POLICY CODE: IKF
TO: Superintendents of Schools
FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
DATE: April 13, 2009
RE: Statewide Conference: Transitioning to a Standards-Based System of Education in Maine
In 1989, with the publication of Maine’s Common Core of Learning, Maine began its journey to develop a system of education that was focused on what students need in order to demonstrate proficiency in a common set of knowledge and skills. Much has been learned on this journey over the past twenty years. Learning from our past, the Department intends to build upon its collaboration with school administrative units and truly fulfill the promise of Maine’s Learning Results. Informed by the research of many, especially Dr. Michael Fullan and Dr. Robert Marzano, the Department intends to continue the journey by creating the conditions, policies, and resources to support transitioning from the current standards-referenced system to a standards-based system.
The Department has reached out to the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC), an organization with fifteen years of experience with standards-based practices and, as Dr. Robert Marzano states: “As far as I can tell, the Re-Inventing Schools Model, as implemented by Chugach and other districts in Alaska involved with RISC is the most comprehensive and well articulated approach to standards-based reform in the entire country.”
It is important to note that Rich DeLorenzo, RISC Co-Founder and Education Specialist, was superintendent of the Chugach School District, and both Wendy Battino, RISC Co-Founder and Executive Director, and Rick Schreiber, Co-Founder and Director of Operations, served as classroom teachers in the Chugach School District, which was awarded the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 2001.
Establishing pilot sites in Maine, Department staff and RISC staff will offer technical assistance to support the use of research-based processes and practices that create effective learner-centered, standards-based school cultures. These pilot sites will provide an opportunity to “make visible” in Maine examples of the transition to a standards-based system.
The purpose of this letter is to invite school administrative unit personnel and related stakeholders (school board members, students, and parents/community members) to a statewide conference. This will provide participants with an opportunity to:
- Develop an understanding of the RISC Model of a standards-based system of education
- Learn how to apply tenets of the RISC Model in school administrative units
- Learn about Maine Department of Education’s plans to facilitate and support this work.
More information and links to online conference registration can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.maine.gov/education/sbs/
If you have any questions, please contact the following Department staff:
Diana Doiron- diana.doiron@maine.gov 624-6823
Nigel Norton- nigel.norton@maine.gov 624-6745
Sarah Simmonds- sarah.simmonds@maine.gov 624-6823
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