Free Micro-Credentials and UCLA Graduate Credits on Teaching Multilingual Learners: Information Session on 9.14.22

The Maine Department of Education invites educators of multilingual learners (MLs) to participate in an exciting new professional learning program called ExcEL Leadership Academy, which offers free micro-credentials on many ML-related topics. Whether you’re a classroom teacher who is new to teaching MLs, an experienced ESOL teacher, an administrator, or other educator, you can enhance your practice with one or more targeted micro-credentials.

Join ExcEL Director Laureen Avery and April Perkins, Maine DOE ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, for an information session on 9.14.22 at 3pm. Register here.

Funded through the US Department of Education, ExcEL Leadership Academy is not only totally free to participants, but they also receive a $250 stipend for each micro-credential they complete and can even earn free graduate credit through UCLA!

ExcEL makes professional learning accessible wherever you are located and meets your individualized needs. Here are some key facts about the program:

Micro-credentials are competency-based.
You can choose to participate in just one, a few, or all of the offerings!
You work at your own pace and in your own classroom.
You learn about (and implement) best practices with your existing students. Implementation is integrated into what you are already doing.
Participants join a peer network with members from across New England, creating opportunities to learn with and from other teachers.
The program is self-paced and flexible – with lots of support and options.

To learn more about participants experiences with ExcEL Leadership Academy, check out this video (13:05) featuring the voices of ExcEL teachers in Rhode Island (or this shorter version [1:24]).

For more information or to participate please reach out by email to avery@gseis.ucla.edu.

Professional Learning Series: Learn about the WIDA English Language Development Standards for Multilingual Learners

Are you a classroom or content area teacher with multilingual learners (MLs) in your classroom? If you’re looking to enhance your practice, the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards are a great place to start. The ELD Standards are the essential foundation for providing effective instruction for MLs.

Join April Perkins, ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, for a statewide virtual professional learning community (PLC) to support you in integrating this standards framework into your practice. See dates and topics below. All PLC sessions will be from 3:30-4:30pm. To receive the Zoom link for each session, click on the links in the Module/Topic column.

The PLC will be centered around the WIDA self-paced eWorkshop WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach. Participants will complete each module in advance of the session. In order to access the eWorkshop, you will need a free WIDA Secure Portal account, which you can obtain by contacting WIDA Client Services at 1-866-276-7735.

If you have any questions, contact April Perkins at april.perkins@maine.gov.

Date	Module/Topic
9.20.22	Module 1: Connect Current Knowledge and Practices to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework
10.18.22	Module 2: Integrate Student Assets into Content Learning
11.8.22	Module 3: Focus on Key Language Uses
12.13.22	Module 4: Identify Language Expectations Within a Unit
1.17.23	Module 5: Put Language Expectations into Action
2.28.23	Module 6: Plan for Language Growth Over Time

Recognize Your Outstanding School Staff; RISE Award Now Accepting Nominations 

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites students, friends, families, community members, educational organizations or associations, co-workers, and supervisors to nominate school employees for the RISE Award. Anyone can nominate!

In collaboration with Maine Governor Janet T. Mills and the U.S. Department of Education, Maine DOE is now accepting nominations for the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award. This federal award, passed by Congress and overseen by the U.S. Department of Education, is intended to honor and promote classified school employees who provide exemplary service. Nominees must demonstrate excellence in: Work performance; School and community involvement; Leadership and commitment; Local support (from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc., who speak to the nominee’s exemplary work); and Enhancement of classified school employees’ image in the community and in schools.

A classified school employee is defined as an employee who works in any of the following occupational specialties: paraprofessional, clerical and administrative services, transportation services, food and nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services, security services, health and student services, technical services, and skilled trades (pre-kindergarten through high school).

The Maine Department of Education will put forth up to two finalists to the U.S Department of Education.  The U.S. Department of Education will select one finalist from across the United States to inspire excellence among classified school employees around the nation.

The deadline to submit a nomination is October 7, 2022.  Nominate today by clicking here.

National Board Salary Supplement and Scholarship Information FY23

Salary Supplement Request

National Board Certified Teacher Salary Supplement Request Due October 15, 2022

Do you have National Board Certified Teachers on your staff? Awesome! We are sending along a reminder to those fortunate superintendents, or directors of a publicly-supported secondary school, Education Service Center (ESC) as authorized under Chapter 123, or Career and Technical Education (CTE) region, with eligible staff who have attained National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification prior to July 1, 2022. Please let us know so we can provide you with their legislatively allocated salary supplement!

In order to qualify for the salary supplement, eligible staff must be currently employed by a Maine public school, ESC, or by a publicly-supported secondary school or CTE region in Maine. Eligible position titles include classroom teacher, special education teacher, literacy specialist, math specialist, long-term substitute teacher, library media specialist, school counselor, and teaching principals who have attained certification with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or its successor organization.

The amount of the salary supplement for fiscal year 2022-23 is $5000 for teachers employed in a school in which 50% + students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, and $3000 for teachers employed in a school in which fewer than 50% of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, unless proration is necessary.

The submission form and further information is available on our National Board Certification Salary Supplement page.

Scholarship Applications

National Board Scholarship Applications Due October 15, 2022

Are you a Maine public school, or a publicly-supported secondary school, or CTE school teacher who is interested in becoming National Board Certified? Are you a district who is eager to offer this exceptional professional learning opportunity to your teachers? State law, 20-A MRSA Section 13013-A subsection 5 & 6; as amended by PL 2012 c. 702, established the National Board Certification Scholarship Fund to encourage teachers to apply to, and enroll in, the certification program offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or its successor organization.

A school administrative unit, or a publicly supported secondary school or CTE region, may request scholarship funds on behalf of its teachers who meet the requirements.

This fiscal year, the Maine DOE will allocate $75,000 to the scholarship fund, and shall award an amount equal to the cost of the certification program, less any other funds received by the applicant to not more than 30 teachers accepted into the program annually. Priority will be given to teachers who have already begun the process and teachers employed in high needs schools.

For more information and eligibility requirements, please visit our National Board Certification Scholarship page.

If you have questions about the National Board Salary Supplement Program or the National Board Scholarship Program, please contact Emily Doughty at emily.doughty@maine.gov.

Computer Science Teachers Association Names RSU 25 Educator with 2022 Teaching Excellence New England Award

The Maine chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) announced Allison Braley as the winner of the 2022 CSTA Teaching Excellence New England Award for her outstanding contribution to computer science education. The Computer Science Teaching Excellence Awards are designed to recognize outstanding teaching by K–12 computer science teachers. Winners excel in inspiring students to explore the computer science field, engaging students in learning rigorous standards-aligned computer science content, and broadening the participation of underrepresented students in computing.

Allison is a computer science teacher at Bucksport Middle School and the District Technology Coach for RSU 25. She has been instrumental in developing engaging programming to teach her students computer science concepts, like programming languages and computational thinking. Last year, she was awarded a grant to expand the computer science program at the high school level.

In addition to teaching, Allison serves as the secretary of the Maine chapter of CSTA. She also collaborated with other Maine teachers to create computer science modules for the MOOSE project, and is a regular contributor to other statewide K-12 computer science initiatives.

Allison’s colleagues describe her as follows:

“Allison is always positive. She advocates for kids. Allison wants her students to have every opportunity that they deserve regarding their education. The Maine Computer Science Teachers Association is incredibly fortunate to having such an amazing teacher as one of our members.”

“Allison is enthusiastic about teaching computer science to her students. She is always seeking out new learning opportunities to bring back to her students and fellow teachers. As a fellow educator, Allison has inspired me to learn more about computer science.”

Congratulations Allison Braley for all your work in computer science education!

Bridging the Gap Between Rural Farms and School Nutrition: Maine Kicks Off First Farm and Sea to School Institute

The Maine Department of Education served alongside many state-wide partners in organizing Maine’s first Farm and Sea to School Institute which launched last month bringing together teams from 3 different school districts at the Ecology School in Saco.

The event is the kick-off of a year-long opportunity in which the 3 districts will develop a values-based, school-wide farm & sea to school action plan that integrates curriculum, local food sourcing, youth voice, equity and inclusion, and family and community connections, all unique to their school community. The 3 districts participating in the first institute are MSAD 17 (Oxford Hills), RSU 22 (Hampden), and RSU 89 (Katahdin). They applied for the opportunity in January 2022.

The institute was hosted as a collaborative effort among farm to school practitioners, advocates, and supporters throughout Maine who are all part of Maine’s Farm and Sea to School Network (MFSN).

The 3 teams are comprised of school nutrition staff, educators, and students who will be working to co-develop and implement agriculture, gardening, and/or nutrition related programming at their school. The student members on each team are UMaine college mentors trained in youth leadership via 4H STEM Ambassador Program – this component of the Institute is to both incorporate student voice and provide an extended learning opportunity for Maine students.

The 3-day kick-off event was a chance for the teams to come together for the first time and start planning, have the opportunity to meet the other teams, and begin work with state-wide partners and coaches. They participated in a wide array of activities including learning about planting specific crops that are easy to grow without maintenance. Given that schools are typically out of session during prime garden-growing season, this option allows for a “set it and forget it” style of growing vegetables.

Richard Hodges from ReTreeUS

Richard Hodges from ReTreeUS, a nonprofit that plants orchards and provides education and resources to schools specifically, showcases seed packets with pumpkin, Mexican sunflower, and popping corn seeds, among others, which he explained will help school staff grow enough food to be used in school cafeterias without a lot of maintenance. Hodges also showed participants how to plant a peach tree during his workshop and tour of the gardens.

Other workshops included learning about Incorporating Local Agriculture into Classroom Curricula, Building Sustainability through the district budget, finding local foods, how to promote school efforts, food security, and an institute-wide workshop with Racial Equity & Justice Organization, among many other workshops. The three-day event also provided lodging, locally sourced meals, and plenty of team time for participants to engage in conversation and work together to begin their action plans, all while enjoying the serene Ecology School campus.

Following the kick-off event, the districts teams will continue to engage in workshops designed around school specific roles throughout the year and continue work with an experienced coach from the Maine Farm to School Network to develop their school-wide farm & sea to school action plan.

Funded by a USDA Service-Learning Grant, the MFSN group is working to secure funding for future Institutes. Read more about it here. Pending more funding, the Farm and Sea to School Institute expects to open applications for year-two of the institute in January 2023. Read more about the application and selection process here.

McKinney-Vento Liaison Annual Training

You can receive your 22-23 McKinney-Vento certificate from the Maine Department of Education (DOE) by participating in a Zoom training session with Amelia Lyons amelia.lyons@maine.gov

Sessions are open to M-V Liaisons and any interested staff. See below for schedule! Choose the session time that is convenient for you. These will be the same session repeated, with lots of time for dialogue, breakout rooms, and resource sharing:

Location	Date	Time

Zoom: Register here	Wednesday, September 14	10am-12pm
Zoom: Register here	Thursday, September 29	9am-11am
Zoom: Register here	Tuesday, October 18	10am-12pm
Zoom: Register here	Wednesday, October 26	12pm-2pm

United States Senate Youth Program Seeking Nominations from High School Principals

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is pleased to announce that the state departments of education nationwide have begun their annual selection processes. Two Maine students will be selected to attend the Washington Week program March 4-11, 2023 and each will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship. Each high school principal can nominate one student from their high school to be considered.

Students in Maine must submit their application and signed nomination via email to Beth Lambert, beth.lambert@maine.gov, no later than 11:59pm on October 14, 2022. All forms, requirements, and additional information can be found at on Maine’s U.S. Senate Youth Program website. More about the national program can be found on the National USSYP website.

The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 as stated in supporting Senate testimony from that year, “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationship of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.”

Each year, this extremely competitive merit-based program brings 104 of America’s brightest high school juniors and seniors from every state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity, to Washington, D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and its leaders. The state departments of education throughout the country select the students through a rigorous nomination and selection process. Each of the 104 student delegates will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship, with encouragement to continue coursework in history, government and public affairs. The Hearst Foundations have fully funded and administered the program since inception; as stipulated in S. Res. 324, no government funds are utilized.

Presentation (In-person and Virtual): U.S. Secret Service Research and Recommendations on the Prevention of Targeted School Violence

Maine’s education workforce is invited to join the U.S. Secret Service and Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center for a free presentation by the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) addressing strategies to prevent targeted school violence.

Date: October 5, 2022
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location: UMA–Jewett Hall in Augusta or Virtual
Intended Audience: Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/School Counselors, Law Enforcement, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, Social Workers, Anyone who may potentially be involved in risk detection/management position

This presentation will focus on past events of school violence, averted attacks of targeted school violence, and discuss how schools and communities can utilize a multidisciplinary approach to school safety with specific focus on identifying, assessing, and intervening with students who exhibit concerning behavior as early as possible. This is NOT active shooter response training.

Register here – This event is offered both in person and virtually. In-person attendance is limited, so please register asap to ensure your attendance.

Please reach out to Karen Barnes at karen.a.barnes@maine.gov with any questions.

MLTI 2.0 Expands Professional Learning Support by Adding Five New MLTI Ambassadors

The Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) 2.0 is excited to share that the Ambassador program is expanding with an additional five distinguished educators joining the team.

MLTI Ambassadors are distinguished educators, on loan from their school for two years, to bring their expertise and experience as a resource and partner with MLTI.

The Ambassador program is a signature program of MLTI 2.0.The full team of ten Ambassadors will deliver professional learning experiences and provide instructional coaching to MLTI-participating schools. The new “Junior Ambassadors” will be working with the established “Senior Ambassadors” to build upon existing relationships across the schools in the MLTI Ambassador Regions in addition the existing connections that they bring to the team.

Nicole Karod

Nicole Karod comes to the MLTI Team from Mt. Ararat Middle School, where she served as a science teacher and last year was the 6-8 remote science teacher. She has eighteen years of experience as a classroom teacher at the elementary and middle levels including several years teaching in North Carolina. A graduate of Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Nicole spent her formative years working in numerous roles at the school and worked her way up to directing summer camps for MSSM. Nicole’s passion for leadership have led into curriculum development, spearheading student leadership opportunities and she currently serves as her district’s teacher past association president. Nicole holds a Masters in Elementary Education from Gardner Webb University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Literacy from the University of New England. She lives in Damariscotta.

Joshua Schmidt

Joshua Schmidt comes to the MLTI Team from China Middle School, where he served as a mathematics teacher. He has twelve years of experience at the middle level with half of those in Maine and half in his home state of South Dakota. While working in South Dakota, Joshua worked closely with TIE (Technology and Innovative in Education), where he developed his passion for educational technology. His experiences with customized learning and data-informed practices led him to China Middle School, where he led work around the mathematics department’s redesign. That work resulted in shared math choice boards and assessments for all students in grades 5-8 while allowing students to progress through content at their own level and speed. Concurrently, Joshua took on other leadership roles within the school as well as innovative teaching in his classroom through game-based, project-based, real-world, and cross-curricular projects. Joshua was also part of the Introduction to Experiential Teaching through Technology cohort in 2019 run by current MLTI SLAM Coordinator Kern Kelley. He is currently working on a Master of Education in Instructional Technology with a Certificate in Computational Thinking at the University of Maine. He lives in Farmingdale with his wife, Krista, and their energetic two-year-old, Corrin.

Yuhong Sun

Yuhong Sun comes to the MLTI Team from Noble High School, where she served as a technology integrator, computer science, and Chinese language teacher. She has twenty years of experience teaching computer and technology-specific classes at the middle and high school levels. As the landscape of technology has changed, Yuhong has learned and expanded her course content to include programming languages, website design, web animation, game design, and Cisco networking. In addition to teaching these subjects, Yuhong has often served as a webmaster and filled technical support roles as well. She also has led many after-school organizations such as the robotics at the middle and high school levels, a web design club, and most recently organizes students to participate in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow (SST) contest. In 2018, her team was recognized as the Maine state winner team and a top ten national finalist team for a project removing manganese from local drinking water. This project also earned her an Excite Award from Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Program at MIT in 2018. In 2019, her SST team was once again selected as the Maine state winner team for a project fighting against suicide. Yuhong has been the director of the Noble Exchange Program for over ten years, bringing the students to Noble High School from other countries such as China and Italy. This exchange program has helped increase understanding of cultural diversity, foster friendship and promote mutual respect among people of diverse backgrounds and races. Yuhong loves cooking. During the pandemic, she fully engaged her students with fun extracurricular activities such as Chinese cooking. Yuhong received her M. Ed in Instructional Technology from the University of Maine and previously holds a Master’s Degree in English Literature and Law Degree from Southwest University in Chongqing, China. She holds teacher certification in K-12 Computer, Chinese, and English Language Arts and she is also a National Board Certified Technology Educator. She lives in South Berwick.

Martha Thibodeau

Martha Thibodeau comes to the MLTI Team from the Mt. Blue Regional School District, where she served as a technology training coordinator. She has forty years of experience teaching from early elementary to adult education, working primarily in school districts in Central and Western Maine with seventeen years teaching at Lawrence Junior High School. In recent years at Mt. Blue, she has focused on technology integration and planning professional development throughout the school year as well as the district’s summer institute. She has been involved in previous programs such eMINTS and MARTLs in Maine that have given her experience around regional training and statewide collaboration. Martha also holds Curriculum Coordinator certification in addition to multiple teacher certifications as well as certificates from Google, Apple and eMINTS. She holds a Master’s Degree from Thomas College in Computer Technology in Education and an Education Specialist Degree in Educational Technology from Walden University. She lives in Madison.

Tracy Williamson

Tracy Williamson comes to the MLTI Team from Gorham Middle School, where she served as a music teacher. She has twenty years of experience at the middle level and has taught general music classes, chorus and steel band throughout her career. Tracy was nominated as a semi-finalist for the 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator Award. She is an Apple Certified Teacher and has been a regular presenter at the ACTEM, MMEA and the MLTI Student Conferences, where she advocates for ways to braid music and technology together. She has long sought to integrate technology such as Soundtrap, WeVideo, EdPuzzle, Google Apps and more into her music classes to promote both efficiency and innovation. Tracy has worked with her students on Project S.U.S.T.A.I.N. (Students Using Soundtrap to Accomplish International Necessity) to compose original music for a worldwide collaborative album supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She has created an innovative digital badging program to help students learn to read music. Serving as the middle level repertoire and resources chair for the Maine ACDA (American Choral Directors Association), Tracy has overseen the Maine Youth Honor Choir All-State Festival since 2019. She has also hosted the New England Steel Band Festival several times in Gorham. Tracy received a Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory in 2000 focusing on Music Education and Flute Performance and she is currently working on a degree in Media Arts & Graphic Design from Southern New Hampshire University. She lives in Bridgton with her husband, Ben, who is a middle school ELA and Social Studies teacher in Windham.

The Maine DOE MLTI team works hand-in-hand with the MLTI Ambassadors to support the MLTI professional learning plan in addition to the many other components MLTI 2.0. For more information about MLTI 2.0 and its evolution visit the Maine DOE Website or contact Beth Lambert, Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning.