Commissioner’s Update – October 3, 2013

From the Maine DOE

Earlier today, the Maine DOE unveiled its newly redesigned homepage. We liked our old homepage, but we are constantly looking to improve the experience people have when they interact with our Department and for so many, our website makes that important first impression.

Throughout the redesign process, we had one thing in mind: you.

The new homepage features a navigational structure organized not by sometimes ambiguous content areas but instead around the different audiences who visit our site, starting with “Students” first and as our strategic plan does, building out from there to “Teachers,” “Administrators” and “Communities.”

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Notices and Reporting

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Maine DOE launches redesigned homepage

Screenshot of redesigned Maine DOE homepage.
The Maine DOE launched its new homepage with one focus in mind: you.

Earlier today, the Maine DOE unveiled its newly redesigned homepage. We liked our old homepage, but we are constantly looking to improve the experience people have when they interact with our Department and for so many, our website makes that important first impression.

Throughout the redesign process, we had one thing in mind: you.

Continue reading “Maine DOE launches redesigned homepage”

STEM video contest open to Maine students

Maine public school students in grades six through 12 are invited to participate in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) video contest that awards over $2 million in technology and additional prizes to winning schools nationwide. At least five of the state finalist schools will be from Maine, and each state will have one winning school.

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Web-based course prepares educators for mass-casualty incidents

The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers a three-hour, web-based training that provides leading practices and resources to assist elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education and houses of worship in developing emergency plans. The training, titled “Preparing for Mass-Casualty Incidents: A Guide for Schools, Higher Education and Houses of Worship,” will help audiences prepare for, respond to and recover from mass-casualty incidents.

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Online homework help offered to grade 5-12 students

The Maine DOE is partnering with the Study Buddy Online Homework Help program to provide free online math and science homework assistance to Maine students. Schools can opt to participate in this program that connects fifth through 12th grade students with volunteer high school honor students for homework help.

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ACCESS for ELLs® to provide media-based listening test

Beginning this testing year, the listening test of Assessing Comprehension and Communications in English State to State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs®) will be media-based, meaning that all listening items for all tiers and grades 1-12 are prerecorded. Rather than listening to the test administrator read the scripted items as in the past, the students will listen to a recording. This allows for students to listen to more authentic language use, such as conversations involving more than one speaker.

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