From Patsy.Dunton at maine.gov  Wed Oct 22 17:46:00 2008
From: Patsy.Dunton at maine.gov (Dunton, Patsy)
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:46:00 -0400
Subject: [Englishlanguagearts] Urgent ELA Update
Message-ID: <32E5C6B0B949584D9B6168C5F727916B047BC5E1@SOM-TEAQASMAIL1.som.w2k.state.me.us>

Welcome to Maine Department of Education 

English Language Arts Listserv

 

This service is an attempt to keep Maine educators informed about
current issues, upcoming opportunities and resources in ELA.  Please
send any responses to: patsy.dunton at maine.gov or diana.dioron at maine.gov
as this is not a discussion forum.

 

Our goal is to post information as needed but not more often than once a
week.  

 

October 22, 2008 Update:

 

The following critical information was released by the commissioner in
Informational Letter #31 which can be found at this link:
http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=edu_letters&id=63022
&v=article

 

Please read the full text of the letter.  Here are the highlights:

Due to budgetary considerations, several changes to the Maine
Educational Assessment (MEA) will occur in March 2009: 

*	Writing will not be assessed at grades 5 and 8 in either the
standard MEA or the Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP). 
*	Computer-based assessment, the MEA online, will not occur at
grade 8. 
*	We have proposed moving to the NECAP assessment starting October
2009.  
*	SAT will still be part of the high school assessment system.  

For information on the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program
(NECAP), please go to
http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_assessment/necap/resources/rel
eased_items.html to see released items.  Please note that NECAP assesses
writing quite differently than MEA.  You will find multiple choice
items, not unlike the ones which appear on the PSAT and SAT.  You will
also find short constructed response items which require about a
paragraph of writing as well as an extended response prompt (longer
essay).    

If the decision to join the NECAP states and participate in this
assessment, further information will soon follow.  If you have specific
questions, please contact us.  

Have you signed up for one of our fall assessment workshops?  They are
currently happening across the state.  Please see our last update for
further information or visit the DOE website.  

 

 

 

Patsy Dunton

English Language Arts Specialist

Grades 6 - diploma

Midcoast Regional Representative

Maine Department of Education

624-6625

 

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