What does approved ESEA waiver mean for your school?

On Monday, we announced that the U.S. Department of Education has approved Maine’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver.

Maine earned the waiver – which can be viewed at www.maine.gov/doe/accountability – because we developed an ambitious yet achievable plan to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps and increase the quality of instruction. As a result, Maine will cut in half the percentage of non-proficient students at each school over the next six years. Continue reading “What does approved ESEA waiver mean for your school?” →

Maine receives ESEA waiver

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver will allow Maine to move forward on local and State reforms that will cut in half the percentage of non-proficient students at each Title I school by 2018

AUGUSTA – Maine will have flexibility in meeting federal education requirements and be allowed to implement its own statewide system to hold schools accountable and help them improve student outcomes.

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Commissioner’s Update – August 8, 2013

From the Commissioner

For students, August means back-to-school shopping for new backpacks, binders and clothes. But for administrators and educators, it can feel frantic finalizing lesson plans, getting classrooms ready and coordinating instruction with new colleagues. At the same time, the start of the school year also brings new or updated federal and State expectations. We are committed to doing whatever we can to support you so those regulatory changes don’t get in the way of what schools are all about – teaching and learning.

From Common Core implementation to new federal sub-recipient monitoring, this issue of the Commissioner’s Update highlights several of the changes you need to know as you get ready to welcome students back. We hope you find these updates helpful, and we encourage you to continue visiting our newsroom for the latest Department news and guidance and exploring our A-Z index to connect to our wealth of online information.  

As school begins, please remember Maine DOE is a resource to serve you as you serve students. Whether you have a question about facilities, finance or science standards, our team is always just a phone call, email or school visit away to support you. You can find complete Department contact information here, or if you aren’t sure where to begin, send an email to communications.doe@maine.gov or call 207-624-6600 to have your inquiry directed to the person who can be of most help to you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Notices and Reporting

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Educators encouraged to attend Common Core and IEP goal-writing training

The Maine DOE Office of Special Services is offering regional professional development sessions in evidence-based practices this fall. In addition to ongoing technical assistance, the Department will be providing professional development to each of the nine superintendent regions regarding the instructional usage and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal alignment of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics for children with disabilities. General and special educators are invited to attend.

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State seeks new adult high school equivalency assessment provider

Maine has published a request for proposals (RFP) for a new adult high school equivalency assessment provider, citing concerns from testing sites they would not be able to completely transition to the GED® computer-based test by 2014.

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Maine assessments updates

The 26 states of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, of which Maine is one, are on target to administer the first Smarter Balanced assessment in spring 2015. That gives teachers and students the 2013-14 school year and most of the 2014-15 school year to prepare for the new assessments. You and your students (and their parents, too) can try out the practice tests online to experience what the new test will be like. Smarter Balanced will be administered via computer, a change that serves Maine well given the Maine Learning Technology Initiative has helped our students and educators become national leaders in computer readiness.

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Request funding for National Board Certified Teacher Scholarship

A school administrative unit or a publicly-supported secondary school may request funding from the National Board Certification Scholarship Fund on behalf of teachers who meet the requirements. This fund encourages teachers to apply to and enroll in the certification program offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or its successor organization.

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Changes to National Board Certified Teacher Salary Supplement

Recent legislative changes to the Salary Supplement for Teachers who have attained National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification are now in effect. Eligible teachers now include a public school teacher or a teacher in a publicly-supported secondary school who has attained certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or its successor organization. The amount of the salary supplement for fiscal year 2013-14 is $2,750, unless proration is necessary.

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