Category: Priority Notices

PRIORITY NOTICE: Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course Available

In partnership with SafeSchools, the Maine DOE is providing a course to all Maine schools that is an overview of Chapter 33: Rule Governing Physical Restraint and Seclusion at no cost to the local school system.

In accordance with Chapter 33, “Annually, each covered entity shall provide overview and awareness information to all staff, including contracted providers, regarding the content of this rule and any local policies or procedures related to the use of physical restraint and seclusion” (Chapter 33, Section 4.2).

SafeSchools and Maine DOE collaborated to create this 25 minute, web based course specifically to address Chapter 33.

  • This course meets the Chapter 33 requirement of “annual notification of rule and local policies” (Section 4.2).
  • This course DOES NOT meet the requirement of having “a sufficient number of administrators or designees, general and special education staff, maintain certification in an approved training” (Section 12).

For approved trainings, visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/school-safety/restraints/approved.html

The Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course can be presented in a small or large group setting, or on an individual basis. All staff of a “covered entity” receive individual logins. A description of this customized course can be found on SafeSchools’ Maine Courses page.

safeschoolslogoSarah Ricker, Student Assistance Coordinator, oversees guidance to schools and parents in regards to Chapter 33. Her work in creating this course with SafeSchools addresses the importance of ensuring that all teachers and administrators have consistent and accurate knowledge of Chapter 33 requirements so all students and staff feel safe and welcoming in their learning environment.

Download the Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course flier here.

To register staff for the Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course, contact Justin Moore at SafeSchools. He can be reached by calling 1-800-434-0154, ext 7028 or emailing at jmoore@safeschools.com.

 

 

Statement about the 2017-18 budget and how it will affect ED279s

As you likely know by now, the biennial budget was enacted on July 4, 2017, and included finalized funding levels for 2017-18 State school subsidies (Public Law 2017 Ch. 284 Part C). While the Department appreciates that school districts and local governments are eager for updated funding projections for each district, it is important to note that this legislation includes a number of statutory changes to the formula that will take time to incorporate into the ED279 computer system. The estimated date that new ED279s subsidy printouts will be available is no later than July 21.  As soon as these are available, a statement will be issued when the printouts have been posted to ED279 website at http://www.maine.gov/doe/eps/

The Department’s School Finance staff is working as quickly as possible, however they will need time to perform the necessary quality control steps to ensure that the amount for each school administrative unit is accurate.

It has come to our attention that other organizations have attempted to predict the amount of increase for each SAU. We caution you that these may not be accurate as they likely do not account for the formula changes that were enacted in Ch. 284. Only department issued amounts, which will be available on the ED279s when they are ready, should be used for budgeting purposes.

Also, please be aware that there is language in Ch. 284 Part JJJJJJJ of the enacted budget bill regarding the local action on any increase in their State subsidy and the use of the increased funds relating to requirements for reduction in local contribution and limitations on use of funds for increased expenditures. Please note that this section applies for both fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 and may be found on page 817 of the budget bill, at the link below.

PL 2017 Ch. 284: http://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=57293

Please be assured that the Department is acutely aware of the need for updated information as soon as possible, and appreciates the difficulty that the delayed enactment of the state’s biennial budget has created on the local budgeting process for schools and municipalities. Our staff is committed to working as quickly as possible to provide you with the accurate information you need to finalize your budget. Thank you for your patience during this time.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Requirements for renewal of criminal history records check

Beginning July 1, 2017, the processing of renewal of criminal history records check for those individuals that have not been continuously employed will require a national criminal history records check in order to be in compliance with State law (20-A MRS §6103) and rules (05-71 Chapter 115 Part 1, Section 3.2).

Individuals that have not been continuously employed (interrupted service) will be required to be re-fingerprinted to renew their criminal history records check.

If an individual believes they have been continuously employed and not reported in the NEO staff system, verification of their continuous employment will be necessary. Verification of employment documents should be sent along with the renewal application.

Instruction for criminal history records check and fingerprinting are available at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/cert/fingerprinting/renewal-instructions.html

For more information please contact the Certification office at 207-624-6603 or cert.doe@maine.gov

PRIORITY NOTICE: Infinite Campus State Edition update and end of year reporting

As a reminder, due to a change in state level student information systems, the Maine Department of Education Infinite Campus State Edition (ICSE) will no longer be accessible on July 7, 2017, extended from the June 30, 2017 date that was initially posted.  Once ICSE is turned off, there will be no way for districts to complete end of year reporting.  Therefore, it is vital that the following end of year ICSE reports be completed prior to this date:

  • Attendance Certification
  • Truancy Certification
  • Behavior Certification
  • Special Ed Exit Certification

Student enrollments must also be ended, those moving out of state or out of the country, those going to private schools, those exiting to homeschool, and those graduated.  All of which include exiting them from special education if appropriate.  If you are also missing your EPS April report you should also strive to complete this overdue report prior to the July 7th date.

All reports due are listed on the Data collection and reporting (DC & R) calendar:
https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/DCAR/Calendar

Reports found Infinite Campus ICSE:
https://maine.infinitecampus.org/campus/mese.jsp

Reports found in NEO:
https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/NEO/Dashboard/Home/Index/

For more information contact the MEDMS Helpdesk at (207) 624-6896.

PRIORITY NOTICE: MaineCare Seed payment adjustments to be made, review reports by July 7, 2017

The 2017-18 subsidy checks for General Purpose Aid for local schools will reflect adjustments in July 2017 for MaineCare Seed payments paid by the Maine DOE on behalf of school administrative units (SAUs) for the following:

  • 2017 Quarter 3 MaineCare payment adjustments

Detailed student reports for Quarter 3 are now available in Infinite Campus (State Edition). Instructions for accessing MaineCare Seed Payment Reports in Infinite Campus are available here. In July, the 2017-18 State subsidy printouts (ED279s) will be updated reflecting these adjustments and are available at www.maine.gov/doe/eps/. Reporting issues: To ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy, SAU staff must review student-by-student reports for Quarter 3 and report any issues on these reports no later than July 7, 2017. Any questions regarding these reports should be addressed to denise.towers@maine.gov. If you disagree that a particular student or time period should be on the report, please provide the reason that you disagree along with supporting evidence and also include the following:

  • Identify the type of report (Public or Private) and the quarter in which the claims are located
  • Student’s State Student ID
  • Service provided dates (to and from)
  • Total amount of Seed being disputed

Summer services: The Department has found that a number of students are provided services during the summer. If the student was a resident of your SAU during those months, your SAU is still fiscally responsible for the MaineCare Seed as this is considered an extended school year for these students. Students in extended school years must be enrolled during these periods to ensure accurate adjustments.   For more information on MaineCare Seed payments including links to prior communications, accounting instructions and instructions for accessing MaineCare Seed Payment Reports in Infinite Campus, please click here. For more information or technical assistance related to MaineCare Seed, please contact Denise Towers at Denise.towers@maine.gov.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Deadline for Small, Rural School Achievement funding is June 30th

This is an urgent reminder for those districts that are eligible to receive Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) funding.  Please note that June 30, 2017 is the final date to submit your grant application.  Your FY 2017 Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant application must be completely entered in Grants.gov by 4:30 p.m. in order to receive funding for 2017-18. In past years this money had been automatically set aside for you and because of the changes with ESSA, now you must complete the application annually.

To complete the application, your district must have a DUNS number that is active and registered in the System for Award Management, and you must register in https://www.grants.gov as an “Organization Applicant.” Additional details about the application process and requirements are available on the USDOE SRSA website’s Applicant Information page.

If you have not yet submitted your application, please do so as soon as possible before June 30. If you need assistance completing the application, consider attending one of the ongoing SRSA application walk-through web seminars sponsored by USDOE on the following dates:

For additional information, please contact Dan Weeks at Daniel.R.Weeks@maine.gov or 207-624-6749.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Maine DOE announces change in English learner reclassifications

Maine DOE has changed English learner reclassifications to Overall Composite Proficiency Level Score of 5 or greater on ACCESS 2.0.

Maine recently received its 2016-17 ACCESS 2.0 for ELLs scores and many of our English learners scored at proficiency levels lower than expected. This is because of a process that established new expectations for what scale score students must achieve in order to reach each proficiency level.

WIDA explains as follows: “The changes to students’ ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 proficiency level scores reflect the increased language demands of college and career readiness standards. WIDA raised the bar for language proficiency and students needed to showcase higher language skills in 2016–2017 to achieve the same proficiency level scores (1.0–6.0) in previous years. This is the result of a process to determine the student performance required for each proficiency level through a series of decisions made for each grade level by expert panels of teachers as well as district and state English language learner administrators.”

The following bullets are intended to clarify what has changed and what has not:

  • The ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 test questions did not get more difficult.
  • The scoring of the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 domains did not change.
  • The same performance on the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 in 2015-16 and in 2016-17 would also result in the same scale score.
  • The only change is in the scale score required to achieve each proficiency level (1-6).
  • At each level, in 2016-17, the student needed to achieve a higher scale score to reach a given proficiency level.
  • In other words, the same performance in 2015-16 and in 2016-17 would result in the same scale score, but the proficiency level score would be higher in 2015-16 than in 2016-17.
  • If parents or teachers want to know if a child’s English language proficiency improved from 2015-16 to 2016-17, they should compare the scale scores across the two years, but not the proficiency level scores.

The exit criterion in Maine has always been rigorous. We are currently the only state that requires a 6.0 proficiency score on the overall composite. After looking at our 2016-17 data, it is apparent that the 6.0 exit criterion is too high given the new cutscores for proficiency levels. We have therefore changed Maine’s exit criteria to a 5.0 proficiency level score. The 5.0 proficiency level in 2016-17 is similar to the 6.0 proficiency level in earlier years.

You may find the following materials helpful:

Direct questions about ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 and the educational or English language acquisition services for English learners to Nancy Mullins, Maine DOE ESL/Bilingual Programs, at nancy.mullins@maine.gov (207) 624-6788.

PRIORITY NOTICE: One year extension granted for certificates expiring on July 1, 2017

Maine Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Robert Hasson has approved a one year extension for all certificates with an expiration date of July 1, 2017. All teachers, educational specialists and administrators with certificates expiring on July 1, 2017 will be issued a one year certificate that will be mailed to your home address on file with the Maine DOE.

As many of you are aware, the Maine DOE is in the midst of transitioning to a new online certification system. This one year extension is being granted to ensure that folks who are up for renewal on July 1, 2017 will not be affected by the launch of the new online system.

This is the first time the Department has issued a one year extension and there is much work going on behind the scenes to get the renewals mailed to you in a timely manner. We appreciate your patience as we work through the steps necessary to make it happen.

As soon as all of the pieces are in place to bring the new online system up, applicants will be able to access it and renew their certificates with the assurance that their current certificates will remain valid until that is possible. Any renewal credits or professional development training hours that have been accrued for this year’s renewal will still be valid for the renewal of certificates with an expiration date of July 1, 2018.

The new system is expected to be fully functional by the fall of 2017. This is a first time endeavor for the Department. We are diligently working through the development of many new processes necessary to make it happen, as well as the unexpected delays that are often times inevitable when taking on such an extensive system change.

If you have questions please look over our Frequently Asked Questions sheet. For further questions, contact the Maine Department of Education’s Certification office at 207-624-6603 or cert.doe@maine.gov.

This message was sent directly to all Maine administrators, in addition to teachers, educational specialists and administrators with certificates expiring on July 1, 2017.

PRIORITY NOTICE: 106th Annual Commissioner’s Conference

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Dear Superintendents,

I am pleased to announce that the 106th Annual Commissioner’s Conference is open for registration. The conference is scheduled for June 26th – 27th at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel and Event Center in Bar Harbor. Superintendents, school board members and other school or district level administrators are encouraged to register for the conference.

Developed in collaboration with the Maine School Superintendents Association, this year’s working agenda is attached below, highlights include:

  • Keynote speaker Dr. Janet Zadina – internationally renowned speaker, consultant, author, and former high school and community college teacher best known for her extraordinary ability to inform, educate, and empower audiences with her scholarly and credible brain research and teachings
  • Discussion and meeting topics including: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Proficiency Based Education (PBE), teacher prep, certification, school finance, school construction, regionalization, and much more!
  • student panel
  • The Annual Awards & Recognition Banquet

Conference Information:

For more information about the conference, please contact Georgette Valliere at 624-6605 or georgette.valliere@maine.gov.

We look forward to seeing you, and working together on June 26-27 in Bar Harbor.

Sincerely,

Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Ed.D.
Commissioner
Maine Department of Education

PRIORITY NOTICE: MaineCare Seed payment adjustments to be made, review reports by April 12, 2017

The 2016-17 subsidy checks for General Purpose Aid for local schools will reflect adjustments in April 2017 for MaineCare Seed payments paid by the Maine DOE on behalf of school administrative units (SAUs) for the following:

  • 2017 Quarter 2 MaineCare payment adjustments

Detailed student reports for Quarter 2 are now available in Infinite Campus (State Edition). Instructions for accessing MaineCare Seed Payment Reports in Infinite Campus are available here.

In April, the 2016-17 State subsidy printouts (ED279s) will be updated reflecting these adjustments and are available at www.maine.gov/doe/eps/.

Reporting issues: To ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy, SAU staff must review student-by-student reports for Quarter 2 and report any issues on these reports no later than April 12, 2017. Any questions regarding these reports should be addressed to denise.towers@maine.gov.

If you disagree that a particular student or time period should be on the report, please provide the reason that you disagree along with supporting evidence and also include the following:

  • Identify the type of report (Public or Private) and the quarter in which the claims are located
  • Student’s State Student ID
  • Service provided dates (to and from)
  • Total amount of Seed being disputed

Summer services: The Department has found that a number of students are provided services during the summer. If the student was a resident of your SAU during those months, your SAU is still fiscally responsible for the MaineCare Seed as this is considered an extended school year for these students. Students in extended school years must be enrolled during these periods to ensure accurate adjustments.

For more information on MaineCare Seed payments including links to prior communications, accounting instructions and instructions for accessing MaineCare Seed Payment Reports in Infinite Campus, please click here. For more information or technical assistance related to MaineCare Seed, please contact Denise Towers at Denise.towers@maine.gov.