Category: News & Views

Maine STEM Council names inaugural executive director

Dr. Thomas E. Keller has recently been appointed executive director of the Maine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Council. The council was established by the Legislature in 2011 to “develop strategies for enhancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics education from prekindergarten through postsecondary education.” The council mandate also includes linking these STEM education strategies to those for workforce development in STEM fields.

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Arts education “leads way” at statewide conference

More than 200 visual and performing arts educators attended the biennial statewide conference, Arts Education: Leading the Way, held at the University of Maine in October. The Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI), established by the Maine DOE in 2011, enlisted its teacher leaders to present 35 professional development workshops at this event.

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Maine students invited to enter Verizon STEM challenge

Maine middle and high school students can compete to win $20,000 for their school and the latest Samsung tablet as part of an innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) challenge from Verizon.

The Verizon Innovative App Challenge was first launched in 2012 as a collaborative competition to encourage students’ interest in STEM.  Verizon believes student achievement in STEM is critical to U.S. economic growth and competitiveness on the global stage.  Continue reading “Maine students invited to enter Verizon STEM challenge” →

All Maine schools are our priority

In August, the Department announced that we’d secured federal flexibility for Maine schools in the form of a two-year waiver from some provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

At the heart of Maine’s approved plan is a system of differentiated recognition, accountability and support for Maine’s 380 Title I-served schools. Schools are placed, based on student proficiency and progress, in one of five categories: priority, focus, monitor, progressing and meeting.

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Clarification of 1 percent rule for counting proficiency on alternate assessments

Maine students with the most significant cognitive disabilities may take an alternate assessment, known as the Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP), based on alternate academic achievement standards. Those standards must be aligned with the State’s academic content standards, promote access to the general curriculum and reflect professional judgment of the highest achievement standards possible (see 34 C.F.R. § 200.1, July 2013).

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Educators engage in evidence-based professional development

More than 200 Maine special educators and representatives of the Maine Departments of Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Health and Human Services recently participated in evidence-based professional development for the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG).

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STEM distinguished educator fellowship program seeks applicants

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program seeks experienced and distinguished K-12 educators in fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to serve an 11-month fellowship appointment in a federal agency or U.S. Congressional office.

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Ensuring an effective educator in every Maine classroom

Improving educator effectiveness is the single most important action we can take for our students. Study after study shows that students who are assigned to effective teachers and school leaders make noticeably more academic progress than those who are not.

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