AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage will deliver his State of the State Address in the House Chamber at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
The much-anticipated speech will cover a variety of priorities that include growing Maine’s economy and encouraging families to stay in Maine; electricity costs; infrastructure improvements; reforming the welfare system; and addressing drug-related crimes and their impact on our State.
Continue reading “Governor LePage to deliver State of the State Tuesday”
Shari Templeton has joined the Maine DOE as its Science and Technology Specialist. In her new role, Templeton will support districts in their implementation of best practices in science education, work on the development of the State science assessment and serve as the regional representative for York County. Continue reading “Shari Templeton joins Maine DOE as Science Specialist”
Janet Ventrella, a teacher at Livermore Elementary School in Livermore, has been named the 2013 Maine History Teacher of the Year. The award is co-sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, HISTORY® and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on behalf of its Preserve America program. Continue reading “Janet Ventrella named 2013 Maine History Teacher of the Year”
hear ME now, Maine’s leading auditory oral education enter, will host a free webinar entitled “Runny Noses in the Classroom” in February to help educators learn how to recognize children who may be struggling with middle ear fluid and what they can do to help them in the classroom. Continue reading “Free webinar on supporting students with ear infections”
In December, school administrative units (SAUs) should have completed applications for their gifted and talented programs and submitted them to the Maine DOE for annual program approval. The application represents the school unit’s status of implementation of the gifted and talented program. Continue reading “Gifted and talented program applications, budget past due”
The Department will be accepting applications for the Federal Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) Program through March 14. Continue reading “School construction tax credit bond applications due”
Welcome to the January issue of the Maine DOE Monthly.
So much happens here in a month, and January was no exception. In recent weeks, Governor LePage nominated Jim Rier as Education Commissioner; we again did our part to advance educator effectiveness and provide new resources to schools to support their transition to a proficiency-based diploma by 2018; and our staff provided in-school support across the state, including via a visit by Acting Commissioner Rier and Chief Academic Officer Rachelle Tome’s to Lewiston schools to see how Department-supported improvement work there is transforming culture and student performance.
Read on for more information about those important initiatives and a roundup of other January updates from the Department. And as always, stay tuned to our Newsroom and weekly Commissioner’s Updates for the latest news you can use from the Maine DOE.
AUGUSTA –The State Board of Education says they support Governor Paul R. LePage’s proposed Education Commissioner, following an interview with the candidate. Earlier this month, Governor LePage said he hoped to nominate Acting Education Commissioner Jim Rier for the position permanently and asked the Board for their appraisal of the candidate. (Please note, since this release, Rier has been formally nominated by the Governor.) | More
Earlier this month, we advanced our commitment to supporting great teachers and leaders even further when we provisionally-adopted a new rule to help districts implement the landmark teacher and principal effectiveness law proposed and signed by Governor LePage in 2012. | More
AUGUSTA – Maine youth are making healthier choices, including smoking and drinking less, but are increasingly struggling with their emotional wellbeing. Those findings and other insights directly from tens of thousands of Maine students about their health and habits are detailed in the newly released results of the 2013 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey | More
Adult education offers something for everyone. From the opportunity to earn a high school credential to support preparing for college to offering low-cost courses on everything from cooking to computer programming, the people of Maine are fortunate to have such a robust adult education system. | More
LEWISTON – Maine Department of Education Acting Commissioner Jim Rier will tour two Lewiston schools this Thursday that are undertaking significant initiatives to improve student outcomes. | More
Maine’s transition to a proficiency-based diploma by 2018 is underway. As part of those ongoing efforts, supported by the $2 million in transition funding our Department distributed this fall and the resources we’ve made available on our website, those who serve students with disabilities are beginning to bring Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals into alignment with the new graduation requirements. | More
A committee of the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) has developed a model for evaluating the professional practice of principals. While the final rule has not yet been adopted, Department staff have reviewed the MPA model and determined that it meets the criteria currently proposed in the rule for the professional practice element of principal evaluation. | More
The Maine DOE has nominated Turner Elementary School and Winthrop Grade School to be 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools. | More
Two Maine students will travel to Washington, D.C. for a week in March to serve as delegates to the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). Zachary Duperry of Portland and Carolyn Liziewski of Gray were chosen from across the state to be part of the group of 104 student delegates who will attend the program’s 52nd annual Washington Week. | More
As Maine schools move to graduating students with a proficiency-based diploma by 2018, the Maine DOE is offering extensive resources to support those locally-led transitions, including through its Center for Best Practice. New to the Center is an interview with Hall-Dale Middle School teacher-leader Dan Crocker. | More
The Maine DOE annually provides information about financial literacy resources to superintendents and school board members. A list of suggested financial literacy resources that can help teachers integrate financial literacy instruction in the classroom is available here on the Maine DOE’s Social Studies web page. | More
I believe that our Department has done more over the last two years than at any other period in our history to ensure there is an effective educator in every classroom and an effective principal in every building.
Earlier this month, we advanced our commitment to supporting great teachers and leaders even further when we provisionally-adopted a new rule to help districts implement the landmark teacher and principal effectiveness law proposed and signed by Governor LePage in 2012. Chapter 180, “Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth Systems,” now moves to the Legislature for their consideration and what we hope will be approval to move to final adoption of the rule.
More Notices
Administrative Letters
Reporting Calendar
LEWISTON – Maine Department of Education Acting Commissioner Jim Rier will tour two Lewiston schools this Thursday that are undertaking significant initiatives to improve student outcomes. | More
The Maine DOE has nominated Turner Elementary School and Winthrop Grade School to be 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools. | More
A committee of the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) has developed a model for evaluating the professional practice of principals. The model was designed to meet the requirements of Maine’s educator effectiveness law and the rule implementing that law (which was provisionally-adopted this month). | More
Whether we are writing full sentences or using text messaging shorthand including abbreviations and icons, our ability to make meaning of the language around us is a critical aspect of our society. The updated Maine Learning Results for English Language Arts and literacy reflect this shift in literacy practices. | More
School administrative units (SAUs) sometimes become aware that a special education student enrolled in one of their schools has been placed in a residential facility identified as a crisis stabilization unit. | More
The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) is pleased to announce its first annual Excellence in Action award, which will recognize and honor superior Career Technical Education (CTE) programs of study from around the nation. | More
The Maine DOE has added a new question-and-answer to the “Consent” entry of the Maine Unified Special Education Regulations (MUSER) frequently asked questions section of its website. | More
Project D.E.B.U.N.K., a resource for youth with dyslexia and their families and educators, is sponsoring a Dyslexia for a Day workshop in Brewer on Feb. 1. | More
The Maine DOE has served as a critical partner to the Maryland State Department of Education and Measured Progress Innovation lab for the Guidelines for Accessible Assessment Project (GAAP), a project that involves developing research-based guidelines for representing assessment content in audio and sign forms. | More
The Maine Humanities Council (MHC) wants creative and energetic rising 10th or 11th graders interested in community engagement through the humanities. | More
I believe that our Department has done more over the last two years than at any other period in our history to ensure there is an effective educator in every classroom and an effective principal in every building. Continue reading “Department provisionally-adopts educator effectiveness rule”
A committee of the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) has developed a model for evaluating the professional practice of principals. The model was designed to meet the requirements of Maine’s educator effectiveness law and the rule implementing that law (which was provisionally-adopted this month). Continue reading “Department supports, clarifies MPA evaluation model”
