Maine schools are invited to engage students in service to others through the 2014 Joy Maker Challenge this holiday season.
Continue reading “Students invited to do service projects to benefit Toys for Tots”
Category: News & Views
Maine schools receive funds to purchase local foods from local farmers
Projects in RSU 18 and Downeast Maine have been awarded funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to bring more food grown by local farmers to students.
RSU 18 will receive $44,213 through the USDA’s Farm to School grant program, and Healthy Acadia will receive $100,000.
Continue reading “Maine schools receive funds to purchase local foods from local farmers”
Cooking with USDA Foods webinar on Dec. 18
School food service professionals are encouraged to register for the webinar K-12 Cooking with USDA Foods with White House Champions of Change chefs Garrett Berdan, Carlin Breinig and Cyndie Story on Dec. 18.
Continue reading “Cooking with USDA Foods webinar on Dec. 18”
Maine DOE releases resources to support new educator evaluation system development
As part of its commitment to ensuring great teachers and school leaders, the Maine DOE has released new online resources to support school administrative units (SAUs) in designing and implementing Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) systems.
Maine DOE offers regional assessment administration workshops
The Maine DOE is offering four regional workshops in January to support school districts as they prepare for the spring administration of the Maine Educational Assessment for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
Continue reading “Maine DOE offers regional assessment administration workshops”
Maine DOE launches web resources for assessment
The Maine DOE has launched a new section on its website with resources related to the new online Maine Educational Assessment for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, as well as a portal developed by its vendor, American Institutes for Research (AIR), for assessment administration.
Continue reading “Maine DOE launches web resources for assessment”
Maine DOE awarded $14.8 million to expand public preschool access
The Department will pass a majority of the money to 13 school districts to create 33 new classrooms for 4-year-old students and expand 23 others
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Education has been awarded $14.8 million to expand public preschool opportunities in 10 counties.
Over the next four years, the Department will pass 95 percent of the funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to 13 school districts with high percentages of low-income students so they can establish or expand preschool programs in partnership with local early childhood program providers. Continue reading “Maine DOE awarded $14.8 million to expand public preschool access”
Districts asked to select assessment coordinator
The following Priority Notice was distributed on Friday, Dec. 5 to superintendents requesting they identify a district assessment coordinator to coordinator and ensure a successful administration of the 2014-15 State assessment. Please note the survey has not been linked to this Newsroom posting but was provided directly to superintendents.
Dear Superintendents,
As we prepare for the spring 2015 administration of the new Maine Educational Assessment for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, we need you to identify an individual from your district to fill a critical role. Continue reading “Districts asked to select assessment coordinator”
Maine high school students show improvements in math, writing and science scores
Performance of third-year high school students increased slightly in math, writing and science, but most students still aren’t achieving grade-level expectations yet are still being allowed to graduate
AUGUSTA – Maine high school juniors improved their scores in math, writing and science on last spring’s statewide standardized tests, but less than half of students are performing at grade level and many will still graduate anyway. Continue reading “Maine high school students show improvements in math, writing and science scores”
Commissioner’s Update – December 4, 2014
From the Maine Department of Education
Members of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium including Maine have voted to approve initial achievement levels for the mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA) assessment that will soon be administered.
These initial achievement levels establish a new baseline for measuring college and career readiness and were developed with input from thousands of educators and members of the public including many from Maine. Moving forward, the achievement levels, along with scale scores that also will be reported, will help teachers and parents understand student performance and needs for support.
In the coming months, recommended achievement levels resulting from the consortium’s vote will be presented to the Maine DOE Commissioner for formal adoption here in the state in advance of the new assessment being given this spring.
Notices and Reporting
- Audit Compliance for FY 2014, due Dec. 30 (Reminder)
- Request for Tuition Placement of Students with Disabilities (EF-S-01), due Dec. 31 (Reminder)
- Annual Financial Audit FY 2014, due Dec. 31 (Reminder)
More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar
News & Views
Principals, technology directors reminded to submit technology readiness survey
As part of its commitment to ensuring the successful administration this spring of the new online Maine Educational Assessment for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the Maine DOE is surveying schools about their technology readiness. Principals and technology directors received the short survey focused on network capacity and speed from the Department last week, and are reminded to complete it by the Dec. 10 deadline.| More
Maine DOE offers clarification on scope of practice for Certificate 079: Special Education Consultant
The Code of Maine Regulations (05-071 CMR Chapter 115 Parts I and II) contains the requirements for certification, authorization and approval of educational personnel who serve in public and certain approved private schools. | More
Department provides resources from principals as instructional leaders workshops, Aroostook County session scheduled for Dec. 17
The resources provided by the Maine DOE during its November regional workshops focused on principals as instructional leaders are now available on the Department’s website. | More
Collaboration continues to develop policies to support implementation of proficiency-based diplomas
Collaborations begun last year to develop sample policies that can be used by districts to support their local implementation of systems that support the awarding of proficiency-based diplomas are continuing across Maine. | More
Educator training on teaching suicide awareness, prevention offered in December
NAMI Maine, the Maine Suicide Prevention Program’s training contractor, is offering a Lifelines Teacher Training on Wednesday, Dec. 17 in Augusta. The full-day training is available at no cost and designed for health educators and others qualified to implement suicide prevention lessons in the classroom as part of the comprehensive school health education curriculum. | More
MEA Alternate Science (PAAP) webinar offered Dec. 9
The Maine DOE and Measured Progress will conduct a training webinar on Dec. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. for those involved with administration of this year’s Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP). | More
Guidance provided, training offered for food service use of NEO
The Maine DOE Child Nutrition team is reminding school districts to complete all steps below in NEO to file their food service monthly claim for reimbursement. | More
CTE educators come together for professional development
Career and technical educators and administrators from around Maine recently gathered at the Lewiston Regional Technical Center to receive training on Career and Technical Education (CTE) standards, assessment and industry recognized credentials. | More
Call for 21st century learning exemplar schools
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is seeking PreK-12 schools from across the nation to apply for their 21st Century Learning Exemplar Program. | More
Maine Semester of Youth Service registration open
Registration for Maine Semester of Youth Service is open now through Dec. 12. The eight-week program begins on the Martin Luther King Day of Service and ends in late March and brings students together to plan and implement either a service-learning project or community youth service project. | More
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