2016 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Maine

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2017
ED 524B Page 1 of 23

State: Maine Zip: 04333

U.S. Department of Education

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Check only one box per Program Office instructions. ✔ Annual Performance Report Final Performance Report

General Information

1. PR/Award #: S419B150016 2. Grantee Federal Information Processing Code: 23

3. Project Title: Maine Preschool Expansion

4. Grantee Name: Maine Department of Education

5. Grantee Address:23 State House Station

City: Augusta

6. Project Director Name: Deborah J. Lajoie

Title: Preschool Expansion Grant Manager

Phone #: (207) 624-6613 Ext.: Fax #:

Email Address: Deborah.J.Lajoie@maine.gov

Reporting Period Information

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2016 To: 12/31/2016

8. Budget Expenditures (To be completed by your Business Office. See instructions.)

Budget Period Federal Grant Funds Non-Federal Funds (Match/Cost Share)

a. Previous Budget Period $2,325,494.00 $1,820,841.00

b. Current Budget Period $4,319,814.72 $4,255,215.00

c. Entire Project Period

(For Final Performance Reports only)

9. Indirect Cost Information (To be completed by your Business Office. See Instructions.)

a. Are you claiming indirect costs under this grant? Yes No

b. If yes, do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal Government? Yes No

c. If yes, provide the following information:

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: 07/01/2016 To: 06/30/2017

Approving Federal agency: ✔ ED Other Specify other:

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) Provisional ✔ Final Other Specify other:

d. For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

10. Performance Measures Status

a. Are complete data on performance measures for the current budget period included in the

Project Status Chart?

b. If no, when will the data be available and submitted to the Department?

Yes No
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U.S. Department of Education

PDG Annual Performance Report

Executive Summary

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Grantee State: ME PR/Award #: S419B150016

You are required to submit an Executive Summary of up to 3000 words with your Annual Performance

Report. This summary should relate to your approved application and summarize the goals and

objectives that have been achieved under your grant, what you learned, and any evaluation results.

Describe any unanticipated outcomes or benefits from your project and any barriers that you may have

encountered. If there have been any changes to the project from the approved application, those

should be explained as well.

“The Oxford Hills School District is honored to participate in the Preschool Expansion Grant which has ensured a

high level of fidelity in our program by providing significant improvement in our academic rigor, social and

emotional development and connections with our families. The professional development provided by the

Maine Department of Education was focused on improving the pedagogy of our instruction and the knowledge

of our content. It has been, without question, one of the most demanding and fulfilling experiences our staff has

experienced. I can say with strong confidence that the students being served by our preschool programs are

entering kindergarten on a level playing field and with the skills necessary to be successful.”

- Rick Colpitts, Superintendent, MSAD 17, Oxford Hills

In the second year of Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) implementation the Maine Department of

Education (DOE) made substantial progress toward its PEG goals. Maine DOE worked with eleven

subgrantees to increase access to high quality PreK for moderate income families. In the eleven

subgrantee public school districts 4 new classrooms were opened in 2016 and 30 of the classrooms

that had opened or expanded under PEG in 2015 continued operating in 2016.

In the current school year, Maine subgrantees are serving 446 children, 406 of which are PEG eligible.

Maine's PEG eligible child enrollment is 59% of its original grant year 2 projection of 694 enrolled

children. Maine did not reach its 2016 enrollment goals for three factors; the assumption that

kindergarten enrollment numbers multiplied by the district's free/reduced lunch rates provided an

accurate baseline estimate for projecting potential preschool enrollment was not an accurate

assumption, second the loss of a subgrantee in 2016 and also contributing to the shortfall was that the

income ceiling of 200% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and below created a barrier to enrollment. Based

on the formula for PEG funding enrolling non-PEG qualified children penalized subgrantees, therefore

leaving available enrollment slots not filled. In a proactive approach to meet enrollment projections in

2016 Maine linked eligible enrollment numbers to subgrantee funding, met with each subgrantee in

July 2016 requiring each to develop a recruitment and enrollment action plan, and requested

subgrantee enrollment progress reports in May and October 2016. Additionally, in an effort to increase

enrollment in high-need areas, Maine DOE worked to add two new subgrantees to its project. In the

end, the addition of the new subgrantees to Maine's project in 2016 was not feasible.

The following is a complete 2016 subgrantee list including eligible child enrollment numbers :

• RSU 12 - RSU 12 projected 106 eligible children in 7 classrooms and reached 54 eligible

children enrolled in 5 classrooms. The subgrantee opened a new classroom in Windsor

Elementary School. RSU 12 is committed to both heterogeneous grouping and in providing

their resident communities with universal PreK. The district chose to enroll 20% non-PEG

eligible children (13) and financed 20% of the PreK programming through their local budget.

• RSU 17 - RSU 17 projected 133 eligible children in 9 classrooms and reached 96 eligible

children enrolled in 8 classrooms. The district joined PEG because it was interested in
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improving its PreK slots and PreK programming. The district has adopted all high-quality

elements required by the grant, however the increase to full day PreK programming, from its

half-day format was not favorable to some families. Additionally, seventeen families interested

in enrolling children were within 1% of the family income conditions for grant eligibility. The

children from these families were not enrolled in PreK because enrollment would have

impacted the district's local budget.

• RSU 37 - projected 41 eligible children and enrolled 22 eligible children in 3 classrooms, but

is serving a total of 32 children at this time, using 31% local funding allowing them to enroll

children over the grant's income eligibility.

• RSU 74 - projected 55 eligible children in 4 classrooms and enrolled 26 PEG eligible children

in 2 classrooms.

• RSU 13 - projected 42 PEG eligible children and has enrolled 48 eligible children and added

a classroom in 2016 reaching a total of 4 classrooms.

• RSU 23 - projected 32 and is serving 20 eligible children

• RSU 55 - projected 32 and enrolled 25 adding one classroom in 2016

• Cherryfield - enrolled 9 of 13 child enrollments projected

• Lewiston - 62 eligible children enrolled, 64 projected for 4 classrooms

• Millinocket - 28 eligible children enrolled with 26 projected

• Vassalboro - 16 eligible children enrolled with 16 projected

• Sanford - withdrew April 2016, projected enrolling 112 eligible children

High Quality Standards

All PEG preschool classrooms met the high quality requirements set forth in Maine Chapter 124: Basic

Approval Standards for Public Preschool Programs. Maine's public preschool program standards meet

or exceed quality indicators required by the USED in the grant proposal. In 2016 Maine DOE

monitored all PEG classrooms for compliance to program standards and quality indicators. Maine

DOE's Public Preschool Monitoring Protocol ensured, through observation and document review, that

classrooms received the technical assistance they need to continue to improve. PEG districts received

a site visit final report that detailed strengths, recommendations and findings. A response and

superintendent certification was required.

Class Size & Adult:Child Ratios

PreK classrooms have an average adult:child ratio of 1:8 and classrooms have no more than 17

children enrolled.

Staffing

All PEG classroom staff lead teachers hold a BS/BA degree and Maine DOE 081 Early Childhood

Teacher certification. All PEG assistant teachers (Education Technicians) have at least 60 hours of

college credits and are at a Level 4 on the Maine Roads to Quality Career Lattice, indicating they have

received training specific to early childhood/child development.

Curriculum

Maine requires all preschool programs use an evidence-based curriculum that aligns to Maine's Early

Learning and Development Standards (MELDS). Ten subgrantees use Opening the World of Learning

(OWL) 2005/2012 Pearson. One subgrantee uses High Scope curriculum which also addresses all

MELDS domains. All grant classroom teachers and teacher assistants received between 24 and 32

hours of intensive curriculum training in 2016. To support teachers to improve curriculum

implementation, PEG instructional coaches began using a curriculum fidelity tool in spring 2016 . The

fidelity tool is designed to ensure teachers adhere to the adopted curriculum so that the child

outcomes proven in the curriculum research study are duplicated.

Professional Development

Over the course of the 2016 calendar year, certified trainers have been delivering Hanen's Learning

Language and Loving ItTM(LLLI) training for Prek teachers and assistants in the grant. Kindergarten

teachers have joined as space has allowed. All certified Hanen trainers registered with Maine Roads
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to Quality (MRTQ), the professional development network for the early childhood workforce in the

state and completed a 20-hour adult learning course.

The community of practice for PEG coaches continues to meet monthly and has included some

specific coaching training during the fall of 2016.

Maine's Early Learning & Development Standards (MELDS)

Each subgrantee sent a coach or designated person to a MELDS Train the Trainer session on April 1,

2016. The designated trainers began delivering MELDS training to preschool teachers and assistants

during the 2016-17 school year and will continue training sessions until all PEG classroom staff has

received MEDLS training. The Maine DOE began plans for a MELDS website to support all teachers

in understanding the standards. Work on the interactive website will continue during 2017.

Children with Special Needs

Of the 406 eligible children enrolled in PreK grant classrooms, 53 children are receiving services under

an Individualized Education Program (IEP.) Students needing further evaluation were identified during

the screening process while others entered PreK with a diagnosed disability. 13% (53/406) of PEG

eligible students served in the grant's preschool classrooms are receiving services from Child

Development Services (CDS). Classroom teachers are involved with communication around these

services and attend all IEP meetings. Classroom instruction is differentiated for children to support IEP

goals. The total number of children served by CDS in the State is 1128 children of a total 4 year old

enrollment of 5131 or 22%.

Ongoing Assessment

Subgrantees continue to use Teaching Strategies GOLD or Child Observation Report (COR) for

formative classroom assessment. Although there are three summative points in these assessments,

classroom teachers are required to collect data and evidence regularly using observation, video,

photos, and artifacts from preschool children. The assessments also include parent report of a child's

skills and development. These assessments are shared with parents at least two times/year in the

form of a parent-teacher conference.

External Evaluation-Child and Classroom Level Assessments

In 2015-16 Maine DOE contracted with the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) at the

University of Maine Orono as the external evaluator for the grant, MEPRI collected data at the

classroom and child level at the beginning of the 15-16 school year (baseline) and the end to

determine the level of improvement in classroom quality as well as child growth. PEG PreK

classrooms significantly improved on the CLASS scores in the areas of Emotional Support and

Classroom Organization. 29% of the classrooms scored in the high range (6-7) in fall 2015. By late

spring 2016 73% scored in the high range for this domain. Similarly, only 12% of the classrooms were

in the high range for classroom organization in the fall and increased to 47% at the end of the first

year.

All children were given the PPVT-a norm-referenced assessment of receptive language in the fall and

spring. Standard scores showed a 60% reduction in the number of children scoring in the”at-risk”

range (standards scores below 85). Improvements were greater for children who entered the program

with lower PPVT scores, suggesting that those in greatest need are benefiting most from the

preschool programs.

The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screen (PALS) was also administered in fall and spring.

Analyses found significant improvement in student performance on all subscales. On average,

children who entered preschool performing lower than their peers tended to show larger increases

over the course of the year. Specifically children identified as being at “some” or “high” risk declined

from 75% to 56% across all subscales.

Finally, Teaching Strategies GOLD(TSG) or the Child Observation Report(COR) were used in
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subgrantees in partnership with Head Start. There were significant increases on the TSG from fall to

spring. As with the other assessments, children who entered the program with lower scores showed

the greatest improvement.

The Maine DOE contracted with a new evaluation firm in July 2016. Early Childhood Associates

(ECA) conducted classroom observations in fall 2016 using CLASS and ELLCO (Early Language and

Literacy Classroom Observation) and PPVT and Woodcock-Johnson subscales on a statistically

significant sample of children. The addition of the Woodcock-Johnson will more accurately measure

cognitive development. ECA is also administering pre and post “Head, Toes, Knees, Shoulders” as a

measure of executive function.

Enrollment & Eligibility

Maine's eleven PEG subgrantees are serving 44% of eligible children in their communities. In year 2

Maine served 406 eligible children.

Coordination with Community Partners

Ten subgrantees have included on-site comprehensive services in their MOUs and these services are

provided by a family service worker employed by Head Start. Using the USED definition of

comprehensive Maine DOE has determined what is needed by district's not in a formal partnership

with Head Start. In addition, Maine DOE staff attends Head Start Director meetings quarterly and

Child Development Services (CDS) as needed in order to provide cross-agency coordination of early

childhood programs, policies and procedures.

Support to Subgrantees

Maine DOE has been supportive and responsive to subgrantees and has developed strong

relationships with each subgrantee. In addition to monthly coordinators and coaches meetings, the

grant director meets on site with district staff to develop budgets, review the scope of work and provide

resources as needed. Maine provides an early childhood monitor for technical assistance and training

and the early childhood specialists aids in curriculum implementation and fidelity.

State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) (ECIDS)

All four-year olds have been enrolled in the Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS). Maine has

executed a trusted broker agreement with the Maine Education Policy Institute to coordinate data from

the various segments of Maine's early childhood system including data in the care of Maine

Department of Health and Human Services. The combination of four-year old enrollment in the SLDS

and data collection by MEPRI provides Maine DOE with the substance to answer ECE policy

questions.

Maine DOE no longer receives funding for the SLDS, a change from the time its PEG application was

submitted. However, the data team, of which the grant manager is a member, is committed to

continuing this work.

Birth-Third Grade Alignment

The districts in the Preschool Expansion Grant began their work on birth-third grade alignment in

earnest at the Early Childhood Institute on August 23rd. The B-3 session was led by Shannon RileyAyers and Vincent Costanza from NIEER, each district created a Professional Learning

Community(PLC) with the following members: principal, kindergarten teacher, preschool teacher, one

staff from central office responsible for curriculum decisions and a Head Start partner representative.

The focus for 2016-17 is preschool to kindergarten alignment in one or more of the following areas:

curriculum, instruction, assessment and family engagement. The PLCs were required to meet at the

local level and then attend a state meeting to listen to B-3 content area experts, communicate their

progress and determine next steps. The next statewide meeting will be held in March. Each district
Imus! develop a "product" that demonstrates tangible progress toward alignment.

I

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U.S. Department of Education

PDG Annual Performance Report

Grant Status Form

Explanation of Progress (524B Section A)

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Grantee State: ME PR/Award #: S419B150016

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data

(narrative)

1. Project Objective

1(a) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant. Describe the State's progress in meeting

this Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure based on enrollment of Eligible

Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant as of December 1, 2016.

In 2016 Maine Department of Education's eleven (11) public school district subgrantees served children in thirtythree (33) Maine cities and towns covering 9 of the State's 16 counties. Maine's eleven PEG subgrantees

enrolled 406 PEG eligible children in 2016, 59% of its original projected enrollment. 2016 revealed the

percentage of four-year olds enrolled in preschool increased from 41% to 44% over the last year. In early 2016

Maine's largest PEG subgrantee withdrew from the project after reaching a conclusion that continued

participation in PEG was not feasible. The Head Start agency collaborating with the subgrantee, as required by

Maine's grant, could not continue collaboration based on concerns to meet the demands of developing a

program to meet both Head Start grant quality metrics and PEG grant requirements. Both partners in the

collaboration had recently experienced a change in top management and were experiencing capacity issues

while attempting to undertake a number of new initiatives as a result of the leadership changes. The district's

withdrawal was finalized in April 2016 and accounted for 112 children of the 694 projected enrollments in grant

year 2. Maine countered the subgrantee's withdrawal by initiating planning discussions to bring two new

subgrantee school districts into the project. The timing of the final approval for withdrawal and the ensuing new

subgrantee planning discussions was to late in the budgeting process to provide the level of local funding 

needed to support additional subgrantees. Planning is underway in 2017 to increase the number of subgrantees

which will allow Maine to reach more PEG eligible children in the 2017-18 school year.

Maine is generally experiencing declining enrollment in public schools equating to 5% over the last five years. In

2016 Maine linked eligible child enrollment slots to PEG subgrantee funding, requiring subgrantees to intensify

recruitment and enrollment activities. The relationship to funding was detailed in the subgrantees' scope of work

and specifically outlined the possible loss of funding if child enrollment projections were not met. In the summer

of 2016 Maine met with each subgrantee to prioritize enrollment of PEG eligible children and specifically

addressed the disparities in the number of children subgrantees originally projected and actual enrollment. Each

subgrantee was required to work with their Head Start and their IDEA part B partner to develop a recruitment

and enrollment strategy and action plan for the upcoming school year. Various recruitment and enrollment

methods include signage, newsletters, communication with 3 year old families, instant messenging, outreach to

Maine DHHS, outreach to Maine child protective services, visits to doctors' offices among a host of other

traditional and non-traditional recruitment strategies. Additionally, all subgrantees provide transportation

eliminating any barrier for parents to transport to and from PreK.

In 2017 planning is underway to contract with a marketing and public relations agency to determine the root

causes of the lower than expected enrollment. Maine's work with a professional marketing agency will provide

quantifiable information and a counter strategy to meet projected PEG eligible child enrollment in 2017. Lastly,

2017-18 subgrantee funding will be allocated based on PEG eligible enrollment slots and distributed only after

verification of PEG eligible child enrollment. Maine anticipates surveying kindergarten parents in subgrantee

districts to determine awareness & perceptions and barriers to enrolling in public PreK programs.
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Please describe, as required in Program Requirement (k)(2) in the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA),

how the State established policies and procedures that ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children

with disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage

of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et

seq.), or the current national average, whichever is greater.

Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-children receiving services through part B, section 619 of

IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org). States should include detailed

information on ALL structural elements.

In 2016 Maine subsgrantees enrolled 53 children, or 13% of children with IEPs. Maine's statewide percentage of children served with disabilities is 22%.

Maine DOE's grant application established a detailed plan to ensure high quality PreK

expanded to those families in most need of those services including children with disabilities.

Policies and procedures created for subgrantees, along with all public PreK programs in

Maine, were established. Policies and procedures included, under Maine DOE Chapter 124

Public Preschool Program Standards, a requirement for districts to execute an annual

memorandum of understanding with Child Development Services (CDS.) CDS is the

independent education unit responsible in Maine for IDEA Part B. Ensuring the execution of

the CDS MOU is included in Maine's early childhood program monitoring protocol.

Additionally, Maine requires PEG subgrantees, and encourages all public school districts, to

collaborate with CDS and Head Start to conduct developmental screenings. Maine school

districts are also required to establish a child find policy that includes PreK programs.

Maine utilized grant funds to hire an early childhood program monitor and Maine DOE shares

this position and its costs with Child Development Services. This infrastructure and the

sharing of responsibility and oversight ensures that children with disabilities are being served,

standards are applied consistently and that children are in the least restrictive environment.

There is a current and ongoing expectation for CDS approved preschool providers to

integrate Maine's ELDS in their settings; that way Maine will have common expectations for

both general ECE and early childhood special education placements for children with

identified disabilities across all private preschool providers, Head Start, child care and public

preschool settings. CDS also provides ongoing consultation to the public preschool programs

and can provide additional classroom support, if needed, with an Educational Technician or a

282 Certified Teacher (Birth-5 Special Educator). CDS can provide all of the support services

indicated on the child's IEP-speech and language, occupational and physical therapy and

Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), if needed. CDS can also contract with school therapists

if their caseloads allow.

Maine will begin a project in 2017, in collaboration with CDS, to create a supplement to its

Maine Early Learning and Development Standards (MELDS) document. The supplement will

provide suggestions for differentiated instruction and activities for children of all abilities.

Maine also is a member of PDAT a professional development collaboration that includes the

executive and assistant executive director for CDS. This cross-system membership ensures

early childhood training is developed with multiple views and provides an opportunity to

develop training and professional development with a lens for children of all abilities.
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Describe the State's progress in increasing the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

In 2015 Maine enrolled 479 eligible children. In 2016 Maine enrolled 406 eligible children, a

loss of 73 eligible children. A number of factors contributed to the decrease in enrollment

including the loss of Maine's largest PEG subgrantee that withdrew from the project after

reaching a conclusion that continued participation in PEG was not feasible. The district's

withdrawal was finalized in April 2016 and accounted for 112 children. Maine countered the

subgrantee's withdrawal by initiating planning discussions to bring two new subgrantee school

districts into the project. The timing of the final approval for withdrawal and the ensuing new

subgrantee planning discussions was to late the budgeting process to provide the level of

local funding needed to support additional subgrantees. Planning is underway in 2017 to

increase the number of subgrantees which will allow Maine to reach more PEG eligible

children in the 2017-18 school year.

Maine is experiencing declining enrollment in public schools equating to 5% over the last five

years. In 2016 Maine linked eligible child enrollment slots to PEG subgrantee funding,

requiring subgrantees to intensify recruitment and enrollment activities. The relationship to

funding was detailed in the subgrantees' scope of work and specifically outlined the possible

loss of funding if child enrollment projections were not met. In the summer of 2016 Maine met

with each subgrantee to prioritize enrollment of PEG eligible children and specifically

addressed the disparities in the number of children subgrantees originally projected and

actual enrollment. Each subgrantee was required to work with their Head Start and their IDEA

part B partner to develop a recruitment and enrollment strategy and action plan for the

upcoming school year. Various recruitment and enrollment methods include signage,

newsletters, communication with 3 year old families, instant messenger, outreach to Maine

DHHS, Maine child protective services, doctor offices among a host of other traditional and

non-traditional recruitment strategies. Additionally, all subgrantees provide transportation

eliminating any barrier for parents to transport to and from PreK.

In 2017 planning is underway to contract with a marketing and public relations agency to

determine the root causes of the lower than expected enrollment. Maine's work with a

professional marketing agency will provide quantifiable information and a counter strategy to

meet projected PEG eligible child enrollment in 2017. Lastly, 2017-18 subgrantee funding will

be allocated based on PEG eligible enrollment slots and distributed only after verification of

PEG eligible child enrollment. Maine anticipates surveying kindergarten parents in subgrantee

districts to determine awareness and perceptions of the public PreK programs.

1(b) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children served overall in the

State Preschool Program. Please describe any increases or decreases in this GPRA measure

based on fall enrollment in the State Preschool Program for the 2016-17 school year.

In 2016 Maine increased the percentage of 4 year-olds enrolled in the State PreK program to

44% from the previous year's percentage of 41%. The number of four year olds enrolled in the

State PreK program increased from 5131 in 2015 to 5442 in 2016.
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1(c) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children in the High-Need

Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as determined by the State's

Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment,

other valid and reliable means of determining school readiness.

In the Year 2 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children served

by the grant. This may include information collected about the children served by the grant at the end of their

2015-16 preschool year or in their 2016-17 kindergarten year. States may provide data from a sample of

children (e.g., a sample being used for any evaluation).

In the Year 2 APR, grantees must describe their progress towards identifying the measures, methods,

and data on the school readiness of children served by the Preschool Development Grant. In the

narrative below provide the following information:

• The name of the assessment tool(s) and the Essential Domains of School Readiness

measured;

• When the assessment tool(s) is/are given (e.g., in preschool and/or kindergarten);

• Whether the assessment is mandated by the State, and for which children;

• How long the State has been using the assessment tool(s);

• Whether the assessment tool(s) is/are implemented throughout the High-Need Community

and/or Statewide;

• Whether the State provides or will provide training for local staff administering the assessment.

If so, describe the requirements including processes to ensure continued reliability in the

administration of the measure;

• If school readiness data is reported to the State, describe when and how data are reported.

Also, please describe, if applicable:

• The State's definition of "school readiness;"

• Disaggregated information about children's school readiness on individual domains or

subsets of the measure;

• School readiness data for children disaggregated by subgroup (e.g., students who are

American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, not Pacific Islander; Native Hawaiian/other

Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; White, not Hispanic; two or

more races; with disabilities; English learners; and from any other subgroups the state

determines appropriate; and

• How the State will continue to make progress in meeting this GPRA measure.

Maine has been a member of the10-state consortium in North Carolina's Enhanced

Assessment Grant (EAG) since 2013. Maine's work within NC's EAG has been to provide

expertise to aid in the development of a K-3 formative assessment that includes a KEA.

Maine has been involved in the EAG as a tier two state, which required a significant

investment of time and energy in training, piloting and field testing the assessment. PEG

districts have been involved in training, piloting and field testing the assessment since 2015.

With this investment, Maine had intended and understood the Fall 2016 KEA data would be

reportable to address GPRA measure (1c), kindergarten readiness.

The KEA developed in NC's EAG was administered by kindergarten teachers in PEG districts

in the Fall of 2016, however SRI International's developers and researchers indicated the data

is not ready to be shared and remains under the conditions of research. SRI, in a recent

communication, provided additional detail indicating the KEA domains have not yet been

assigned grade level expectations nor does SRI have a way to report the data in the way that
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would be meaningful to determine kindergarten readiness.

As an alternative Maine proposes to determine school readiness using data collected in the

spring 2016 administration of Teaching Strategies GOLD (TSG), Child Observation Report

(COR) or Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS.) TSG and COR assessments

together include the following Essential Domains of School Readiness: Approaches to

Learning, Social-Emotional Development, Physical Development and Health, Language,

Literacy, Communication, Cognitive, Creative Arts, Science, Social Studies and Math. TSG

and COR, both formative assessments have three summative points throughout the year.

The data used to determine school readiness is drawn from the summative reports at the end

of preschool, Spring 2016. The TS Gold preschool data was not intended to be used for

kindergarten readiness in the Maine project but serves as a proxy for school readiness in

2016. Overall child outcome results for TS Gold and COR reported by Maine's PEG external

evaluator indicated 66% of children met or exceeded expectations in TSG's six domains and

COR's eight domains. Two districts using PALS reported 40% were kindergarten ready as

determined by the PALS screening in the Spring 2016 administration.

The Maine DOE does not mandate a Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA.) PreK teachers

receive assessment training through Head Start; training is not provided at the state level at

this time. Reliability training is provided online in each assessment platform, teachers are

required to complete the inter-rater reliability training. School readiness data, outside of the

PEG districts, is not reported to the state.

Maine is currently planning to support a KEA for districts that are interested. A Kindergarten

Entry Assessment is required for all grant districts and in 2016 Maine had planned to use the

NC Consortium's KEA. In 2017 Maine will require all subgrantees to purchase TS Gold and

the KEA will be administered to all kindergarten children. The state does collect aggregate

outcome data on preschoolers in the spring before kindergarten as part of Maine's Public

Preschool Annual Report.

The following data provides a profile of kindergarten ready disaggregated by domain.

School Readiness for children in PEG classrooms:

TSG Spring 2016 End of Preschool Year

Domain % of children meeting

Cognitive 93%

Language 93%

Literacy 99%

Math 94%

Physical 96%

Social Emotional 86%

COR Spring 2016 End of Preschool Year

Domain % of children meeting

Approaches to Learning 68%
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Creative Arts 92%

Language, Literacy & Communication 76%

Math 84%

Physical and Developmental & Health 80%

Social Emotional Development 68%

Science & Technology 92%

Social Studies 76%

The TS Gold data was reported by domain for each subgrantee. Each subgrantee submitted a

TSG Widely Held Expectations Report for Spring 2016. Data disaggregated by domain

shows, as expected, math and social-emotional are domains are areas needing more focus.

The focus of professional development in grant Year 3 is numeracy and math. Implementing

a social-emotional curriculum as well as Hanen training, MELDS training and coaching on

teacher/child interactions will contribute to increasing these domains of readiness.
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For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY:

1(d) GPRA Performance Measure: The number of States that collect and analyze data on State

Preschool Program quality, including the structural elements of quality specified in the

definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.
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Section A: Part B - Selection Criteria

In this section of the APR, States will report on their progress addressing the Preschool Development Grant's

selection criteria. The State should read the questions carefully and report in the narrative fields directly below the

questions. Please include any data, data notes or formulas to help the readers understand the State's narrative

responses.

1. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria “C” of the application)

Describe the State's use of funds received over the grant period for State Preschool Program

infrastructure and quality improvements, including the State's efforts to implement a system of

monitoring and support at the State level toward activities such as those described in Section (C)(1)(ak) of the NIA.

Note: States will report amounts and percentage of funds for State Preschool Program infrastructure

and High-Quality Preschool Programs in the Competitive Preference Priority 3 Chart.

Maine's PEG classrooms have helped to build and test a system of controls and supports for

Maine's public PreK programs. The most significant infrastructures include the piloting of both

Maine's PreK program approval application and its annual report. No less significant is

Maine's investment in the hiring and training of a early childhood monitor to monitor program

quality and compliance. Additionally, PEG subgrantees have helped build systems and

coordination with Maine Roads to Quality, the early childhood professional development

network.

Maine's PEG funding has helped to train a bank of reliable CLASS® observers for observing

PreK classrooms for quality. Maine held two trainings over the last year, training over 25

observers who in turn agreed to provide CLASS® observations for the Maine DOE.

Maine has begun work on a MELDS website that will provide PreK best practices for a wide

audience. The website will be interactive holding thousands of high-quality, developmentally

appropriate activities at teachers' fingertips. The Georgia Early Learning Department has

agreed to share its PEACH HTML code with Maine DOE and Maine's website will be

developed and built on the work of Georgia's Department of Early Learning.

Maine has also created a pool of trainers, including MELDS and Hanen trainer that will

continue to provide high quality professional development not only their own organization but

across early childhood education.
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2. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community (Selection

Criteria D of application)

Describe the progress the State has made during the reporting year to implement and sustain

voluntary high quality preschool programs for eligible children in two or more High-Need Communities

(Selection Criteria D(4) of the application) that include ALL structural elements listed below that are

included in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. States should include detailed

information on ALL structural elements.

High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood

education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, ✔ which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and

pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials;

✔ High-quality professional development for all staff;

✔ A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

✔ A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

✔ A Full-Day program;

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all

✔

opportunities;

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence-

✔ based curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and

Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry;

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate

✔

fully in learning activities;

✔ Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;

✔ Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that

✔ promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development;

and

✔ Evidence-based health and safety standards.
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Please describe the progress the State has made in establishing High-Quality Preschool Programs

that include ALL structural elements listed above that are evidence-based and nationally recognized

as important for ensuring program quality.

Maine PEG subgrantees' PreK programs have each met the high-quality structural elements

nationally recognized as important for ensuring program quality.

PreK programs must meet Maine Rule Chapter 124 (Maine DOE Chapter 124), Basic

Approval Standards for Public Preschool Programs which requires programs to meet highquality preschool programming. PreK programs are monitored by the Maine DOE's PreK

Program early childhood monitor using CLASS® and Maine DOE's PreK monitoring protocol.

100% of PreK Expansion Grant classrooms are staffed with a lead teacher who holds

certification in Early Childhood Education from Maine DOE. In addition to the primary

classroom teacher, 100% of subgrantee classrooms employ an assistant who holds a

minimum of an Educational Technician II Maine DOE endorsement. Staff employed in PEG

classrooms are paid based on the public school district's negotiated contract.

PreK classrooms funded by the PreK Expansion Grant have an adult:child ratio that does not

exceed 1:8.

PreK programs are required to hold four-year old programming for 6 hours a day and follow a

regular school calendar for a minimum of 175 seat days a year.

Each public PreK program is required to partner with one of nine regional Child Development

Services (CDS) sites. This partnerships ensure Child Find, evaluation, and inclusion of

children with disabilities. All PreK programs are required to screen children with a researchbased screening tool within 30 days of enrollment, providing early detection of delays.

All preschool programs use an evidence-based curriculum that aligns to Maine's Early

Learning and Development Standards.

Subgrantees contract with Head Start to deliver comprehensive services for all families.

Subgrantees also provide comprehensive services, as federally defined, using one of two

models, one under which the teacher is trained to offer and deliver comprehensive services or

another under which a family service, social worker or guidance counselor are assigned to

implement comprehensive services.

Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot.

The total number of eligible children served by the grant in 2016 was 406.

The total expenses for all subgrantees in 2016 was $4,096,831.00 resulting in a per pupil cost of $10,090.72.

The slightly elevated cost per slot is due to the number of teachers and educational technicians staffed in each

classroom. In 66% of the classrooms, subgrantees chose to staff classrooms with three teachers and Ed Techs

to ensure compliance with Maine DOE Chapter 124.
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3. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (Selection Criteria E

of the application)

Describe the extent to which the State has collaborated with each Subgrantee to ensure that each

Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria E

(1-9) of the application) and how the State ensures strong partnerships between each Subgrantee

and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate.

4. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (Section F of the application)

Describe progress the State has made for alignment within a birth through third grade continuum in

activities for birth through age five programs ((F)(1)(a-b) in the NIA) and kindergarten through third

grade ((F)(2)(a-d) in the NIA).

Maine has worked with the grant's technical support advisors to develop a B-3 professional

learning community (PLC) in each subgrantee district . The B-3 PLC membership includes

district administration, classroom staff, Part B 619 representative and a Head Start

representative. The PLC is the foundation from which subgrantees will build an understanding

of the B-3 continuum and its importance in creating lasting systemic change that will impact

child outcomes. PLC subgrantee teams came together as a professional cohort twice during

2016. The state-level meetings provided B-3 research and content from national experts that

help move teams along in their B-3 journey. Teams were also expected to meet at the local

level between state-level meetings. During the year teams were asked to provide a report

demonstrating their thought and progress. In 2017 teams are being asked to align curriculum,

assessment, instruction or family engagement across PreK and kindergarten. The first year

of B-3 PLC team work will culminate in June with each team producing a B-3 product that will

demonstrate alignment and can be shared with other PreK programs across the state. During

2017 and into 2018 B-3 PLC work will continue with the primary goals of providing teams with

a research-based framework, Framework for Planning, Implementing and Evaluating PreK to

3rd Grade Approaches, which will be presented by Kristie Kaurez and the expansion of the

alignment to birth on the lower end and 3rd grade on the upper end of the continuum.

In 2016 Maine DOE continued monthly meetings of district coordinator meetings including

meetings with both subgrantees and their Head Start partners. Maine also facilitated monthly

coaches meetings.

In January Maine coordinated a meeting of Head Start technical assistance, representative

districts, national school lunch representatives and Maine DOE early childhood staff to

develop a guidance document to help initiate conversations about program standards related

to food in public preschool/Head Start collaboratives.

Maine provided high-quality joint training for Head Start partners and subgrantees.

Maine developed joint budget documents for collaboratives, provided an interactive scope of

work to partnerships, attended Head Start and Child Development Services State Director

meetings.

In July Maine met individually with each subgrantee and their Head Start partner to review the

subgrantee's budget, Head Start MOU, subgrantee scope of work and program sustainability.
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Section A: Part C - Competitive Preference Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (if included in the State's

approved application.

Describe the progress the State has made on its credible plan for obtaining and using non-Federal

matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant

period. For progress not made in this area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that

measurable progress will be made by the end of the grant period. Please describe any changes made

to the data reported in Table 7(a); explain if your Year 2 Target differs from the Year 2 Actual.

Maine DOE's PEG application detailed a four-year investment toward matching federal funds

that totaled over $18 million, a 126% match level. Maine DOE is set to meet its match target

by using State level PreK subsidy funds which have been distributed to all Maine districts

offering PreK programming. Maine used the change from 2014 PreK subsidy funding levels to

2016 funding levels in year 2 yielding over $4 million of State support.

Maine's year 2 match was projected to be $3,766,167 while actual matching funds through

December 31, 2016 totaled $4,255,215. Subgrantees provided an additional $470,899.00 of

funding from local budgets in year 2. Local contributions and support is expected to quadruple

in grant year 3.

A $1.32 million Maine DOE/Child Development Services data project was finalized in 2016

allowing Maine to account for this State level contribution in year 2 match.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting the Continuum of Early Learning and

Development (if included in the State's approved application).

Describe progress made in creating a more seamless progression of supports and interventions from

birth through third grade, such as high-quality infant and toddler care, home visitation, full-day

kindergarten, and before and after care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of eligible children

and their families within each high need community served by each Subgrantee. For progress not

made in these areas, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be

made by the end of the grant period.

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High Quality State Preschool Slots (if included

in the State's approved application).

Describe progress made in using at least 50% of the State's federal grant award to create new State

Preschool Program slots that will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool

Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. For progress not made in this

area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be made by the

end of the grant period.
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Section B: Budget Information

Budget and Sustainability (Section G in the application)

1. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies between the State's approved budget and

its total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that have not been expended or

obligated from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.

Maine's year 2 actual PEG direct costs totaled $183,892 a difference of $62,242 from year 2

direct costs projections. Understanding that indirect cost expenses would be impacting the

year 2 budget, the personnel savings from the late hiring of state-level staff in grant year 1,

but was intentionally left in personnel to be used for Maine's indirect cost expenses. Maine did

not include indirect costs in its original budget, however indirect expenses must be charged to

a federal grant awarded to a state agency. Year 2 was the adjustment year to begin to

account for PEG indirect expenses.

Savings from Maine's budget for staff benefits will be reallocated to contractual to hire a

contractor for an interactive Maine Early Learning and Development Standards (MELDS) web

site and to contract for the Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) work as outlined

in Maine's application.

Subgrantee spending was below year 2 projections by $970,000. The root causes include

subgrantees over estimating PreK funding needed and a delay in subgrantees presenting

invoices for the last quarter of 2016. Additionally, funding for targeted activities such as B-3rd

grade continuum work and community literacy teams is unspent and account for nearly

$150,000.00.

Technical assistance funds were spent at 60% in year 2 as there was minimal travel to

national meetings in year 2.

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017).

3. Describe the State's progress on its plan for sustainability at the end of the grant period to ensure

that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs

in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

Maine continues to work with subgrantees on a number of fronts to ensure the sustainability

of the high-quality PreK programs created under the PEG.

We continue to encourage the creation and building of partnerships with Head Start. The

state-level team facilitates and recognizes the value of these collaborative partnerships in cost

Although not substantiative budget changes Maine proposes to carryover the year 2 direct

costs savings to years 3 & 4 and distribute funding the following categories:

1. Benefits - reduce by $12,000 in years 3 & 4 and allocate to contractual.

2. Indirect costs - Year 3 at $21,000 and year 4 at $23,383.0
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sharing and blending of funds for high-quality PreK program expenses.

In addition to cost sharing Maine has made a commitment to fund PreK programs through

state subsidy payments to school districts. PreK subsidy is based on, among a number of

elements, child enrollment numbers and is part of Maine's Essential Programs and Services

calculation that requires a local district contribution accompany state subsidy. This year the

PreK grant budget process required each subgrantee to analyze their PreK revenue streams

and balance the revenue streams to PreK program costs, essentially requiring subgrantees to

articulate a sustainability plan.

Maine DOE Chapter 124, Public PreK program approval standards contain most of the highquality elements required under PEG. In December 2016 District Coordinators were

presented with an in-depth comparative analysis of Chapter 124 standards and those

elements required by the grant. The intent of the comparative analysis presentation was to

demonstrate the State's continued commitment to high-quality PreK and to provide

information for 2017-18 PEG budgeting to help districts create a sustainability plan.

Lastly, during monthly PreK District Coordinator meetings Maine regularly presents

information on the use of ESSA funds to support PreK. More recently the grant manager has

begun to research philanthropic funding of PreK to aid districts in creating both public support

and an additional income stream.

4. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies, if any, between the Subrecipients'

approved budgets and their total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that

have not been expended or obligated from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.
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