“We know that districts are constantly striving to better leverage their local resources, especially when it comes to their instructional technology,” says Mike Muir, Maine DOE’s Learning Through Technology Director. “We want to support their efforts by providing them access to BrightBytes, a quality planning tool.”
Continue reading “MLTI team supports districts’ technology planning through BrightBytes”
Three months remain to prepare for the 2016 Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy administered to students in grades 3-8 and the third year of high school. To assist with this preparation, Maine DOE has made all pertinent information and communication to the field available through the following sources:
Last month the Maine DOE and the New England Secondary School Consortium (NESSC) held the first of two webinars featuring Maine League of Innovative Schools members. The webinar series is primarily designed to showcase one particular aspect of a league school’s personalized learning efforts.
Continue reading “Maine DOE collaborates to host proficiency-based education webinar series”
A new online resource that provides performance assessments and the resources to support the teaching and learning of math, English/language arts, science, history/social studies, and the 21st century skills embedded in Maine’s Guiding Principles is now available to Maine educators.
Continue reading “Students and educators benefit from Maine DOE Innovation Lab Network membership”
The Maine DOE is offering important guidance regarding parental consent for evaluation. Before a school administrative unit (SAU) may conduct an evaluation (e.g., intellectual testing, psychological evaluation, or speech/language testing) of a student, it must first obtain the signed, written consent of the student’s parent. In making an informed decision whether to provide consent, the parent is entitled to know the areas to be evaluated and the purpose of the evaluation (how the evaluation results will be used).
The Maine DOE is collaborating with the Maine Arts Commission to establish a statewide inventory of all arts education programs and resources in the state’s 754 prekindergarten through 12th grade schools. Data collection has just begun and will continue through May 2016.
Maine’s testing window for the computer-based English language proficiency assessment ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is now open with WIDA’s recently added support for iPads. This year’s new and improved online assessment replaces the previous paper-based version for students in grades 1-12. Kindergarten students will continue to take the paper exam.
Continue reading “ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 online testing window opens”
Governor Paul R. LePage has nominated Dr. William Beardsley to be Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education. Beardsley has been with Maine DOE since October as acting commissioner.
Now the State Board of Education will have the opportunity to meet with Beardsley, who was a board member prior to being named acting commissioner. The board will then forward an evaluation to the Governor. Following that, the nomination is then subject to review by the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee and final confirmation by the Maine Senate.
Beardsley served as president and CEO of Husson University for 22 years and also served on and chaired numerous boards including Maine Higher Education Council, Maine Independent College Association, and the Finance Authority of Maine. He has previously served as commissioner for the Maine Department of Conservation.
More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar
The United States Department of Education (USDOE) is asking for suggestions regarding the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, (ESEA) Title I. | More
Last month, Acting Commissioner Bill Beardsley visited Brittany Kamenos’ four-year old classroom at the Chelsea Elementary School. | More
Earlier this month Maine Department of Education’s Roberta Lucas and Pam Partridge were invited to the Blaine House to be formally honored. | More
Acting Commissioner of Education Bill Beardsley was a guest at Houlton Elementary School this past month learning more about the successful K-to-3 literacy program. | More
Brenda LaVerdiere, Franklin County Teacher of the Year, writes story of hope for student living in poverty. | More
Maine DOE is reminding administrators and school board members of an approaching deadline. | More
The Maine Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention are proposing refinements to joint rule Chapters 126/261.| More
More Dispatches | Press Releases | From the Commissioner
Story by Brenda LaVerdiere, 2015 Franklin County Teacher of the Year and finalist for the Maine Teacher of the Year. Read original article on the Bangor Daily News website here.
Imagine that you are a fourth grade teacher working in an economically deprived school in the foothills of western Maine. You teach in a small town where the factory and farming jobs that used to be the economic engine of your community no longer exist. In this once thriving community, many parents now struggle to find jobs that pay a living wage. Many parents struggle to buy school supplies and clothes for their children.
Continue reading “Franklin County Teacher of the Year’s hope for a student living in poverty”
The Maine Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention are proposing refinements to joint rule Chapters 126/261.
Maine DOE Newsroom 