Education Evolving: Maine's Plan for Putting Learners First
"Education Evolving: Maine's Plan for Putting Learners First" is a strategic plan that sets out objectives and action steps for building an education system in Maine that meets the needs of all learners, from early childhood into adulthood, and prepares them for college, careers, and civic life. It lays out a plan to transition Maine to a model in which students have more of a role in organizing their education and more choice in deciding how they master academic standards.
The plan is shaped around five core priority areas that address the various elements of building an education system focused on the needs of all learners: Effective, Learner-Centered Instruction; Great Teachers and Leaders; Multiple Pathways for Learner Achievement; Comprehensive School and Community Supports; Coordinated and Effective State Support.
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Maine Course Pathways Project
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has partnered with the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) of Eugene, OR to develop a system to determine that high school students are given fair opportunity to learn all of the standards of Maine’s Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction through multiple pathways that honor student choice, learning preferences and career aspirations. High schools complete an online syllabus creation and review process to confirm the Maine Learning Results present in each course. The pathways system uses the results of the syllabus reviews to analyze the extent to which the Learning Results are included in 4-year combinations of courses in each content area. High schools and career and technical education schools can find additional information about the Maine Course Pathways Project at http://www.maine.gov/education/mcp/index.html.
Middle Level Education in Maine
The Commission on Middle Level Education created the report Bright Futures! on the current state of middle level education to make recommendations to the Maine Department of Education about improvements for educating Maine’s 10 to 15 year olds. The report provides middle level educators, parents, and policy makers with a clearer understanding of what is needed for high quality, equitable, and effective education for Maine students. Click here for additional information.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is the nation’s leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. Maine became the sixth state to join the Partnership in July 2007. The Partnership brings together the business community, education leaders and policymakers to define a vision for education that ensures every child’s success as citizens and workers in the 21st century and to provide resources and networking to make that possible. World languages is one of the core subjects in the Skills Framework for 21st Century Learning, and global awareness is one of the 21st century interdisciplinary themes.
A 21st Century Skills World Languages Map was designed in cooperation with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Standards-Based Education in Maine
As required by Maine statute, students in Maine will graduate based on demonstrated achievement of the Learning Results. The RISC (Re-Inventing Schools Coalition) approach to standards-based design articulates connections between the work occurring in Maine since the adoption of the Learning Results and the next steps as Maine transitions to a standards-based system of education. With a learner-centered focus at its core, the components of shared vision, leadership, standards-based education, and continuous improvement radiate out from the core and inform all decisions made in the system. Click here for additional information.
Teaching in Taiwan – Special International Opportunity
Through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education in the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Maine Department of Education invites new and experienced licensed teachers to apply to the Teaching in Taiwan program. The selected educators will teach English to students in Taiwan in public elementary and junior high schools (grades K-9) for one academic year beginning in August 2013.
Each Maine teacher is paired with a Taiwanese classroom teacher. In addition to providing English language instruction, teachers work with Taiwanese educators to develop curriculum, prepare lesson plans and teaching materials, conduct classes, and evaluate student progress.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2013-2014 school year. The application deadline is April 22, 2013.
Maine teachers with one or more of the following credentials may apply to participate:
- Elementary certification K-3 or K-8
- Early childhood certification
- Middle level certification with an English language arts endorsement
- Certification in English as a Second Language K-12
- Certification in a world language K-12
- Certification as a literacy specialist
Frequently Asked Questions (RTF, 2.14MB)
Application Package - PDF (67KB) | RTF (6.25MB)
For more information, contact Don Reutershan, World Languages Specialist at the Maine DOE: Email don.reutershan@maine.gov; ph 207-624-6826.
College Board/Hanban/NCSSFL Chinese Guest Teacher and Trainee Program
Now in its fifth year, this program is the largest K-12 Chinese guest teacher program in the U.S. and brings qualified teachers from China to teach Chinese language (Mandarin) and culture in U.S. elementary and secondary schools. The program is a collaboration of The College Board, Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters, and the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL). Following orientations and training sessions in both China and the U.S., guest teachers arrive in the individual states in August and teach for a period of 1-3 years. As each guest teacher's travel is fully subsidized and his/her salary partially subsidized by Hanban, host institutions can pilot or expand a Chinese program at a reasonable cost for the first few years.
New in 2012, the Chinese Guest Trainee Program provides established K-12 Chinese programs with the opportunity to gain an authentic Chinese language and cultural resource to enrich their school’s classrooms and communities. This program places a trainee from a TCFL (Teaching Chinese as Foreign Language) post-graduate program in China in a host school or district for one year. The guest trainees have one year of teaching experience; however, they cannot serve as teachers of record nor fixed co-teachers. Participating institutions are responsible for providing guest trainees with a structured training plan, and complimentary housing and transportation.
Detailed information, including Frequently Asked Questions and an online application, is available at www.collegeboard.com/guestteacher. The application deadline is February 1 for the following school year. Contact Don Reutershan, World Languages Specialist at the Maine Department of Education, or Michaela Kabat , Coordinator of Chinese Language & Culture Initiatives at the College Board.
Additional requirements for participating Maine school districts include the following:
- payment of $100 application fee for an International Visiting Teacher Permit issued by the Teacher Certification office of the Maine Department of Education;
- payment of $55 fee for a Criminal History Records Check (fingerprinting);
- payment for a telephonic ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview in Mandarin if required for teacher certification due to the guest teacher’s credentials;
- payment of expenses for the guest teacher to attend the annual Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) Conference held in Portland, Maine; and
- payment of the guest teacher’s expenses of up to $150 to attend a 1-day orientation program held in August in Augusta, ME.
Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program
The flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
The program provides opportunities for full-time teachers with at least 5 years of full-time teaching experience to participate in direct exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for a semester or a year. The participating countries may vary from year to year. Teachers exchange classroom teaching assignments and related school duties. By living and working abroad, exchange teachers gain an understanding and appreciation of different educational systems and cultures, practice their skills in another language (depending on the country), and enrich their schools and communities by providing students with new perspectives about the world in which they live. The application deadline is October 15 for the following school year.
http://www.fulbrightteacherexchange.org/
N.B. The French Fulbright Commission will actively recruit teachers from the French Academy of Nantes, with whom the Maine Department of Education has a Memorandum of Understanding, in an effort to match interested Maine teachers with teachers from the Nantes region.
Maine-France Partnership Program
The Maine Department of Education has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Académie de Nantes, France. The purpose of the MOU is to foster educational collaboration between Maine and the Académie de Nantes, which is responsible for directing K-12 and postsecondary education in the Pays de la Loire region of France.
Through the MOU all partners agree to develop a range of joint educational and research activities for students, teachers, professors and school administrators. Examples of possible cooperative projects include correspondence, visiting programs, and study/research activities and exchanges that are either face-to-face or mediated through technology. (Due to current economic conditions, overseas travel should not be viewed as a required component to a project. The inclusion of travel will depend on the extent to which partner schools are able to find ways to finance the desired travel.) Examples of project themes range from a comparison of French and American schools to a discussion of an environmental issue facing your region or the state; from sharing cultural information (e.g. tourism, history, visual and performing arts) to comparing geography and related industries in Maine and the Pays de la Loire; from sharing information about students’ families and/or friends to creating stories or plays together in French and English.
If you or your school is interested in developing a partnership project with a school in France, please complete a brief application (MS Word).
Maine-Spain Partnership Program
The Maine Department of Education has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports of Spain (MEPSYD). This MOU was created to promote cross-cultural connections between the citizens of Maine and the people of Spain and to collaborate on educational initiatives. One such initiative is a partnership program between elementary, middle or high schools in Maine and Spain.
Maine teachers or schools interested in developing a partnership with a school in Spain are requested to complete the application form for North American schools.
Programme Jules Verne – visiting French teachers
Now in its fourth year, this program brings elementary and secondary school teachers from France to teach for a period of 1-2 years. The visiting teachers will be prepared to teach French language and culture in Maine schools. The teachers’ salaries and required health insurance are paid by the French Ministry of Education. Participating school districts are responsible for travel expenses, visa fees and teacher certification fees. Because the Maine Department of Education has an educational Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Académie de Nantes, France, visiting teachers will come from the Nantes region. Contact Don Reutershan, World Languages Specialist at the Maine Department of Education, for additional information.
Programs with Taiwan (t.b.a.)
Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) – visiting Chinese and Arabic teachers
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Teachers of Critical Languages Program places experienced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers from China and Egypt (native speakers) in schools throughout the U.S. for one academic year to teach Mandarin or Arabic. Elementary and secondary schools can apply to host a Chinese or Arabic exchange teacher. TCLP supports teachers' living expenses, health care, r/t airfare, and both methodological and cultural training throughout their participation. Additionally, TCLP provides ongoing and in-person support to participating schools and teachers, as well as providing monthly honoraria to mentors and access to grants to support language-learning projects. The application is February 1 for the following school year. For additional information, contact Stephanie Heard, American Councils for International Education (tel. 202-833-7522).
Visiting Teachers from Spain Program
The Maine Department of Education in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports (MEPSYD) participates in the Visiting Teachers from Spain Program. This program brings qualified teachers from Spain to teach the Spanish language and culture in Maine elementary, middle/junior high and high schools for a period of 1-3 years. The Visiting Teachers from Spain Program began in 1985 and currently includes a number of state Departments of Education in addition to individual school districts in at least thirty states.
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