Category: News & Views

Maine Arts Assessment Initiative hosts New England Summit on Arts Education

The Maine DOE joined over 90 educators, teaching artists, and interdisciplinary teams at the New England Summit on Arts Education, July 29-August 1, at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. This three day professional training opportunity was coordinated by the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) and provided participants with a collaborative approach to explore methods of teaching, learning, and assessment in arts education.

Continue reading “Maine Arts Assessment Initiative hosts New England Summit on Arts Education” →

Maine DOE announces PEPG resources

The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents today to announce the release of PEPG resources for educator effectiveness.

Dear Superintendents,

Discussions at the Commissioners Conference in June yielded valuable input for the development of the Maine DOE Teacher Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) Model. In the weeks following the conference, the Department met with a variety of stakeholder groups to revise and finalize the model and companion documents, a collection of resources that will support schools in ensuring that every learner has access to highly effective teachers and school leaders.

Continue reading “Maine DOE announces PEPG resources” →

OSEP letter cautions on using alternative graduation requirements for students with disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education has advised Louisiana’s Superintendent of Education John White that a new Louisiana law allowing students with disabilities to follow a different route to a high school diploma than what’s required of other students may violate the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as well as other federal requirements.

Continue reading “OSEP letter cautions on using alternative graduation requirements for students with disabilities” →

Maine DOE awards ConnectME technology grants

The Maine DOE’s Office of Adult Education and Family Literacy awarded twelve $5,000 ConnectME technology grants to adult education programs and four $2,500 technology grants to literacy volunteer programs to enhance the capacity of the organizations to effectively utilize the state’s expanding broadband capacity.

Continue reading “Maine DOE awards ConnectME technology grants” →

Maine FFA Association student officers participate in national leadership conference

Student officers of the Maine FFA Association (formerly known as Future Farmers of America) attended the National Leadership Conference for State Officers (NLCSO), a regional leadership training in Croghan, New York, June 28-July 2. They joined 36 peers from surrounding New England states and New York.

Continue reading “Maine FFA Association student officers participate in national leadership conference” →

National Assessment Governing Board accepting nominations in mid-August

The National Assessment Governing Board will be issuing a call for nominations in mid-August; information will be available on their website at www.nagb.org at that time. For this new nominations cycle, web-based information will be presented via a microsite, accessible from the NAGB home page. The microsite will include information and videos about the Board, the nominations process and why people should consider submitting a nomination. Nominations are due on Oct. 31.

Continue reading “National Assessment Governing Board accepting nominations in mid-August” →

Update of Maine Schools form to be filed electronically for 2014-15

This school year the Maine DOE will be requiring all superintendents and private school administrators to file the Update of Maine Schools form electronically through NEO, the Department’s new data management system. In the past, information about Maine schools such as physical address, phone numbers, and grade levels were distributed and collected through a paper process.

Continue reading “Update of Maine Schools form to be filed electronically for 2014-15” →

Maine’s County Teachers of the Year one step closer

Maine’s County Teachers of the Year have been hard at work this summer. They have now completed their oral presentations and are one step closer to becoming Maine’s State Teacher of the Year. These 16 teachers, representing every area of our state, have developed a platform that keep students at the center of their work advocating for teachers, students, and quality education in Maine.

Continue reading “Maine’s County Teachers of the Year one step closer” →