Student behavior management and update on restraint and seclusion rules

Safely and effectively managing student behavior in class can be a challenge.

A recently-adopted rule regarding the use of restraint or seclusion in schools (Department of Education Rule Chapter 33) limits the use of restraint or seclusion to manage behavior to situations in which the health or safety of a student or others is at risk, and other less intrusive methods have failed to alleviate the risk or have been deemed inappropriate.

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New Staff EPS FTE Reports by district available in NEO

The new Staff EPS FTE Reports provide information by SAU pertaining to current staff data as entered into the MEDMS staff reporting system and used in the EPS subsidy calculation. As your SAU begins to put the FY 15 staff data into the MEDMS reporting system, these reports will be populated. These reports will update and change nightly every time new data is entered or changed until we freeze the data on December 1 for the upcoming FY 16 EPS subsidy calculation.

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Maine DOE applying for federal school nutrition pilot program

The Maine DOE is applying to be part of a pilot program that would enable local food service departments to utilize part of their USDA food entitlement funds (PAL) to purchase unprocessed products. Eight states will be selected for the pilot program nationwide and one from the northeast region.

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PEPG resources for principals

The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents on Tuesday, August 19.
Dear Superintendents,

As part of ongoing efforts to support school administrative units in ensuring that teachers are led by highly effective building administrators, I am pleased to announce the release of the Maine DOE Principal Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) Model.

The Department has adopted as a State Principal PEPG Model the Administrator Evaluation Framework, which was prepared by the Auburn School Department in collaboration with the Department and the Maine Principals’ Association.

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Educator resources for suicide awareness and prevention

The following Priority Notice was distributed to superintendents on Tuesday, August 19.

Dear Superintendents,

Ensuring the safety of our students is a commitment we all share and by providing supportive places to learn and thrive, we are doing our part to help our young people reach their full potential.

That is why today, I am pleased to announce the release of an online training video and toolkit, Suicide Prevention Awareness for Maine School Personnel, prepared by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maine and available at no cost to Maine schools. This important resource aids school districts in complying with Maine’s school-based suicide awareness and prevention law (LD 609, PL 53, DOE Rule Chapter 38) that was passed in April 2013.

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Commissioner’s Update – August 14, 2014

Featured Dispatch

Maine Arts Assessment Initiative hosts New England Summit on Arts Education

The Maine DOE joined over 90 educators, teaching artists, and interdisciplinary teams at the New England Summit on Arts Education, July 29-August 1, at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. This three day professional training opportunity was coordinated by the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) and provided participants with a collaborative approach to explore methods of teaching, learning, and assessment in arts education.

Jeff Poulin, Arts Education Program Coordinator for Americans for the Arts, delivered an important message about the critical role of arts education in developing essential knowledge, skills and creative abilities needed for success in school, work and life. During the Summit, educators developed individual action plans focused on essential components of student learning and proficiency including arts integration, studio habits, technology and assessment.

Veteran teacher-leaders and educators new to MAAI joined together to learn from each other through numerous presentations, workshops and lectures. Over the past year, the MAAI teacher-leaders have developed standards-based units, including assessments, lesson plans and resources, and have provided guidance on how to select appropriate tools for classroom assessment. These materials are now available for review and use on the MAAI Resource Bank.

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Notices and Reporting

More Notices | Administrative Letters | Reporting Calendar

News & Views

Opportunity to learn is central in proficiency-based education

Student demonstration of proficiency as outlined in the State standards in all eight content areas of the Maine Learning Results and the Guiding Principles has at its foundation an infrastructure built on providing opportunities for students to access knowledge and to develop understanding that fosters transferable learning. | More

Maine DOE announces PEPG resources

Discussions at the Commissioners Conference in June yielded valuable input for the development of the Maine DOE Teacher Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) Model. In the weeks following the conference, the Department met with a variety of stakeholder groups to revise and finalize the model and companion documents, a collection of resources that will support schools in ensuring that every learner has access to highly effective teachers and school leaders. | More

Maine DOE provides complimentary 2014-15 law books to superintendents

The Maine DOE acquired enough copies of the Maine Education and School Statutes 2014-2015 edition law book from the publisher, Swan Island Press, to distribute one at no charge to each superintendent of schools in Maine. | More

More Dispatches | Press Releases | From the Commissioner

LATEST DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Opportunity to learn is central in proficiency-based education

Student demonstration of proficiency as outlined in the State standards in all eight content areas of the Maine Learning Results and the Guiding Principles has at its foundation an infrastructure built on providing opportunities for students to access knowledge and to develop understanding that fosters transferable learning.

Continue reading “Opportunity to learn is central in proficiency-based education” →