FARMINGTON – Teachers in grades kindergarten through 12 in western and central Maine have had to drive to Orono or Portland to take graduate-level courses in order to advance their professional skills or to meet growing teaching certification requirements.

A survey conducted recently by the University of Maine at Farmington concluded the distance barrier has been a major obstacle for teachers living within a 60-mile radius of the UMF campus.

To meet the growing need, UMF will offer 12 graduate-level courses this summer – courses taught on the Farmington campus and designed specifically for teachers living in the western and central Maine region.

The classes will begin throughout June and July, with the first classes starting the week of June 21. Some courses are offered in a week’s time; others meet over a two- or three-week period. None will run later than the first week in August. All but one class will be held at UMF.

Registration is open and interested individuals are asked to register soon since classes with fewer than eight enrollments will be canceled on or before Tuesday, June 15. To register, contact Pam Wilson at UMF, 778-7186.

The courses can be used by teachers to fulfill certification requirements or satisfy salary advancement requirements of their school districts. Some of the courses can also be transferred into graduate degree programs offered at the University of Maine or the University of Southern Maine.

The courses will focus on many topics, ranging from technology use in the classroom to authentic assessment to middle school theory and practice. Two will be offered as part of a UMF/USM collaboration whereby nearly half of the credits required for USM’s master’s degree in special education are offered at the Farmington campus.

An advisory council of superintendents, principals, teachers and university personnel are working to establish the programs and priorities the Regional Teacher Development Center will use to better serve the professional development needs of teachers in central and western Maine.

Teachers, superintendents, principals and others in school districts in central and western Maine are asked to contact Pam Wilson, 778-7186 or [email protected] to learn more about offerings this summer, how to register for them or to explore partnership opportunities between UMF and local districts.

For details and graduate-level courses and other services for kindergarten through 12 teachers being offered at UMF, visit the “Community Outreach” portion of the UMF Web site: http://www.umf.maine.edu.