Refresh moving forward for MLTI devices

The following Priority Notice was sent on July 27

The Maine Department of Education is announcing that the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Opt-in and Refresh contract has been finalized.

2016 Opt-in orders are being placed.

In the month ahead, the MLTI team will be providing details to the field defining procedures and next steps.

Delivery of new devices and collections of 2013 devices will be done on a modified schedule yet to be determined.

Your patience continues to be appreciated.

If you have any questions, contact Learning Through Technology Policy Director Mike Muir at mike.muir@maine.gov or call 624-6634.

Preliminary assessment participation data available

The following priority notice was sent on July 12

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to share preliminary participation rate data for general assessments in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy for grades 3-8 (eMPower™ME) and third year high school (SAT).

Continue reading “Preliminary assessment participation data available” →

ESSA web page launched

The following Priority Notice was sent on July 7, 2016

The Maine Department of Education has launched its Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) web page that will continue to develop as the State builds its framework in implementing the law signed by President Obama in December.

ESSA reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to create a long-term, stable federal policy that gives states additional flexibility and encourages innovation, while at the same time holding states accountable for results.

You can visit here to learn more about the six areas of interest being developed. In addition, Maine DOE recognizes the value of local stakeholder engagement, and the Department asks for feedback via a survey. Survey results will be collected now through August 31.

Maine DOE announces 2016-17 testing dates

The following Priority Notice was sent on Wednesday, June 15

To better assist the field with planning for the 2016-17 school year, the Maine Department of Education has released testing dates for the Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MeCAS), including the required Maine Educational Assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The testing dates are as follows:

MEA (Alternate) Science
- 12/1/2016 – 4/30/2017
MEA – English Language Proficiency
- 1/17/2017 – 3/3/2017
MEA (Alternate) English Language Proficiency
- 1/17/2017 – 3/3/2017
NAEP (selected schools)
- 1/30/2017 – 3/10/2017
MEA (Alternate) Math & ELA/Literacy
- 3/6/2017 – 5/12/2017
MEA – Math & ELA/Literacy (grades 3-8)
- 3/20/2017 – 4/14/2017
MEA – Science (high school)
- 4/3/2017 – 4/14/2017
MEA – Math & ELA/Literacy (high school SAT)
- 4/5/2017
MEA – Science (grades 5 & 8)
- 4/24/2017 – 5/5/2017

As a reminder, the Department recently announced anticipated release dates of the 2015-16 assessment results.

Join the MEA listserv for assessment related announcements, and for contact information on individual assessments, visit here.

Maine DOE seeks districts to apply for TIF grant to support teachers and leaders in high-need schools – IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

The Maine Department of Education is in the process of applying for a third, five-year Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant. This latest round of federal grants, called TIF 5, will expand the number of Maine Schools for Excellence (MSFE) districts and offer the opportunity for 20-30 additional high-need schools to gain access to quality educator effectiveness programs, professional development and performance-based compensation.

Continue reading “Maine DOE seeks districts to apply for TIF grant to support teachers and leaders in high-need schools – IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED” →

Maine DOE announces update of school transportation software

The following Priority Notice was sent on Friday, June 10

A new and important release of Transfinder school transportation software is scheduled for Saturday June 18. The upgrade maintenance window will begin at 4:00 p.m. and continue to 4:00 a.m. Please be sure to sign off the system for this update. During that time, Routfinder Pro, Infofinder le and Viewfinder modules will be updated to Version 12.2.

Maine DOE provides free student routing and transportation operations software to all Maine public schools and this update is free to Maine public school districts. The software is called Transfinder which offers several modules that include school bus fleet maintenance, field trip management, school transportation communication, emergency preparedness planning and redistricting analysis, as well as bus routing – all with the ability to access data anytime and anywhere.

Maine public school districts that would like to begin using this free transportation software may contact our Maine Transfinder account executive Angela Vitti directly by email at Avitti@transfinder.com to get started.

Case studies about how some Maine schools that have benefited by using Transfinder can be found on the Maine DOE school transportation Transfinder web page.

Details about the transportation software can be found on the Transfinder website.

If you have any questions about the upgrade, contact Maine Transfinder Account Executive Angela Vitti at Avitti@transfinder.com or 800-373-3609.

For information about the Maine DOE school transportation software program, contact Transportation and Facilities Administrator Pat Hinckley at pat.hinckley@maine.gov or 624-6886.

Full certification for special education teachers under ESSA

The purpose of this notice is to address the issue of full certification for special education teachers under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and amended some provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reflect changes made by ESSA. The amendments to the IDEA related to personnel qualifications impact Maine schools in significant ways.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) amended IDEA by reinstating a pre-NCLB requirement. That requirement (34 CFR Section 602(10)(B)) mandated that a person employed as a special education teacher in elementary school, middle school, or secondary school must have obtained full certification as a special education teacher. The teacher must not be working under certification or licensure requirements that are waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis.

In their respective applications for IDEA Part B (Local Entitlement) funds, states were required to assure that for the 2016-17 school year, in accordance with section 612(a)(14)(C), that any public elementary or secondary school special education teacher has obtained full certification. Maine was not able to give that assurance because of our use of conditional, targeted needs, transitional and waived certificates.

As a result, Maine was required to submit an assurance that the State will revise policies and procedures no later than June 30, 2017 which will address special education teacher certification to bring us into compliance with the provisions of IDEA.

The Maine Department of Education will move ahead in the next year with the development of statute and/ or rules that eliminate the above mentioned less than fully certified credentials for special education teachers.

We wish to inform Maine school administrators that effective July 1, 2017, you will not be able to employ a special education teacher who is not fully certified. Please encourage your staff to work towards full certification between now and July 1, 2017.

If you have questions, contact Janice E. Breton, Director of Special Services atJanice.breton@maine.gov.

MEA Alternate Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy (MSAA) Closes

The MSAA alternate assessment closes this Friday, May 13.

All “in progress” assessments must either be closed or submitted by 5:00 p.m. No extensions are available.

Assessments for students that have received a Special Consideration should remain open. All requests for additional Special Considerations must be received by the Department by the close of the assessment on Friday, May 13.

For assistance, contact Alternate Assessment Coordinator Sue Nay at 624-6774 or sue.nay@maine.gov.

Maine DOE seeks assessment waiver

The following notice was sent to superintendents and NCLB coordinators on April 15, 2016.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires that State assessments cover the full range of the state’s academic content standards.

Maine’s English language arts/literacy standards include standards for speaking and listening. However, our state assessment, at this time, does not assess speaking and listening.

The Maine DOE is choosing to proceed thoughtfully as we explore options for how to best assess speaking and listening. In order to effectively design these assessments, we need time to research options, listen to educators, test our technology, and work with our testing contractors.

Maine will be requesting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 school years from the requirement to assess speaking and listening.

We invite public comments through April 29, 2016, about this waiver request.

Questions and/or comments may be directed to Charlene Tucker, Director of Assessment & Accountability at charlene.tucker@maine.gov.

105th Annual Commissioner’s Conference

The following Priority Notice was sent Monday, April 11

Monday, April 11

Dear Superintendents,

I am writing to remind you that registration is open for our 105th Annual Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents, scheduled for June 26-28 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. School board members and other school or district level administrators are encouraged to register for the conference based on their interest (please see the draft agenda below).

We’re excited about how the agenda – developed in collaboration with the Maine School Superintendents Association – is coming together to best focus on the topics we continue to hear are of most importance to you and are looking forward to working with you.

Draft conference agenda to include:

Sunday, June 26 (Registration opens at 2 p.m.)

Maine School Superintendents Association (MSSA) Reception and Awards Banquet
(Networking reception sponsored by Apple – 5 p.m./Dinner – 6 p.m./Awards – 7 p.m.)

Monday, June 27 (Registration opens at 7:15 a.m. and breakfast opens at 7:45 a.m.)

General Session

Commissioner’s Welcome, Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Bill Beardsley

General Session

Keynote Address by Dr. David Silvernail with comments by Catherine Barbour, Carmen Coleman and Jacinda Goodwin

Concurrent Sessions – Continue the keynote discussion with one of the experts

Dr. David Silvernail – View Dr. Silvernail’s bio here (PDF, 92KB)
Catherine Barbour – View Ms. Barbour’s bio here (PDF, 90KB)
Carmen Coleman – View Ms. Coleman’s bio here (PDF, 189KB)

General Session
ESSA – Stakeholder Engagement and Discussions

Networking reception sponsored by HP

Dinner on your own

Tuesday, June 28 (Registration and Breakfast open at 7:15 a.m. Conference adjourns at 3:45 p.m.)

MSSA Business Meeting

Maine DOE Updates, Maine DOE Staff (General Session)

General Session

FERPA 101 – Dale King, Director of the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office

Concurrent Workshop Sessions (each session will be offered twice)

Certification – After the Cliff / Rules and Regulations Changes / Higher Education and Teacher Preparation
Essential Programs and Services – Interim Reports
Learning Through Technology – A Demonstration by Maine Schools / Leveraging Technology to Support Proficiency-based Diploma Work

Concurrent Workshop Sessions (same as listed above)

General Session

Lunch and closing remarks, Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Bill Beardsley

One-on-One Technical Assistance will be offered on Tuesday from 8:00am – 3:00pm

School Finance and Data Teams
School Transportation
School Construction – Revolving Renovation Funds / Application
Certification
FERPA
Small group discussion with Catherine Barbour, Carmen Coleman, David Silvernail and Maine DOE staff

*Please note this is a working agenda.

Presenters are already working to prepare their conference materials, which will be posted as they become available here on the 2016 Commissioner’s Conference webpage.

To register for the conference, please click here today. The fee for superintendents to attend the full conference is $200 and includes all sessions, meals and materials. For additional registration options including partial conference attendance, guest meals and discounted lodging opportunities, please click here.

We look forward to working with you June 26-28 in Bangor.

Sincerely,

Bill Beardsley, Acting Commissioner

Maine Department of Education