Data Warehouse proving valuable new resource

We continue to get positive feedback on the Data Warehouse we unveiled last month in conjunction with the Maine School Performance Grading System. Educators and administrators like having multiple years of their key data – including individual student growth models – in one place, and that they can export it to use and share. The also appreciate the ability to run comparisons of like schools and districts to determine best practices and opportunities for collaboration.

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MLTI next generation upgrade updates

Dear Schools,

The opt-in deadline for the next generation of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative is just two days away and we know many of you have already made your solution selections, or are finalizing that choice. That said, we’re committed to bringing you the latest updates related to MLTI and the various solutions as they happen to inform your decision-making.

To that end, yesterday at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (commonly known as WWDC), the company released its new MacBook Air. Continue reading “MLTI next generation upgrade updates” →

Business leaders support Common Core standards

Recently, the Business Roundtable – a group of more than 200 chief executives from across the country – wrote in support of the continued implementation of Common Core State Standards. These leaders are the latest to come forward from the education and business communities to advocate for these higher standards that will position students to be successful after high school, and economies like Maine’s to benefit from that. Continue reading “Business leaders support Common Core standards” →

Building leadership capacity to transform our schools

Today marks the launch of Maine DOE’s new School Improvement Webinar Series. It’s one of the many resources we’re making available to support the school improvement work initiated by our Maine School Performance Grading System.

Continue reading “Building leadership capacity to transform our schools” →

Biddeford and MSAD 54 bring coaches to the classroom

Biddeford Middle School student Breneg Howard listens as math lab coach Heidi Miller shows students how to measure the rebound of a bouncy ball.
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Last week I visited Biddeford Middle School as well as elementary schools in MSAD 54, where administrators and teachers are taking hands-on, customized learning to the next level with math labs, academic coaches and workshop-model classrooms.

These districts were the last stops on my Promising Practices Tour, which has taken me to all nine superintendent regions to see innovative practices schools are implementing that show promise and support the Maine DOE’s vision of an evolving education system.

While touring Biddeford Middle School, I was struck by the school’s highly effective use of a full-time math coach. Students attend Coach Heidi Miller’s math lab once a month with their core math teachers, receiving dual instruction as they solve experiential problems. Continue reading “Biddeford and MSAD 54 bring coaches to the classroom” →

Announcing our School Improvement Webinar Series

When we released the A-F report cards for the state’s schools as part of our new Maine School Performance Grading Syste m, we wanted to engage educators and the public in a positive, productive conversation about how we can work together to improve our schools.

That conversation is well under way. Continue reading “Announcing our School Improvement Webinar Series” →

Estimating MLTI next generation costs

Dear Schools,

Last week we reached out to you as part of our continued commitment to communicating the latest updates of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative next generation deployment. We’d hoped that Priority Notice would provide the clarity you needed to inform your district decision-making during this busy budgeting time. Continue reading “Estimating MLTI next generation costs” →

STEM education-industry collaboration a model to look to

Yesterday, Governor LePage and I celebrated our nationally competitive robotics teams and students who have received recognition at the national level for their accomplishments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – known as STEM.

Maine should be proud of these innovative student leaders who received the Governor’s Promising STEM Awards. Continue reading “STEM education-industry collaboration a model to look to” →

School academies provide customized learning in Belfast

Students share feedback on Troy Howard Middle School's standards-based system with Commissioner Bowen. — Troy Howard students engage in conversation with Commissioner Bowen about the school’s standards-based academy system.
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When I visited Troy Howard Middle School on Thursday as part of the tail end of my Promising Practices Tour, I was impressed by the school’s two-year academy system that puts students first by placing them in one of three academies based on their learning styles.

Under Principal Kim Buckheit’s leadership, the Belfast school implemented the standards-based academy system to give seventh and eighth graders more control over their learning. The Innovation Academy offers a hands-on approach to those who benefit from project-based learning, the International Academy brings a global perspective to students trying to see the bigger picture, and the Ecology Academy combines experiential learning with the practice of ecological sustainability.

Continue reading “School academies provide customized learning in Belfast” →