Federal grant to promote safe communities now open for higher education

Institutions of higher education are eligible for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Community Policing Development (CPD) Program. Applications are due by June 7, 2018 at 7:59 p.m. EDT.

The 2018 Community Policing Development (CPD) program will fund projects that develop knowledge, increase awareness of effective community policing strategies, increase the skills and abilities of law enforcement and community partners, increase the number of law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders using proven community policing practices and institutionalize community policing practice in routing business.

Information and application instructions are on this website: https://cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=2450

2018 Summer Literacy Institute

The Maine Department of Education invites educators to register for the 2018 Summer Literacy Institute. Proven Practices: Accelerate Student Literacy with Visible Learning is a two-day event that builds from Dr. John Hattie’s ground-breaking research which identifies effectiveness of strategies and influences on education. Drawing from materials developed by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, certified consultants Marisol Thayre and Olivia Amador-Valerio will help participants better understand how to:

apply the most effective Visible Learning practices highlighted by John Hattie’s research;
enhance close reading and small group instructional practices to honor surface, deep, and transfer level learning; and
use resources effectively to support continuous learning progress.

Content will be drawn from Text Dependent Questions: Pathways to Close and Critical Reading (K-5 and 6-12), Teaching Literacy in the Visible Learning Classroom, and Engagement by Design as well as other Fisher and Frey texts.

The Institute will be on August 7 & 8 at Jeff’s catering in Brewer.

Read more about this learning event. Register today as seats are limited. For more information, contact morgan.dunton@maine.gov.

Submit board decisions about school calendar revisions (including weather-related) to Maine DOE by May 30

The Department is asking Superintendents to submit any board decisions about revising the School Administrative Unit calendar, including the number of weather-related makeup days using the extended hours option, as outlined in M.R.S. Title 20-A Section 4801.

This information will be used to help the Department verify attendance data for the school year.

Please submit the information by May 30, 2019 to Maine DOE School Enrollment Specialist Pamela Ford-Taylor, via email at Pamela.Ford-Taylor@maine.gov.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE approves formation of 12 regional service centers

Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr has approved the formation of 12 Regional Service Centers as part of the Department’s EMBRACE Regionalization initiative. Collectively, the 12 centers represent 84 discrete School Administrative Units (SAU) and 56 percent of Maine’s students.

“We recognize the hard work of the visionaries who have realized the positive impact that regional service centers can have on the future of Maine’s educational landscape,” said Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr. “These partnerships will allow participating districts to provide much-needed programs and services for the students of the region.”

Maine DOE Regional Service Centers (RSC) are non-profit multi-service agencies formed in 2018 under 20-A M.R.S Chapter 123. The centers are established and operated for the purpose of serving its member school units’ needs and to:

Increase access to high-quality engaging student programming.
Increase SAU efficiency and effectiveness through technical assistance.
Provide direct, regionally shared services.
Implement grants received for state initiatives.

The Regional Service Center model is built to ensure maximum flexibility and creativity. The types of services reflected in the partnership agreements of the 12 RSCs address the needs of the local school communities that will be served by the regional service centers.

To see a summary of the Regional Service Center Part I and Part II applications and their approval status, view the Status of Regional Service Centers webpage. To view regionalization initiatives by location, including RSCs, and both rounds of EMBRACE grants, click on the EMBRACE Regionalization Google Interactive Map.

Over the next few months, the newly formed RSCs will work to obtain each member school unit’s school board and local approval. The RSCs that receive final approval from the Commissioner will begin serving their membership in the 2018–19 school year. The Regional Service Center application processes is ongoing. The Department anticipates an opportunity for a second round of applications in the next fiscal year.

Each SAU that is a member of a Regional Service Center will receive a Regionalization and Efficiency Assistance Allocation as part of their General Purpose Aid (GPA) from the State of Maine, and the Regional Service Center will receive direct State funding for operational costs.

For more information on regionalization opportunities, visit the Department’s EMBRACE Regionalization Information Center.

Registration now open for 2018 Commissioner’s Conference

Registration is now open for the 107th Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents.

Location: Augusta Civic Center

Dates: Wednesday, June 27 – Thursday, June 28, 2018

2018 Highlights:

The keynote speaker will be Duke Albanese, a nationally sought-after adviser and speaker on educational issues. His career in education has spanned over forty years, including service as the Commissioner of Education for the State of Maine (1996–2003) and a long tenure as the superintendent of schools for the Messalonskee School District in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine.
Discussion and meeting topics include: Career and Technical Education, Student Health/Safety, Educator Workforce, Certification, Regionalization, and much more.
This year’s conference will include a cracker barrel session where conference attendees will have a chance to talk informally with Commissioner Bob Hasson and other staff members of the Maine Department of Education.
The Annual Awards & Recognition Banquet.

Download a draft agenda.

Register here »

Find additional resources including pricing, lodging options, further details about registration, including guest registration, and more on the Maine DOE Commissioner’s Conference webpage.

PRIORITY NOTICE: New certification system now open for pilot schools

The Maine Department of Education’s new online certification system has now been released to four pilot school districts: Gorham Public Schools, Bangor School Department, MSAD 15 and RSU 13. Those pilots have received access to the district portal, which will provide support chairs the ability to verify renewal requirements using the new online certification system.

Once those verifications are complete and the educator portal is released, educators from those districts will then be able to login and submit their renewal applications online.

By allowing access to the district portal first, support chairs will be able to manage their renewal lists and both the chair and the superintendent will have time to become familiar with the system and all its features.

As the Department transitions to the pilot phase of the online certification system, we want to assure the field that we are very aware that the deadline for submission of renewal applications is July 1, 2018 and that schools will be closing in early to mid-June.

In anticipation of the release to districts beyond the pilots, it is highly recommended that district support chairs have renewal verifications prepared ahead of time. Most will find the online process to be simple, but please be advised that advanced preparation will increase efficiency.

Please note that during the pilot phase, the certification office will continue to process paper applications for initial certification. The Certification office has been processing paper applications internally on the new system for several months and will continue to do so until the educator portal is fully released.

The highly anticipated online certification system has been a long time in the making and the Department greatly appreciates the patience and support of the field as we make this important transition.

Further communications and updates will be posted on the Maine Department of Education Certification Webpage well as on Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, in addition to the DOE newsroom.

Maine DOE Update – April 26, 2018

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

National 2017 “State of Preschool Report” shows progress in Maine

A new national state-by-state report shows more young children enrolled in public Pre-K programs nationwide, with Maine investing more in Pre-K, serving nearly 40 percent of 4 year olds in high-quality pre-K. | More

Maine DOE publishes preliminary Title IV, Part A allocations for 2018-2019

The Maine Department of Education, in an effort to assist local districts plan for the coming school year, has issued preliminary allocations for the federal Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program. | More

Maine DOE announces 3rd Annual Read to Ride Summer Reading challenge

Summer vacation is a welcome break from the daily school routine for children and parents alike, but the summer months can be detrimental to students’ learning if young minds are not kept active. Summer learning loss is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly with respect to reading achievement. Students can lose up to three months of reading progress during the summer if they don’t keep reading. When combined across a child’s PK-8 school career, this can result in 1-2 years of lost reading progress.

Fortunately, the summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. By encouraging children to read from a variety of resources for fun and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary and widen their knowledge of the world. For students who are not yet reading independently or just beginning to read, reading to and with parents is equally beneficial.

Again this year, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8. The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge. During the first two years of this initiative, thousands of Maine children completed the challenge of reading 500 minutes during the summer vacation. Maine DOE hopes to see this number grow even higher during the summer of 2018.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school level drawings to select two students (one boy and one girl) whose names will be entered into the state level drawing to be held on September 21, 2018. Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, to coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and to consider soliciting their own local level prizes for students who complete the challenge. Details about the Read to Ride Challenge and information to register your school can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/literacy-for-me/summer-literacy.html.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Early Learning Coordinator, leeann.larsen@maine.gov.

Maine DOE publishes preliminary Title IV, Part A allocations for 2018-2019

Enacted under Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the SSAE program provides formula grant awards to eligible school districts. The purpose of this funding is to raise student academic achievement by increasing the capacity of local education agencies and schools to

Provide all students with access to a well-rounded education;
Improve school conditions for student learning by fostering safe and healthy students; and
Support the effective use technology in schools and classrooms.

States, local education agencies, and schools are all currently within the first year of administering SSAE programs and activities, with relatively limited funding compared to other ESEA programs. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, federal funding for the SSAE program is slated to see a rather significant increase, which would in turn result in funding increases for many eligible school districts nationwide. It is due to this significant change in funding that the Department has made these available statewide.

The Department would also like to remind all eligible Title IV, Part A recipients of the requirements under Section 4106 of ESSA, which states that local education agencies, as part of a comprehensive needs assessment, must examine the needs for improvement of:

access to, and opportunities for, a well-rounded education for all students;
school conditions for student learning in order to create a healthy and safe school environment; and
access to personalized learning experiences supported by technology and professional development for the effective use of data and technology.

In order to comply with federal law, any local education agency receiving an allocation of $30,000 or more in Title IV, Part A funding, must include the pieces outlined above as part of their Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA)/SAU Consolidated Plan. All CNA/SAU Consolidated Plans are due to the Department by July 1, 2018.

Once available, the Department will be posting final FY19 allocations for the Title IV, Part A program. Please note that preliminary allocations for all other ESEA title programs are not available at this time.

For more information on the SSAE program under Title IV, contact the Department’s Federal Grant Coordinator Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov.

Media Release: National 2017 “State of Preschool Report” shows progress in Maine

The State of Preschool 2017 annual report reflects that Maine pre-K served 39 percent of the state’s 4-year-old population, above the nationwide average. Maine boosted pre-K funding by more than $1.1 million and continued to implement policies supporting both high-quality pre-K and young Dual Language Learners.

“This is the first-time Maine has met 9 out of 10 benchmarks for public preschool,” said Maine Education Commissioner, Robert G. Hasson, Jr. “The Department has dedicated the extra time and resources needed to support Maine Pre-K programs in their work toward meeting these high-quality national standards. We are committed to continuing the work so that students can benefit from access to quality Pre-K programing state-wide.”

This year’s report includes a special section on policies affecting Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and highlights changes since 2002, when National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) began tracking state pre-K. Read more about Maine’s report below.

Maine 2016–2017 fast facts:

Maine met 9 of 10 new quality standards benchmarks
Enrolled 5,440 children, a decrease of two from 2015–16
Total state funding = $18,775,709, an increase of $1,181,702 from 2015–16
State spending-per-child = $3,451, compared to $3,233 in 2015–16
Maine collects data on preschoolers’ home language; several policies to support preschool DLLs

Enrollment in state-funded preschool programs has more than doubled since 2002, according to the report. Nationally, 43 states, D.C. and Guam now provide publicly funded preschool to more than 1.5 million children.

For more information about the State of Preschool report and detailed state-by-state profiles on quality access, and funding, please visit www.nieer.org.