me arts ed

Grant available to help with two National Board certification activities

Through support from both the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Maine Education Association, grants are immediately available for Maine school professionals who would like to pursue either full National Board Certification or the Take One!  process.

The full certification process consists of four, classroom based portfolio components and six, on-line assessments.  Teachers interested in this process must be fully certified and have at least three years professional teaching experience. The cost of the full process is $2500. Grants in the amount of $1250 are currently available on a first come first serve basis.  To be eligible, teachers must visit http://www.nbpts.org and become a candidate. Teachers or their districts must pay the non-refundable $65 registration fee and the non-refundable $500 initial fee.  Once teachers have done this, they need to visit http://www.maine.gov/education/cert/nbpts.html , complete the subsidy agreement form and forward it to Ellen Holmes following the directions on the bottom of the form.

The Take One!  National Board process is a great way for principals, new teachers, and experienced teachers to use the National Board Certification process to build the skills required within a staff for collaborative learning communities. Take One!  requires the completion of one classroom based, video supported portfolio entry. Successful completion and receipt of a score meeting the minimum requirements, allows the candidate to “bank” this entry for up to two years toward the full certification process described above.  The cost of the Take One process is $395. Full grants are currently available for the full fee on a first come first serve basis.  To be eligible for this process, teachers or principals must contact Ellen Holmes at Ellen.holmes@maine.gov or eholmes@nea.org  to register. Preference will be given to teams of at least five within a school district.  Each team will receive support from at least one fully trained candidate support provider who is a National Board Certified teacher.

Both National Board Certification and Take One! are rigorous, research-based professional development opportunities and are part of a national effort to reach goals established by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. Both programs may be funded through Title I, Title II, ARRA, SIG, and CIPS funding. National Board Certification is one of the highest honors that is bestowed by the teaching profession and is a symbol of commitment to accomplished teaching. Those who wish to learn more about the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the National Board Certification process and the Take One! process should visit the NBPTS web site http://www.nbpts.org.

For more information please contact Ellen Holmes at:
Email: eholmes@nea.org, Voicemail: 207-660-5589

Spaces still available – July 26-30

During the week of July 26-30, the Department of Education is partnering with the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. The Farnsworth will serve as the host site for New York City’s Lincoln Center Institute’s International Educator Workshop.  Designed for K-12 teachers, this workshop helps teachers discover how to unlock imaginative learning through engaging with works of art.  Throughout the week, participants will attend theater performances by Figures of Speech Theatre and visit the Farnsworth Museum to see art works by artist Louise Nevelson, and participate in hands-on workshops focused on these works of art.  Led by three teaching artists from Lincoln Center Institute, this workshop is a complete, in-depth experience in teaching and learning through imagination and the arts.  Scholarships to attend the workshop are being offered by the Farnsworth to any full-time Maine teacher.  For more information, please contact Denise Mitchell at dmitchell@farnsworthmuseum.org, tel. 596-6457 ext. 103.

Sarah Haskell’s dedication continues

Check out Sarah’s latest blog post and recent photos of her work.

Music educator, Margaret Emery, retires in June after 42 years of a job well done!

Read about Margaret by clicking here.