Category: Special Education

Seeking Proposals for McKinney-Vento Sub-grant Program for the Education of Homeless Children

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce that it is seeking proposals for the McKinney-Vento Sub-grant program for the education of homeless children and youth.  Proposals will be accepted from School Administrative Unites seeking to develop, implement, or expand programs that improve the academic success of students identified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act.

The Department is interested in proposals that are focused on narrowing the achievement disparity between Maine’s homeless students and their stably housed peers.  These grants are renewable for a total of three years, with a maximum annual award of $40,000.  The application deadline is October 31, 2018.

The RFP (#201809192) for this competitive grant, including details of the application process, can be found on the State of Maine Division of Purchases website.

Applicants who submitted proposals under the withdrawn July RFP (#201806134) are encouraged to reapply.  New applicants are also welcome.

For more information on the McKinney-Vento Sub-grant program or other homeless education issues, contact Gayle Erdheim, State Homeless Education Consultant, at gayle.erdheim@maine.gov or (207) 624-6637.

 

Implementation of New IEP Form to be Further Postponed

Administrative Letter #17 announced an implementation date of October 1, 2018 for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) designed to meet requirements for documenting certain services that are both educationally and medically necessary in accordance with both IDEA and Section 65 and Section 28 of the Maine Care Benefits Manual.

The Department of Education has continued to receive a number of questions from the field regarding this change. We are committed to giving the best answers possible and need time to continue the development of answers that are correct and timely. As a result, we will postpone the requirements of Administrative Letters #13 and #17 concerning IEP development to ensure that the field receives adequate support.

In our continuing goals of being responsive to the field, providing technical assistance, and generally supporting the development of quality IEPs regardless of pay sources, we have postponed the implementation of the new IEP form.

Answers to the questions will be published before implementation. The targeted start date is now January 1, 2019.

For further questions, contact the Maine Department of Education Office of Special Services at (207) 624-6713.

Regional PD Opportunities Based on CNAs and Provided Under ESSA #success4ME

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Maine has developed a differentiated model of school supports that includes statewide professional development targeted to regional needs. Upon review of submitted statewide Comprehensive Needs Assessments/SAU Consolidated Plans, the Maine DOE is providing regional professional development to address the explicit needs outlined in submitted CNAs.

The Department invites district, school, and classroom leaders, and their staff to attend the many regional professional development opportunities being offered by the Department this fall. These sessions are offered at no cost and sessions information is available on the Department’s professional development calendar.

Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools:  Using Relationships to Promote Growth & Learning

Session Description: Schools across the country are adopting a trauma-sensitive approach in order to effectively educate students who have been exposed to adverse experiences. Neurodevelopmental impacts resulting from childhood adversity hinder a student’s ability to engage in the academic setting and manifest as disruptive, and often unsafe, behavior in the classroom. Creating trauma competent schools has become an imperative for educators who work to ensure safety and promote learning for ALL students. The field of social neuroscience draws from vast disciplines to explain how we have evolved in the context of interpersonal relationships through attachment and group cohesion, and how we have subsequently developed the capacity to shape the brains of those with whom interact and connect. This presentation will describe how educators can use our knowledge of interpersonal neurobiology to create classrooms and student relationships that maximize growth and learning. Participants will understand their role in creating trauma-competent systems and be able to employ trauma-sensitive principles, practices, and procedures to address the impact of trauma on learners and increase their students ability to succeed in the school environment.

Facilitator Information: Cassie Yackley, Psy.D.,  has spent more than 25 years committed to understanding and effectively addressing the impact of traumatic/adverse experiences on children, caregivers/families, and systems. She brings together recent discoveries from developmental neuroscience, attachment, implementation science, and reflective practice to help audiences develop skills of relationship and self-awareness in ways that transform organizations, promote staff professional growth and wellness, and improve outcomes for the consumers they serve.

The three session dates and locations are listed below with a link to each registration.  Space is limited so we recommend you register at the earliest possible opportunity.  Please register no later than, October 9, 2018 for the session closest to you.

Oct. 16, 2018                           
Elks Lodge – Brewer  
Register now »

Oct. 17, 2018                                              
State Armory – Augusta 
Register now » 

Oct. 18, 2018                                              
Elks Lodge –  Portland  
Register now »   

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. with each session running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with a break for a provided lunch.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact ESEA Federal Programs and Title I Director, Chelsey Fortin-Trimble at chelsey.a.fortin@maine.gov.

MaineCare Seed Adjustments to be Made; Review Q418 Reports by October 19, 2018

The recovery of Q418 MaineCare Seed will occur in the October 2018 subsidy payment and the Maine DOE is asking districts to review their reports by October 19, 2018 to ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy.

District staff must review student by student claims on both the public and private MaineCare reports for Q418 by October 19, 2018.

To access the MaineCare Seed reports, please follow the instructions below.

  1. Log into NEO:
    • As in the past, if a new staff member needs permission to access this module, a request from the Superintendent to the Maine DOE helpdesk will be necessary. The helpdesk contact information is medms.helpdesk@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.
    • Anyone who currently has Special Education Director permissions to the Special Education module, will automatically have permissions to access MaineCare reports.
  2. Click on the Student Data tab
  3. Click on the Student Report tab
  4. Select MaineCare in the Reporting Area drop-down
  5. Choose the quarterly Seed report and the report type (private/public)
  6. Click view report button
  7. exportButton
    Export Button

    Once the report appears on the screen, choose the export button.
    You may export the reports to Excel but, please be aware that there may be multiple worksheet tabs within the workbook. Save the file to your computer.

If you disagree that a particular student or time period should be on the report, please provide the reason that you disagree along with the following to Denise Towers at Denise.towers@maine.gov.

  • Identify the type of report (public or private) and the quarter in which the claims are located.
  • State Student ID
  • Service provided dates (to and from)
  • Total amount of Seed being disputed

Summer services: Students must be enrolled for the time period they are receiving educational services. This means that students that are receiving extended school year services in district or extended school year services in an out of district placement must have a primary enrollment for that time period in order for the MDOE to have the most accurate enrollment data to determine SAU responsibility for MaineCare Seed.

For more information or technical assistance related to MaineCare Seed, please contact Denise Towers at Denise.towers@maine.gov.

 

Assessment Professional Development and Learning Opportunities

As a follow-up to the September 6, 2018 notice in the Maine DOE Newsroom regarding scheduled opportunities for professional development and learning around assessment, the Department is providing additional information and registration details for upcoming sessions.

Lexile Framework for Reading

On October 9- 11, 2018, the Department in conjunction with MetaMetrics® will be conducting three (3) regional ½ day repeated sessions in Presque Isle, Bangor/Brewer and Portland areas. Each ½ day /3-hour session will provide attendees an overview of the Lexile Framework for Reading and the utilization of Lexile levels to support and impact instructional practice. This session will discuss and review student Lexile levels as determined by student performance on the Spring 2018 ELA eMPowerME state assessment and as reported on 2018 Individual Student Reports (ISRs) to parents.

The intended audience for this session is Special Educators, Librarians, English Language Teachers, English Language Arts (ELA) teaching staff, and elementary school teaching staff.

To register for the Lexile professional development session please click here.

Date Location Session times Registration
October 9, 2018 Elks Lodge

508 Main Street,

Presque Isle, 04769

 PM – 12:30 -3:30 pm To register for Oct. 9 sessions, click here.
October 10, 2018 Jeff’s Catering

15 Littlefield Road,

Brewer, 04401

 AM – 8:30 -11:30 am

PM – 12:30 -3:30 pm

 To register for Oct. 10 sessions, click here.
October 11, 2018 Elks Lodge

1945 Congress Street,

Portland, 04102

 AM – 8:30 -11:30 am

PM – 12:30 -3:30 pm

 To register for Oct. 11 sessions, click here.

Maine’s Assessment & Accountability Reporting System (MAARS) Review & Released Items

On November 13-15, 2018, the Department in conjunction with FocalPointK-12 will be conducting three, one day sessions in Presque Isle, Bangor/Brewer and Portland areas.

During each morning session, attendees will be provided an overview of MAARS with a focus on confidential reporting elements. Please note, in order for participants to engage fully in this session, participants should ensure necessary permissions to access MAARS have been granted and provided from the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC).

Afternoon sessions will focus on English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics eMPowerME and Science released items and specifically the impact on curriculum and development review to instructional practice.

To register for the MAARS Review and Released Item session please click here.

The intended audience for this session is Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, curriculum coordinators, and ELA, Math and Science teaching staff.

Date Location Time Registration
November 13, 2018 Presque Isle Registration 8:30 am

Session 9 am – 3:30 PM

 To register for Nov.13 sessions, click here.
November 14, 2018 Bangor/Brewer Registration 8:30 am

Session 9 am – 3:30 PM

 To register for Nov. 14 sessions, click here.
November 15, 2018 Portland Registration 8:30 am

Session 9 am – 3:30 PM

 To register for Nov. 15 sessions, click here.

For further information or additional questions please contact Janette Kirk, Deputy Director, Office of Learning Systems at janette.kirk@maine.gov or 624-6707.

State Special Education Determination

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires each state to develop a state performance plan/annual performance report (SPP/APR) that evaluates the state’s efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of Part B (ages 3 through 20) and Part C (birth to 3) of the IDEA and describes how the state will improve its implementation.

The SPP/APRs include indicators that measure child and family outcomes and other indicators that measure compliance with the requirements of the IDEA.

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) uses information from the SPP/APR, information obtained through monitoring visits, and any other public information to annually determine if the state:

  • Meets requirements in implementing the requirements of the IDEA
  • Needs assistance in implementing the requirements of the IDEA
  • Needs intervention in implementing the requirements of the IDEA
  • Needs substantial intervention in implementing the requirements of the IDEA

For the 2016-17 school year (the most recent determination), OSEP determined that the Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE):

  • needs assistance in implementing the requirements of Part B of the IDEA;
  • and meets requirements in implementing the requirements of Part C of the IDEA.

As a result, the Maine DOE has accessed technical assistance provided by federally-funded agencies and is working with schools to improve student outcomes and implementation of the IDEA.

View each state’s determination letter and information on how the determinations were made.

Updated Special Education Forms

Several of the Maine DOE Special Education forms have been updated and an optional referral form for special education services has been developed.  All vendors have been notified of the changes. A complete list of the forms is available at the bottom of this notice. Below are the detailed changes to the forms:

The Revised IEP Form includes two changes:  The first change is in Section 7B of the IEP (Alternate Assessment).  This section now includes check boxes to ensure that this IEP Team determination is completed annually with the Participation Decision Flowchart.  If the IEP Team determines that the child shall take the alternate assessment, then a statement as to why the child cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate should be included.   The second change is in Section 8 of the IEP (Special Education and Related Services).  This section now includes “Nursing Services” and “Behavioral Health Day Treatment” as related services.  If a child requires support from a behavioral health professional in a day treatment setting, the frequency of that support should not be considered in the calculation of the LRE percentage.  The frequency of this service is not in lieu of specially designed instruction, the frequency of this service is concurrent with special education and other related services.

The Written Notice includes an updated phone number for Southern Maine Parent Awareness which is listed in the resources for parents to contact in receiving assistance in understanding or obtaining the procedural safeguards.

The optional Seven-Day Waiver form was updated to include language to clarify that a description of proposals or refusals should be documented, not just proposals by the SAU.

The Speech/Language – Teacher Input forms were updated to include the same header as the other state forms.  These forms include teacher input for: Voice, Language, Functional Communication, Fluency, and Articulation.  These forms are considered optional, and are not required in the initial or re-evaluation of a child suspected of having a Speech or Language Impairment.

The Referral for Special Education Services form is now available.  This form provides an opportunity for the referring party to document academic and functional strengths and weaknesses of the child, relevant local and state assessment data, and attempted interventions.  This form is considered optional, and is not required in the referral of a child suspected of having deficits to the degree that requires special education services.

The Procedural Manual has been updated to provide guidance and clarity to the optional and required Maine DOE special education forms.  The effective date of the aforementioned forms and the Procedural Manual will be October 1, 2018.

Special Education Forms:

For more information contact Roberta Lucas at Roberta.lucas@maine.gov.

 

Administrative Letter: Annual Notification of Eligibility for Schoolwide Programs that Include Students with Disabilities

Administrative Letter: #18
Policy Code:  BGE
To: District and School Administrators, Special Education Directors
From: Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Ed. D., Commissioner
Date: September 5, 2018
Subject: Annual Notification of Eligibility for Schoolwide Programs that Include Students with Disabilities

Schools that receive federal Title I funds, have poverty rates of at least 40 percent and have approved Title IA Schoolwide Plans are eligible to use their Title I funds – and funds from other sources – to develop “schoolwide programs.”

Schoolwide programs are comprehensive reform strategies aimed at raising the achievement levels of all students.

To facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in schoolwide programs, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the federal regulations at 34 CFR §300.206(a) allow school administrative units (SAU) to use a portion of the funds they receive under Part B of IDEA for any fiscal year to fund such schoolwide programs.

SAUs can use those funds as long as students with disabilities receive the services to which they are entitled under their Individualized Education Programs and that are guaranteed under IDEA.

The amount of Part B funds a school expends for schoolwide programs cannot exceed the amount the SAU has received for that fiscal year, divided by the number of children with disabilities in that unit, multiplied by the number of children with disabilities participating in the schoolwide program.

For more information visit Maine DOE’s ESSA Webpages or contact Maine DOE’s Title IA Data Specialist Daniel Weeks at daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov, or Director of Special Services Jan Breton at janice.breton@maine.gov.

Administrative Letter (Updated): New Requirements for Individualized Education Programs (IEP)

Administrative Letter: #17
Policy Code: BGE
To: District and School Administrators, Special Education Directors
From: Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Ed. D., Commissioner
Date: August 27, 2018
Subject: New Requirements for Individualized Education Programs (IEP)

The following Administrative Letter has been updated with the correct revised IEP form.

On April 14, 2018 in Administrative Letter #13, the Maine Department of Education announced new requirements for Individualized Education Programs (IEP) beginning on May 1, 2018. The purpose of the new requirements was to appropriately document certain services that are both educationally and medically necessary in accordance with both IDEA and Section 65 and Section 28 of the MaineCare Benefits Manual.  Subsequently in a communication dated May 16, 2018, the Department delayed the start date pending consideration of some questions raised by the field through counsel for the Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities (MADSEC).

After careful consideration and assistance from the Department’s counsel, we are now ready to move ahead with implementation of a revised IEP that addresses educationally necessary, MaineCare billable services. The new implementation date is October 1, 2018.

The Department recognizes that what we initially viewed as a change in documentation has caused confusion and concern in the field, and wants to address several important points about what this change means and does not mean for IEP Teams and school administrative units:

  • First, nothing has changed about the IEP Team’s responsibility for determining if a child who needs special education also needs related services, such as behavioral health services, in order to benefit from their special education.
  • Second, nothing has changed about the requirement that an IEP address the behavioral health needs of a student with a disability whose behavior is impacting their education. MUSER has contained a category of related services called “school health services” for several years, and the scope of what is contained within that category has been limited only by the Supreme Court’s rulings in Garret F. and Tatro¹ that these services are services that do not need to be provided by a doctor. A social worker, or an educational technician certified as a behavior health professional could be a potential provider.
  • Third, nothing has changed with respect to the IEP Team’s responsibility for determining the least restrictive environment (LRE) in which a child with a disability will receive special education and related services. Not every student with a disability who requires behavioral health services needs to be served in a day treatment program. The IEP Team must consider the unique needs of the student in determining placement, just as they must consider the unique needs of the student in developing the rest of the IEP.
  • Finally, the only thing that has changed is that if the IEP Team determines that a child with a disability is going to receive a service or be served by a professional covered by MaineCare and the child’s parent has consented to the use of MaineCare as a payment source, the service must be documented in Section 8, on the applicable section of the service grid on the IEP.

The Department understands that there will be additional questions from the field and we intend to provide support and guidance. For questions, please contact Roberta Lucas (Roberta.lucas@maine.gov) or Mary Adley (Mary.adley@maine.gov).

¹ Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F., 526 U.S. 66 (1999); Irving Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Tatro, 468 U.S. 883 (1984).

Beginning of School Year Checklist for Completing Reports

The following checklist is designed to assist districts with publicly funded students in completing required reporting.  The dates listed after each report are when the report is open for entry and due for certification, if required.

Synergy

The Synergy Student Information System is now open for the 2018-2019 school year. If you are a new user or, an existing user who needs changes to system access, please complete the system access form and return to the Maine DOE Helpdesk.

Please note, the first three uploads in Synergy must be done in order (State ID – only if needed, Student Enrollment and Student Personal). Manual entry will allow all three sections to be entered at once so the order is not as critical.

The following items are available. Please visit the Maine DOE Data Resources webpage for Synergy codes to be used for the items below and detailed instructions for entry.

☐ State ID Import – Caution! Please verify the student has not already been previously enrolled in the State of Maine at any time before using this.  Duplicate student IDs create inaccurate data and are not always easy to resolve.

☐ Student Enrollment

☐ Student Personal

☐ Economic Status

☐ Special Education Services – Please remember to use the start date of the services even if this was in a previous year.  Synergy will create a new line for each year the student received the services

☐ EL if applicable

☐ CTE schools and other concurrent schools may only enter their information after the primary school has done their enrollment information.

☐ Attendance, Truancy and Behavior as often as possible but at a minimum, quarterly for certification purposes

☐ Future dates are not permitted in the system.

☐ NEO Staff updated

Beginning of Year Reports and Certifications in DC&R

The following items can be accessed from DC&R. Guidance is available on the Maine DOE Data Resources webpage.

☐ Maine Schools and School Approvals due August 1.  This report must be completed to enter staff information:

Contacts and Questions

If you have questions about these reports, (i.e. what should be entered) please contact the specialist listed below:

  • Accountability: Penny Henry 624-6855
  • Attendance: Rick Bergeron 624-6840
  • Audits/EF-S-07:  Stephanie Clark 624-6807
  • Behavior/Bullying/Restraint and Seclusion: Sarah Ricker 624-6685 or Meredith Backus 624-6865
  • Maine Schools: Charlotte Ellis 624-6696
  • School Approvals: Pam Ford-Taylor 624-6617
  • Special Education: Brandi Giguere 624-6648
  • Truancy: Gayle Erdheim 624-6637
  • Financial Reports (actual expenditure and actual revenue): Tyler Backus 624-6635
  • School Nurse Report: Meredith Backus 624-6865

If you have questions about accessing the reports, please call or email the helpdesk. 624-6896 or medms.helpdesk@maine.gov

If you do not have credentials for Synergy or NEO – Access forms for Synergy and NEO if needed are located on the Maine DOE Data Resources webpage  These forms must be signed by Superintendent and returned to medms.helpdesk@maine.gov.