Category: Special Education

FREE Professional Learning Series: Building Linguistically-Responsive Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for Multilingual Learners

To support educators across Maine who work with multilingual learners with disabilities, the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) and Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) are collaborating to facilitate a six-session professional learning series entitled, “The Intersection of English Language Acquisition and Individualized Education Programs”.

Designed for Special Education teachers, Case Managers, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, this professional learning community will foster collaboration and collective efficacy to address students’ linguistic, cultural, and academic strengths through the intersection of language acquisition and disability.

Participants will work toward developing linguistically-responsive Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) through the integration of Individual Language Acquisition Plans (ILAPs) for multilingual students.

Session topics include:

  • Foundational Knowledge: Legal Regulations, Civil Rights, and Data Overview
  • Collaboration and Integration of IEPs and Individual Language Acquisition Plans (ILAPs)
  • IEPs for Multilingual Learners: Section 3 Special Factors
  • Linguistically-Appropriate Goals, Services, and Accommodations
  • Test Participation Guidance and Accommodations

Each session will be artfully facilitated by Leora Byras, Education Specialist, Maine DOE OSSIE, and Melissa Frans, Teacher Leader Fellow for Multilingual Learners with Disabilities, Maine DOE OTL.

Two contact hours per session will be awarded to account for essential pre-work. Participants, including school and district teams, are encouraged to attend all six sessions and, upon completion, will receive a free anchor text: IEPs for ELs and Other Diverse Learners.

“With practical guidance and checklists, this book provides educators with research-based strategies and examples that empower them to write effective IEPs for K-12 EL learners.” (Corwin Publishers, 2017.)

Sessions will be held virtually from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on:

  • Tuesday, January 21, 2025
  • Thursday, February 27, 2025
  • Tuesday, March 18, 2025
  • Tuesday, April 29, 2025
  • Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Tuesday, June 10, 2025

To register for this event, please use this registration link.

If you have any questions, please contact Leora Byras (Leora.Byras@maine.gov) or Jane Armstrong, Maine DOE ESOL State Specialist (Jane.Armstrong@maine.gov).

 

 

Empowering Students with Diverse Abilities: Nominations Open for Executive Student Transition Committee

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Transition Maine program invites educators to nominate Maine students with individualized education programs (IEPs) to apply for a leadership role on the Executive Student Transition (EST) Committee.

Established by the Maine DOE in early 2022, Transition Maine was created to provide equitable and inclusive post-secondary transition services for students with IEPs to help them ease into adulthood. Since then, the Maine DOE Transition team has been on a mission to amplify youth voices in Maine and beyond. The Executive Student Transition Committee is a big part of that mission.

The Committee is comprised of students with diverse abilities who work to champion their rights and actively shape inclusive transition experiences. As an Executive Student Transition Committee member, a student will engage in initiatives that forge pathways to promoting equitable access to education, employment, and independent living while building leadership and self-advocacy skills.

Committee members independently attend virtual weekly meetings and develop content related to transition topics, like self-advocacy and determination. They also engage in leadership opportunities in community-wide programming, such as taking part in the planning of the Maine DOE’s Annual Transition Maine Youth Summit and representing Transition Maine at local, statewide, or national events.

Along with the nomination form, student nominees will need to prepare a written, audio, or video response to a topical prompt around advocacy and transitions. This can be done independently or with the assistance of an educator.

Executive Student Transition Committee nominees should be students who are passionate about leadership and advocacy. Members

New committee members will help plan and run the 2025 Transition Maine youth Summit in Presque Isle.

of the Committee are compensated for up to 20 hours per month. By joining the Committee, students will be part of a team dedicated to driving positive change and creating opportunities for all Maine students with diverse needs.

Please submit your nomination using this link. If you are a student or want to provide a potential nominee with more information, you can download the file linked here. 

For more information, please reach out to the Maine DOE Transition Specialist Titus O’Rourke at titus.orourke@maine.gov.

Maine Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Conference Registration Now Open!

Join the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education for the 14th Annual Maine PBIS Conference at the Augusta Civic Center on Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM. The conference is a chance for Maine Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) leaders and implementers from across Maine and beyond to come together to celebrate, learn, and network together.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Ruthie Payno-Simmons, the founder of RPS Educational Impact and serves as the Associate Director at the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center). She leads the coordination, design, and delivery of universal, targeted, and systemic equity-focused professional learning experiences and technical assistance to state and local agencies throughout the MAP Center’s 13-state region. Her keynote address is on, “Enhancing Positive and Supportive School Climate Through Storytelling and Rightful Presence.”

Conference Fees:

  • General (individual)- $195
  • Group (groups of 3 or more attendees)- $165
  • Student (full-time undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in 6 credits per semester for at minimum two semesters per year)- $85
  • Lead Presenter (those accepted to present; only lead presenters are at no charge; co-presenters will be charged the individual rate)- $0

For more information about the conference, to submit a proposal, sign up for a school showcase, and/or to register to attend the conference, visit the PBIS Conference Website.

MADSEC Names 2024 Special Education Honorees of the Year

Every year, the Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities (MADSEC) announces Honorees of the Year, who are individuals who work in the field of Special Education within Maine schools.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) joins MADSEC in congratulating the 2023-24 awardees in addition to thanking all educators within the Special Education division. Congratulations to Angela, Kendra, Scott, and Erin, and read more about them below.

To learn more about MADSEC, these awards, and the honorees, visit their website:

Home (madsec.org)

Inclusive Education Webinar Series: The Way to Inclusion on May 22

The Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education invites you to join us in the first two webinars in our “Inclusive Education Webinar Series” presented by Dr. Kate Macleod, an innovative inclusive educator, researcher, author, and assistant professor of special education at the University of Maine Farmington.

May 22nd : The Way to Inclusion: How We Create Schools Where Every Student Belongs

Grounded in the work of Dr. Kate MacLeod’s latest book, The Way to Inclusion: How Leaders Create Schools Where Every Student Belongs (ASCD, 2023) this webinar will take participants through the inclusive school change process – from creating an inclusive vision, to identifying current successes and barriers to inclusion, reimagining roles of existing staff, and everything in between.  Participants will leave with research-based ideas, practical resources, and advice from leaders who are implementing inclusive change in their schools and districts.

Register here.

For more information, please contact anne-marie.adamson@maine.gov

Inclusive Education Webinar Series: The What, Why & How of Inclusive Schools on May 8th

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education invites you to attend the first two webinars in our “Inclusive Education Webinar Series,” presented by Dr. Kate Macleod, an innovative, inclusive educator, researcher, author, and assistant professor of special education at the University of Maine Farmington.

May 8th: The What, Why & How of Inclusive Schools

In this engaging webinar, Dr. Kate MacLeod will share “what” inclusion is, the many reasons “why” inclusion is critical to the success of our students and communities here in Maine (e.g., research, law, advocacy, social justice, and belonging), and will take participants through research-based key practices for “how” schools can achieve greater inclusion for all students.  Participants will leave with access to resources and practical strategies to implement greater inclusion in their schools.

Register here.

Stay tuned…our next webinar in the series, The Way to Inclusion: How We Create Schools Where Every Student Belongs, featuring Kate Macleod, will be broadcast on May 22nd!

For more information, please contact anne-marie.adamson@maine.gov

Math4ME Project Accepting Applications – Deadline Extended

The Math4ME Project is accepting applications for the newest cohort of schools.  Math4ME is a free, three-year project that supports and lifts mathematics education for all students and focuses on grades PK-8.

Math4ME is not a curriculum, but rather a support to lift your current mathematics curriculum and make mathematics accessible to all learners.  Math4ME supports the inclusion of all learners in the general education setting through the use of effective, engaging, high-leverage routines, supportive, positive mathematics culture and communities, and the support and use of family engagement strategies.  Math4ME is not a replacement curriculum but rather a philosophy and way of utilizing your current mathematics curriculum to lift all learners.

The Math4ME Project has a focus on the joy and shift in mathematics mindset and pedagogy.  A few quotes from our current Teachers of Influence (TOI).

“At our staff meetings I share new activities teachers can do with their students after I attend the TOI trainings.  It’s great to see these new math routines/concepts being done across the whole school. Math4ME has been a positive addition to our math program at Lyman Elementary School.  It’s great to see all students participating and enjoying math!” -Jon Marines (TOI)

“The Math4ME coaches came to model how to use the multiple cards with kindergarten and first grade. In one classroom a non-verbal first grader was able to interact with peers and a Math4ME coach to play the game. Inclusion at its best.” -TOI

For more information about the Math4ME Project, please view this informational session. For further questions, please contact Jen Robitaille, jennifer.r.robitaille@maine.gov or Sue Hogan, susan.hogan@maine.gov.

If Math4ME would be great fit for your school, please use the application here to apply.  Applications are open until April 12, 2024.

Celebrating Early Childhood Education Day at the State House

Staff from Maine’s Department of Education’s (DOE) Early Learning Team and Child Development Services gathered with several other Early Childhood agencies, organizations, and programs in the Hall of Flags at the Maine State House in Augusta on Thursday, March 21st for the annual Early Childhood Day at the Hall of Flags.

The event allowed early childhood educators, families, and advocates to unite to celebrate and elevate the need for high-quality early care and education (ECE) opportunities and the importance of a strong ECE workforce in Maine.

Maine DOE Early Learning Team and members of Child Development Services (pictured above) took part in the event by sharing resources and facilitating a session related to public pre-k partnerships.

For more information and resources on early learning in Maine, visit:

 

Maine DOE Seeks Comments on Maine’s IDEA Part C Application

The Maine Department of Education (DOE), Child Development Services – Early Intervention for ME is seeking comments from the public on its annual application for federal funds under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and/or suspected disabilities from birth to their third birthday.

The application, which covers Maine fiscal year 2025 (starting July 1, 2024) is posted on the Maine DOE’s website at Part C Application.  The Part C budget is estimated/projected based on Maine’s current award, pending the State’s receipt of the finalized federal award for the coming year. Both documents will be posted from March 22, 2024, through May 22, 2024.

Written comments will be accepted from Monday, April 1, 2024, until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Please send comments to Erin Frazier at erin.frazier@maine.gov or 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME. 04333

Maine DOE Seeks Comments on Maine’s IDEA Part B Application

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking comments from the public on its annual application for federal funds under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services to children with disabilities, ages 3-22.

The application, which covers Maine fiscal year 2025 (starting July 1, 2024) is posted on the Maine DOE’s website at https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed/fiscal. The Part B budget is estimated/projected based on Maine’s current award, pending the State’s receipt of the finalized federal award for the coming year. Both documents will be posted from March 19, 2024, through May 18, 2024.

Written comments will be accepted from Monday, April 1, 2024, until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Please send comments to Erin Frazier at erin.frazier@maine.gov or 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME. 04333.