The Maine Department of Education supports public schools in providing high-quality, effective programs for multilingual learners. Differentiated and responsive professional learning opportunities support the efficacy of programs for multilingual learners and build sustainable pathways to systematically integrate language and content instruction and assessment.
Upcoming Events
WIDA Professional Development
What is WIDA? The WIDA Consortium is made up of 41 states, territories and federal agencies dedicated to the research, design and implementation of a high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate system to support multilingual learners in K-12 contexts. This comprehensive system, based on research and educator feedback, is built on standards, assessments and professional learning.
WIDA professional development provides practical content and strategies to support multilingual learners in Maine public schools. These Maine DOE sponsored courses are available at no cost to participants and are perfect for teams of educators and leaders seeking impactful collaboration to support students' access to rigorous course content.
All WIDA self-paced workshops can be accessed directly by Maine educators with a WIDA Secure Portal account.
2024-2025 WIDA Self-Paced Workshops
Choose any or all among these modules:
- Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
- Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
- Exploring the WIDA PreK-3 Essential Actions
- Let’s Play! Multilingual Children’s Joyful Learning in PreK-3 NEW!
- Making Language Visible in the Classroom
- Newcomers: Promoting Success through Strengthening Practice
- Reading Comprehension Across Content Areas with Multilingual Learners NEW!
- Reframing Education for Long-term English Learners
- Teaching Multilingual Learners Social Studies through Multiple Perspectives Updated!
- The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
- WIDA Español: Desarollando el español: las expectativas del lenguaje NEW!
- WIDA Español: Evaluaciones del desarrollo del lenguaje a nivel de salón - Classroom assessment for language development NEW for Spring!
Time Commitment: 1-40 hours from 9/1/2024 - 8/31/2025, depending on selected modules
Ongoing Opportunities
- Subscribe to the Maine DOE ESOL Listserv for updates on professional learning offerings.
- Maine DOE Professional Development Calendar. Lists all online and in-person professional development opportunities offered by the Maine DOE.
Archived Professional Development
| Topic | Date | Files |
|---|---|---|
| SupportEd: Supporting SLIFE Family and Community Engagement | November 17th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| SupportEd: Effective Instruction of SLIFE | October 20th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| SupportEd: Culturally Responsive Teaching and SEL for SLIFE | September 22, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Engaging Multilingual Newcomers PLC: Social & Emotional Supports for ML Newcomers | September 26th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Engaging Multilingual Newcomers PLC: Collegial Collaboration | October 3rd, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Engaging Multilingual Newcomers PLC: Instruction | October 17th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Identifying & Serving Multilingual Learners w/Disabilities: Guidance Manual Overview | September 19th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Identifying & Serving Multilingual Learners w/Disabilities: Deeper Dive | November 9th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 1 | September 1st, 2022 | Slides |
| Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 2 | September 15th, 2022 | Slides |
| Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 3 | September 29th, 2022 | Slides |
| Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 4 | October 13th, 2022 | Slides |
| Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 5 | October 27th, 2022 | Slides |
| Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 6 | December 8th, 2022 | Slides |
| Welcoming Newcomers into our School Communities | June 6th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Multilingual Education Task Force: Session 1 | May 5th, 2022 | Slides |
| Multilingual Education Task Force: Session 2 | May 12th, 2022 | Slides |
| Multilingual Education Task Force: Session 3 | May 23rd, 2022 | Slides |
| Submitting English Learner Data | October 5th, 2022 | Slides | Recording |
| Virtual Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 1 | September 13th, 2021 | Slides |
| Virtual Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 2 | October 7th, 2021 | Slides |
| Virtual Workshop Series for New ESOL Teachers: Session 3 | November 15th, 2021 | Slides |
| Legal Rights of Students who are English Learners | October 21st, 2022 | Slides | Recording |