The Maine Department of Education’s English language arts/literacy team worked with educator groups across the K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade spans this month as they continue to develop proficiency systems in their schools. Educators explored high impact instructional routines and strategies that support students’ literacy learning and discussed methods of integrating these into their everyday teaching practices.
Continue reading “Summer Literacy Institute draws nearly 400 educators”
The following information was shared in the last Maine DOE Update. Please note this is a proposed rule.
The Maine Department of Education sponsored the forty-fifth annual Maine School Transportation Safety Conference in collaboration with the Maine State Police and Maine Association for Pupil Transportation last month.
The following priority notice was sent on Tuesday, August 16
Dear Superintendents,
As a result of recently received requests for review of denied superintendent agreements, I am clarifying the Commissioner’s role regarding superintendent agreement transfers pursuant to 20-A MRS §5205(6)(B). The Commissioner’s role is to review the superintendents’ determinations. As a result, it is crucial for the Commissioner to have the superintendent’s written description of the basis for the determination for the student.
6. Transfer Students. The following provisions apply to transfers of students from one school administrative unit to another.
A. Two superintendents may approve the transfer of a student from one school administrative unit to another if:
(1) They find that a transfer is in the student’s best interest; and
(2) The student’s parent approves.
The superintendents shall notify the commissioner of any transfer approved under this paragraph. If either of the superintendents decides not to approve the transfer, that superintendent shall provide to the parent of the student requesting transfer under this paragraph a written description of the basis of that superintendent’s determination.B. On the request of the parent of a student requesting transfer under paragraph A, the commissioner shall review the transfer. The commissioner shall review the superintendents’ determinations and communicate with the superintendents and with the parent of the student prior to making a decision. The commissioner may approve or disapprove the transfer and shall provide to the parent of the student and to the superintendents a written decision describing the basis of the commissioner’s determination.
Current statute, 20-A MRS §5205(6)(A), requires that superintendents provide the basis of their determination in their communication to the parent(s). If a denial, a superintendent must inform parents of the rationale denying a transfer request on the grounds of the student’s “best interest.”
At this time, the Department has received a large number of requests from parent(s) for the Commissioner to review superintendent agreements that have been denied and we have found that many of the letters or forms that superintendents have provided to parent(s) are either:
As a result of this lack of information, I am unable to review many of these determinations as required by 20-A MRS §5205(6)(B) or I must make a determination of what’s in “the student’s best interest” based largely on the parents position.
For the recently received requests for review that are either missing the superintendent’s determination or the determination is not specific to the student and the student’s situation, Department staff may be contacting you to indicate that you must provide to the parent (and the Department) the detailed written description of the basis of your determination that is specific to their child and their child’s situation. This written description should address any concerns or issues that the parent(s) raised in the request to you for the transfer.
In these communications with parents, please remind them that these transfers must be requested annually and that the annual request to you should provide detailed information each year as to their reason to why it is in the best interest of their child to transfer to another school administrative unit.
In regards to parent(s)’ requests to the Commissioner for review, included here are instructions for parents on how to request that review.
Finally, above all else, the law and this process are focused on what is in the child’s best interest.
Sincerely,
Bill Beardsley, Deputy Commissioner
Maine Department of Education
AUGUSTA – Dr. William Beardsley, Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, announced today that he has accepted an invitation from Governor LePage to serve as the Governor’s designee on the Commission to Reform School Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine, creating a vacancy on the commission for a representative from the Department of Education, the seat previously held by Dr. Beardsley.
This release was updated on Thursday, Sept. 8
AUGUSTA — After a survey of members of the Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine, Commission Chair Bill Beardsley is announcing the meeting schedule through the end of the year. These meetings are open to the public.
This month’s meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 29 at York County Community College in Wells in the mid-café.
Subsequent meetings will take place on the following dates:
Agendas for all meetings will be made available in advance and documents relating to the Commission’s work can be found here, as they are made available.
The Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine was created by LD 1641 which added an additional $15 million in education funding for local schools. Based on its work, the Commission will submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by January 10, 2017 that includes findings and recommendations for action to reform public education funding and improve student performance in the State.
-END-
The following rule, Chapter 41: Offering Instruction Related to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and the Use of an Automated Defibrillator in Maine Public Schools, requires public schools to offer training to students on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use automated external defibrillators.
The rule was designed to ensure that the training requirements can be met without public schools being required to expand or modify their activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenues.
More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar
The Maine Department of Education is announcing that the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Opt-in and Refresh contract has been finalized. | More
Infinite Campus State Edition is now open for student data entry for the 2016-17 school year. | More
The Maine Department of Education would like to remind the field that statements of assurance and MEDMS financial reconciliations, as required by Title 20-A MRSA 6051 §4, are due by November 2. | More
The MEA Alternate Mathematics and ELA/Literacy (MSAA) reporting window will open two months earlier than last year’s operational (NCSC) reporting window. | More
As of August 3, the Transfinder Infofinder i website was updated to offer more routing and transportation management software for easier and faster access for parents and school districts alike. | More
Amendments to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act go into effect October 1. | More
The Department has extended the deadline for a feedback survey. Survey results will be collected now through August 31. | More
The Department will offer Student Learning Objective (SLO) training on August 22 and 23 to school administrative units in support of the development of Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth systems. | More
Over 500 school administrators are participating in the 14 NEO data system training workshops across the state that began on July 19 and will finish on August 18. | More
The Maine Department of Education would like to remind high school students of the many opportunities available for an early start on a college track. | More
Eleven of Maine’s AP4ALL instructors were in training last week, both in person and virtually. | More
The Departments’s Aspirations Program provides eligible Maine high school students with an opportunity to receive academic credits toward both a high school diploma as well as an associate- or baccalaureate-level degree. | More
Educators acquired new skills at the 2016 Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Summer Institute last week. | More
The Maine Department of Education hosted the 2016 School Nurse Summer Institute, Kaleidoscope of School Nursing Practice last week at Bates College in Lewiston. | More
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that each state educational agency that receives Title I funds must create a State Committee of Practitioners (COP) to advise the State in carrying out its responsibilities. | More
Westat Data Corporation is recruiting motivated individuals who are committed to excellence and are experienced in working with primary and secondary school students for the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress for the National Center for Education Statistics. | More
The Maine Department of Education’s first Early Childhood Education (ECE) Institute will be held at the Augusta Civic Center on August 23-24 for over 200 ECE professionals. | More
Summer provides an opportunity for school districts to complete an annual review and update of their Emergency Operations Plan, also known as a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. | More
Maine Department of Education staff recently met with the new State Medicaid Education Liaison, Trista Collins from the Department of Human Services, about her work with schools and Medicaid Reimbursement. | More
More Dispatches | Press Releases | Priority Notices
Infinite Campus State Edition is now open for student data entry for the 2016-17 school year.
Continue reading “Infinite Campus State Edition now open for student data entry”
Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that each state educational agency that receives Title I funds must create a State Committee of Practitioners (COP) to advise the State in carrying out its responsibilities under the Title I program.
Continue reading “Maine DOE seeks to fill vacancies on Title I Committee of Practitioners”
As of August 3, the Transfinder Infofinder i website was updated to offer more routing and transportation management software for easier and faster access for parents and school districts alike.
Maine DOE Newsroom 