PRIORITY NOTICE: Additional training dates for Comprehensive Needs Assessment and SAU Consolidated Plan

As a result of the substantial response to technical assistance sessions for support regarding the development and completion of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment and SAU Consolidated Plan, as required under the recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Maine Department of Education has expanded the training schedule.

Completed SAU Consolidated Plans must be submitted to the Maine Department of Education on or before July 1, 2018. The utilization of the CNA and SAU Consolidated Plan template will ensure all required elements are included.

The Department has expanded upon the following training schedule to support SAU Data Coordinators, SAU and school staff as they complete the Comprehensive Needs Assessment and SAU Consolidated Plan. Registration can be completed through the session title hyperlinks below.

Data Collection – Remains unchanged
The target audience for this session is SAU Data Coordinators and will provide an overall view of the template document. Please ensure participant has log-in credentials to NEO for all applicable modules. Tandberg is available.
Tuesday February 13, 2018
9 AM – 12 Noon
Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 103

Work session – Extended timeframe & change in location
The target audience for this session is SAU and school staff completing the CNA/SAU Consolidated Plan. Morning timeframe will focus on sections 3-6, afternoon timeframe to focus on sections 7-10. You may attend one or both sessions.
Tuesday February 6, 2018
9 am – 3 pm
Capital Area Technical Center, 7 Pierce Dive, Augusta, ME 04330
(1 pm – 4 PM Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 541)

Work session – Remains unchanged
The target audience for this session is SAU and school staff completing the CNA/SAU Consolidated Plan. Session to focus on sections 3-6 only. Tandberg is available.
Tuesday March 6, 2018
8:30 AM – 12 Noon
Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 541

Work session – Additional date added
The target audience for this session is SAU and school staff completing the CNA/SAU Consolidated Plan. Morning timeframe will focus on sections 3-6, afternoon timeframe to focus on sections 7-10.
Friday March 9, 2018
9 am – 3 pm
Capital Area Technical Center, 7 Pierce Drive, Augusta, ME 04330

Data Dive and Evaluation – Remains unchanged The target audience will be central office and plan development team members who will examine the data to determine root cause and next steps. The group will be divided into two groups for a work session: Group 1 – NWEA data, Group 2 – STAR data.
Monday March 19, 2018
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 103

Available resources to assist SAUs to complete the SAU Consolidated Plan include:

Guidance Document – – This document provides guiding questions for SAUs to ponder and respond to when completing the CNA. The SAU Consolidated Plan will be developed after the CNA is completed.
Question and Answers – This document contains a summary of all questions posed during technical assistance sessions.

In order to register for the upcoming professional development sessions, please click on the hyperlinks included below. By clicking on the appropriate link, you will be brought to a registration form.

For further information please contact Janette Kirk, Deputy Director, Office of Learning Systems at (207) 624-6707 or Janette.Kirk@maine.gov

Powered By Maine Teach to Lead Summit

Maine Teach to Lead is pleased to announce Powered By Maine Teach to Lead Summit, Monday, April 9th, 8:30-3:30pm at Husson University, in Bangor.

Do you have a vision for your school or district? Do you need time and support to make your vision a reality? Then the Powered By Maine Teach to Lead Summit is for YOU!

This is a FREE event for teachers where you will be able to network with other teachers from across Maine, collaborate with teaching peers to cultivate an idea, and develop an action plan to accomplish your goals.

Join us and make your idea a reality!

Apply today (Applications are due by February 8th at 5pm.)

Reach Higher Maine Webinar: The New CTE Pathway to Maine’s Proficiency Diploma

Reach Higher Maine has developed a series of free webinars designed to provide school counselors & those working with student’s tools to use in their college and career readiness programs.

Live Webinar Date: January 31^st 2018, 1:30 PM

The webinar will be recorded and available on the Reach Higher Maine Google Classroom

Description: Presenters will dispel the myths surrounding the CTE Pathway by showcasing the talent, ambition and resilience of CTE students. Through video, we will share the stories of students who have walked the CTE pathway and turned struggle and uncertainty in to self-confidence and future promise. We will take the time to clarify the new CTE diploma pathway and discuss how CTE schools statewide can act as a resource and academic partner for students working toward achieving proficiency in an evidence based system

The webinar is free and will provide a certificate of completion upon request as well as access to the Discussion Board where you can ask questions of the presenters or the rest of the attendees. We are hoping this will encourage attendees to share best practices.

Register for this course

Presenters:

Danielle Despins, MOA/CSR Coordinator – Special Populations and Gender Equity Coordinator from the Maine Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education team
Dave Boardman, Ed.D. Mass Media Communications instructor at the Mid-Maine Technical Center

Handouts include:

Maine Proficiency Diploma Pathway Requirements
Maine Proficiency Diploma Requirements

Resources:

Reach Higher Maine Google Classroom A Google email (@Gmail.com) account is needed to access to the Google Classroom
To access this webinar after January 31^stor to access past webinars, log into the Reach Higher Maine Google Classroom. Once you are logged into your email, click the + in the upper right hand corner to “Create or join your first class!,” then select “Join class.” The class code is 1bs991n.
Welcome and Orientation to Education Series – Short video to help you access and navigate the Google Classroom so that you can get the most out of this experience

For more information please contact Reach Higher Maine at ReachHigherMaine@gmail.com

Reach Higher Maine is a coalition of Maine education & workforce professionals with the goal of helping to expose Maine students to education and career opportunities by helping to support school counselors in their work.

Professional Learning Program for teaching Code.org computer science courses

Educate Maine and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance have announced that applications are now open for Code.org’s computer science Professional Learning Program.

Code.org’s Professional Learning Program is an intensive, year-long professional learning program for middle and high school educators who are interested in teaching Code.org’s CS Discoveries (middle school) or CS Principles (high school) courses. These programs are designed to prepare educators to provide high quality computer science instruction based on the curriculum, tools and approach to students in their classrooms.

Applications opened on January 16 and close on March 30, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information and to apply, visit the Professional Learning page for CS Discoveries or CS Principles.

For more information about this opportunity visit the MMSA website or Code.org. Send specific questions to Angela Oechslie at Educate Maine angela@educatemaine.org or Renee Charette at MMSA rcharette@mmsa.org.

Maine Mathematics Coaching Project: Grant funded tuition support for cohort 4 applicants

The Maine Mathematics Coaching Project at the University of Maine at Farmington is offering a special opportunity to new math coaching candidates who apply and are accepted to Cohort 4 by March 15, 2018.

These students will receive $2500 of their first year membership paid for through the DOE Mathematics Science Partnership Grant.

In order to qualify for these one-time, limited funds, interested parties must complete the Maine Mathematics Coaching Project assurances and application by March 15th. Applications and assurances received after March 15, 2018 will be responsible for the full $6000 first year membership.

For more information please contact Sandra MacArthur at sandra.macarthur@maine.edu

Annual English Teacher’s Conference at Point Lookout

The Maine Council of English Language Arts and Maine DOE announce the annual spring conference on Friday, March 23. Maria Padian, a three-time winner of both the Maine Literary Award for young people’s literature, and the Maine Library Association’s Lupine Award honor, is the keynote speaker. Padian’s works include Out of Nowhere, a story which follows soccer captain Tom Bouchard as he develops an understanding of the Somali refugee students who join his team in the fictional but recognizable town of Enniston, Maine.

The conference will feature three opportunities for attendees to choose from a variety of timely topics for professional learning. Effective use of data, developing pre-assessments, enhancing writing skills through authentic tasks, and teaching through dialogue are just a few of the choices available.

Space is limited so early registration is recommended. Visit the Maine Council of English Language Arts 2018 Conference website to learn more and view the full conference agenda. Online registration is available and encouraged.

Training schedule for Comprehensive Needs Assessment and SAU Consolidated Plan

The Maine Department of Education continues to provide support regarding the development and completion of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment and SAU Consolidated Plan as required under the recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Completed SAU Consolidated Plans must be submitted to the Maine Department of Education on or before July 1, 2018. The utilization of the CNA and SAU Consolidated Plan template will ensure all required elements are included.

The Department has developed the following training schedule to support SAU Data Coordinators, SAU and school staff as they complete the Comprehensive Needs Assessment and SAU Consolidated Plan. Registration can be completed through the session title hyperlinks below.

Data Collection
The target audience for this session is SAU Data Coordinators
Tuesday February 13, 2018
9 AM – 12 Noon Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 103

Work session
The target audience for this session is SAU and school staff completing the CNA/SAU Consolidated Plan.
Tuesday February 6, 2018
1 pm – 4 PM Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 541

Work session
The target audience for this session is SAU and school staff completing the CNA/SAU Consolidated Plan.
Tuesday March 6, 2018
8:30 AM – 12 Noon Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 541

Data Dive and Evaluation
The target audience will be central office and plan development team members who will examine the data to determine root cause and next steps. The group will be divided into two groups for a work session: Group 1 – NWEA data, Group 2 – STAR data.
Monday March 19, 2018
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Augusta, Cross State Office Building, Room 103

Available resources to assist SAUs to complete the SAU Consolidated Plan include:

Guidance Document – – This document provides guiding questions for SAUs to ponder and respond to when completing the CNA. The SAU Consolidated Plan will be developed after the CNA is completed.
Question and Answers – This document contains a summary of all questions posed during technical assistance sessions.

For further information please contact Janette Kirk, Deputy Director for the Office of Learning Systems at (207) 624-6707 or Janette.Kirk@maine.gov

Reminder of Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course

As mid-school year approaches, this is a reminder of The Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course that is provided by the Maine DOE to districts at no cost.

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.

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.

New Teachers and Mentors – Dine and Discuss Event (Three sessions)

Due to extenuating circumstances this series has been cancelled.

The Dine and Discuss series for new teachers and their mentors is designed to provide professional learning that builds fundamental instructional skills of new teachers. Note: New teachers are defined as teachers in their first two years of teaching who have assigned mentors. Each session in the 3-part series will have a specific focus.

January Focus: Formative Assessment

Sessions goals are as follows:

Increase the integration of foundational strategies into ongoing daily classroom instructional practices
Build peer networking communities throughout the State
Introduce a statewide, online support platform to facilitate ongoing dialogue between new and more experienced teachers
Highlight teacher leaders and build a resource bank statewide to deliver professional learning
Develop a video resource bank of topics with supporting materials from each of the regional sessions

Registration fee: $25 per person per session and includes dinner. Registration is now open for the January session. New teachers are invited to come with or without their mentors. If your mentor cannot be there, we will group you together with other participating mentors. Please register to secure your spot (below) as we have limited space.

Payment: Credit card only, use the individual event registration links below.

Topics for future sessions may include: backward design, goal focused planning, classroom management strategies, time management in the classroom, family engagement, and instructional strategies. Additional topics will be determined by follow up feedback surveys and input from the field.

If a larger location is necessary to accommodate more participants in subsequent sessions, locations may be changed.

Location / Registration Links	January Session
The Green Ladle, Lewiston	January 16, 2018
Bangor High School, Bangor	January 17, 2018
University of Maine – Presque Isle	January 23, 2018
University of Maine – Machias	January 24, 2018
University of Southern Maine, Portland	January 31, 2018

Workshop Contact: Peggy Pisini, Acting Educator Effectiveness Coordinator at peggy.pisini@maine.gov or call 624-6748.

Winter holidays in the classroom

The following information has been put together with the support of the Council of State Social Studies Specialists (CS4) to help educators who are planning to include seasonal holiday activities in their classrooms and at their schools.

Before planning, think about the following questions compiled from teachhub.com, educateiowa.gov, the First Amendment Center, and Teaching Tolerance:

Is this activity designed in any way to promote or inhibit religion?
How does this activity serve the academic goals of the course, or the educational mission of the school?
Will any student or parent be made to feel like an outsider, not a full member of your classroom community, by this activity?
If in December, are there plans to teach about religious holidays at other times of the year or do we only teach about holidays in December?
Are your planned activities centered around only one winter holiday?
Are you prepared to teach about the religious meaning and significance of this holiday in a way that enriches all of your students’ understanding about history and culture?
Is the activity you planned show tolerance for all religions or is it focusing on one main religion?
Is a celebration a Christmas party or a winter party? The latter is okay.
Are you displaying holiday decorations with a religious theme?