The Maine DOE is accepting registrations for the 4th Annual ESL Summer Academy to be held June 24-26 at the University of Maine in Orono. Administrators and school teams are encouraged to attend the academy, which will feature interactive sessions on working with the academic language demands in content standards.
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An appropriately qualified teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) who provides consultation to regular education teachers and/or to special education teachers of children from age 3 to 20 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is providing consultation, as a special education service. It is a service in itself, not a level of intensity of service. Also, this consultation should not be confused with “vision services,” which are available under IDEA only to infants and toddlers.
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The Maine Unified Special Education Regulation (MUSER) requires that the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team review a child’s IEP no less than annually.
Continue reading “Department guidance on annual review of IEPs”
When a student reaches the age of majority in Maine, at age 18, the student gains the right to make his or her own educational decisions. However, a parent or other adult may obtain authority over those decisions if the parent or other adult (1) obtains guardianship over the student or (2) obtains a valid power of attorney from the student.
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This week’s Commissioner’s Update is landing in inboxes as many of you are hopefully enjoying a well-deserved April vacation.
The days between now and when the school year ends in June will likely be your busiest, and include a flurry of budget preparations, the administration of the SAT and/or Smarter Balanced field tests, the release of the State school report cards, all of the preparations that go into graduation and so much more.
Continue reading “As we enter the home stretch, a thank you”
A webinar training provided by the Maine DOE’s Office of Special Services earlier this month is now available online as a tool for districts.
The training, led by the Department’s Director of Special Services Jan Breton and Fiscal Analyst Tyler Backus, focused on the Local Entitlement Application for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds for the 2014-15 school year.
Continue reading “Maine DOE offers webinar on maintenance of effort and excess cost”
The Maine DOE is offering two webinars next month to provide guidance on current Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)/No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements.
Continue reading “Maine DOE to host webinars on ESEA requirements in May”
The University of Maine Project Reach program is inviting K-12 teachers across subject areas to apply to its scholarship program, which aims to improve classroom instruction for English learners (ELs) in Maine. The project focuses efforts on current teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and provides a variety of professional and financial assistance to help teachers complete the English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement coursework.
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Under Maine’s system of learning results, each student is required to study and achieve proficiency in the eight content areas, including health, physical education and wellness. In addition to State requirements, federal regulation implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires that states follow 34 CFR 300.108 Physical Education.
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The Maine DOE has received informal guidance from the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) regarding whether a school administrative unit (SAU) may use electronic mail to provide parents with their child’s individualized education programs (IEPs) and related documentation, such as progress reports. If the parent and the SAU agree to the use of email for this purpose and the SAU takes the steps necessary to protect the integrity of the process, emailing IEPs and related documents to parents is allowed.
The attached letter provides the complete text of OSEP’s guidance on this matter.
If you have any questions, please contact Maine DOE Office of Special Services Director Jan Breton at janice.breton@maine.gov.
Maine DOE Newsroom 