed to call the certification department unnecessarily.
  • If you see that you are “missing” a transcript, please know that there are hundreds of thousands of files that all have historical scanned files in the new online system. Transcripts are in the historical file; therefore, educators will not be able to see them in the system but those transcripts are still utilized for any processing.
  • The Certification Department is no longer accepting walk-in appointments. With this policy change, certification staff can increase the number of educators assisted by 80%.
  • During the renewal process:
    • Please do not use Firefox Internet Browser.  Use Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer.
    • If you are prompted to upload documents and you have nothing to upload, please select “Next”.
    • If you are having trouble uploading documents, please ensure the file is in PDF format and that your computer can support Adobe.
    • If you are uploading contact hours, please upload those under the “Other Documentation” screen and not under the transcript screen.

Further communications and updates are available on the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage, Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, and the DOE newsroom.

Important Work Permit Process Updates

Dear Superintendents and all designated minor work permit issuing officers:

In an effort to best protect data considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII), the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Standards is making slight adjustments to the work permit process effective immediately:

Do not include the following information sent to the Bureau of Labor Standards:

  • Birth certificate
  • Social security numbers
  • Date of birth or place of birth

Your review and validation of ‘proof of age’ documentation provided by the minor meets the statutory requirements of the work permit process and eliminates the potential exposure of sensitive information in unsecured environments, like email.

Additionally, Maine DOL has revised the work permit form to eliminate the birth date and place of birth.  In place of those fields, we have added an ‘age’ line for you or your designee to provide to us as part of the validation process.  Here is a link to the updated work permit form.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in ensuring a safe and efficient work permit process.

For more information and/or clarification of the role of the superintendents and/or designees in processing Maine minor work permits, it is clearly defined in Maine Revised Statue on work permits (paragraph three).

Updates on the RFP for the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES)

Last week the State of Maine issued RFP#201806118, which offers a grant funding opportunity through the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES). An amendment to the RFP was posted on the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services website that includes additional requirements regarding applicant eligibility for subsequent grants under FEDES in accordance with Maine DOE Rule Chapter 122, Section 6, 2.

As a reminder, the Department will sponsor an online/telephone Information Session for the RFP on July 19, 2018 at 10:00 AM:

Proposals must be submitted to the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services, via e-mail, to the following email address: Proposals@maine.gov. Proposal submissions must be submitted no later than 4:00 pm, local time, on November 7, 2018, when they will be opened. Proposals will be opened at the Burton M. Cross Office Building, 111 Sewall Street – 4th Floor, Augusta, Maine. Proposals not submitted to the Division of Procurement Services’ email address by the deadline will not be considered for the grant award.

All questions, answers, and a summary from the Information Session will be available on the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services website under RFP# 201806118 following the Information Session.

Commissioner’s Conference Highlights and Feedback Survey

On June 27th and 28th the Maine Department of Education held the 107th Commissioners Conference at the Augusta Civic Center. District administrators and stakeholders state-wide attended to participate in and attend sessions on a range of topics including Career and Technical Education, Student Behavior and Student Health, Educator Workforce, Certification, Regionalization, ESSA and School Improvement, Priorities and Goals of the Department and more.

This year’s Keynote speaker was the highly-esteemed speaker, consultant and former Commissioner of Education, Duke Albanese who delivered a powerful message called “Fulfilling the Dream of a Prosperous Maine: Getting There Requires a Focus on Education and Effective Leadership for Learning, Citizenship, and Opportunities for All Maine Students”.

A special thank you to all who presented and attended!

2018 Commissioner’s Conference Feedback Survey

Please take a moment to fill out the 2018 Commissioner’s Conference Feedback Survey.

Highlights from the 2018 Commissioner’s Conference

Commissioner Hasson presented a video as part of his introductory address. In keeping with the Maine DOE’s commitment to put students first, Commissioner Hasson posed a series of questions to the 2018 DOE Summer Interns, who are or have been Maine students themselves, to get their insight on their education. View the 2018 Commissioner’s Conference Introduction Intern Video.

Below are images taken during the 2018 Commissioner’s Conference.

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Maine DOE Helpdesk to Implement Ticketing System

In an effort to better serve Maine districts and schools, the Maine Department of Education’s Data Helpdesk is implementing a ticketing system.

The ticketing system will help the Department better track requests coming into the Helpdesk, increase response time, guide training sessions, and track common issues.

Requests to the Helpdesk can be made in the same way they are currently made (either over the phone or by email to MEDMs.helpdesk@maine.gov). The ticketing system will generate a response email with a ticket number when a request is submitted, and will send an automated response once the issue is resolved.

It is anticipated that the system will be functioning in the coming weeks. For further questions contact Shannon Bartash, Maine DOE Data Systems Helpdesk Manager at (207)624-6799 or  Shannon.Bartash@maine.gov.

 

 

Maine DOE Data Management Systems Summer Training

Maine Department of Education is holding their annual summer training.  The training focus this year will be on tips and resources to assist districts with their data reporting and viewing/certifying their reports.  This has been a challenging year for those in the field as well as the Department with a new Student Information System, Synergy, and several new data reporting requirements.  Our session this year will be focused on sharing resources to assist districts with the data tasks required.

Training Dates and Locations

  • August 7, Caribou High School
  • August 8, Ellsworth Elementary/Middle School
  • August 9, Brewer High School
  • August 20, Cony High School (Augusta)
  • August 21, Mt. Ararat Middle School (Topsham)
  • August 22, Mt. Blue High School (Farmington)
  • August 23, Gorham High School

All sessions will begin with registration at 8:30am, presentations beginning at 9:00am.  We will serve a light lunch and will finish no later than 4:00pm.  Coffee and water will also be provided throughout the day.

Topics for each session:

  • Recap of systems – NEO and DC&R
  • Where to find helpful resources
  • Maine Schools and School Approval changes
  • Entering staff information
  • Synergy – manual and uploads
  • Graduation requirements and reporting
  • Student Reports – where to find them and how to utilize them
  • Behavior, Truancy and Attendance – importance of these reports and important resources
  • How student and staff data is used for EPS and Accountability

To register for the training, please visit Summer 2018 Training Registration.

For further questions, contact Shannon Bartash Maine DOE Data Systems Helpdesk Manager at (207) 624-6799 or Shannon.Bartash@maine.gov.

 

 

PRIORITY NOTICE: Regionalization Grant Opportunity Now Available – Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES)

The State of Maine is seeking proposals for a grant opportunity through the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services to assist in financing the cost of local and regional initiatives to improve educational opportunity and student achievement through more efficient delivery of educational programs and services.

This is the third round of regional grant opportunities offered as part of the Maine Department of Education’s EMBRACE Regionalization Initiative.

A copy of the RFP and all amendments related to it are available on the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services website under RFP# 201806118.

Note: there have been updates on the RFP for the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES)

Proposals must be submitted to the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services, via e-mail, to the following email address: Proposals@maine.gov.  Proposal submissions must be submitted no later than 4:00 pm, local time, on November 7, 2018, when they will be opened. Proposals will be opened at the Burton M. Cross Office Building, 111 Sewall Street – 4th Floor, Augusta, Maine. Proposals not submitted to the Division of Procurement Services’ email address by the deadline will not be considered for the grant award.

For further questions, the Department will sponsor an online/telephone Information Session RFP# 201806118 on July 19, 2018 at 10:00 AM:

All questions and answers will be available on the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services website under RFP# 201806118 following the Information Session.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Maine DOE Certification Office Eliminates Walk-in Appointments Effective July 9, 2018

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s goal of ensuring accurate and efficient educator credentialing, we are asking educators to manage their Maine teacher credentials electronically. The Department is transitioning to the new online certification system, and effective July 9, 2018, the Certification office will eliminate walk-in office hours in order to increase productivity and better serve the tens of thousands of educators in the State of Maine.

Previously, to accommodate the paper-based application system, educators could travel to the Department in Augusta and walk-in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to drop off applications and materials, or meet with certification specialists to ask specific questions.

Now that the online certification system is available and application materials can be submitted and managed electronically (either through the online system or via email), and questions can be answered more efficiently using the website, over the phone, or via email, the Department will be eliminating the walk-in office hours effective July 9, 2018.

In-person processing of applications can be lengthy and inconvenient for educators, and significantly reduces the number of applicants the Department can serve. By eliminating the walk-in office hours, the Department will decrease application processing times, be better able to answer questions with significantly lower wait times, and better assist educators using the new online system.

The Department will continue to keep the certification website up-to-date with current information, support documentation, and answers to frequently asked questions.

If educators have additional or more specific questions, they can call 207-624-6603 or email the certification office at cert.doe@maine.gov.

Further communications and updates are available on the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage, Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, and the DOE newsroom.

 

NEO Accountability Report and Certification Webinar Recording and FAQ

The Maine Department of Education held a webinar on June 21 to Review the NEO Accountability Report and certification requirements. The recording is available for anyone who was unable to participate in the webinar.

The NEO Accountability Report allows districts to validate student enrollment and demographic data.  The report lists students by student groups which will directly inform student group reporting as part of school support determinations and ESEA Report Cards.  The report also identifies which assessments the students should have taken, full academic year enrollment for all students, and whether or not a student will be included for accountability measures or only for assessment reporting.

The Accountability Certification will need to be submitted by each Superintendent. Once validated, the data will be used for ESEA Report Cards and other assessment and accountability reporting.

NEO Accountability Report and Certification Webinar Recording (you will need to register for GoTo Webinar to view the recording)

Accountability Webinar Questions and Follow-Up FAQs

  1. My school is an SPPS (Special Purpose Private School). NEO also shows “no data” for this report
    • SPPS are not factored in the accountability model. However, the fact that data doesn’t show for your school is an error in NEO that will be corrected. Student data should show for your schools so you can validate that the information is correct. The report developers have been notified.
  2. As a SPPS, does my superintendent need to verify this report?
    • No
  3. What were the asterisks vs the blanks for on the Student Detail?
    • Asterisks indicate the assessment(s) that the student should have taken. A blank indicates that the student did not need to take any of the assessments.
  4. If something is not right, who do we contact?
    • If the data is related to student demographics or enrollments, please first validate that the information is correct in Synergy. If the data is correct in Synergy, please contact the Helpdesk – MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov 207-624-6896 or contact Charlotte.Ellis@maine.gov 207-624-6696
  5. My accountability certification report is blank, but I can see kids in the detail report. Is this because I don’t do the certification? Or is there something else I need to do?
    • This was an error that has been corrected.
  6. Who certifies?
    • Superintendent
  7. Our schools are each their own district because we are an AOS. I have some kids who are marked N for full year district and a Y for full year school. They should be the same for each district and school in our case since our schools are their own districts. how do I fix this?
    • Please review the enrollment data in Synergy. It is possible for a student to attend one of your schools for the full year, but whose resident district has changed, so the district full academic year would not be Y, but the school full academic year would be Y.
  8. What is a schoolwide program?
    • Schoolwide program is a type of Title 1 program. For further information please contact Dan Weeks at: Daniel.R.Weeks@maine.gov or (207) 624-6749.
  9. What about those that are tagged Y but are AFS students?
    • AFS (Foreign exchange) students are not treated any differently than other high school students.
  10. What if the students take their entire program at a vocational center?
    • The sending school/district is still responsible to see that the student takes the appropriate assessments.
  11. Can you explain where the numbers are coming from on the bottom? Such as Title 1
    • Title 1 numbers have two sources.
      • If the school has a schoolwide Title 1 program, then all of the students are flagged with Title1ELA and Title1Math.
      • If the school does not have a schoolwide Title 1 program, but rather a targeted assistance program, then the flags come from data entered into Synergy.
  12. We are a school wide, but the numbers are not matching the number of students above.
    • Please recheck the numbers. There was an error in the report earlier that has been fixed. If there are still issues, please contact Charlotte.Ellis@maine.gov 207-624-6696.
  13. Are Special Purpose Private Schools responsible for entering and checking this data for their students or is this a requirement for the public schools only?
    • SPPS should review the data (if the report has been fixed so you can see it) to validate that student grade levels and enrollments are entered correctly.
  14. Where can I get the recorded version?
  15. We have a student that was enrolled the entire year, but is showing N in both District and School Full Year columns.
    • Students are considered to be school full year if they are enrolled on October 1 and May 4 at the same school.
    • Students are considered to be district full year if the same district is responsible for the student on October 1 and May 4.
    • October EPS enrollment data is utilized to determine the October 1 status, if enrollments were entered after October EPS was closed (even if they cover the October 1 date), then the student isn’t counted as Full Academic Year.
  16. What does the E mean in the ELA Assessment column?
    • The “E” indicates Exempt.
      • EL students who arrived at a US school between April 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 and who took the ACCESS for ELLs assessment are exempt from having to take the ELA assessment
      • EL students who arrive at a US school between March 1, 2018 and May 4, 2018 are exempt from having to take the ELA assessment
  17. We have students with “waivers” who shouldn’t be on the list
    • The only “waivers” that the Department recognizes are
      • the EL exemption – see question 16
      • special considerations – these students will have an S in the column for the assessment(s) for which the special consideration was granted
    • Students whose parents requested that the student not test will be counted as Non-Participants – there is no waiver for these students

For further questions contact Charlotte Ellis, Data Manager at Charlotte.Ellis@maine.gov.

MeCAS Test Dates for 2018-2019 School Year Are Now Available

This announcement is intended to assist students, parents, schools and districts as they plan their school and district calendars for the 2018-2019 school year.

Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MeCAS) test dates for the 2018-2019 school year are now available on the Maine Department of Education’s website under Assessment Dates. 

The MeCAS consists of Maine’s Educational Assessments (MEA) and the national and international assessments administered in Maine.  The MEAs are annual measurements of students’ knowledge and skills in mathematics, English/language arts, science, and English language proficiency.  The national and international assessments include annual and biennial measurements of student achievement over time in Maine,  the United States and other countries.

To learn more about the MeCAS on the Department’s website, or contact Eric Buckhalter at eric.buckhalter@maine.gov or Andrew Hudacs at andrew.hudacs@maine.gov.