Amendments to Maine Department of Education Regulation 118: PURPOSES, STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL SUPPORT SYSTEMS

INFORMATIONAL LETTER: 20
POLICY CODE: GCFC

TO:         Superintendents of Schools, Principals, and Certification Chairs
FROM:    Susan Gendron, Commissioner
DATE:     September 21, 2007
RE:         Amendments to Maine Department of Education Regulation 118: PURPOSES, STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL SUPPORT SYSTEMS

On July 11, 2007, the State Board of Education adopted amendments to Maine Department of Education Regulation 118, following a public rule-making process. The Secretary of State approved those amendments on July 17, 2007.

Local certification support system committees (termed the Professional Learning Community Support System, or PLCSS, in the new regulation) will be expected to submit their revised certification support system plans by December 31, 2009. We strongly recommend that reorganization work in your region be considered before rewriting these action plans. Collaboration with the “partnering” SAUs when revising the plans is highly recommended, as the certification support system committees are likely to be affected by any reorganization in your region.

The following is a list of the major revisions to the existing Maine Department of Education Regulation 118:

A timeline allowing SAUs to use the existing Maine Department of Education Regulation 118 until August 2010 and allowing for a transitional period using both documents until then;
One trained mentor to replace the three member support teams;
Maine Department of Education approved mentor training required of mentors, including those who have previously been support team members;
Earning the initial professional certificate to be based on demonstration of Maine’s Initial Teacher Certification Standards through the Teacher Action Plan;
A certification support system committee that includes professionally certified educators, one administrator, and as an option, educational technicians;
A Professional Certification Action Plan based on “Maine’s Initial Teacher Certification Standards”;
Inclusion of educational technicians in the support system if the support system plan allows it;
Local demonstration of the National Board Standards, or attainment of National Board Certification, to be used as a basis for the recommendation for an initial Master Teacher Certificate;
Implementation of the local revised certification support system plan to be dependent upon the receipt of appropriate additional funding through the EPS formula;
Submission, by administrative unit, of a plan pursuant to the new Maine Department of Education Regulation 118 no later than December 31, 2009.
Private schools with a current approved certification support system plan to submit a new plan pursuant to the new Maine Department of Education Regulation 118. Their current approved support system plans expire August 1, 2010.
Private schools that do not have an approved certification support system plan may submit a plan using the new Maine Department of Education Regulation 118 rules at any time.
Private schools without an approved certification support system plan by August 2010 will no longer be able to recommend teachers and educational specialists for professional certificates.

More information is available on the Maine Induction website, including a comparison chart and an overview document that shows the major changes in the newly amended rule. These can be found on the Resources page:

http://www.maine.gov/education/teacherinduction/resources.html

The full Maine Department of Education Regulation 118 document can be viewed at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/05/chaps05.htm

Informational workshops will be offered regionally during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years. These workshops will help local certification teams assess their current structure and help them create action plans based on the amendments to the rule.

There are currently 197 mentor trainers statewide in Maine who are prepared to train mentors using the Maine Model. If your district does not have a trainer, we will be offering a three day train the trainer workshop entitled Mentors Training Mentors this year. In addition, a Refresher Day workshop for current Mentor Trainers will be offered regionally during the 2007-2008 school year. Educators interested in becoming mentor trainers should complete an application by October 15, 2007, as the workshops will be scheduled based on regional needs. Registration information for these workshops is also available at the website:

http://www.maine.gov/education/teacherinduction/workshops.html

If you require additional information, please contact Dan Conley at 624-6639 dan.conley@maine.gov or Crystal Polk at 624-6881 crystal.polk@maine.gov