Code of Maine Rules › 05 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › 071 - EDUCATION - GENERAL › Chapter 124 - BASIC APPROVAL STANDARDS: PUBLIC PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS › Section 071-124-2 - DEFINITIONS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
2.01 Administrator: "Administrator" means any
				person certified by the Commissioner as an administrator and employed by a
				school administrative unit in an administrative capacity.
2.02 Assessment: "Assessment" means an
				educational instrument or activity designed to gather information on a child's
				knowledge and skill to make instructional decisions.
2.03 Commissioner: "Commissioner" means the
				Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education or a designee.
2.04 Curriculum: "Curriculum" means the
				school administrative unit's written document that includes the learning
				expectations for all children for all domains of development as indicated in
				the Early Learning and Development Standards.
2.05 Department: "Department" means the Maine
				Department of Education.
2.07 Early
				Learning and Development Standards (ELDS): "Early Learning and Development
				Standards" means what should children know and be able to do at kindergarten
				entry.
2.08 Elementary school:
				"Elementary school" means that portion of a school that provides instruction in
				any combination of grades pre-kindergarten through grade 8.
2.09 Essential Programs and Services:
				"Essential Programs and Services" means those programs and services, as defined
				by the State Board of Education or adopted by the Legislature, that a school
				administrative unit offers for each student to have the opportunity to meet the
				content standards of the system of Early Learning and Development
				Standards/Learning Results.
2.10
				Instructional day: "Instructional day" means a school day during which both
				students and teachers are present, either in a school or in another
				setting.
2.11 Instructional time:
				"Instructional time" means that portion of a school day devoted to the
				teaching-learning process, but not including extra-curricular activities,
				lunchtime, or recess. Time spent on organized field trips related to school
				studies may be considered instructional time, but the instructional time
				counted for extended field trips shall not exceed a normal school day for each
				day of the field trip.
2.12
				Kindergarten: "Kindergarten" means a one or two-year instructional program
				aligned with the system of Learning Results, immediately prior to grade
				one.
2.13 Parent: "Parent" means
				the parent or legal guardian of a student, or the student if of majority
				age.
2.14 Provisional Approval:
				"Provisional Approval" means an approval for a specified period of time during
				which a school administrative unit must take corrective action to the public
				preschool program to comply with this rule.
2.15 Public Preschool Program: "Public
				Preschool Program" means a program offered by a public school that provides
				instruction to children who are four years of age by October 15th.
2.16 School: "School" means an individual
				attendance center within a school administrative unit including any combination
				of grades pre-kindergarten through 12. In this rule, an educational program
				located in or operated by a juvenile correctional facility, an educational
				program located in the unorganized territories and operated by the Department
				of Education, the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, and the Maine
				Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing shall be considered
				schools.
2.17 School administrative
				unit: "School administrative unit" means the state-approved unit of school
				administration and includes a municipal school unit, school administrative
				district, community school district, regional school unit or any other
				municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or
				constructing public schools, except that it does not include a career and
				technical education region. Beginning July 1, 2009, "school administrative
				unit" means the state-approved unit of school administration and includes only
				the following:
A. A municipal school
				unit;
B. A regional school unit
				formed pursuant to chapter 103-A;
C. An alternative organizational structure as
				approved by the commissioner and approved by the voters;
D. A school administrative district that does
				not provide public education for the entire span of kindergarten to grade 12
				that has not reorganized as a regional school unit pursuant to chapter 103-A;
E. A community school district
				that has not reorganized as a regional school unit pursuant to chapter 103-A;
F. A municipal or quasi-municipal
				district responsible for operating public schools that has not reorganized as a
				regional school unit pursuant to chapter 103-A;
G. A municipal school unit, school
				administrative district, community school district, regional school unit or any
				other quasi-municipal district responsible for operating public schools that
				forms a part of an alternative organizational structure approved by the
				commissioner; and
H. A public
				charter school authorized under chapter 112 by an entity other than a local
				school board.