Click the image to view the fully formatted newsletter.Welcome to the February edition of Maine DOE Updates.
Plans are moving ahead here at the Maine DOE to start the work of developing a state accountability and improvement system for our schools that’s thoughtful, fair and constructive.
In doing so, we’re acting on what we’ve heard from you: Students, parents, teachers and administrators want to get out from under the stranglehold of the decade-old No Child Left Behind law. They want a system that considers multiple valid measures in determining the performance of students and schools, and a system that helps struggling schools improve rather than feel stigmatized.
AUGUSTA – Twenty student artists will have an audience of more than 72,000 students and teachers for their artwork starting this fall. The 20 students from across Maine have won the honor to have their artwork included in the Maine Learning Technology Initiative laptop screensaver for the 2012-13 school year.
The following is a news release from the Maine State Charter School Commission.
Newly formed panel to hear from public in Portland, Bangor, Augusta about regional educational needs
Note, 2/29/2012: The press release has been updated to reflect the postponement of the Portland session to March 5. That session was initially scheduled for March 1, but was rescheduled due to an expected snowstorm.
AUGUSTA – The newly formed Maine State Charter School Commission will hit the road in early March to hear from the public about educational needs in each Maine region that could be addressed by a charter school.
Click the image to view the fully formatted Commissioner's Update.Our announcement earlier this week that we plan to take our time to craft an accountability and improvement system that works for our students, teachers and schools is good news.
Yes, it means the unfair and unrealistic system we have under No Child Left Behind will stick around for another year. But the constantly moving test proficiency targets will at least stand still.
More importantly, after that one remaining year, Maine will remove itself entirely from the paradigm of the No Child Left Behind Act that we’ve struggled with for a decade. This is an opportunity to take stock of the priorities we share to move to an education system that’s designed around and responsive to student needs, and to craft an accountability and improvement system accordingly. We want a system that’s fair and constructive, that supports — rather than stigmatizes — schools when they’re in need of improvement.
We’re not going to get there, however, without you. The success of Maine’s new accountability and improvement system depends on involvement from teachers and administrators, school board members, students, parents, community members and others. What we heard loud and clear in December at community forums, during dinners with students, in online discussions, and from more than 1,500 survey responses was that you don’t want us simply to tinker or propose patchwork fixes to a broken system. So please lend your voice to this important process. Visit the Maine DOE’s accountability and improvement web page to find out how you can get involved.
In Maine, we’ll take the time we need to devise an accountability and improvement system that is flexible and that works for our schools.
Please note: There will be no Commissioner’s Update on Feb. 23. The next Update will be published on March 1. Have a pleasant vacation!
Special education staff and other educators who work with students with disabilities are invited to a conference focused on the neuropsychology of math and applying such concepts to math instruction for students with disabilities.
Career and technical education is preparing Maine’s students to succeed in college, careers and civic life by equipping them with the skills they need to enter high-demand fields that are critical to the state’s economic future.
The Maine Department of Education is seeking comments from the public on its application for federal funds under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services for preschool- and school-age children with disabilities.
Maine’s school districts will need to transition to new school meal patterns beginning July 1, after the recent release of new federal nutrition guidelines for school meals.
Preliminary State subsidy printouts (ED 279) for school administrative units are now available this morning on the Maine DOE funding web pages. These subsidy amounts for FY 2012-13 are only preliminary and do not represent final action of the 125th Legislature and therefore should only be used as “initial” guidance for your budget preparations. Continue reading “Preliminary state education subsidy printouts for 2012-13”→
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