Conference inspires young women to pursue careers in trade and tech

The annual Maine Totally Trades Conference recently held in Bangor introduces young women to male-dominated occupations and illustrates that these occupations are open to everyone regardless of gender. Through a Perkins Grant to New Ventures Maine, the Maine Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education supports the conference. You can see the conference in action here that was held in Bangor this month and another conference will be held in Presque Isle next Wednesday.

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2016 summer data training sessions feedback requested

In an effort to provide timely-prudent training, the Maine Department of Education’s data team has put together a short survey to determine what trainings are desired by the field. This seven question survey should take less than five minutes to complete and will help direct the data team in creating the training sessions for the summer of 2016.

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Hands-on safety demonstrations at Teen Driving Expo

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, Maine Department of the Secretary of State’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Maine Department of Transportation, and AAA Northern New England are co-sponsoring the Teen Driving Expo this Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Maine Mall in South Portland.

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Maine arts students to be recognized at State House

The Maine Department of Education and the Maine Arts Commission are holding a celebration of Excellence in Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education hosted by First Lady Ann LePage on April 26. The celebration will be held from 2-4 p.m. in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta.

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Dance education grant announced for Aroostook County

The following is an announcement from the Maine Arts Commission

The Maine Arts Commission has awarded a grant, “Hopes for the Future,” to provide dance education to K-12 students in Frenchville and St. Agatha in the northern most part of Aroostook County. The $2,650 award to Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) 33 will give the district’s 240 students and teachers a unique opportunity to participate in the dance making process.

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Maine DOE seeks assessment waiver

The following notice was sent to superintendents and NCLB coordinators on April 15, 2016.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires that State assessments cover the full range of the state’s academic content standards.

Maine’s English language arts/literacy standards include standards for speaking and listening. However, our state assessment, at this time, does not assess speaking and listening.

The Maine DOE is choosing to proceed thoughtfully as we explore options for how to best assess speaking and listening. In order to effectively design these assessments, we need time to research options, listen to educators, test our technology, and work with our testing contractors.

Maine will be requesting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 school years from the requirement to assess speaking and listening.

We invite public comments through April 29, 2016, about this waiver request.

Questions and/or comments may be directed to Charlene Tucker, Director of Assessment & Accountability at charlene.tucker@maine.gov.

Commissioner’s Update – April 14, 2016

From the Maine Department of Education

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to conclude the 2015-16 “Content Corner” collection with this third release of instructionally-focused articles for Maine educators. The third collection of articles completes this year’s focus on effective practices that support student learning in the content areas.

The third collection includes:

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Notices and Reporting Items

Regional School Calendar, due May 6 (Reminder)
Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB), due May 26

More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar

News & Views

Adult Ed graduate keeps business skills local

Although she believed firmly in the value of a good education and always planned to finish high school and attend college, Michelle DeIulio says she discovered at an early age that traditional school just didn’t work for her. | More

Maine CTE Director recognized by DECA

This month in Tennessee, Maine’s State Director of Career and Technical Education will be honored as the 2016 Maine DECA Association Administrator of the Year. | More

Educator talent pool recommendations due soon

The Maine Department of Education is accepting recommendations through April 28 for the 2016 Maine Educator Talent Pool. | More

Maine DOE invites school transportation teams to attend regional safety conferences beginning next week

Each spring school transportation teams participate in six statewide regional school transportation safety conferences. | More

ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 and alternate score reports and family resources available

ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 score reports were made available online on April 8 and printed reports will be delivered on April 15. | More

Personalized learning: voices from the field

Maine educators shared their stories about personalizing learning at the New England Secondary Schools Consortium conference in March. | More

Nominations sought for Teacher Appreciation Week

During this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6), the Department wants to extend a personal thank you to some great teachers. | More

Annual Maine DECA conference offers competition and awards

The Maine DECA 48th State Career Development Conference was held recently. | More

More Dispatches | Press Releases | Priority Notices

LATEST DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Data Analysis and Evaluation Services for 21st CCLC Program
Education Specialist II – Career and Technical Education
Request for Proposals: Maine Learning Technology Initiative Summer Institute
Request for Proposals: 21st Century Community Learning Center Program
View current Child Development Services employment opportunities here

Maine DOE invites school transportation teams to attend regional safety conferences beginning next week

Safety is priority one in school transportation. This commitment to safety is why Maine school transportation traditionally has one of the best safety records in the nation. Annual training is the foundation of safety. Each spring school transportation teams participate in six statewide regional school transportation safety conferences.

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