15th Annual MLTI Student Conference

Registration is open for the 2018 MLTI Student Conference, taking place on Thursday, May 24^th at the University of Maine campus in Orono.

We’re expecting 1000 students and their adult chaperones to fill the concert hall at the Collins Center for the Arts for the opening student keynote and, at the end of the day, for the so-called “Über Session.” Once again, music and coding will drive the opening and closing sessions.

Between the opening and closing at the Collins Center, students will spill out over the campus for lunch and for sessions where students will learn and create in a variety of ways – through coding, audio, video, images, text, and more. Sessions throughout the day will be optimized for current MLTI devices (Apple and HP laptops and tablets), although other devices can participate in most activities as long as they can access the Internet. Session listings will specify device requirements.

As always, this will be a time for celebration and fun challenges. From the opening Student Keynote through the Block 1 & 2 sessions across the campus, to lunch the “college way,” and on to an amazing Über Session, this day will be another of what so many folks over the past decade-and-a-half have described as “our favorite day of the year!”

The registration cost for each participant (student or adult) is $15, the same as last year. This fee includes all event activities, lunch for each registrant, and a 2018 MLTI Student Conference T-Shirt for each student. Schools will be invoiced for registration costs after the Conference.

To register, go to: http://maine.gov/doe/mlti/student/studentconference/registration/index.html

Registration closes Friday, May 11^th.

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the planning team at mlti.project@maine.gov, and we look forward to seeing you and a team of students from your school in Orono on May 24th!

Department provides further guidance on repeal of Chapter 82 (School Bus Driver Fitness Determination)

In response to inquiries from the field, the Maine Department of Education is providing answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the repeal of Code of Maine Regulations (05-071 CMR Chap. 82) School Bus Driver Fitness Determination.

Further questions and inquiries can be send to Pat Hinkley, Maine DOE Transportation and Facilities Administrator at pat.hinckley@maine.gov.

Input sought for teacher shortage areas

As part of a federal requirement, the Maine Department of Education will submit to the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) the Maine teacher shortage areas for designation for the 2018-19 school year.

The U.S. DOE annually designates teacher shortage areas for purposes of deferment of loan repayments or reductions of teaching obligation under the following student loan programs:

Targeted teacher deferment for borrowers under the Family Federal Education Loan (FFEL) Program and the Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS) programs [34 CFR 682.210(q)];
Cancellation of up to 100 percent of their debt under the Federal Perkins Loan Program [34 CFR 674.53(c)] for full-time teachers in field of expertise; and
Fulfillment of the teaching obligation for recipients under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program (34 CFR 686).

The Department intends to propose to the U.S. DOE the following as K-12 teacher shortage areas during the 2018-19 school year for the entire State of Maine:

CTE (Food Production Manager, Electrician, Law Enforcement, Computer Info Services, Small Engine Repair, Child Care-Guidance)
Gifted/Talented
Early Childhood (0-5)
Health
Early Elementary (K-3)
Spanish
Special Education (Disabled Students 0-12 and Severely Impaired K-12)
Literary Specialist
Social Studies
Physical Education
Computer Technology

For more information on this matter or to share or suggest any additional shortage areas contact the Maine DOE before April 20, 2018 by email at commish.doe@maine.gov.

Districts are encouraged to celebrate April as the Month of the Military Child

The Maine Department of Education is encouraging local school districts and the greater education community to celebrate the Month of the Military Child in April this year by participating in any of the following ways.

In coordination with the National MIC3 Council, on April 9th the Department encourages students to create posters either thanking military children and their parents for their service, or if a student has parents in the military, they can create a poster that reflects their experience as military child.

In addition to having students create posters, the Department is also encouraging education communities and students to “Purple Up” for military children on April 9th (or another day that makes sense for each individual community). Purple Up refers to wearing the color purple for the day to recognize and celebrate the Month of the Military Child. With the permission of participants, we encourage local schools to take a group picture and post it on social media. When posting pictures, if you tag Maine DOE’s official Facebook and/or Twitter page and we will share your picture with our social media audiences.

In addition, this month on April 17th, military children will be Legislative Pages for both Maine State Senate and House Chambers. For those that work, visit and plan on being present at the Maine State House building on April 17th, please Purple Up to show your support. We also encourage all Maine DOE staff and legislators to Purple Up in support of military children on this day.

For further questions and information on how to participate in the Month of the Military child please contact Maine DOE Military Family Education Liaison, Tyler Backus at Tyler.Backus@maine.gov.

Maine DOE to host Farm to School Cook-off on April 5th and 9th

What: The Maine Department of Education will host its Annual Maine Farm to School Cook-Off, a voluntary, skills-based competition offered to school food service staff from all school districts across the State of Maine. The goal of the program is to recognize school nutrition staff for their skills and creativity while producing high-quality meals that can be replicated in a school kitchen.

During the competition, each volunteer team prepares a breakfast and lunch meal within a specific time frame using at least two ingredients that are grown, raised, caught, or manufactured in the State of Maine and meet National School Breakfast and Lunch Program requirements as well as one USDA food. Locally caught pollock and yogurt will be used as challenge ingredients in the competition this year.

Who: Teams consist of local school food service staff and students, judges for the regional cook-offs include a student, a school nutrition director and a professional chef, and representatives from Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition team will also be present.

When/ where: The regional cook-offs will be held on three dates. Two cook-offs in different locations in the State and then a final cook-off event where the winners of the first two cook-offs will compete.

Thursday, April 5 from 10:00am – 1:30pm
Bath Regional Career and Technical Center, Bath, ME
10:00am start time (cooking begins promptly at 10:30am)
Teams are representing Falmouth, Yarmouth and Lewiston

Monday, April 9 from 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Hampden Academy, Hampden, ME
1:00pm start time (cooking begins promptly at 1:30pm)
Teams are representing RSU 54, RSU 3 and Cherryfield

The Date and location for the final Farm to School Cook-off will be determined after the are to be determined.

Please RSVP: For more information including a detailed agenda, and to RSVP, media should contact the Maine Department of Education Director of Communications, Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747.

Due to space limitations, these competitions are not open to the public; however, arrangements can be made by contacting Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition Consultant Stephanie Stambach at stephanie.stambach@maine.gov.

Maine Education Financial System to update identification numbers for uploads

The Maine Education Financial System will be moving from MEDMS IDs to ORG IDs on July 1, 2018. Over the past few years the Maine Department of Education data collection systems have been migrating towards using ORG IDs to identify School Administrative Units, and other organizations, in their data collection systems.

Starting on July 1, 2018 the Maine Education Financial System will also use the new ORG IDs for all uploads from the school accounting systems.

ORG ID can be located at the top of the ED 279, on each page, to the left of the SAU name. ED 279s can be located here: http://www.maine.gov/doe/eps/

School units should work with their vendor to update this field for the export that their local accounting system creates. Starting July 1, 2018 if a school administrative unit is still using the MEDMS ID their file will not upload to the Maine Education Financial System.

For further information contact Tyler Backus, School Finance & Compliance Coordinator at 207-624-6635 or Tyler.Backus@maine.gov.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Maine Department of Education’s proposal for the high school diploma

In light of recent articles and editorials about the proficiency-based diploma and the fate of proficiency-based education, the Commissioner is providing insight regarding the forthcoming Department proposal for the diploma. The Commissioner requested that the Department’s proposal be submitted as a “Governor’s” bill to allow for a process that includes a public hearing and work session(s). The most significant difference between the Department’s proposed diploma and the proficiency-based diploma is that uncertainty has been removed and a reasonable level of achievement has been clearly identified as a minimum requirement for a diploma.

Specifically,

The Department’s proposal:

Removes the mandate that districts base a diploma on an undefined concept (“proficiency”)
Points to a reasonable and appropriate level of achievement in two foundational content areas (English and math) required for the diploma
Bases achievement criteria on knowledge, skills, and progressions that are already present and defined in Maine’s Learning Results
Provides students with disabilities equitable access to education and a diploma
Ensures that students will have high quality instruction and learning in all content areas
Makes room for students to access their education through both traditional, (classroom-based) avenues and non-traditional (experience-based) avenues
Allows districts to implement diploma requirements beyond the minimum set by the state

The Department’s proposal does not:

Impose a mandated or de facto grading structure
Eliminate or impose a barrier to what has come to be called “proficiency-based education,” “proficiency-based teaching,” or “proficiency-based learning.” Instruction and learning based on outcomes, as described by some in recent articles, is actually a description of standards-based education, which Maine schools have been striving for since the state adopted the Maine Learning Results in 1997. Under the Department’s proposal, school districts may continue to teach, grade, and structure learning as they determine best meets the needs of students, parents, and the school community.

The Department considers this discussion to be an open dialog, and we look forward to further conversations on this proposal once the bill is released.

Preparation for April Attending Student Report

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) is in the process of preparing an April Attending Student Report for the purpose of calculating tuition rates. In preparation for this report, it is vital that each school administrative unit (SAU) keeps their attendance data accurate as well as complete.

The April Attending Student Report will be based on the SAUs attending students as of April 1^st and will be due by June 30, 2018.

It is expected that the report will be available mid to late April. Once it is ready, the Attending Report will be available in the Maine DOE’s NEO system within the student data link-under the student reports tab with the title “April Attending Student Report”.

Please continue to monitor future DOE updates in the Maine DOE Newsroom about instructions and webinars regarding this reporting requirement.

If you are unable to login to NEO, contact the Helpdesk 624-6896 for assistance.

If you have questions about the report please contact Travis Wood at 624-6742.

Repeal of Chapter 82 School Bus Driver Fitness Determination

The enacted repeal of Code of Maine Regulations 05-071 Chapter 82 School Bus Driver Fitness Determination became effective on March 25, 2018. Current motor vehicle laws provide substantial protections for public safety. The repeal supports local school districts in the selection and hiring of school bus drivers. This repeal effects those bus drivers hired by public schools. Public school bus drivers must still have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) with a school bus endorsement for school bus operation pursuant to Maine Motor Vehicle Statutes 29-A MRS § 2303.

More information regarding commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL endorsements including for school bus operation is available on the following Bureau of Motor Vehicle websites: http://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/licenses/commercialexam.html and http://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/forms/index.html

Date set for presentation of Major Capital Improvement Program priority list

The scoring process for the Major Capital Improvement Program is close to completion for the 75 schools visited during the Fall of 2017. A Proposed Priority List will be presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting. The acceptance of that list will initiate a 30 day appeal period.

Once the State Board has taken action after the scheduled meeting date, the Major Capital Improvement Program priority list will be posted on the Department’s website at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/facilities/construction/index.html

For further information, contact Maine DOE Director of School Construction Scott Brown at (207) 624-6883.