I had the chance to speak with future teachers at the University of Maine Wednesday. It was great to witness their passion for education and the student-centered direction the profession is moving in.
Category: Priority Notices
Five-year HS a reality at Hermon
Governor LePage and I had the opportunity on Monday to attend Hermon High School’s kick-off ceremony for the Bridge Year Program, a pilot project set to launch 15 students on the path toward associate’s degrees starting in July.
New teacher eval system means better educator training
Administrators and teachers at Farwell Elementary School in Lewiston are using iPads to develop new educator evaluation rubrics, the first Teacher Incentive Fund school in Maine to do so. I had the chance to use the app to evaluate fifth grade teacher Danielle Bilodeau when I visited Farwell last week, and I can assure you that teachers have never had any feedback system like this before.
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A call for ESEA flexibility feedback
This week, in addition to the usual updates about our work, I will ask for something from you. The September 2012 deadline to request flexibility from the federal government in Maine’s implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (or Elementary and Secondary Education Act) is growing nearer, and we at the Department need your feedback to develop our proposal.
Showcasing success
Over the next three weeks I’ll be travelling the state visiting schools and programs to showcase the Maine DOE’s strategic plan which we developed last year with input from hundreds of teachers, parents, students, taxpayers, and others. Whereas last time I was listening for ideas, this time I’m sharing the product of those ideas so we can talk about how to make this vision happen.
Accountability and improvement work in high gear
Our efforts to create an accountability and improvement system that works for our students, teachers and schools — and replaces the system we have under the No Child Left Behind Act — are kicking into high gear.
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Appreciating our teachers
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to thank our teachers for their dedication to our students.
Clear expectations, rigorous evaluations, continued growth
If this legislative session results in the passage of just one bill that brings about major improvements to our educational system, this would be it: LD 1858.
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Learning about proficiency-based education
Interested in learning more about proficiency-based education and the efforts of a growing number of Maine schools to transition to a system that’s shaped around students, their needs, and the ways they learn best?
This week is a good week to find out more.
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Starting the serious work of crafting a new accountability system
When we took to the road in December, we wanted to hear what the public had to say about the system we use to hold our schools accountable. And hear from the public we did. We had more than 1,500 people respond to an online survey; several dozen turned out at public forums in Bangor, Portland and online.
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