The Kennebec Valley Superintendents Association (KVSA) will be hosting its “Great Things Happen in Public Schools” event to share with the public the various positive enterprises occurring in area schools. The event will take place Friday, Nov. 1, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Thomas College in Waterville.
Continue reading “See “great things” happening in central Maine public schools”
GARDINER – Department of Education Chief Academic Officer Rachelle Tome announced today that four of Maine’s top teachers are finalists for the nation’s highest honor for mathematics and science educators.
Tome was joined Friday by Anita Bernhardt, Maine DOE’s standards and assessment coordinator, and Michele Mailhot, the Department’s mathematics specialist, in congratulating the state’s finalists for the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching during a ceremony at the Maine Science Teachers Association conference in Gardiner.
Continue reading “Mainers finalists for top teaching award in math, science”
In 2012, the Maine Legislature passed into law LD 1422, An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy (Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4722-A). The cornerstone of this law was the requirement that Maine transition to a proficiency-based system in which graduation from a Maine high school after Jan. 1, 2018 would be based on students demonstrating proficiency in meeting Maine’s learning standards in all eight content areas and their guiding principles. Maine DOE was charged with assisting school administrative units (SAUs) with this transition by developing standards-based system tools and by providing technical assistance and targeted funding. Continue reading “Resources available for transition to proficiency-based diploma”
AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage has issued the following proclamation declaring October Dyslexia Awareness Month:
Continue reading “Governor LePage proclaims October Dyslexia Awareness Month”
Earlier this week, Governor Paul R. LePage appointed me as Acting Education Commissioner. It is an honor to be called upon to serve the people of Maine in this new role, especially our students and educators. While the Department’s Commissioner has changed, our commitments have not.
I look forward to working with the Governor and the talented team at Maine DOE to continue the work begun under former Commissioner Bowen to transform our education system so that it truly serves all Maine students and prepares them for success after they leave our schools. Central to that is the Department focusing on supporting schools in their improvement efforts, and I will be in touch later this month with more specifics on what Maine DOE’s system of supports will look like and how it will help you.
Continue reading “New Commissioner, same commitment to supporting schools”
The Sept. 30 deadline for the completion of the annual educational staff reporting to the Maine DOE has passed. If your school district has not yet completed the reporting of school staff, please do so immediately to ensure that the complete and correct staff information will be available for the upcoming Essential Programs and Services (EPS) calculation that determines school subsidy as well as required federal reporting. Staff members with old or incomplete data in the Maine Education Data Management System (MEDMS) staff system may lose their ability to access the MEDMS system.
Updated Oct. 16
Due to synchronization issues between Infinite Campus District Edition and Infinite Campus State Edition, the certification dates have been extended. Automatic refreshes of the EPS Report will continue through the end of business day on Friday, Oct. 25. Any changes you make to enrollments after Oct. 25 will not be reflected in the EPS Report. These changes must be completed manually by the Maine DOE by calling Richard Bergeron at 207-624-6799.
Certification of your Oct. 1 enrollment has also been extended. School administrative units (SAUs) cannot certify before Oct. 25 while automatic refreshing is in effect. Therefore, certification must occur starting Monday, Oct. 28 and ending Friday, Nov. 8. All EPS reports must be certified by Friday, Nov. 8.
All Essential Programs and Services (EPS) Oct. 1 Enrollment Reporting must be entered into Infinite Campus State Edition on or before Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. There are still many schools that have entered no student enrollments or only a portion of their enrollments.
Social studies teachers are invited to attend the 2013 Maine Council for the Social Studies Conference, “Content, Instruction and Technology: Standards-Based Approaches for 21st Century Learners.”
Continue reading “Social studies teachers invited to standards-based learning conference”
AUGUSTA – Starting today, superintendents who reject a parent’s request to send their child to school in another district will have to explain why that transfer would not be in the best interest of the student.
Under Maine law, a parent who believes it is in the best interest of their child to attend school in a different district than where the student lives can request the two superintendents agree to a transfer.
Continue reading “Transfer decisions refocused on student best interest”
AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage has appointed Jim Rier as Acting Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, effective immediately.
Rier, a native of Machias who now lives in Topsham, has been at Maine DOE for a decade, first as Director of Finance and Operations and most recently as Deputy Commissioner since 2011.
Continue reading “Governor LePage appoints Acting Education Commissioner”
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