From the Commissioner

It’s been over a week since Governor LePage and I released Maine’s School Performance Grading System. I continue to tour schools that are exemplifying promising practices, including several that have received grades on the lower end of the spectrum. Based on what I’ve seen, these schools are doing many of the right things to get their students invested in learning. It’s important that the Department be engaged with these schools to let them know they have support.

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From the Commissioner

It’s been a busy week at Maine DOE as we released the first A-F report cards for each of the state’s schools as part of the new Maine School Performance Grading System. Now that we have a usable and understandable benchmark of where schools are, the real work begins!

The initiative focuses on continuous improvement through transparency, parent engagement and a renewed focus—not just by those of us in the education community but by all Mainers—on making all of our schools better for all of our students.

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From the Commissioner

Schools are back in session after a week-long spring vacation, and I’m ready to get back into the field to finish up my Promising Practices Tour. The schools I’ve seen so far have made significant progress in moving toward a system that supports students in achieving proficiency and prepares them for college and careers.

Next Thursday I’ll be traveling to Dixfield and Oxford Hills to see student-centered and experiential learning in action. I will also meet with members of the Western Maine Education Collaborative, which was recently featured in the Maine DOE Center for Best Practices.

Superintendents, stay tuned for more information about A-F school report cards next week.

From the Commissioner

Superintendents: Over the next few days you will start to receive information about the A-F school grading system, which will be released soon. I will be sharing some of the data with you, and more explanation of how the grading system works. We’ll also be scheduling webinars with superintendents to explain the system and how we plan to unveil it.

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From the Commissioner

Away from the headlines, some amazing work is going on in Maine schools and I’ve had the good fortune to visit several schools –most recently Lake Region High School and the career and technical education center.

I also got to meet six talented teachers last Thursday at a ceremony recognizing them as 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year semi-finalists. Yes, Shannon Shanning, our 2013 Teacher of the Year has barely begun her term, but we are already busy reviewing, scoring, and celebrating more great teachers. I was also glad to announce that the Department has entered into a partnership with Educate Maine, a business-led education group, to manage the program. We are excited about this partnership and confident in their ability to further raise the profile of this program, which showcases and highlights exceptional teachers.

From the Commissioner

During his State of the State address in February, Governor LePage announced that Maine will introduce a school performance grading system to simplify for parents, taxpayers and others how their schools are doing. Many of you have expressed interest in and concern about how we will generate the grades, and what we will do to support schools that receive low grades.

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From the Commissioner

By all accounts last Friday’s Governor’s Conference on Education: Putting Students First was a great success. Not because everyone agreed with every idea that was presented, but because we were able to hear about innovations and reforms in Florida and elsewhere that have had some real impact on student achievement, and continue our conversation about which make sense for Maine to consider and put into action.

More than 200 superintendents, legislators, principals, teachers, higher ed administrators and others attended the event (a big thank you to Cony High School in Augusta for hosting).

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From the Commissioner

I had the chance last week to talk with five students at Lewiston High School who are taking advantage of an early college opportunity that will save them money, expose them to the college experience, and could lead them to future careers. I picked LHS for the second stop on my Promising Practices tour because the kids I talked to are among 68 juniors and seniors who are taking college classes for credit at institutions like the University of Southern Maine and Central Maine Community College.

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From the Commissioner

Today I’ll be at Lewiston High School to talk about some of the targeted education support in Governor Paul R. LePage’s proposed two-year budget. These supports include funding to help districts implement the proficiency-based diploma and teacher evaluation systems; to expand access to college opportunities through five-year high school/associate’s degree programs, dual credit, and Adult Ed transition programs; and to make the kinds of supports and technical assistance that have been available only to Title I schools available to all schools.

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From the Commissioner

Governor Paul R. LePage and I are pleased to announce the Governor’s Conference on Education, which will feature best practices and innovative reforms from around the nation.

One of Gov. LePage’s highest priorities in the legislative session is to improve and expand our children’s educational opportunities. While many good things are going on in Maine’s schools, we can always learn from the success of other states.

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