Best Practices with Multi-tiered Systems of Support in Math Instruction

P-12 Educators In-person, Online, Hybrid 2-6 hours

This course focuses on enhancing teacher's math instruction skills and introduces strategies to meet the needs of students with special needs. Learning outcomes include an understanding of best practices related to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Response to Intervention (RtI), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL); knowledge of five research-based strategies for use in mathematics classrooms; and examination of ways to assess student learning.

Content Area Literacy Strategies: The Literacy Strategy Showdown

Grade 5-12 educators, leaders and staff, open to all subject areas Online only 4 hours (Flexible upon request)

In every classroom, in every content area, and at every grade-level literacy is present. Students read, write, discuss, and develop vocabulary specific to a variety of disciplines. This series, called the Literacy Strategy Showdown, highlights effective literacy strategies that can be adapted and used at almost every grade level. Each showdown session will be centered on a strand of literacy (reading, writing, discussion, and vocabulary) and highlight a number of strategies that can be used in the classroom to support learners. It’s like speed-dating strategies to build your literacy strategy toolbox.

Fostering Equity and Inclusion through Diverse Children’s Literature in the Elementary Classroom

Elementary classroom teachers, reading specialists, librarians, school counselors and school administrators In-person, online, or hybrid 2-8 hours, individually designed dependent upon the needs of the school/district

In this interactive class, participants will explore how engagement with diverse children's literature can promote equity and inclusion. Participants will have opportunities to engage in rich conversations regarding the use of diverse children’s literature to build intercultural understandings and will discuss possibilities for utilizing children’s literature in P-6 settings; connecting to their own work in classrooms while considering how to strengthen family and school connections through story.

It’s Organic: Integrating Social Studies into Your ELA Instruction

All K-6 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Social studies has become a content area that teachers have found increasingly more difficult to find time for in their daily instruction. When done well, social studies can be integrated into ELA instruction in meaningful, discipline specific ways. The results will ensure students are engaged in social studies concepts on a daily basis while at the same time strengthening established ELA lesson plans by providing necessary contextual lenses through which to engage students in each content area. The opportunities to successfully integrate ELA and social studies can be organically found within ELA curriculum IF we know how to find them! This workshop will get you started as you evaluate ELA lesson plans to uncover the potential social studies found within it as well as provide guidance when thinking about how to enhance your ELA instruction with social studies resources. This workshop will be co-taught by professionals with both social studies and Literacy expertise, respectively.

It’s Organic: Integrating Social Studies into Your Math Instruction

All K-6 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

While mathematics and social studies have been historically viewed as unrelated content areas the potential for meaningful integration is more than possible when it is done successfully. It is widely known that students will engage in lesson plans more diligently when they are clear about the relevance of what they are being expected to learn. The answer to the age old question, “Why do I have to learn this?” is always rooted in a social studies concept. This workshop will help you think through the inherent overlaps between math and social studies which will help you and your students see math instruction in more conceptual ways.

It’s Organic: Integrating Social Studies into Your Science Instruction

All K-6 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

In today’s educational setting science and social studies instruction are many times alternated throughout the school year to make more room for ELA and Math instruction. With the right approaches the potential to integrate social studies into your science curriculum in organic ways will allow for a deeper exploration of each content area. This workshop will help you see the vast potential evaluating science lesson plans using a social studies lens will have for you and your students.

Rethinking What Social Studies Instruction Means in the 21st Century Classroom

All K-6 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Many elementary educators enter the profession with a resistance to teaching social studies because it may not have been a content area they enjoyed personally throughout their educational experiences. What if someone were able to help you rethink what social studies instruction CAN look like with your students? We all know that if we are excited about what we are teaching – our students will be excited about what they are learning! This workshop will help you reevaluate what social studies means in the 21st century classroom so you will begin to see the potential for ways you can bring it to life in meaningful ways that will get both you, and your students, excited about social studies. Even if you already enjoy teaching social studies to your students you will still find new ways to think about how to engage your students in a content area you love.

Using the Quality STEM Learning Rubric

Pre-K–12 educators, open to all subject areas Classroom, Online, Hybrid 3-6 hours

STEM is more than an acronym, it is also an interdisciplinary approach to learning. A central feature of a STEM lesson plan is its focus on design and problem-solving in “intellectually messy” interdisciplinary learning environments. Students become innovators by solving real-world problems through design. STEM lessons investigate and explore the inter-related characteristics of the world rather than delivering instruction via rote procedures and isolated information. This course provides an introduction to the Quality STEM Learning Rubric to improve student learning and engagement. Schools may select certain modules to focus on based on their assessed needs. This approach can easily be adapted to online instruction.

Writer’s Revel: Writer’s Notebooks in the K-12 Classroom

K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid 6 hours

Students using writer’s notebooks in the classroom is one of the most effective ways to bring children into the world of writing as it provides low stakes, ungraded practice that stimulates students’ thinking, builds their writing stamina and connects them to their peers and most importantly to themselves. Kindergartners, students writing labs for physics, and any student in between benefit from this practice. As research continues to show standardized writing limits our K-12 writers, educators who use writer’s notebooks, have a collection of mentor texts, and can effectively confer with writers have become essential in today’s classrooms. In this course, participants will engage in classroom practices centered on writing and writer’s notebooks. Within their own daily notebook writing, participants will be immersed in the process of goal-driven writing, confer with other writers, collect mentor texts, and develop or hone their own abilities to bring writers notebooks into the classroom.

Best Practices for Teaching & Engaging Students in Online/Hybrid Formats

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid. Districts may customize this by selecting specific modules to focus on based on their needs 2 hours per session; 5 sessions available

Online education is m ore than converting traditional educational materials to digital platforms. Approaching distance learning this way does not maximize student learning, nor does it lead to high levels of student/instructor satisfaction. This course is designed to identify and eliminate common pitfalls associated with online teaching for all grade levels and all subject areas to address current social distancing measures that have forced districts to move to online education. Additional topics will include strategies to convert online courses to traditional classroom lesson plans, and reverse-engineering traditional classes to distance learning formats. Participants will learn to make online teaching more effective and minimize stress for instructors and students.

Creating Accessible Documents & Video

K-12 & College Educators, Leaders, & Staff In-person, Online, Hybrid This course can be customized between 2 and 6 hours

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that educators create documents that are accessible to all users. This is especially true if documents are posted online to a shared space like Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, or a class website. This course will introduce participants to the basic concepts of accessibility, discuss why accessibility is important, and provide tools to check accessibility. Participants will engage in a hands-on process to either create a new accessible document or update an existing document to meet current accessibility guidelines. This course can easily be modified to meet specific needs of a school or district (e.g. captioning, images, video, PDF conversion, Google Docs, Microsoft Office, etc.). Access to a computer lab is extremely beneficial when scheduling this workshop in person.

Critical Thinking in Online/Hybrid Courses

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Online teaching skills and thoughtful curriculum design are more important than technological skills as technology becomes more ingrained in everyday life. In an online/hybrid course, instructor presence and online discussions often lead to deeper reflection and learning. In this course, educators from all levels will be given the opportunity to investigate, design, and implement rigorous questions along with assignments to promote critical thinking in online environments.

Culturally Responsive Instruction

Pre-K-12 educators, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 4-8 hours

This course is for instructors seeking to improve their understanding of cultural competence and how it can be practiced in face-to-face and online instruction. Interactive sessions will promote a focus on awareness of bias, cross-cultural awareness, and socio-economic disparities. Training will emphasize the impacts of economic and health disparities, and will challenge educators to be more attuned to cultural barriers. Instructors will discuss cultural competency/bias/stereotyping and techniques of motivation for all learners. The course—as a single session or as a series—will also outline principles of instruction to meet the needs of students at various levels of competency. By using specific scenarios, teachers learn how to meet the needs of a culturally and cognitively diverse groups of learners. Topics in this course will range from interactive awareness sessions to multi- step, scaffolded professional development series.

Developing Synchronous & Asynchronous Lesson Plans

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 4-6 hours

Student engagement in online coursework is dependent on a variety of factors including subject matter, grade level, instructional content, and learning platforms. Educators and staff must maximize live, face-to-face time with students to encourage dynamic learning during synchronous lessons while embracing the flexibility of asynchronous instruction. In this session, participants will learn the benefits and challenges to these forms of digital education including front-end development, tracking student engagement in asynchronous lessons, and ensuring student accessibility for synchronous instruction. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences during the 2020-2021 school year.

Effective Assessment through Distance Learning

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 4-6 hours

Online instruction requires assessments tailored to online platforms including learning management systems, digital conferencing/video instruction, incorporating peer feedback into assessments, and structuring complex assignments into multi-part segments, all in addition to traditional forms of assessment. Developing, maintaining, and sharing grading rubrics with students will greatly inform assessments for all subjects. Topics for discussion will include balancing synchronous and asynchronous lesson assessments, securing parent and family buy-in for learning goals, and managing course expectations. Participants will learn effective online assessment strategies and tools for every grade level and tailored to specific subjects.

Family Engagement: Strategies to Support Distance Learning

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 4-6 hours

Education has always been a collaborative enterprise, yet the challenges during the 2020-2021 school year highlight the need for educators and students’ families to develop learning plans together to accommodate the transition to online education. Educators and families must provide a solid foundation to support students through this quick transition while maintaining educational standards. In this session, educators, administrators, and district staff will learn ways to secure buy-in from families during periods of distance learning including, but not limited to, maintaining learning objectives and expectations, developing flexible learning schedules, and troubleshooting common technical difficulties.

Social-Emotional Learning & Support Across In-person, Hybrid, & Online Environments

Pre—K- 12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid 4-6 hours

In addition to the stress that students may feel as a result of school closures, they may also may experience increased isolation in the time of social distancing. Now more than ever, many educators are adamant that social-emotional learning (SEL) is vital for students dealing with the emotional impact of social distancing. “It is next-to impossible to expect teaching and learning to occur in a crisis without attending to our emotions,” reports the Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This course will help educators develop practices and activities that build social - emotional skills via online platforms. Participants will learn ways to engage with students in a variety of online platforms and tips on encouraging peer-to-peer engagement to mitigate social isolation.

Strategies for Teaching Online Quantitative Courses

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 2-4 hours

This course is designed to eliminate common pitfalls associated with online quantitative courses. Seasoned educational professionals are sometimes intimidated by teaching quantitative courses online and often default to a correspondence-course model limiting student engagement. Learning a complex body of knowledge online requires questions, assignments, and assessments designed at multiple levels of Blooms Taxonomy with an emphasis on application, synthesis, analysis, and evaluative level tasks. The evolution of many professions has resulted in the need to understand and analyze assessments and quality improvement initiatives.

Transforming Critical Thinking & Addressing Biases in Online Learning Environments

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid 2-4 hours

An online/hybrid learning environment offers plenty of potential to be a supportive space for students that can lead to deeper thinking and self-reflection when courses are well designed and assignments support students' engagement with issues that may seem uncomfortable in a classroom setting. In this course participants will: self-assess their beliefs in the potential for online learning at home; discuss the misconceptions that they may bring to the design of internet-based online courses; and consider the potential that online communities have in reducing biases. This course can be delivered fully online or in a hybrid formation by collaborating with a school district’s online learning team.

Achieving Equity through Engagement, Data, Systems, and Culturally/Trauma Responsiveness

All school staff Can be delivered virtually or in-person on-site Introduction Only - 2 hrs., Ongoing Training and Technical Assistance/Coaching – Minimum of three interactive professional development sessions – 2 hours each, with follow up coaching to guid

Changing beliefs is necessary but not sufficient for dismantling racism and helping every student thrive. Ongoing interactive professional learning and capacity building at all levels, including the classroom, school, district, and state is necessary with integration of Equity Audit, Critical Race theory (CRT), and Anti- racism strategies.

Integrating Cultural Humility into Restorative School Climates

All school community members In-person or Online. 8-10 Workshop Sessions Spread throughout the Academic Year.

Teams will assess their use of restorative, trauma-responsive practices to identify the strengths and areas for improvement (needs) in cultivating a restorative, trauma and culturally responsive school. The term “restorative” reflects an integration of restorative practices, which are relational approaches used to proactively build a connected, inclusive school culture through the use of regular restorative “circles,” restorative communication strategies, and respectful and equitable approaches to conflict and discipline. Uniquely, specific strategies to practice cultural humility offers teams practical applications to “a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique whereby the individual not only learns about another’s culture, but starts with an examination of their own beliefs and cultural identities including exploration of how their existing world view impacts their responses." Together, integrating these approaches promotes social and educational justice and resilience for youth, their families, and school staff.

Supporting Students and Families Living in Poverty

Pre-K-12 educators, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 2-20 hours

This interactive course allows participants to examine their views and assumptions about poverty through the lens of the federal government poverty guidelines, the Finger Lakes regional report on poverty, and work done on the common myths of poverty. Also covered in this session will be how poverty is manifested and displayed during online formats including limited access to hardware and reliable internet connections. Schools may select certain modules to focus on based on their assessed needs. This course can also be designed to be fully online through collaboration with your school district’s online learning team.

Understanding Our Own Privileges without the Guilt

Educators (K-12) In-person, Online, Hybrid 2-4 hours

In today’s classrooms teachers are being confronted with the task of creating culturally responsive-sustaining classrooms where all students feel safe and valued. An important aspect of achieving this goal is for teachers to develop a comfort level understanding what privileges they may, or may not, enjoy in our society. This can create a range of feelings in teachers that can impact their willingness and abilities to embrace culturally responsive-sustaining practices in meaningful ways. It IS possible to understand what it means to understand and acknowledge the idea of privilege without internalizing this process negatively. This workshop will help us explore this concept honestly and with compassion in an effort to further our abilities to create positive learning environments and learning experiences within our classrooms.

Understanding Racial Development Theory and How it Impacts Classroom/School Dynamics

PreK- 12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff 2 Hours Online

Often in teacher preparation programs, pre-service teachers learn about childhood and adolescent psychological development such as Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. However, many teacher education programs leave out Racial Development Theory. In this theory, educators can learn how a person’s racial identity, membership, and development impacts their interactions in the world. As educators, we see the results of racial development daily but because we are unfamiliar with the theory we often respond in ways that are not responsive to what the student is experiencing at that time. When educators have an in-depth understanding of racial identity and its development, they can begin to build authentic relationships with students who are different from them and can think critically about their classroom management and instructional strategies that help them engage ALL students.

Understanding the Different Forms of Racism and the Role they Play in Education

PreK- 12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff Online 2 hours

In this course, participants will begin to think critically about how our limited definition of racism impacts our ability to engage in authentic and meaningful equity and culturally responsive work. Participants will explore how our generic definition of racism as overt, explicit, and conscious prevents us from thinking critically about systems, policies, procedures, and mindset. Having an in-depth and common understanding of racism and its different forms allows for educators to make informed decisions around instruction, school culture, and climate.

White Privilege and White Fragility: Barriers to Equity

PreK- 12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff Online 2 Hours

In this course, participants explore the concepts of white privilege and white fragility and develop a common, theory-based definition of these concepts that are often misrepresented in media and society. From there, we explore how these concepts act as barriers to equity, culturally responsive education, and anti-racism and begin to think critically about how these concepts, once clearly understood, can be challenged in order to support educational equity.

Evaluating Educational Initiatives

School District Office Leaders, School Site Leaders, Program Directors, Grant Professionals In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Data-driven decisions require a systematic collection of data for analysis. This course is an overview of program evaluation including the importance of defining evaluation questions/purposes, identifying collection tools to measure necessary data to address those questions, and the data reporting process. Additionally, this course will include new methods for assessing educational initiatives in distance learning and online instructional platforms. This course will include facilitated discussions focusing on applying evaluation approaches, developing logic models, aligning program goals with School Improvement Plans and the Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE) monitoring program implementation, and application of findings to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Response to Intervention (RTI), and other school interventions.

Evaluating Professional Development

School District Office Leaders, School Site Leaders, Program Directors, Grant Professionals In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Professional development evaluation should be purposeful. Participants in this course will learn how to apply five critical levels of evaluation to improve professional development that begin with considering the desired student learning outcomes. Whether in the form of seminars, or job-embedded activities such as action research, collaborative planning, curriculum development, structured observations, peer coaching, or mentoring, evaluation should be included in the program planning process. Attendees will also discuss how expectations for professional development have been impacted by the shift to on-line and hybrid learning.

Applications of Universal Design for Learning

P-12 Educators, Leaders, Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 3 – 9 hours

This course offers an opportunity to obtain a better understanding of how to implement UDL and develop the knowledge and skills you need to design learning experiences that promote more inclusive and equitable learning environments. The course will use discussion, lesson and assignment peer reviews, formative learning activities, videos, and short readings. Following this course learners will be able to: describe barriers students with disabilities encounter; develop backwards design strategies for implementing UDL into curriculum and instruction; and use complementary Ed tech tools and other scaffolds to support student learning.

Case-Based Learning

All P-12 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff Online Only 2 Hours per Meeting. Can be taught as a single session or series

Case-based lessons for high school students involve providing context for the learner and engaging them in real-world scenarios that directly correlate to content in both state and national science standards. Participants will learn about the process of integrating story-based learning to enhance student understanding about real world concepts in the content area. Inspiration to find solutions, connect to content and answer questions generated comes from engaging cases. Participants will take on the student role and at the same time learn how to coach and facilitate learning. Can be specialized for any discipline.

Cognitive Coaching 101

P-12 Educators In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Define cognitive coaching, build awareness of possible applications in your work, and practice!

Cognitive Coaching for Supervisors: Planning, Reflecting, and Problem-Solving

P-12 Supervisors In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

1.) Explore applications of cognitive coaching within supervisory and or leadership roles.

2.) Observe, listen, and learn best practice cognitive coaching with opportunities to process and ask questions individually, within groups, and as whole session participants.

3.) Triad practice of each coaching map with real life examples and feedback.

Cooperative Learning and Adaptation Innovation Theory

P-12 Educators, Leaders, Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 4 -8 hours

Research demonstrates that cooperation is an effective means for improving learning, providing psychosocial support, facilitating creativity, critical thinking, and executive function. However, cooperative learning and cooperative teams are often poorly operationalized and that leads to dissatisfaction. Students and teams often need coaching on how to navigate productive conflict, construct clear expectations, and actuate accessible constructive feedback on their cooperative interactions and skill development. Adaption-innovation theory provides an excellent scaffolding to help students and teams better understand themselves, how they prefer to solve problems, and how they collaborate more effectively. Following this course learners will be able to: describe adaption-innovation theory as it relates to cooperative learning and cooperative team functionality; explain the need for clear expectations and feedback in cooperative learning and cooperative team processes; develop and implement strategies for growing the cooperative problem-solving capacity of teams; and effectively use team cognitive diversity to achieve better outcomes and impacts.

Coordinating Student Supports: How To Efficiently Utilize Available Special Education Services Within Inclusive Classrooms

P-12 Educators, Leaders, Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 – 6 hours

This introductory session will explain the roles and responsibilities of the support staff who may be a part of the Individual Education Program (IEP). The practical considerations for collaborating with these professional and paraprofessionals for adequate support will be addressed. This session will include the utilization of one-to-one aides. This session can be customized to facilitate the planning process of Co-Teaching teams. Learning outcomes include knowing the roles of Special Education Teachers, related service professionals, job coaches and one-to-one aides; knowing what Supports for School Personnel may be applicable to the CTE program, and learning practical strategies for increasing student independence by effectively utilizing support services.

Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners

Pre-K-12 educators, open to all subject areas Classroom, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 8-20 hours

This course introduces educators to differentiation with interactive sessions demonstrating classroom applications and immerses educators in relevant literature on the practice. Differentiation is a framework to meet the needs of diverse students that remains challenging for educators. The diversity of students’ needs are made more acute in an era of social distancing and remote instruction. Attendees apply their learning in modules by developing artifacts and lesson plans to be used in their classrooms. Schools may select certain modules to focus on based on their assessed needs. Course modules take an in-depth look at the subcomponents of differentiation: classroom environment, data-driven differentiation, tiering instruction, flexible grouping, and differentiated instructional strategies.

Invention Education

All P-12 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff Online only 2 Hours per Meeting. Can be taught as a single session or series

Invention education engages students in real world problem solving that connects to Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, the Arts and Math. Converging these topics in a transdisciplinary approach is where content meets real world application and problem solving. Students are highly engaged in the creative and inventive process when given the opportunity. As teachers develop these programs, their content becomes more relevant and interesting. You no longer have to answer the question, “Why do I have to learn this?”

Project-Based Learning

All P-12 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject area Online only This course works best as a series lasting between 2-20 hours

This course will orient attendees to project-based learning (PBL) including its purpose, philosophy, and mechanics. Particular attention will be paid to developing PBL lesson plans to online platforms and learning management systems. By immersing participants in real-world PBLs, they will collaborate to develop a new PBL.

Activities will be debriefed for feedback and reflection. Attendees will practice the role of teacher as coach; develop assessments for the PBL lesson; identify how integration of skills and training needed for students to be successful in STEM careers can occur within classroom instruction; and recognize how engineering and design principles are applied in everyday work.

Ready For Success: Preparing To Support Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Classrooms

P-12 Educators, Leaders, Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 – 6 hours

This introductory session will provide an overview of the types of disabilities that students may bring to the classroom. General profiles will be contrasted with how the Individual Education Program (IEP) will communicate individual strengths and needs. An overview of Universal Design, Accommodations and Modifications will also be addressed. This session can be customized to facilitate the planning process of Co-Teaching teams. Learning Outcomes include knowing the 13 disability categories that may appear on an IEP; becoming familiar with the typical learning profile of common educational disabilities; knowing how to find the individual strengths and needs of each student; knowing the principles of Universal Design (UDL), accommodations; and modifications, and knowing the benefits of UDL.

Secondary Transition: Supporting Students with Disabilities for Career Readiness

9-12 educators, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 2-4 hours

This session will review the challenges students with disabilities may experience when transitioning to the workforce. It will also discuss the strategies teachers can use to support students to overcome the challenges and be better prepared for career readiness. Participants will be able to reach the following learning outcomes: to define secondary transition, self-advocacy, and self-determination for students with disabilities; to identify the challenges students with disabilities may experience when preparing for career readiness; and to select and implement strategies to support students with disabilities in the student-centered transition process. Interactive discussions, scenarios, and hands-on activities will be provided to facilitate the participants to apply the materials and strategies to practice.

Sedentary Behaviors in the Classroom

Pre-K – 12 educators, open to all subject areas. All district staff will benefit from this workshop In-person workshop, No limit to class size 2 hours

Sedentary behavior has been associated with an increased risk of metabolic health, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and has been considered the ‘new smoking.’ This course will define different types of sedentary classroom behaviors and unpack their detrimental effects on students. The workshop will also focus on how to increase physical activity and movement throughout the school day to benefit students’ focus in the classroom and lead to improved health and cognitive function.

Supporting Students with Disabilities in Classrooms

Pre-K-12 educators, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid This course ranges from 2 to 8 hours, based on the participants’ interests and needs

The presenter will tailor the focus and length of this workshop session or a series of sessions based on the interests and needs of the participants. It can be an overview of different disabilities or focus on students with a specific disability such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, or other disabilities. Participants will explore the characteristics of students with disabilities or a certain category of a disability, and the research- and evidence-based strategies teachers can use to support the students’ academic, behavior, and transition needs in classrooms. Participants will be able to reach the following learning outcomes: to understand the characteristics of disabilities or a certain disability, and their impacts on the students; to get familiar with the research- and evidence-based strategies that are effective for students with disabilities; and to discuss how to select and implement the strategies to build on the strengths and meet the needs of individual students with disabilities. Interactive discussions, scenarios, and hands-on activities will be provided to facilitate the participants to apply the materials and strategies to practice.

The Power of Two: Co-teaching to Promote Inclusion

All P-12 Building Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 2-8 hours

This course is co-taught to demonstrate the process and different models of co-teaching. This course is best delivered as a series where participants will engage in hands-on activities and interactive discussions, implement and reflect practical tools, and return for another session. Participants will be able to

1)    Understand the importance of an inclusive mindset

2)    Identify the essential elements of a successful co-teaching

3)    Develop the co-teaching, co-planning, and co-assessing strategies, and

4)    Cultivate communication skills, feedback, and conflict management strategies. The goal is to better prepare the educators for supporting students in an inclusive learning environment.

UbD Unit Planning Template: Developing Standards-Based Units

Pre-K-12 educators, open to all subject areas Classroom, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 8-20 hours

Wiggins and McTighe’s UbD Unit Planning process aids educators in drafting units, lesson plans, and assessments that align with federal, state, and local education standards. This course series introduces attendees to the UbD 2.0 Planning Template to guide teachers as they create their first unit during the session with special attention to online lesson plans and how the template can be implemented with learning management systems. Educators in attendance will also engage in a peer-review process, revision, unit implementation, and final reflection. This course can be easily modified to directly address areas of additional need (e.g. data-driven instruction, differentiation).

Unpacking the IEP: Supporting Students with Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom

P-12 Educators, Leaders, Staff In-Person, Online, Hybrid 2 – 6 hours

This introductory session will provide a thorough overview of the Individual Education Program (IEP) document, how to read it and what it means for instructional planning. This session can be customized to facilitate the planning process of Co-Teaching teams. Learning Outcomes include knowing why access to the entire IEP is important; understanding the components of the IEP to include disability classification, strengths and needs, management, accommodations and modifications, testing accommodations, transition, assistive technology, support for school personnel, goals, services etc.,; knowing how to apply high incidence accommodations and modifications; and knowing how the IEP impacts testing and grading practices.

Using Behavior Management to Support Students in Classrooms

Pre-K-12 educators, open to all subject areas In-person, Online, Hybrid This course works best as a series lasting between 2-8 hours

This course will be co-taught to demonstrate the importance of teamwork in behavior management. This session will provide an overview of the key concepts related to behavior and behavior management practices needed to implement comprehensive classroom behavior management. It will also discuss the development and implementation of an individualized classroom behavior management plan to support the student’s needs in classrooms. Participants will be able to reach the following learning outcomes: to recognize key concepts related to behavior and behavior management practices needed to implement comprehensive classroom behavior management; to identify the core components and key features of a comprehensive classroom behavior management plan; and to understand how to develop and implement an individualized classroom behavior management plan to support the student’s needs. Interactive discussions, scenarios, and hands-on activities will be provided to facilitate the participants to apply the materials and strategies to practice.

Collaborating Across Systems of Care (SOC) to Support Success

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Many children, youth, and families have a variety of physical, mental, social, emotional, educational, and developmental needs. In this course, participants will learn how SOC is a service delivery approach that builds partnerships to create a broad, integrated process for meeting the multiple needs of school communities and students’ families multiple needs. The systems change model of practice is effective in promoting improved outcomes for children, youth, and families in sites with SOC initiatives.

Community Schools: An Effective Structure to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 2 hours

Many children, youth, and families have a variety of physical, mental, social, emotional, educational, and developmental needs. The systems change model of practice is effective in promoting improved outcomes for children, youth, and families in sites with systems of care (SOC) initiatives. School communities can chose to expand their Multi-Tiered (MTSS) utilizing engagement, systems, data, and practices to support the needs of stakeholders in the most efficient way. Additionally, participants will collaborate together to develop strategies that can deliver, engage, and maintain services to students in traditional classroom and online learning environments.

Introduction to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Pre-K-12 Educators, Leaders, & Staff, open to all subject areas. In-person, Online, Hybrid 2-6 hours

With our interactive courses, participants will have the opportunity to learn practices and activities that build social emotional skills as defined by NYS and federal agencies. District staff and educators will learn practical strategies of implementation for new and existing programs including how to integrate social and emotional knowledge, skills, and applications within existing curricula (both grade level and content specific) to meet and exceed student learning outcomes. Sessions can be customized to include tools and strategies for assessing what SEL practices are already in place as well as to identify gaps. Participants will become familiar with practical examples of how SEL has been integrated in various Pre-K-12 school communities. This course works best with follow-up coaching.

Why What Happened Still Matters: Understanding the Impact of Trauma

Educators, Leaders, & Staff In-person, Online, Hybrid Typically four 2-hour session per month

This course offers an overview of how trauma impacts brain development and function with residual effects that may remain for extended periods of time. In both education and healthcare, we are just starting to understand why early traumas frequently do not fully resolve without healing interactions, even when the direct memories themselves do not remain. Understanding this process can help educators and health care professionals identify and respond therapeutically when trauma is impacting an individual's behavior, actions and ability to function. Professionals who are trauma aware are less frustrated, more successful and better able to become part of the healing process for trauma exposed individuals. Concrete examples of assessments and helpful interventions will be discussed.