Maine Digital Learning Landscape
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | YES |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | NO |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Most digital learning activity in Maine occurs at the district level. There are two multi-district fully online schools. The Maine Connections Academy served 469 student enrollments and Maine Virtual Academy enrolled 437 students for the 2021-22 SY. Both serve students in grades 7-12. Enrollments in fully online schools are capped. Increases in enrollment must be approved by the Maine Charter School Commission.
The Maine Department of Education supports digital learning through two state programs. MOOSE (Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education) is a library of asynchronous learning modules aligned to Maine’s Learning Results created in collaboration with Maine curriculum coordinators, teachers, museums, and learning centers. The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) has been equipping students and teachers with one-to-one wireless devices since 2001 (laptops and tablets) starting with 7th and 8tth graders. Each subsequent year districts have the option of expanding devices to a grade level above or below current 7th and 8th grade recipients.
AP4ALL is operated by the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) early college initiative to provide access to Advanced Placement® courses for all students statewide. One element of the UMFK program is Rural U, tuition free for students grades 10-12 with a maximum 12 credits per academic year. University of Maine’s Academ-e is an early college program offering online university courses to Maine students in grades 11-12.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through August 2022.
LD1553 (2011) allowed charter schools in Maine for the first time and created the Maine Charter School Commission as the only entity that could authorize virtual charter schools. Other types of authorizing entities are allowed in the law, and they can authorize charter schools that have an online component. Policies outlined in the application process include requirements specific to virtual charter schools, including synchronous requirements for students and teachers. LD1553 also has several quality assurance measures.