New certification system has opened to 6 additional pilot districts

The Maine Department of Education’s new certification system began the pilot phase of its launch on April 27, 2018. The initial 4 pilot districts have reported that the system as intuitive and have found the Department’s directions easy to use and helpful. More than 200 recommendations have been processed using the new system as of today, May 3, 2018.

Following the success of the initial 4 pilot districts, the Department has opened the pilot to an additional 6 districts:

RSU 06/MSAD 06
Augusta Public Schools
RSU 01 – LKRSU
RSU 11/MSAD 11
Brewer Public Schools
RSU 74/MSAD 74

These districts have been contacted by Maine DOE’s Certification office with instructions and log in credentials to access the district portal allowing support chairs to begin verifying renewal requirements for educators in their districts.

Pending the success of the added pilot districts, the Department will continue to open the district portal to more districts, until all districts have access. This approach will help ease the load on the system, while also allowing districts time to login, get help if needed, and become familiar with the system.

The educator portal has not yet been released to pilot districts. Once districts complete verifications, the educator portal will begin a phased rollout in the same fashion as the district portal. Again, this will ease the load on the system and allow Department staff to answer questions in a timely manner as educators state-wide start logging in to submit renewals.

Superintendents should expect direct contact from Certification Coordinator, Stephanie Fyfe when the system will open to their district/s.

Further communications and updates will be posted on a weekly basis through the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage well as on Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, in addition to the DOE newsroom.

2017/2018 graduation data report due 6/08; webinar training available for new collection process

The Maine Department of Education (Department) has modified the data collection process for graduation reporting which will impact the process for collecting the 2017-2018 graduation data. The graduation data is due for submission in the Maine DOE’s NEO System on June 8, 2018, and needs be certified by June 15, 2018.

The new process has been designed to give districts that operate high schools a procedure to edit the first three years of their cohort data for the 2017/2018 graduation cohort.

The new process is now open for reporting. There will be two scheduled webinar trainings on Monday May 14, 2018 to assist data coordinators and others in completing this report:

Please note: both training sessions will be recorded and available to view at your convenience, at a later date.

Update for Returning Users – 4 Year Graduation Process
Date: May 14, 2018
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Description: This session is for those familiar with the overall graduation process in NEO. The session will concentrate on the new process only. Please note that those new to NEO graduation processing may attend this session as well.
Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2259395630371646465
Webinar ID: 719-861-043

New Users – 4 Year Graduation Process
Date: May 14, 2018
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Description: This session is for those who are just starting with NEO’s graduation system overall, and will include guidance on both the graduation module and the new collection process for 2017/2018. However, if you are familiar with NEO graduation processing, you may attend this session.
Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1423731608889969409
Webinar ID: 108-457-627

Download guidance for the new graduation process: http://maine.gov/doe/data/documents/April_Grad_Training_Doc.pdf

Learn more about the changes to graduation reporting.

To gain access to the graduation module in NEO contact the MEDMS Helpdesk or call 207 624-6896. For assistance with the graduation module contact Travis Wood or call 207 624-6742.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Delay in changes for documentation of IEPs; DOE will update guidance in admin letter #13

On April 14, 2018, the Maine Department of Education issued Administrative Letter #13: Important changes in documenting medical services in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). This notification announced changes in documenting IEP plans with Maine Care services that are necessary for a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

Since the release of this guidance, the Department has received feedback from stakeholders and legal counsel for further clarification on some of the wording. While Department staff work with the Attorney General’s office, districts and stakeholders to make these clarifications, the implementation will be delayed.

The planned implementation of these changes is expected to begin June 1, 2018. The Department will release updated, clarified guidance before that time.

Thank you for your feedback and patience. Please look for further notifications in the Maine Department of Education Newsroom. For further questions contact Maine DOE Director of Special Service, Jan Breton at Janice.Breton@maine.gov.

Federal grant to promote safe communities now open for higher education

Institutions of higher education are eligible for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Community Policing Development (CPD) Program. Applications are due by June 7, 2018 at 7:59 p.m. EDT.

The 2018 Community Policing Development (CPD) program will fund projects that develop knowledge, increase awareness of effective community policing strategies, increase the skills and abilities of law enforcement and community partners, increase the number of law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders using proven community policing practices and institutionalize community policing practice in routing business.

Information and application instructions are on this website: https://cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=2450

2018 Summer Literacy Institute

The Maine Department of Education invites educators to register for the 2018 Summer Literacy Institute. Proven Practices: Accelerate Student Literacy with Visible Learning is a two-day event that builds from Dr. John Hattie’s ground-breaking research which identifies effectiveness of strategies and influences on education. Drawing from materials developed by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, certified consultants Marisol Thayre and Olivia Amador-Valerio will help participants better understand how to:

apply the most effective Visible Learning practices highlighted by John Hattie’s research;
enhance close reading and small group instructional practices to honor surface, deep, and transfer level learning; and
use resources effectively to support continuous learning progress.

Content will be drawn from Text Dependent Questions: Pathways to Close and Critical Reading (K-5 and 6-12), Teaching Literacy in the Visible Learning Classroom, and Engagement by Design as well as other Fisher and Frey texts.

The Institute will be on August 7 & 8 at Jeff’s catering in Brewer.

Read more about this learning event. Register today as seats are limited. For more information, contact morgan.dunton@maine.gov.

Submit board decisions about school calendar revisions (including weather-related) to Maine DOE by May 30

The Department is asking Superintendents to submit any board decisions about revising the School Administrative Unit calendar, including the number of weather-related makeup days using the extended hours option, as outlined in M.R.S. Title 20-A Section 4801.

This information will be used to help the Department verify attendance data for the school year.

Please submit the information by May 30, 2019 to Maine DOE School Enrollment Specialist Pamela Ford-Taylor, via email at Pamela.Ford-Taylor@maine.gov.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE approves formation of 12 regional service centers

Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr has approved the formation of 12 Regional Service Centers as part of the Department’s EMBRACE Regionalization initiative. Collectively, the 12 centers represent 84 discrete School Administrative Units (SAU) and 56 percent of Maine’s students.

“We recognize the hard work of the visionaries who have realized the positive impact that regional service centers can have on the future of Maine’s educational landscape,” said Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr. “These partnerships will allow participating districts to provide much-needed programs and services for the students of the region.”

Maine DOE Regional Service Centers (RSC) are non-profit multi-service agencies formed in 2018 under 20-A M.R.S Chapter 123. The centers are established and operated for the purpose of serving its member school units’ needs and to:

Increase access to high-quality engaging student programming.
Increase SAU efficiency and effectiveness through technical assistance.
Provide direct, regionally shared services.
Implement grants received for state initiatives.

The Regional Service Center model is built to ensure maximum flexibility and creativity. The types of services reflected in the partnership agreements of the 12 RSCs address the needs of the local school communities that will be served by the regional service centers.

To see a summary of the Regional Service Center Part I and Part II applications and their approval status, view the Status of Regional Service Centers webpage. To view regionalization initiatives by location, including RSCs, and both rounds of EMBRACE grants, click on the EMBRACE Regionalization Google Interactive Map.

Over the next few months, the newly formed RSCs will work to obtain each member school unit’s school board and local approval. The RSCs that receive final approval from the Commissioner will begin serving their membership in the 2018–19 school year. The Regional Service Center application processes is ongoing. The Department anticipates an opportunity for a second round of applications in the next fiscal year.

Each SAU that is a member of a Regional Service Center will receive a Regionalization and Efficiency Assistance Allocation as part of their General Purpose Aid (GPA) from the State of Maine, and the Regional Service Center will receive direct State funding for operational costs.

For more information on regionalization opportunities, visit the Department’s EMBRACE Regionalization Information Center.

Registration now open for 2018 Commissioner’s Conference

Registration is now open for the 107th Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents.

Location: Augusta Civic Center

Dates: Wednesday, June 27 – Thursday, June 28, 2018

2018 Highlights:

The keynote speaker will be Duke Albanese, a nationally sought-after adviser and speaker on educational issues. His career in education has spanned over forty years, including service as the Commissioner of Education for the State of Maine (1996–2003) and a long tenure as the superintendent of schools for the Messalonskee School District in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine.
Discussion and meeting topics include: Career and Technical Education, Student Health/Safety, Educator Workforce, Certification, Regionalization, and much more.
This year’s conference will include a cracker barrel session where conference attendees will have a chance to talk informally with Commissioner Bob Hasson and other staff members of the Maine Department of Education.
The Annual Awards & Recognition Banquet.

Download a draft agenda.

Register here »

Find additional resources including pricing, lodging options, further details about registration, including guest registration, and more on the Maine DOE Commissioner’s Conference webpage.

PRIORITY NOTICE: New certification system now open for pilot schools

The Maine Department of Education’s new online certification system has now been released to four pilot school districts: Gorham Public Schools, Bangor School Department, MSAD 15 and RSU 13. Those pilots have received access to the district portal, which will provide support chairs the ability to verify renewal requirements using the new online certification system.

Once those verifications are complete and the educator portal is released, educators from those districts will then be able to login and submit their renewal applications online.

By allowing access to the district portal first, support chairs will be able to manage their renewal lists and both the chair and the superintendent will have time to become familiar with the system and all its features.

As the Department transitions to the pilot phase of the online certification system, we want to assure the field that we are very aware that the deadline for submission of renewal applications is July 1, 2018 and that schools will be closing in early to mid-June.

In anticipation of the release to districts beyond the pilots, it is highly recommended that district support chairs have renewal verifications prepared ahead of time. Most will find the online process to be simple, but please be advised that advanced preparation will increase efficiency.

Please note that during the pilot phase, the certification office will continue to process paper applications for initial certification. The Certification office has been processing paper applications internally on the new system for several months and will continue to do so until the educator portal is fully released.

The highly anticipated online certification system has been a long time in the making and the Department greatly appreciates the patience and support of the field as we make this important transition.

Further communications and updates will be posted on the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage well as on Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, in addition to the DOE newsroom.

Maine DOE announces 3rd Annual Read to Ride Summer Reading challenge

Summer vacation is a welcome break from the daily school routine for children and parents alike, but the summer months can be detrimental to students’ learning if young minds are not kept active. Summer learning loss is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly with respect to reading achievement. Students can lose up to three months of reading progress during the summer if they don’t keep reading. When combined across a child’s PK-8 school career, this can result in 1-2 years of lost reading progress.

Fortunately, the summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. By encouraging children to read from a variety of resources for fun and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary and widen their knowledge of the world. For students who are not yet reading independently or just beginning to read, reading to and with parents is equally beneficial.

Again this year, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8. The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge. During the first two years of this initiative, thousands of Maine children completed the challenge of reading 500 minutes during the summer vacation. Maine DOE hopes to see this number grow even higher during the summer of 2018.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school level drawings to select two students (one boy and one girl) whose names will be entered into the state level drawing to be held on September 21, 2018. Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, to coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and to consider soliciting their own local level prizes for students who complete the challenge. Details about the Read to Ride Challenge and information to register your school can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/literacy-for-me/summer-literacy.html.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Early Learning Coordinator, leeann.larsen@maine.gov.