The goal of the study was to better understand how instruction to students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) was delivered during remote learning this past spring and during the fall semester of the 2020-21 school year, and how these vulnerable students have been impacted. Research questions looked at special education teacher impressions…

Recent policy conversations have discussed the possibility of narrowing the grade span of Maine's Elementary Education teaching endorsement. The certificate currently qualifies an individual to teach math, science, English Language Arts, or social studies from grades K through 8 and has been proposed to be changed to grades K (or possibly pre-K)…

Public schools have a long-established practice of conducting screening assessment of students as they enter kindergarten. The purpose of this study, conducted in spring 2021 by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute at the request of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, is to gain a current list of the assessment…

In response to recent anecdotal reports that Maine is experiencing heightened staff shortages, this study was designed to understand the current and future issues facing recruitment, induction, and retention of teachers and administrators in Maine's public schools. This report includes analysis of current administrative data on teacher and…

In response to requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Maine enacted a rule requiring all schools to have a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) in place by 2012 for a general education, pre-referral system of student support. The purpose of this system, generally termed Response to Intervention (RtI) by…

For the past several years, attention has turned toward reviewing and reframing the curricular pathways in math for students, particularly at the postsecondary level. Focus has shifted not only to math preparedness, but also to redefining the curricular pathways that lead to academic and career success. In higher education, the central principle…

This study was conducted in order to examine Grow-Your-Own teacher preparation programs in the state. The initial project description was as follows: "Describe K-12 / institutes of higher education (IHE) partnerships to "Grow Your Own" (GYO) teachers. How are the programs designed, what are the partner roles, and what are the…

As a response to the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) federal statute, Maine enacted a rule requiring all schools to provide additional support to students who are not on track for meeting state learning standards beginning in 2012. One intent of the requirement was to improve student achievement, and another was to reduce…

The question of how to best meet the social and emotional needs of PreK students in Maine has been a legislative focus in recent years, including two attempts to convene legislative task forces to restructure the provision of special education services for children aged 3 to 5. This Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) study sought to…

Nationally, over the past few decades, standards-based school reform has taken root as a policy initiative and instructional model. This has advanced the use of learning standards and aligned assessments as a mechanism to bring consistency and clarity to public school curriculum and instruction, with the intention of raising student achievement.…

The shortage of special education teachers is a persistent problem in Maine. In addition to the shortage of individuals prepared to work as special education teachers, there is also a need to support special education students in the general education classroom. The majority of students who are identified with disabilities spend most of their time…

Like most states, Maine is facing staffing shortages. Recent Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) studies have documented--both quantitatively and qualitatively--some of the challenges that schools face in filling teacher positions. In this report the authors focus on the supply of educators and assess the feasibility of using…

The Maine Legislature requested the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) to conduct an assessment of standardized testing in Maine schools to understand the amount, cost, and usefulness of it. This report summarizes the resulting effort, which included a literature scan, document analysis, and surveys of two groups of school…

In the 127th Maine State Legislative Session, "An Act to Implement Certain Recommendations of the Maine Proficiency Education Council" (S.P. 660 -- L.D. 1627) was passed into law as Chapter 489. This amended the chaptered law passed in 2012, "An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy" (S.P.439 -- L.D.1422),…

In 2012, the Maine legislature passed a bill requiring public school districts to implement proficiency-based high school diploma requirements. Amendments were passed in subsequent years, and several additional bills related to this policy were introduced in the most recent 128th Legislative Session in early 2018. These bills were considered by…