Special Education Guide

  • Special Education Career Paths
    • Behaviorist
    • Early Intervention Specialist
    • Educational Diagnostician
    • Instructional Assistant
    • Special Education Administrator
    • Special Education Teacher
  • Teacher Certification
    • Alabama
    • Alaska
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • District of Columbia
    • Delaware
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Hawaii
    • Idaho
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • Nebraska
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • Oklahoma
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Vermont
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
    • Wyoming
  • Master’s in Special Education Programs
    • Alabama
    • Alaska
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • District of Columbia
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Hawaii
    • Idaho
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • Nebraska
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • Oklahoma
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Vermont
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
    • Wyoming

Find us on:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • About This Site
  • Read Our Blog

Special Education Master’s Programs in Maine

FIND SCHOOLS
1
2
3
4
Sponsored Content

Featured Programs:
Sponsored School(s)

Sponsored School(s)

All school search, finder, or match results, as well as colleges and universities displayed as "Featured School(s)" or "Sponsored Content" are advertisers that compensate us for placement on this site. The resources, editorial content, and school evaluations published on this site are developed independent of the schools that advertise here.
Grand Canyon University Logo
Grand Canyon University
Featured Program: B.S. in Elementary Education / Special Education and M.Ed. in Special Education
Request Info
Purdue University Logo
Purdue University
Featured Program: Online MSEd in Special Education
Request Info
Liberty University Logo
Liberty University
Featured Program: (B.Ed.) in Special Education, M.A.T. in Special Education, and Doctoral Curriculum and Instruction – Special Education
Request Info
George Mason University Logo
George Mason University
Featured Program: Master's and Graduate Certificate Programs in Special Education
Request Info
Arcadia University Logo
Arcadia University
Featured Program: Online Graduate Certificate in Autism
Request Info
Regis University Logo
Regis University
Featured Program: Earn your M.Ed in Special Education Licensure, MAE in Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education and more at Regis University. Build your skills to teach students with the greatest needs.
Request Info
Arizona State University Logo
Arizona State University
Featured Program: Special Education, MEd
Request Info

Maine Offers Incentives to Encourage More Teachers to Become Certified in Special Education

There are fewer special education teacher candidates in Maine than is required to meet the demand of a growing population of students with special needs. This coupled with the fact that 30% of Maine teachers are projected to retire within the next decade has created a major shortfall of qualified special ed teachers.

Making the situation more challenging is the fact that a new federal rule is taking effect that will raise the standards for special education teachers. The Every Student Succeeds Act will require all special education teachers to be fully certified (currently, Maine allows special education teachers to work in the classroom while completing their certification).

With 28,000 students enrolled in special education programs throughout the state, Maine has a critical need for qualified special education teachers. As of 2016, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is working on creating incentives for special education teachers, including:

  • Financial incentives for working in rural locations
  • Loan forgiveness
  • Helping pay up front for certification

RISE Program Brings Teachers, Behavioral Analysts and Specialists Together to Ensure Student Success

A 2016 audit by the Maine DOE revealed that schools had some problems keeping Individual Education Programs (IEP) current and goal-focused. According to the audit, IEP goals have not been updated year to year and don’t always show student progress. On the heels of the audit, Maine educators are working on designing dynamic IEPs that help students move toward achieving concrete educational goals.

FIND SCHOOLS
Sponsored Content

In order to better serve special needs students, some school districts have employed a new program, called RISE. The program marshals all the resources that the school district can offer, relying on special education teachers, behavioral analysts, specialists such as speech-language pathologists, and an individual education technician for each student.

Through the RISE program, students are able to take advantage of incredibly valuable resources. Students with very limited communication have developed functional communicational skills, students with severe behavioral disorders have learned to function in social environments, and many of the students are able to re-join traditional classrooms, which is the goal.

RISE Program supervisor at Geiger Elementary School, Michelle Winslow, explains that individualized attention is a key component to helping these students succeed. RISE is meant to serve grades kindergarten through 12th.

Dedicated Special Education Teachers Make All the Difference

The secret to student success—any special education teacher will tell you—depends heavily on the teacher’s day-to-day interactions with students in the classroom. Forming strong bonds with students and learning to meet children’s individual needs are tasks that require teachers to be fully engaged.

FIND SCHOOLS
Sponsored Content

One incredible special education teacher who has impacted her students greatly is Jennifer Dorman. Dorman works as a special education teacher in Skowhegan Area Middle School. She was awarded the prestigious Maine Teacher of the Year award in 2015 by the Maine DOE and Educate Maine.

Her peers described Dorman as a teacher who values her students above all else. She was praised for checking in on her students in both the classroom and in social situations. Parents of her students praised Dorman for the way she communicated with them and for keeping the families involved in their student’s progress. Parents also explained that Dorman often contacted them after school hours to talk about their child, showing dedication to her students and their success.

Our site does not feature every educational option available on the market. We encourage you to perform your own independent research before making any education decisions. Many listings are from partners who compensate us, which may influence which programs we write about. Learn more about us


Copyright © 2013-2023 Special Education Guide. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Related Pages

  • Masters in Special Education programs in New Hampshire
  • Masters Degrees
  • Teacher Certification
  • Career Paths
  • Early Intervention
  • Pre-K to 12
  • Disability Profiles

Recent Articles

  • Is Special Education Teaching Right for You?
  • Give Students with Print Disabilities Access to Free Ebooks
  • How to Help Students and Families with Transition Planning
  • Closing the Gap: Moving Mountains Without Lowering Expectations
  • 9 Tips for Special Education Teachers Becoming Administrators