As many Maine school districts are working proactively to protect students and educators amid the COVID-19 issue by either implementing non-traditional instruction or closing schools, the Maine DOE is actively working on behalf of Maine schools and students.

Due to school district closures at this time, the following has transpired:

• eMPowerME

The eMPowerME assessment administration window is closed.  Previously scheduled test sessions are not accessible within the portal.

• Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA)

The Department continues to work with MSAA member states to determine next steps regarding access and/or closing of the MSAA portal.

• SAT

The Department continues to have twice weekly calls with the College Board to determine next steps and possible impact to the SAT School Day administration on April 14.

• Science and Science Alternate Assessment (SAA)

The Assessment administration windows remain tentatively scheduled to open 3/30 (High School), 4/6 (SAA) and 4/27 (Grades 5 & 8) respectively. As these windows remain some time away the Department and assessment vendors will continue to assess and monitor the COVID-19 situation and determine next steps.

Impact to accountability:

Assessment administration & Accountability:

Per guidance received from the US Department of Education (USDOE) on Friday March 13, the Maine DOE will be seeking a targeted one-year waiver from the USDOE regarding assessment administration and applicable accountability requirements.

Chronic Absenteeism:

The Maine DOE will be seeking a targeted one-year waiver to remove the chronic absenteeism indicator from Maine’s Model of School Support however, the above mentioned waiver from the accountability requirements would supersede this waiver.

Thank you to our educators who are working so hard to care for our school communities. Please remain focused on your important work and know that we are working to get answers and ensure flexibility during this unprecedented time.

From Commissioner Pender Makin:

As determined by Governor Mills’ declaration of a civil emergency, we recommend that schools cease classroom based instruction as soon as practicable and for an indefinite period of time. Local communities may manage this in different ways in terms of scheduling time and logistical support for students and families to access belongings left at school and to receive remote or distance learning materials if applicable.

Schools will also have local flexibility in terms of offering remote schooldays as possible and in terms of any decisions to keep school buildings open for staff and for teachers to plan and conduct remote lessons. The point of this is to align with social distancing guidance which include avoiding large groups.

School superintendents across the state have been making extremely difficult decisions during the past several days. They have had to weigh the medical guidance from Maine and the National CDC with the unique needs and capacities of their individual communities and they have received calls from all sides of this issue. Their equally courageous recent decisions to close or not to close have been made with extreme care and under unprecedentedly challenging circumstances, and with the best interests and well-being of their students and communities at the absolute center.

• The closing of schools does not have to mean that buildings are not open, but rather that there is a significant reduction in the number of people in any given space.
• We encourage schools to do their best to provide activities that will keep students engaged, challenged, and learning. Plans for “remote” school days may be approved by district administrators and school boards. We also want you to know that we will be flexible with waivers on the required number of school days.
• We applied for, and have received, federal waivers that will allow for the provision of meals to students who need them, and we will be meeting with additional funding to supplement where the waiver program is insufficient.
• Maine Department of Education is collecting resources and information to supplement what schools already have in place with respect to providing teachers, families, and caregivers with guidance on how to support remote learning programs.
• We also have resources available on our website to help all to talk with children about this uncertain and scary time.
• We want to assure all that Maine DOE, along with many other states, is seeking flexibility from the US Dept of Education regarding mandatory assessments and accountability measures.

Please continue to check our website for continually updated resources and information, found at https://www.maine.gov/doe/covid-19.

The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce the reconvening and expansion of  the ESSA Advisory work groups to four (4) regional locations. The ESSA Advisory work groups will meet with the specific goal of being a collaborative thought partner, providing feedback regarding the development and refinement of Maine’s Model of School Supports (formerly known as the accountability model) to ensure the model is in the best interest of Maine schools and students, while ensuring compliance with federal requirements. 

The Advisory group will meet on a bi-monthly basis in four (4) regional locations of Maine:

• Northern (Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset counties)
• Southern (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Oxford, York counties)
• Eastern ( Washington and Hancock counties)
• Western/Central (Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo counties)

Representatives from the four (4) regional work groups will form an ESSA Advisory Committee. 

The Maine DOE is looking for representation from stakeholder groups, in each region, including but not limited to: superintendents, parents, school educators including educators of special education and students who are English Learners (ELs), central office staff, small/rural/island schools, principals and board members, community members, Career and Technical Education and others. 

Those interested in participating should complete a short survey expressing their interest. 

Initial meetings are tentatively scheduled for: 

• April 2, 2020
• April 9, 2020
• April 10, 2020
• May 7, 2020 
• May 21, 2020

*Dates to be determined for each region. 

Further questions can be directed to Janette Kirk, Chief of Learning Systems, at Janette.Kirk@maine.gov 

To assist those who are responsible for the important task of reporting dropout data to the Maine Department of Education, the DOE Data Team will be holding a webinar on Wednesday March 18th, from 1pm to 2pm.

The Dropout Certification report must be verified and certified by each school districts superintendent in the Maine DOE’s NEO System.

This webinar will cover all the recent changes to the departments collection of dropout data and will be followed by an open session districts to ask questions in regards to the new dropout data collection and Dropout Certification report. This is also an opportunity for districts to ask any questions, provide comments, and voice concerns regarding the new Dropouts Certification process.

The Dropouts Certification Report opens on March 15^th, 2020; Deadline is April 15^th, 2020.

To register for the webinar, please click the following registration link and fill out the appropriate fields.

If you have trouble logging into NEO, have other technical issues or have questions about the Dropout Certification or Details Reports please contact the data systems help desk at 207-624-6896 or MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov .