Category: News & Views

CDS staff completes routines-based interview training

The Child Development Services team is pleased to announce that, as of June 30th, the Part C staff at all 9 regional CDS sites has completed the Routines-Based Interview (RBI) training and will soon begin putting into practice what they have learned. Within a few months, all CDS Part C staff will have conducted several practice RBI’s with families and have their skills at conducting RBI’s assessed by a state-certified RBI trainer to ensure fidelity and functionality.

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Special rates for Maine teachers at National Council for the Social Studies conference

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) will host the nation’s largest and most comprehensive social studies professional development conference at its 2014 Annual Conference in Boston, November 21-23.

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Maine DOE seeking online panel members to set achievement levels

As a governing state in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, Maine continues to support the efforts to develop a rigorous assessment system that will become operational in the 2014-15 school year. As part of those efforts, the Maine DOE is seeking qualified educators, administrators, parents and business/community leaders to participate in an online process to recommend cut scores for achievement levels on Smarter Balanced developed assessments.

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Optional high school assessment opportunities in 2014-15

To assist in preparing students for college and career readiness and post-secondary opportunities, the Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce our continued partnership with the College Board to provide high schools the opportunity to offer students the ReadiStep, PSAT, SAT and AccuPLACER as outlined below.
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Governing board for high school equivalency test selected

Educational Testing Service, the provider of the new ETS high school equivalency test program known as HiSET, has partnered with the Maine DOE and other states who administer HiSET to appoint a governing board to help set overall direction for the program.

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Maine awarded $819,433 for meeting workforce system and adult education performance goals

The following release was originally published by the Maine Department of Labor on July 8, 2014.  

AUGUSTA – The Maine Departments of Education and Labor and the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) have been awarded a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Incentive Grant of $819,433 based on performance in federal Program Year 12 (July 2012 through June 2013).  Only eight states met their objectives and earned such a grant. Maine last qualified for an incentive grant 12 years ago.

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American Institutes for Research selected to administer Smarter Balanced assessments

The following Priority Notice was distributed to educators on Monday, July 7.

Dear Educators,

Earlier this year, the Department made clear our commitment to rigorous standards and aligned assessments. To that end, I wanted to let you know we have just selected the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to administer our Smarter Balanced aligned State assessments in grades 3-8 and grade 11 for the 2014-15 school year.

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State Education Board welcomes new leadership

AUGUSTA – The Maine State Board of Education has new leadership, having elected Peter E. Geiger as chair and Martha J. Harris as vice-chair.

Geiger, of Lewiston, had previously served as vice-chair and replaces outgoing chair Nancy Perkins, who will remain on the board. He is the Executive Vice President of Geiger, the largest family-owned promotional products company in the country headquartered in Lewiston and is additionally editor and publisher of the Farmers’ Almanac.

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