The Maine Apprenticeship Program (MAP) has recently allocated funds for presently employed Ed Techs in the Aroostook and Washington County areas. The funds are available to eligible persons who are attempting to attain an Associate’s Degree in the Para Education career field. The degree is part of a mandated federal program, "No Child Left Behind", which must be completed by 2006.

For further information contact either:

Jim Williams Presque Isle Career Center Telephone: 207-760-6320 1-800-635-0357

Darin McGaw Washington County Community College 1-800-454-1010

FAME administers the Educators for Maine program which is a forgivable loan program for students who want to become teachers. Students must complete an application by April 1. The application will be available on Fame's website by February 1. Students are eligible for $3,000 per year for a total of $12,000. And, for every year the borrower teaches at an approved school in Maine, one year of the loan is forgiven. If the borrower teaches an underserved subject area such as special education (K-12), chemistry (grades 7-12), physics (7-12), math (7-12), etc., two years of the loan is forgiven for every one year of teaching. It is very competitive and FAME is able to make awards to about 1/2 of the new applicants each year. The loan is renewable by maintaining a 2.5 GPA and completing the renewal application by the April 1 deadline.

The student may also qualify for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The school the student attends will determine eligibility for grants, workstudy and loans.

FAME also has a scholarship search piece on its website where the student can look for scholarship monies. Most deadlines have passed for the current academic year; however, it is never too early to start searching for next year.

More information regarding the above programs and additional programs is available on FAME's website at www.famemaine.com.

No Child Left Behind

Regulations for Paraprofessionals. A paraprofessional is an instructional staff person who does not hold the position of teacher, but assists in the classroom under the guidance of a teacher. Sometimes paraprofessionals are called teacher aides or instructional aides.
http://www.state.nj.us/njded/grants/nclb/paraprofessional_regs.shtml

Requirements for Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals

Letter from the Superintendents of Schools and School Principals, Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner, on September 3, 2003, regarding Requirements for Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals.
Maine.Gov Information Letter

ALLTech™ is a nationally recognized center that provides training, consultations, and technical assistance in the areas of assistive technology, specialized software, Web accessibility, and universal design in education.
http://www.alltech-tsi.org/

Northern and Downeast Pilot

The Northern and Downeast recruitment, preparation and retention pilot (NDEP) seeks to develop qualified special education teachers in Aroostook and Washington counties through a partnership with UMS universities in the region. While the program is open to all individuals, we encourage enrollment by people with disabilities and minorities, including individuals from the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy tribes of Pleasant Point and Peter Dana Point, and other Native American groups.

http://www.learn.maine.edu/ndep/

Working with Paraprofessionals

While certified or licensed professionals are ultimately responsible for success and safety of the students in our classrooms, those tasks would be much more difficult if it were not for paraprofessionals. They have become essential providers of special education support in our schools.

In recent years, paraprofessionals have typically been hired to serve in inclusive classrooms. Most assist teachers with the entire class roster, meeting the needs of certain students with disabilities while assisting others too. Some serve as "one-to-one" aides, solely serving the needs of a student with a severe disability. Check out this site to learn more.

http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/ParaPros.html