Maine DOE Update – April 26, 2024

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Upcoming Data Reporting Webinars

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team has scheduled the following data reporting webinars for this spring. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

DOE Podcast What Holds Us Together Highlights Efforts to Elevate Educators and Schools

Public education is the cornerstone of our society and holds us together. On this month’s What Holds Us Together podcast, Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin talks with Steve Bailey, Executive Director of the Maine School Boards Association and Miranda Engstrom, 2023 Hancock County Teacher of the Year and literacy specialist at Lamoine Consolidated School. These champions of education discuss the importance of lifting up the voices of educators and sharing the amazing things happening in schools across Maine through their Maine Loves Public Schools and #LoveMaineSchools campaigns. Listen on Apple or Spotify. | More

Apply Today for the ‘Maine Out-of-School-Time’ Career Exploration Grants

Schools, community-based organizations, and childcare providers can apply for the 2024 Maine Out-of-School Time (MOST) Career Exploration grants through the Maine Department of Education (DOE). These grants support meaningful career exploration opportunities for students in grades 4 – 6 that connect students with Maine businesses and career opportunities, which may include experiential learning trips, guest speakers, job shadows, and more! | More

The Maine DOE Seeking Participants for Title I Committee of Practitioners

Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires each state educational agency that receives Title I funds to create a State Committee of Practitioners (CoP) to advise the State in carrying out its responsibilities under the Title I program. The purpose of this committee is to review any state rules and regulations relating to Title I and provide recommendations concerning processes and procedures related to its implementation. | More

Maine Students Enjoy ‘Take ME to Work Day’ at the State House During School Vacation

State employees, including the Maine Department of Education (DOE), recently participated in the annual Take ME to Work Day by hosting their children and/or children they know for the day at the Maine Capitol Complex and at state-operated locations across Maine. | More

America’s Field Trip Opportunity for Youth through National America 250 Commission

The following student opportunity was shared by the Secretary of State’s Office. It is nearly 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and organizations across the country are gearing up to recognize this milestone and the history of our nation. | More

Approval of FY 2024 School Revolving Renovation Fund Applications

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has awarded $28.6 million in School Revolving Renovation Fund (SRRF) loans to 12 school administrative units. | More

A Reminder to Maine Home Instruction Parents and SAUs Regarding Annual Assessment Requirement

A reminder to those families who have opted for home instruction during the 2024-2025 School Year that, per Title 20-A: 5001-A , an annual assessment of academic progress is required.   | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Experiencing the Magic at Maranacook Community Middle School

Walk into any classroom at Maranacook Community Middle School and you’d be hard-pressed to identify a 6th grader from an 8th grader in the class. And that’s part of the magic at Maranacook. Instead of being separated by grade level, students are grouped into multiage teams. | More

Sphero Robots Support Playful Learning in RSU 40

RSU 40 staff are finding ways to use robotic technology, funded by the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Maine Teaches CS Initiative, to support interdisciplinary learning across grade levels. The school’s acquisition of Sphero Bolts and Indi cars is making learning experiences playful and engaging for both students and educators. | More

Bangor High School Student Named ‘Educators for a Multilingual Maine’ Student of the Year

Educators for a Multilingual Maine (EMME) has announced that Bangor High School student Amanda Tomlinson will receive the EMME 2024 Student of the Year award. | More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development, Training, and Events

REMINDER: Register Now for Early Childhood Summer Regional Summit Events With Mini Grant Opportunity

As part of the Preschool Development Renewal Grant (PDG) Maine DOE and Maine DHHS are offering the opportunity for a summer summit series in 2024 and 2025 to support communities in their local system alignment and coordination for early childhood care and education programming from birth through the early elementary years. Teams accepted to participate in the summit will also be awarded $800 mini grants to support their efforts in developing and implementing action plans to address an identified early care and education need in their communities. | More

Inclusive Classroom Book Study for Maine Early Care and Education Professionals (serving Birth-Grade 3)

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has partnered with Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services to offer a no-cost book study for Maine early care and education professionals (serving children birth-Grade 3) interested in creating more inclusive classrooms. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities:

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

Application Deadline Extended to May 15 for the ‘Maine Out-of-School-Time’ Career Exploration Grants

Apply Now! Schools, community-based organizations, and childcare providers can apply for the 2024 Maine Out-of-School Time Career Exploration grants through the Maine Department of Education (DOE). These grants support meaningful career exploration opportunities for students in grades 4 – 6 that connect students with Maine businesses and career opportunities, which may include experiential learning trips, guest speakers, job shadows, and more! Underlying these experiences is critical to helping students build and strengthen relationships with caring adults and peers in their schools, childcare centers, and communities.

Funded through Governor Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, the 2022 Statewide Expansion of Extended Learning Programming has engaged hundreds of secondary students throughout the state in real-world career exploration experiences. The Maine DOE is excited to build on these successes to reach younger students in this expanded career exploration program. The 2024 Maine Out-of-School Career Exploration Request for Applications (RFA, also known as grants) is available here: Grant RFPs and RFAs | Division of Procurement Services (maine.gov). See RFA 202404087

Schools, nonprofit organizations, licensed or licensed-exempt child care providers, municipal parks and recreation departments that are current members of the Maine Recreation and Park Association, and public libraries may apply. Please see the RFA for explicit information and definitions on eligibility and allowable uses of funding.

Grant awards will range in size, with $300,000 available. The 2024 Maine Out-of-School Time Career Exploration grant requires a marketing and outreach plan for reaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as an emphasis on Maine DOE’s Whole Student Framework.

This funding can potentially facilitate career exploration for students in grades 4 – 6 before, during, or after school, on weekends, and/or during the summer. Applications will also be considered for schools and organizations that wish to use the funding to enhance or expand existing out-of-school programming. Grants are expected to be awarded at the beginning of June. All programming must be completed by September 1, 2024.

The Maine Out-of-School-Time grant opportunity is available through the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, funded in its entirety by the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) fund.

DOE Podcast What Holds Us Together Highlights Efforts to Elevate Educators and Schools

You can learn more about #LoveMaineSchools on their Facebook page and submit your great stories here.

You can learn more about Maine Loves Public Schools and get involved here.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) would also love to highlight the amazing things happening in your school. Share your stories here or invite us to your school by emailing communications.doe@maine.gov.

The Maine DOE Seeking Participants for Title I Committee of Practitioners

Committee members must be representatives from the following categories:

District and school administrators, including administrators of programs in Title I
Principals and other school leaders
Teachers in public and charter schools
Career and technical educators
Representatives of charter schools
School board members
Non-public school representatives
Specialized instructional support personnel (including school social workers, psychologists, nurses, speech-language pathologists, counselors, or other special education service providers
Paraprofessionals (Ed-Techs)
Parents

Meetings of the committee will be conducted on an ‘as needed’ basis via Zoom (most likely 3 times per year), with the term of membership commencing July 1, 2024, and expiring June 30, 2026. For those looking for more information on the Title I Committee of Practitioners, please see the FAQ.

Those interested in serving on Maine DOE’s Title I Committee of Practitioners Committee should fill out this form by Friday, June 7th, 2024. Questions related to the CoP can be sent to Rita Pello, at rita.pello@maine.gov.

Sphero Robots Support Playful Learning in RSU 40

Holly Doe, Director of Technology for RSU 40, applied for the grant last school year to foster experiential learning through technology for even the youngest students. Sphero Indi cars introduce coding at the simplest level using color tiles to tell the robot what to do. While this is an ideal tool for younger students, it is also great for older students when the goal is not coding itself but supporting other learning outcomes.

By leveraging robotic technology, students in RSU 40 are exploring new ways to retell—or tell—stories.

Students in grades 1-3 used Sphero Indi cars to retell stories they had read in class while seniors in Spanish IV wrote their own stories in the foreign language and crafted narrated films using the Indi cars.

In the elementary classrooms, the robots foster natural collaboration as pairs of students work together to plan a path of color tiles that represent their story summary. Crafting a simple costume for the Indi car and scenery or other characters to be placed along the car’s path engages students’ creativity and requires students to consider symbolic representations. The simple, flexible lesson quickly adapts to accommodate students’ and teachers’ needs.

At the high school, the ease of using the Indi cars allows students to combine story mapping with other technology. Students film the cars in front of a green screen and use Canva’s AI image generator to create backgrounds for their movies which they then narrate in Spanish.

Recently, Heather Webster, RSU 40’s technology instructional coach, shared her experiences using Sphero Indi robots in elementary ELA classrooms and high school Spanish classrooms at the Maine Council for English Language Arts spring conference. Participants were introduced to Indi cars, watched video clips of RSU 40 students engaging in the lessons, and then had the opportunity to try the activity themselves, working collaboratively with their tablemates to retell a familiar story. They left the conference session with a concrete example of how technology like the Sphero robots can support cross-curricular lessons and boost the playful spirit in a classroom.

(Maine Council for English Language Arts spring conference photos curtesy of Katie Kelley Photography)

The Computer Science Mobile Labs Grant has enabled RSU 40 to uniquely support playful learning. Robotic technology has enhanced students’ collaborative skills and their understanding of symbolic representation. Encouraging a playful approach to learning, this technology has increased student engagement and has inspired educators to rethink traditional teaching methods. The immersive learning experiences enabled by Sphero Indi and Bolt robots are set to shape the educational landscape at RSU 40 for years to come. Maine leads the nation in providing interdisciplinary computer science education to all Maine schools at all grade levels.

This story was provided by RSU 40. If you would like to submit good news from your school, fill out our good news submission form.)

Maine Students Enjoy ‘Take ME to Work Day’ at the State House During School Vacation

The day offered a chance for state employees to give their kids the opportunity to learn more about what they do for the people of Maine and see first-hand the inner workings and importance of our government.

Take ME to Work Day started with tours of the Maine State House, followed by a visit from Governor Janet Mills in the Hall of Flags. She greeted the kids and employees and delivered a message about the meaningful and fulfilling work of state government and its many employees.

Maine DOE’s Laura Cyr providing a tour.

Students in the Capitol dome.

Governor Mills addressing students and employees in the Hall of Flags.

While the state had many other activities for kids participating in Take ME to Work Day, the Maine DOE once again took the opportunity to provide a jam-packed day full of fun experiences and learning opportunities for Maine DOE employees and their kids.

Following the State House tour, a mock legislative hearing was held with the help of Laura Cyr, a member of Maine DOE’s Legislative Team. Cyr explained to students about the Legislative Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and the types of bills they oversee. Then, students volunteered to pretend to be senators and representatives on the committee and hear about a mock bill: An Act to Improve Education by Lowering the Driving Age (to 10 years old). After introducing the hypothetical bill, each student got the chance to speak about the bill, either in favor, against, or neither for nor against the bill.

Laura Cyr leading students in a mock legislative hearing.

Students in the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee room at Maine’s Capitol Complex.

Students brought up many important points, including that it would be convenient to be able to drive themselves to school if they missed the bus, that anyone young or old who has a driver’s license should have to take driving classes, and that kids are probably not ready to be driving at age ten. They also discussed the potential parking kerfuffle that would take place at school if, suddenly, everyone younger than ten years old was driving to school. Ultimately, the kids decided that the bill would need many changes if it were to proceed.

Following the mock hearing, students and adults got the opportunity to ride a Thomas Electric Bus from C.W. Cressy & Son. On the ride, which took everyone across Augusta’s Memorial Bridge to more State of Maine office buildings, students enjoyed the quiet bus ride and talked about the fact that there is no traditional engine when you open the hood. The group also learned that charging an electric bus takes about 3 hours and will ride for 150 miles on that charge.

posing in front of the Thomas Electric Bus.

Riding on the Thomas Electric Bus.

Over across the bridge, the group’s destination was a visit with Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Team to see the culinary classroom and participate in a make-your-own-pizza lunch. Led by Chef Michele Bisbee and her daughter, students learned about the different learning opportunities afforded to school nutrition staff across Maine, both in-person and remote, through the culinary classroom. They also washed up and made their own pizzas. While the group waited for lunch to cook, Chef Bisbee quizzed them on the different food groups and discussed the intricacies of serving nutritional food in Maine schools. Bisbee ended the discussion by asking kids to thank the school nutrition staff at their school next week when school is back in session.

Chef Bisbee helping students with a make-your-own-pizza lunch.

After lunch, the group rode the electric bus back to the Capitol Complex and joined the Maine DOE Learning Through Technology Team’s Jon Graham to learn about and have hands-on fun with computer devices as part of Maine DOE’s Maine Teaches Computer Science (CS) initiative.

Following a brief overview and history of the Maine Learning Through Technology Initiative (MLTI), Graham showed kids all of the older and newer MLTI devices and showcased some of the computer science tools available to Maine schools through Maine DOE-administered grants and opportunities, such as Sphero BOLTs, Sphero Indi Cars, and a Dash robot. These tools allowed students to play around with and try computer coding in real time. Maine leads the nation in offering universal computer science education.

The day was full of fun opportunities, laughs, learning, new friends, and possibly some budding future Maine State employees.

Maine’s Take ME to Work Day occurs annually in the spring; for more information about the program, visit Maine’s Bureau of Human Resources Page.

America’s Field Trip Opportunity for Youth through National America 250 Commission

The following student opportunity was shared by the Secretary of State’s Office.

It is nearly 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and organizations across the country are gearing up to recognize this milestone and the history of our nation.

A national commission was created in 2016 to begin preparation for the commemoration. This nonpartisan commission, America 250, seeks to create opportunities to reflect upon our nation’s past, and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.

The National America 250 Commission has announced one of their first initiatives, a nation-wide competition for students grades 3 thru 12, in recognition of the importance of youth voices and their promise for our future.

Students are asked to submit artwork, videos, or essays in response to the contest’s prompt: “What does America mean to you?”

25 students from each grade span will win a three-day trip to tour historical sites. Other prizes include $500 for students, and teachers affiliated with the winning projects also receive a $1,000 cash prize. Rules, submission requirements for each grade span, scoring criteria, and further information can be found at: America’s Field Trip – America250

Deadline for submissions is May 17, 2024

We will continue to share any national opportunities from the America 250 Commission that might benefit your students over the next couple of years as we prepare for America’s 250^th anniversary on July 4, 2026.

REMINDER: Register Now for Early Childhood Summer Regional Summit Events With Mini Grant Opportunity

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in partnership with the Maine Department of Education (DOE), was awarded a Preschool Development Renewal Grant (PDG) from the US Department of Health and Human Services in December of 2022. With this three-year grant, the state is implementing initiatives to build greater infrastructure and capacity to create a more coordinated, efficient, and high-quality mixed delivery system for children ages birth to eight and their families. The plan builds upon successful cross-agency work to ensure that all children enter Kindergarten prepared to succeed and are well supported during the early elementary years.

Included in this grant is the opportunity for a summer summit series in 2024 and 2025 to support communities in their local system alignment and coordination for early childhood care and education programming from birth through the early elementary years. Teams accepted to participate in the summit will also be awarded $800 mini grants to support their efforts in developing and implementing action plans to address an identified early care and education need in their communities.

The goals of the Early Childhood Summit include:

Fostering community level coordination and collaboration across the mixed-delivery early care and education system, which includes child care programs, head start and elementary schools, to improve alignment and transitions for children and families.
Strengthening understanding of evidence-based practices that are critical to leverage across the birth-grade 3 span in order to promote whole child development.
Supporting community-based planning and implementation efforts through mini-grants and ongoing technical assistance support.

What will the summit structure be like? 

The content of the summit will include a variety of keynote addresses and workshop sessions connected to the goals outlined previously. Topics will include promoting inclusionary practices and addressing challenging behaviors, promoting play as a foundational learning strategy, and promoting smooth transitions from early childhood education programs into public schools for children and families. Time will also be provided for teams to work collaboratively on action planning.

When will the summits be held? 

The 1-day summits will be held in two regions (see dates/locations below). Teams will apply to attend in one of the two locations. The summits will run from 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 11, 2024, Keeley’s Banquet Center, 178 Warren Avenue, Portland, Maine
Tuesday, July 16, 2024, Jeff’s Catering & Event Center, 15 Event Center Way, Brewer, Maine

What are the requirements of participation for all team members?

All team members will be expected to participate in the professional development and technical assistance components outlined below.

The components include:	Projected timeline:
One check in meeting prior to the July 2024 Summit	June 2024
Attendance and participation at Summer Summit July 2024	July 11 or 16, 2024
Bi-annual consult with the Departments (1/2)	Fall 2024
Bi-annual consult with the Departments (2/2)	Winter 2025
Attendance and participation at Summer Summit in July 2025	July 2025

What is the composition of teams?

Teams may have up to five members. There must be at least:

one public early elementary school educator and
one child care provider/educator represented (family child care and/or child care center) on the team.

The additional three members may include but are not limited to:

Representative of the local business community
Parent of a child using early childhood services
School Administrator
Home Visitor
Mental health care provider
Head Start Representative
Health care provider
Community librarian
Representative of an organization that supports workforce development
Provider of services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B or Part C
Provider of professional development to early care and education professionals
A faculty member of a career and technical center or higher education institution specializing in early childhood, if available

How will the mini grants work?

Each team will receive an eight-hundred-dollar ($800) grant to support their action planning and implementation work over the first year. Another min-grant will be available following successful completion of the first year and participation in 2025 summit.

To apply: 

Complete the application found here (Word Doc) and return all documents electronically by April 30, 2024 to Andrea Faurot at Andrea.Faurot@maine.gov.

All team members must sign an agreement ensuring team participation.

For additional information, please reach out to Renee Reilly, Maine DOE PDG Manager at Renee.A.Reilly@maine.gov or Andrea Faurot, OCFS PDG Manager at Andrea.Faurot@maine.gov.

Inclusive Classroom Book Study for Maine Early Care and Education Professionals (serving Birth-Grade 3)

In the early childhood classroom, inclusion means that all children, regardless of their individual characteristics, have equitable access to educational opportunities and environments where they are equally safe, valued, and respected. Early care and education programs that prioritize inclusion benefit everyone, including children, teachers, parents, and communities.

This book study is one of the professional growth opportunities available at no cost to Maine early care and education professionals as part of the Maine Inclusion Initiative funded through Maine’s Preschool Development Renewal Grant. Participants in the book study will read and reflect on Inclusion Includes Us: Building Bridges and Removing Barriers in Early Childhood Classrooms (Huber, 2023). The book study will occur over a 6-week span, meeting weekly for 75 minutes. Three 6-week sessions are being offered as options (see schedule below).

This professional learning opportunity is open to all early care and education professionals from public and private preschool schools, early elementary schools, childcare centers, and family childcare providers.

Session Options

Session 1:
May 13 – June 24 (no session May 27th)
Mondays 5:45 – 7:00

Session 2:
Aug 13 – Sept 17
Tuesdays 3:45-5:00

Session 3:
October 16-Nov 20
Wednesdays 12-1

To apply to be part of one of the above book study sessions, please fill out the following form found at this link: Inclusion Book Club. Space is limited, so please complete the application by April 30, 2024. Applications will be processed, and participants will be notified by May 3rd. Books will be shipped to participants and contact hours will be provided for the time in the book study.

If you have questions or need additional information, please reach out to Nicole Madore, Maine DOE Early Childhood Specialist at Nicole.Madore@maine.gov or Renee Reilly, Maine DOE PDG Manager at Renee.A.Reilly@maine.gov.

Upcoming Data Reporting Webinars

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team has scheduled the following data reporting webinars for this spring.

Maine Schools Webinar – April 30th at 10:00 am – Register Here

Maine School Approval provides Maine DOE the attestation from districts that all Maine statutory requirements are being met by each LEA. This report offers an opportunity to update the LEA & school contact information to ensure that MDOE has the most current information. Student enrollments cannot be uploaded/entered into Synergy until Maine Schools is complete. This webinar will review the requirements for the Maine Schools process.

ESEA Demographics Report Webinar – May 14th at 10:00 am – Register Here

The ESEA Demographics Report is an aggregation of students enrolled on 05/27 for participation in state assessments during the current assessment administration. This report includes student demographic categories for assessment and accountability purposes. This webinar will review reporting requirements and navigation of the ESEA Demographics Report in NEO.

EOY Reporting Webinar – May 21st at 10:00 am – Register Here

Daily Attendance, Truancy, Behavior, and Bullying reports are due for final certification at the end of the school year. This data is aggregated for public reporting after certification and reported in multiple locations including the Maine Department of Education Data Warehouse, ESSA Dashboard, and federal reporting. This report will review requirements for each of these four (4) reports and navigation of the reports in NEO.

EOY Enrollment Exits Webinar – May 28th at 10:00 am – Register Here

All students, even those intending to return next year, must be exited from Synergy at the conclusion of the school year. This webinar will review recommendations for properly exiting students at the conclusion of the school year and the process for exiting students from State Synergy.

Special Education Exit Report Webinar – June 4th 10:00 am – Register Here

Students who have exited special education services during the reporting period (July 1, through June 30) must have special education exit information (a special ed exit date and exit reason) added to their Special Education enrollments in Synergy State Edition. School Administrative Units (SAUs) are required to certify the exit data using the Special Education Exit Report found in NEO. This webinar will review the requirements and process for Special Education Exit Reporting.

Questions about data reporting webinars can be sent to Alexandra.Cookson@maine.gov