Category: Professional Development

Maine Seeks Qualified Peer Reviewers for 21st CCLC Grant Applications

The Maine Department of Education is seeking qualified peer reviewers to read, assess, and score competitive grant proposals for the 21st Century Community Leaning Centers (21st CCLC) Program.  This federally-funded grant program provides opportunities for schools and communities to develop “community learning centers” that serve children and youth during out-of-school time.  Maine currently has 32 grant-funded 21st CCLC programs operating 55 individual centers in communities across the state.  Grant proposals for the 21st CCLC program will be evaluated through a formal peer review process, which will ensure that quality applications are selected for funding.

This year’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 21st CCLC program was released to the public on January 8 and is available online at: https://www.4pcamaine.org/century21/FY2019/. The Department anticipates receiving applications from local education agencies, community-based organizations, and other eligible entities seeking awards under this RFP.

Qualifications:

Peer reviewers will be selected for their experience in providing effective academic support, enrichment, youth development, and related support services for children and youth.  The most qualified reviewers will be individuals who have experience in the administration of high-quality youth development programs within schools and communities.  Examples of the experienced individuals sought include, but are not limited to:

  • 21st CCLC program directors and site coordinators
  • Teachers and principals
  • College and university staff
  • Youth development workers
  • Community service providers

Please note that an applicant or member of an applicant’s organization will not be selected to serve as a member of the Department’s peer review team.

Required Tasks:

Selected peer reviewers will work individually to read each assigned application and create detailed, objective, constructive, and well-written comments on approximately 10-15 applications on the basis of the criteria established in the RFP. These comments will be turned in to the Department prior to participating in on-site consensus scoring sessions.  Reviewers must be able to participate in an online training webinar and review grant applications through a web-based system.  It is anticipated that peer reviewers will have a three (3) week window in which to complete their individual review of assigned applications.  Following the individual review of applications, each peer reviewer will be required to travel to the Maine Department of Education for two scheduled scoring days.  It is during these consensus scoring sessions that each peer reviewer will work with the other members of the peer review team to score each application.

Selected peer reviewers must complete the following tasks during the following date(s):

Task Date(s) Time(s)
Participate in an online training webinar March 28, 2019 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Review grant applications through a web-based system and provide individual, written comments on each application (which MUST be turned in to the Department) April 8, 2019 –
April 27, 2019		 Any Time
Participate in on-site consensus scoring sessions which will be located at the Maine Department of Education in Augusta, ME April 30, 2019;
May 1, 2019		 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM;
9:00 AM – Finished

Compensation for Services:

Peer reviewers who complete the required tasks will be reimbursed for travel costs to and from the consensus scoring sessions as well as provided a $75 honorarium per assigned application.

Previous peer reviewers have found that serving as a member of the peer review team is an excellent opportunity for professional development and growth. It is likely that, if selected, reviewers will be exposed to new program models, strategies, and practices.  These new concepts may provide ideas and support for ongoing work as well as future grant writing efforts.  Most importantly, the time given to this effort will be of great benefit to the children and families of Maine.

How to Apply:

Interested parties must contact Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov to obtain a copy of the 2019 peer reviewer application and then return the completed application along with a current resume or CV.

Pursuant to Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, peer reviewers may not include any applicant, or representative of an applicant, that has or will be submitting a proposal in response to the current competition.

Deadline:

The Maine Department of Education will be accepting peer reviewer applications on a rolling basis until March 7, 2019 or until the needed positions are filled.  Interested parties are encouraged to submit applicants as soon as possible.

Contact:

For more information, contact State Coordinator, Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov or 624-6709.

 

Upcoming Integrated Pest Management (IMP) Workshops

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s Maine School IPM Program has announced the Winter/Spring 2019 workshop schedule. Are you new to IPM? Or want a refresher on Maine’s school IPM requirements? Need IPM Continuing Education credits? Does your custodial and maintenance staff need training on how to keep pests out and deal with them when they arrive? Register and attend one of the workshops below.

Date Time Program
Feb 20, 2019 8:00am-11:00am Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Gardiner Area High School. Register Here.
Feb 21, 2019 9am-noon Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Lincoln Academy Register Here.
Apr 16, 2019 9am-noon Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Rangeley Lake Regional HS. Register Here.
Apr 17, 2019 9am-noon Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Noble HS, North Berwick. Register Here.
Apr 18, 2019 9am-noon Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Elm Street School, East Machias. Register Here.
May 14, 2019 8am-11am Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Glenburn School. Glenburn. Register Here.
May 15, 2019 10am-1pm Comprehensive IPM Workshop. Region Two Technical School. Houlton. Register Here.
May 16, 2019 8am-11am Comprehensive IPM Workshop. VanBuren Schools. Van Buren. Register Here.

Questions? Contact Kathy Murray at kathy.murray@maine.gov or 287-7616.

Professional Learning Opportunity: Using Assessment to Strengthen Instruction

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the next installment of its Balanced Assessment series: Using Assessment to Strengthen Instruction for high school grades. Participants will explore SAT data and methods to compare local data to determine instructional priorities.  The workshops will be at USM, UMO, and UMPI. There is no cost for these events.

For more information and to register, go to: Assessment Literacy: Grades 9-12.

For further questions, contact Morgan Dunton, English Language Arts Specialist, grades 6-12 for the Maine DOe at (207) 624-6625 or morgan.dunton@maine.gov.

 

Call for Student and Educator Team Proposals: MLTI Student Conference

The MLTI Student Conference Committee is issuing the call for student and educator team proposals for the 16th Annual MLTI Student Conference, to be held on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the University of Maine in Orono.

Two important notes:

  1. Proposals are due much earlier this year! This will allow us to have a session list finalized by the time conference registration opens.
  2. Ideally, all proposals will have some form of student leadership incorporated. This could mean students will lead the whole session (with some adult support), students will serve as guides/coaches during the activity portion, or something in between. Students can co-present with teachers or other educators (including from community or business organizations).

Sessions will be one-hour long, must involve some form of creating, making, and doing, and should leave participants excited about what they learned and eager to share their experiences with others.

Here’s the information you need to submit a proposal:

Conference Theme:  Create for ME

Possible Topics:  Proposals are not limited to the conference theme, and might include topics such as music, spoken word recording, coding, video production, graphic design, or writing and publishing your collection of short stories.

Device Requirements:  The student conference supports all MLTI devices, regardless of platform and encourages “platform-agnostic” sessions.

A Proposal Submission must include:

  1. The name of your school
  2. The title of your session
  3. List of all presenters ($15 registration cost will be waived for up to two presenters per session)
  4. A description of your session:
    • What skill will participants learn? How will you teach this?
    • What activity will participants engage in – what will they create?
    • What can participants expect to walk away knowing and being able to do?
  5. Materials to share in the conference registration form:
    • Short video advertisement of the session (less than a minute)
    • Short description of the session (less than 200 words)
  6. Student leadership information:
    • How will student leaders be incorporated into the session?
    • How will they be empowered to succeed during preparation and during the day of the conference?
  7. Session requirements:
    • Level of expertise needed to participate fully (beginner, intermediate, expert)
    • The maximum number of participants you can accommodate (room sizes vary from 30-100)
    • Space set up requests (auditorium, tables/chairs, projector, speakers, etc.)
  8. Technology requirements:
    • A list of which platforms can be used in the session: (MacBook, iPad, ProBook, ElitePad, Chromebook, other)
    • Software and materials participants must have to participate (be specific)
  9. The name of the educator to be contacted about this proposal, and their email and phone number

Submit Proposals by 5 pm, Friday, March 15, 2019 to this online form or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://bit.ly/MLTI-student-conference-proposals-2019. It is recommended that you type your answers in a separate document and then copy them into the form, so you can be sure to save your work.

General Timeline:

  • Proposals due: 3/15
  • Proposals selected: 3/22
  • Registration open: 4/1
  • Last day to register: 4/23

Spread the word – if you know of someone doing fantastic work involving technology with making, doing, or storytelling please encourage them to submit a proposal or send an email with suggestions to Amanda.Nguyen@maine.gov!

For more information or answers to questions, please visit the MLTI Student Conference page or contact Amanda Nguyen, Digital Learning Specialist at Amanda.Nguyen@maine.gov.

 

Maine DOE World Language Specialist Available for Program Support

The Maine Department of Education’s World Language Specialist, Lavinia Rogers is available to talk with and support districts interested in creating a plan to realize world language programs for all students, especially those districts who may be experiencing a teacher shortage in that area.

More information and resources about world languages can be found on the Maine DOE’s website, or feel free to contact Lavinia directly to request a meeting or ask questions. She is available at lavinia.m.rogers@maine.gov or (207)624-6825

 

2019 eMPowerME Assessment Administration Training Workshops

In preparation for the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy for grades 3-8 eMPowerME assessment administration, the Maine DOE will be holding half-day regional workshop trainings February 12-14, 2019. The intended audiences for the sessions are District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), Technology Coordinators (ITCs), and/or School Test Coordinators (STCs). Morning and afternoon sessions both include topics such as: New Features for 2019; Portal Overview; User Management; Kiosk Overview; and Live Demonstrations. Registrations are limited to two (2) people per district. Should additional space become available, districts will be notified.

Dates & Locations

Morning Sessions 9:00 – 12:00

This is a full, comprehensive overview of all aspects and details of the eMPowerME assessment administration for those who are new to this test, or a full review for those returning.

Afternoon Sessions 1:00 – 3:30

This is a condensed version of the morning session, intended as a refresher with a review of administration processes for eMPowerME, while highlighting new features for 2019.

NOTE: Training sessions will NOT be hands-on and thus do not require participants to bring a personal computing device. For those participants who wish to bring devices (e.g., to ask specific questions about individual school setup), you may consider bringing a personal “hot spot”, as WiFi in training venues can be unpredictable and may be affected by the size of each training group. Morning and afternoon light snacks/coffee/juice available –lunch is not provided.

To Register click here

For questions please contact Eric W. Buckhalter, Maine Department of Education at (207) 624-6770 or Eric.buckhalter@maine.gov

 

Maine DOE Offers Two Opportunities to Participate in a 1% Alternate Assessment Support Webinar

Letters were sent out Friday, December 21st to all districts that have identified more than 1% of their students as alternate assessment students.  Three levels of support are offered to all districts.  Districts assigned to a level of support in Tier 2 and Tier 3 are required to attend one of the 1% Support Webinars listed below.  All other districts are welcome to attend.

The webinar will include an overview of the 1% ESSA regulation – Section §1111(b)(2)(D)(I) for providing alternate assessments, including: the definition of significant cognitive disabilities, meeting the criteria within the Participation Guidelines, how to identify students in Synergy, and how to complete the Action Plan for districts over the 1% participation threshold. Concentration on the Action Plan will look at three levels of support and what that means to districts, how to provide justifications, and a look at disproportionality.

Please contact Sue Nay at sue.nay@maine.gov or Ann Belanger at ann.belanger@maine.gov  with questions.

Integrated Pest Management School Workshop

Registration is now open for the Comprehensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Workshop to be held February 20th at Gardiner Area High School. This workshop is offered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

View the full workshop schedule (click on Training and Events). All School IPM Coordinators are required to attend this training one time but everyone is welcome to attend. It is an opportunity to network with other Coordinators, see what other schools are doing to prevent and manage pests.

Register for Comprehensive IPM Workshop at Gardiner High School HERE. 

Save the Date: October 29-30, 2019 for our first Rodent Academy! This 2-day workshop, featuring internationally recognized rodent expert, Dr. Robert Corrigan is not to be missed! You’ll learn very practical information about how to recognize and eliminate rodent activity in your schools (and at home too!).

Questions/Comments? Contact kathy.murray@maine.gov Phone: 207-287-7616

Professional Development Opportunity – Poverty: The Multiple Influences and Effects

The Maine DOE is providing a 3-part workshop series with Miriam Dodge, a GoldStar speaker for Communication Across Barriers, that will challenge participants to understand poverty at a deeper level and to think about their own biases and beliefs around poverty. The series will be limited to 20 participants and will focus on the Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten age span. This series will address the following goals:

  1. Increase educators’ knowledge base to understand key concepts of poverty;
  2. Recognize personal biases, thoughts and beliefs around people living in poverty;
  3. Increase understanding of the effect poverty has on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES);
  4. Increase the foundational understanding that if basic needs are met (nutrition, medical, social/emotional), students can focus engage in higher order thinking skills; and
  5. Help educators recognize personal beliefs and how they can indirectly influence collaboration between school staff and families.

By understanding the effects poverty has on Maine’s children; teachers, principals and other school leaders will be better able to individualize supports and increase learning outcomes for students most at risk.

Schools are strongly encouraged to register 3-member teams representative of classroom teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and special educators. Time will be provided for individuals to share their learning and to collectively plan for how to with colleagues in their respective schools.

Dinner will be provided during each session which will run 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm. Six contact hours will be provided to each participant over the course of the series.

Cost is $90 per team to attend the 3-part series. Registration requires a credit card.   Event Registration Link

Training Dates:                                             Training Location:
January 14, 2019                                             Educare Central Maine
March 18, 2019                                               56 Drummond Ave
May 13, 2019                                                  Waterville, ME 04901

For further information, please contact Nena Cunningham Ed.D., Head Start State Collaboration Director at 207-624-6601 or nena.m.cunningham@maine.gov

MEA Released Item Workshop Webinars

In November 2018, Maine DOE content specialists provided workshops to help Maine educators utilize the released items associated with Maine’s eMPower English language arts and math assessments and MEA science assessment. For those who were unable to attend, recordings of these sessions are now available.  The recordings can be accessed at the following links:

Educators will find documents related to these sessions in the file boxes included as part of the recordings or via links provided to Padlets incorporated within the recordings. Additionally, educators viewing the recordings will be encouraged to access released item data in the MAARS system.  Access to the released item data requires a user name and password which educators can obtain from their District Assessment Coordinator (DAC).

Please share the recording links with classroom teachers and instructional coaches who might not have been able to attend.

For questions or additional assistance, please contact the appropriate content specialist: