THE EVOLVING CLASSROOM: IMPLEMENTING WIDA ACROSS K–12 CLASSROOMS

Instructor: Kathy Curran                  45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits                                           Grades K-12

Dates:      March 25-May 27, 2026                                                        Time: Asynchronous                           

                      Fee: $150

NYS will be implementing WIDA as part of the NYS ENL Program beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. ALL GRADE AND SUBJECT LEVEL TEACHERS SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH WIDA Standards, which explain the language students need to succeed in grade-level learning. It is extremely important for the success of English Language Learners in all content areas.

This fully asynchronous course prepares K–12 educators to place language at the center of instruction by intentionally integrating the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards into daily teaching across English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

Participants will learn to identify the language demands of content instruction and design lessons that provide equitable access for Multilingual Learners (MLLs) at all proficiency levels while maintaining rigorous academic expectations.

Through self-paced modules, curated readings, recorded mini-lectures, instructional videos, lesson redesign tasks, and reflective activities, educators will examine:

• WIDA proficiency levels

• Can-Do Descriptors

• Language domains

• Key language uses
  
  

This course emphasizes practical application, ensuring participants leave with classroom-ready lessons, tools, and a comprehensive instructional portfolio.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the structure and purpose of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework

2. Identify the linguistic strengths and needs of multilingual learners

3. Interpret WIDA proficiency levels and Can-Do Descriptors

4. Analyze listening, speaking, reading, and writing demands in content lessons

5. Write clear, measurable language objectives aligned to content instruction

6. Design instructional scaffolds for all WIDA proficiency levels

7. Apply WIDA-aligned strategies across ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies

8. Transform traditional lessons into linguistically responsive lessons

9. Use WIDA-aligned tools to monitor and support language development

10. Compile a professional portfolio of WIDA-aligned instructional materials

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INCLUSIVE PRACTICES FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS: STRATEGIES FOR SWD & ELLs

Instructor: Laurie Ott                                 45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits                                                   Grades K-12    

 Dates: March 23 - June 1st, 2026                             Time: Asynchronous                                                                         Fee: $150

In today’s diverse classrooms, educators need to bridge the equity gap by mastering differentiated and flexible instructional design. Participants will move beyond theory to practice, leveraging Generative AI and assistive technologies to rapidly personalize content for Students with Disabilities, English Language Learners (ELLs), and General Education Students. Through a lens of culturally responsive pedagogy, educators will explore innovative instructional models and assessment strategies that foster inclusive environments.

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to

1. Define and explain the principles of differentiation using AI as a resource.

2. Analyze student needs through assessment data and other diagnostic tools.

3. Use AI as a tool to  develop lesson plans that incorporate tiered instruction, scaffolding, and accommodations.

4. Implement strategies that support English language acquisition in content areas.

5. Collaborate effectively with co-teachers, support staff, and families.

6. Reflect on and adjust instructional practices based on student outcomes and feedback.

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PERSONAL & AUTHENTIC - DESIGNING LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT IMPACT A LIFETIME Book Study

 Instructor: Kim Turri                        45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits                           Grades K-12

Dates: April 15 - May 27, 2026                                           Time: Asynchronous                                                   Fee: $150

In this book study, we will explore Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences That Impact a Lifetime by Thomas C. Murray and reflect on what “personal and authentic” truly means in our work as educators. Grounded in relationships and built upon a culture for learning, personal and authentic experiences respect the hidden stories within each child and are learner-centered by design. These experiences are filled with moments of awe, and learning becomes inherently relevant and contextualized.

As we move through the text, we will explore how flexibility in pace and path supports student agency, how authentic feedback strengthens the learning process, and how spaces and tools can be leveraged in meaningful, evidence-based ways. This study will challenge us to design learning experiences that honor identity, purpose, belonging, and long-term impact.

Book: Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences That Impact a Lifetime
By Thomas C. Murray
https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Authentic-Designing-Learning-Experiences/dp/1948334194

1. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

2. Analyze how authentic relationships and classroom culture influence student engagement, belonging, and learning.

3. Apply strategies that honor students’ identities, hidden stories, and social-emotional needs.

4. Design personal and authentic learning experiences grounded in the Science of Learning and learner-centered instruction.

5. Integrate culturally responsive teaching, moments of awe, relevance, flexibility, and authentic feedback into classroom practice.

6. Evaluate and leverage tools, technology, and learning spaces to amplify engagement, accessibility, and equity.

7. Reflect on professional purpose and instructional impact to cultivate a lasting personal and authentic legacy as an educator.

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CREATING CLASSROOM RESOURCES

 Instructor: Erica Bohrer Blasi                            45  CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits                                           Grades K-6

Dates: March 23 - May 26, 2026                                         Time: Asynchronous                                                               Fee: $150

 Have you ever wanted to create your own classroom resources but did not know where to start? This inservice course is designed for practicing educators who want to learn how to create high-quality, engaging instructional resources for their own classrooms. Participants will learn the full process of resource creation from identifying instructional needs to designing, revising, and implementing materials for effective classroom use.

The instructor will share real examples from her own classroom and professional experience as a teacher-author, including resources she has created for both personal classroom use and her Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) store, Erica Bohrer. Through video tutorials, guided assignments, and reflections, teachers will leave the course with a collection of ready-to-use resources tailored for their students.  

Participants will join a Google Classroom.  They will watch tutorials and then work on their own to implement what they have learned.   Weekly assignments will be due via Google Classroom.  A personal Google Account is required.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Identify instructional gaps and student needs that can be addressed through teacher-created resources.

2. Design effective, standards-aligned instructional materials for classroom use.

3. Apply basic principles of visual design, clarity, and accessibility to classroom resources.

4. Create digital and/or printable resources using commonly available tools (Google Slides, PowerPoint, Canva, PDFs, etc.).

5. Test, revise, and refine instructional materials based on student use and feedback.

6. Organize their resources digitally. 

7. Reflect on how teacher-created resources can support instructional effectiveness and professional growth.

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BURNOUT TO BREAKTHROUGH: LEVERAGING AI FOR SUSTAINABLE TEACHING

Instructor:  Jennifer Kelly            45  CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits                                 Grades K-12

Dates:  April 10 - May 29, 2026                                                           Time: Asynchronous                                              Fee: $150

Personal Google Accounts will be needed to access this course.

Education is constantly changing and the demands on teachers often seem to be continually increasing, but that doesn’t mean your workload has to grow as well.   This course is designed to turn AI into your personal teaching assistant while diving into ways to use AI responsibly and encourage the same in your students.  This course  will help enhance your goals as an educator, and provide you with alternatives to gain time while helping you transform your classroom and workload.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

1. explore the ways AI Tools can enhance and support classroom curriculum.

2. explore the ways AI Tools can assist in common teacher tasks.

3. develop a philosophy to incorporate AI with integrity and plan for teaching AI ethics and literacy in their student population.

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USING KAMI TO STRENGTHEN READING AND WRITING ACROSS CONTENT AREAS

Instructor - Jeannette Walsh, Reading Specialist    45  CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits Grades K-12 Dates: April 12 - May 31, 2026                                                 Time: Asynchronous                                              Fee: $150

Personal Google Accounts will be needed to access this course.

Do your students skim texts without fully understanding, give one-word answers, or shut down during reading and writing tasks? Many students struggle to engage meaningfully with text across content areas because they lack the skills and scaffolds to process, respond, and express their thinking.

This asynchronous course is designed for K–12 content-area teachers (science, social studies, math, ELA, special education, ENL, and interventionists) who want practical, classroom-ready strategies to support readers and writers.

Participants will learn how to effectively use Kami’s, an interactive PDF annotation and accessibility tool, core features to turn simple AI-generated resources (from tools such as Canva or ChatGPT) into interactive, accessible learning experiences. Teachers will explicitly teach students how to engage with text and use components of the Hochman Method to construct high-quality sentences and develop extended written responses grounded in reading.

By the end of the course, participants will create a content-specific 5-lesson unit, along with access to a growing lesson library they can use throughout the school year.

By the  end of this course, participants will learn to:

1. Master key Kami features (dictionary, text-to-speech, voice typing, voice comments, and annotation tools) to support reading and writing

2. Convert AI-generated resources into interactive, standards-aligned lessons

3. Apply elements of the Hochman Method to teach high-quality sentence construction and extended responses

4. Create feedback loops where students listen to, revise, and improve their own work

5. Design a complete content-area unit using Kami with embedded scaffolds and feedback routines

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HELPING STUDENTS NAVIGATE CONFLICT RESPECTFULLY

Instructor:  Debbie Salitsky, LCSW         15  CTLE hours/ 1 inservice credit                                                                                 Grades K-12         Dates: April 15 - May 22, 2026                                  Time: Asynchronous                                                                                                Fee: $50

Conflict and disagreements are a part of life. As adults, we are aware of how conflict may lead to unwanted stress, discomfort, isolation, and in some cases estrangement. As educators, we bear some responsibility for helping kids learn how to navigate conflict so that it does not turn into above mentioned outcomes. 

This one credit course will provide educators with strategies on how to introduce the topic of conflict, role-model respectful ways to disagree, review self-regulation skills and practice communication essentials in order to reach favorable resolution.

1. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

2. Possess greater awareness of how conflict can negatively impact academic and social-emotional learning.

3. Acquire strategies to assist students K-12 with learning how to handle conflict more confidently and respectfully by examining safe/inclusive learning environments, connecting resolution concepts, language skills, and recognition of diverse learning styles.

4. Combine what is currently working in the classroom/professional office while

5. establishing new approaches to navigate conflict respectfully.

6. Learn step by step protocols to communicate effectively when conflict arises.

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KEEPING THE WONDER: OPEN WINDOWS AND DOORS TO THE MAGIC OF LEARNING

Instructor:  Beth Read                   45 CTLE hours/3 inservice credits Grades K-12

Dates:   March 23 - May 18, 2026 Time: Asynchronous                                             Fee: $150

Required Book: Keeping The Wonder by: Jenna Copper, Ashley Bible, Abby Gross, and Staci Lamb

This course invites educators to return to the heart of why they chose teaching in the first place: curiosity, joy, and a deep belief in students’ capacity to think, question, and imagine. In the midst of standards, assessments, and daily demands, it’s easy for learning to become routine. This course helps you intentionally slow down, notice, and design learning experiences that keep curiosity alive—for both students and teachers. This course is not about adding more to your plate—it’s about teaching with greater meaning, intention, and joy. If you want your classroom to be a place where wonder is valued, voices are heard, and learning feels alive, this course offers both inspiration and practical guidance to make that vision real.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze their current classroom environment to identify three low-cost, high-impact sensory changes (lighting, layout, or decor) that foster a sense of "wonder" and psychological safety for students.

2. Design a lesson plan that utilizes an "immersive hook" (such as a simulation or mystery) while explicitly mapping it to grade-level standards to ensure academic depth isn't sacrificed for novelty.

3. Develop a "Surprise" Toolkit: Curate a collection of at least five "engagement strategies" (e.g., QR code hunts, black-out poetry, or room transformations) that can be adapted across different units of study to maintain student curiosity.

4. Evaluate Instructional "Slumps": Reflect on specific units or seasonal "dead zones" in their curriculum and apply the Keeping The Wonder framework to revitalize student interest during those periods.

5. Construct a Sustainable Implementation Plan: Create a realistic "Wonder Calendar" that balances high-energy immersive experiences with sustainable daily teaching practices to prevent educator burnout.

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WHAT WE SAY AND HOW WE SAY IT MATTER: TEACHER TALK THAT IMPROVES STUDENT LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR: A BOOK STUDY

Instructors: Debbie Weinstein and Heather Catron    45 CTLE hours/3 inservice credits                                       Grades K-12

Dates:  April 28 - June 15, 2026                   Time: Asynchronous                                                                          Fee: $150

Link to Purchase the Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-We-Say-How-Matter/dp/1416627049

How we speak to our students and to each other can really make a profound impact on the learning environment that we foster.  Whether we are actively teaching, providing feedback, helping a student, etc., the language we use with our students may not always align with our intentions.   What We Say and How We Say it Matter: Teacher Talk That Improves Student Learning and Behavior, by Mike Anderson, is a thought-provoking book that focuses on the power of words while offering strategies and scenarios to help guide both new and seasoned teachers through a growth mindset.  We invite you to embark on a course that will help you reflect on your language habits, enabling your language to support the ideal learning experience for your students. 

By the end of this course, teachers will be able to:

1. Create a positive climate and culture in their classrooms

2. Encourage and support positive student behaviors

3. Understand how the language we use with students is so crucial to their academic and emotional engagement in school

4. Explore "instead of this, try this" examples to help them consider language shifts

5. Learn a process for changing language habits and set a goal for personal growth