Districts receive PEPG system development grants

The Maine DOE is proud to report the distribution of 139 grants to school administrative units (SAUs) across the state of $4,600 each to support the development of performance evaluation and professional growth (PEPG) systems. The grant money was available to any school district that submitted their Intent to Pilot survey and submitted the PEPG Grant Application.

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NCSC student report portal closes

The National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) Reporting Portal permanently closes this Friday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. All Student Reports for the MEA Alternate Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy must be downloaded by that time. All registered test coordinators are required to make copies for schools, parents and sending districts, if applicable.

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Alcohol Awareness Day December 7

The following is a joint notice from Acting Commissioner of Education William H. Beardsley and Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services Sheldon Wheeler. Please share this with school principals and classroom teachers.

Community groups and schools across the state will be conducting activities to raise awareness about alcohol use and abuse on Monday, Dec. 7, Alcohol Awareness Day and throughout Maine’s Alcohol Awareness Week.

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Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Auvi-Q®

The following notice was sent to Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents from Executive Director of Maine School Management Association Robert G. Hasson, Jr. regarding nationwide recall of Auvi-Q®

Sanofi US is voluntarily recalling all Auvi-Q® (epinephrine injection, USP). The recall involves all Auvi-Q currently on the market and includes both the 0.15 mg and 0.3 mg strengths for hospitals, retailers and consumers. This includes lot number 2299596 through 3037230, which expire March 2016 through December 2016.The products have been found to potentially have inaccurate dosage delivery.

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EPS funding calculation data needed now

The following Priority Notice was sent to district administrators on Monday, Oct. 26.

It is imperative that you ensure your staff data is complete and accurate prior to the Nov. 13, 2015 deadline for the superintendent to certify your staff data. Between Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Friday, Nov. 13, all school administrative units and required private schools must certify the staff data.

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A Guiding Principles resource for educators

The Maine DOE is offering support for educators (in understanding the spirit and intent of the Maine Learning Results Guiding Principles) by releasing a research-based set of descriptions titled, Understanding  the Guiding Principles. This resource was developed in collaboration with the Education Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) and Maine DOE staff and was vetted by Maine educators in August.

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A new way to teach

Maine’s 2015 Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Dorman, offered reflection on her teaching from attending the Maine DOE 2014 Summer Literacy Institute. I wasn’t satisfied with my students’ writing. So I learned a new way to teach it. The article appeared in the October 24-25 edition of the Bangor Daily News.

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Notice of proposed rule and rule changes: Chapters 176 and 23

The Maine DOE is proposing a repeal and replace of Chapter 23, a regulation related to the collection of staff information and Chapter 176, a new rule related to Child Development Services (CDS).

Chapter 23: The Department is repealing the original regulation of 1979. This proposal replaces the original regulation and reflects that the collection of staff information is to be done within the data collection systems rather than via forms, and will include authorized and approved personnel (in addition to certified) paid by local school systems and private schools.

Chapter 176: This rule sets forth the process whereby the Child Development Services (CDS) State Intermediate Educational Unit (SIEU) establishes a roster of independent contractors for the provision of evaluations for children with disabilities from birth to age five, early intervention services for children with disabilities from birth to age two, and special education and related services for children with disabilities age three to five; and ensures the provision of services in accordance with the contracts developed with independent contractors selected from the roster. A public hearing for this proposed rule is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 1 – 2:30 p.m. in room 600 of the Cross State Office Building in Augusta.

Proposed rules and rule changes can be found here on the Department’s website. Any questions about these rulemakings can be addressed by the Department’s Jaci Holmes at 624-6669.