Category: News & Views

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.

Media Release: National 2017 “State of Preschool Report” shows progress in Maine

A new national state-by-state report shows more young children enrolled in public Pre-K programs nationwide, with Maine investing more in Pre-K, serving nearly 40 percent of 4 year olds in high-quality pre-K.

The State of Preschool 2017 annual report reflects that Maine pre-K served 39 percent of the state’s 4-year-old population, above the nationwide average. Maine boosted pre-K funding by more than $1.1 million and continued to implement policies supporting both high-quality pre-K and young Dual Language Learners.

“This is the first-time Maine has met 9 out of 10 benchmarks for public preschool,” said Maine Education Commissioner, Robert G. Hasson, Jr. “The Department has dedicated the extra time and resources needed to support Maine Pre-K programs in their work toward meeting these high-quality national standards. We are committed to continuing the work so that students can benefit from access to quality Pre-K programing state-wide.”

This year’s report includes a special section on policies affecting Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and highlights changes since 2002, when National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) began tracking state pre-K. Read more about Maine’s report below.

Maine 2016–2017 fast facts:

  • Maine met 9 of 10 new quality standards benchmarks
  • Enrolled 5,440 children, a decrease of two from 2015–16
  • Total state funding = $18,775,709, an increase of $1,181,702 from 2015–16
  • State spending-per-child = $3,451, compared to $3,233 in 2015–16
  • Maine collects data on preschoolers’ home language; several policies to support preschool DLLs

Enrollment in state-funded preschool programs has more than doubled since 2002, according to the report. Nationally, 43 states, D.C. and Guam now provide publicly funded preschool to more than 1.5 million children.

For more information about the State of Preschool report and detailed state-by-state profiles on quality access, and funding, please visit www.nieer.org.

Administrative Letter: Important changes in documenting medical services in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

Administrative Letter: 13
Policy Code: BGB
To: Public School Administrators and Special Education Directors
From: Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Ed. D. Commissioner
Date: April 14, 2018
Subject: Important changes in documenting medical services in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

The Maine Department of Education has instituted new requirements for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) beginning May 1, 2018. This guidance is offered in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this change is to clarify the documentation of educationally and medically necessary services on the IEP aligning to Section 65 and Section 28 of the MaineCare Benefits Manual.  These changes will ensure compliance with documentation required for access to MaineCare benefits.

When an IEP Team determines that the nature and severity of a child’s educational needs are significant enough that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily (MUSER X.2.B. page 120), the least restrictive environment (LRE) statement must reflect the fact that certain services will be necessary in order for the child to access the curriculum.

Beginning May 1, 2018, the Department requires that newly developed or amended IEPs contain justification for medically and educationally necessary services such as day treatment services, rehabilitation services, nursing services, or other medical services that a child needs in order to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Other educationally and medically necessary services such as speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work services, and transportation are already listed in the service grid. The justification will be stated in the least restrictive environment section (LRE) of the IEP (Section 9).

The LRE statement must include information that would justify MaineCare paid educationally necessary medical services. An example of such a statement is the following: “Due to the child’s complex medical needs, the child requires a highly-structured setting with a predictable routine, clear and consistent consequences and integrated therapy for social and emotional needs in a significantly more restrictive day treatment setting”.  Please note that an LRE statement might include additional explanation and that the above example is not intended to necessarily model a complete LRE statement.

Beginning May 1, 2018, schools are requested to write an LRE statement similar to the above example depending on the specific needs of the child.  When the revised IEP form goes into effect on August 1, 2018, it will still be important to develop an appropriate LRE statement but the documentation for MaineCare purposes will be in section 8, “Additional Medical Services for FAPE”.

A draft copy of the revised IEP form can be accessed at the following site:  http://maine.gov/doe/specialed/forms/index.html.  Please note: this form is only a draft and the revised IEP form will change before implementation on August 1, 2018. 

Further guidance will be included in a revision of the procedural manual available on the Special Services webpage sometime before the August 1 date.  For more information, contact the Department of Education – Office of Special Services at (207) 624 -6713.

Changes in Joint Rule Chapters 126/261: Immunization Requirements for School Children

This notice is to inform you of the recent changes to the joint rule (Chapter 126/261), Immunization Requirements for School Children, (statutory authority, Title 20-A §6352). The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education have revised the Maine School Immunization Requirements rule to now include meningococcal meningitis disease. These changes further align Maine’s immunization rules with current national recommendations to better protect the health of all Maine people. Meningococcal disease is a rare, but dangerous disease that strikes healthy young people without warning. It can affect all ages, but teens and young adults are at highest risk of getting the disease.

The following changes are effective for the 2018-2019 school year for all students attending a public or private school in the State of Maine:

  • One dose of meningococcal vaccine MCV4 (serogroups A, C, W, and Y) is required for all students entering 7th grade.
  • Two doses of meningococcal vaccine MCV4 are required for students entering 12th grade, with a minimum interval of 8 weeks between dose one and dose two. If the first dose of meningococcal vaccine was administered on or after the 16th birthday, a second dose is not required.

For your convenience, the Department has prepared a sample notification letter that your school may use to inform parents/guardians of the above changes to the immunization rule.

Additionally, the DHHS  has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions attached with more information. As a reminder, no student is permitted to be enrolled in or attend a public or private school in Maine without providing either a certificate of immunization or a written medical, religious or philosophical exemption for each required school entry vaccine.

Please ensure all 7th and 12th grade student records are updated by the first day of the 2018-2019 school year for this new meningococcal meningitis requirement. If you have questions regarding this new meningococcal meningitis vaccine requirement, record keeping or immunization history reviews please contact Emily Poland, School Nurse Consultant at (207) 624-6688 or by email at Emily.Poland@maine.gov.

If you have immunization specific questions regarding vaccine schedules or validity of any doses given to a student, please contact the Maine Immunization Program at (207) 287-3746 or (800) 867-4775 or by email at ImmunizeME.DHHS@maine.gov.

Changes in Rule Chapter 45: Vision and Hearing Screening in Maine Schools

This notice is to inform you of the recent changes to Chapter 45: Rule for Vision and Hearing Screening in Maine Schools. This rule outlines the standards and processes for periodic vision and hearing screenings. The purpose of a screening is to identify potential hearing or vision deficits among school age children and refer for further care. Updates to this rule reflect current national recommendations for hearing and vision screenings. The rule also clarifies techniques and acceptable research-based tools for schools to use.

This new requirement is in effect for the start of the school year 2018-19. Chapter 45 includes definitions, school nurse responsibility, general guidelines, vision screening schedule including distance and near acuity, alternative screening methods, and referral guidelines, hearing screening schedule and referral guidelines.  The complete rule can be reviewed at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/05/chaps05.htm.

In brief, vision screening is required for preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9; hearing screening is required for preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5. The rule acknowledges that some children, because of their medical histories, have a higher rate of vision problems and may bypass routine screening at school to be directly referred to an eye specialist. The school nurse may determine which children should be referred directly.

The rule also clarifies which research-based tools are acceptable for screening. Particularly, using evidence-based instruments to screen for amblyopia risk factors and reduced vision risk factors may be used for certain school children in place of tests of visual acuity.

If you have questions about hearing and vision screening, please contact the Maine Department of Education School Nurse Consultant, Emily Poland at 624-6688 or emily.poland@maine.gov .