Professional Growth
The AIU’s Math & Science Collaborative offers robust personalized professional learning for mathematics and science teachers and school leaders. Built on research and delivered by experts, these offerings will prepare teachers to develop students as mathematical and scientific thinkers.
Mathematics Events for 2025-26
Use the tabs below to navigate math course offerings by category:
Mathematics Educators
Data Literacy for Grades 3-12
Join us for a professional learning series designed to help grades 3–12 educators bring data literacy to life in their classrooms.
This 3-day series will be led by data literacy expert, Kristin Hunter-Thomson, MAT, MS, GCPE with Dataspire® Education. Together, we’ll explore practical strategies for drawing conclusions from data, creating and iterating data visualizations, embracing statistical thinking, and analyzing data patterns. Through engaging activities, reflection, and collaborative lesson design, you’ll leave with ready-to-use strategies and increased confi dence to integrate data literacy into your instruction and support students in building the skills they need to succeed.
The series will focus on four foundational data literacy topics:
• Drawing conclusions from data
• Creating & iterating data visualizations
• Embracing statistical thinking in all classes
• Describing & analyzing data patterns
Through hands-on activities, reflection-based discussions, and planning time, teachers will build both the skillsets and mindsets needed to make data literacy a natural part of their day-to-day practice. The series will conclude with a dedicated session for teachers to co-develop data-rich lesson plans, ensuring that strategies learned can be directly applied in their classrooms.
By the end of the series, participating teachers will leave with greater confidence, practical tools, and lesson-ready strategies to help their students build competence and enthusiasm for working with data.
Meeting Dates: February 9, March 5, and April 13, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Price: $450/participant; Administrators may attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building at no additional cost.
Audience: 3-12 educators and leaders
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120, except for the last date
Effective Teaching Practices in High School Mathematics
Led by Dr. Melissa Boston, Professor of Mathematics at Duquesne University. Join us at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to learn about why it is important and how to help students engage in productive math talk to make sense of important mathematical content at the high school level.
This 3.5-day session will focus on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) “Effective Teaching Practices,” featured in the book “Taking Action in Grades 9-12 Mathematics.” We will explore how high school mathematics lessons can incorporate “tasks and talk” that:
- promote thinking, reasoning, and problem solving,
- increase student engagement and perseverance, and
- prompt students to build procedural fluency from a conceptual understanding of essential procedures in high school mathematics.
Meeting Dates: Jan 23 in-person, Feb 19 in-person, March 19 in-person, April 15, 2026 virtual, 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Price: $525/person* (High-needs/low resourced schools may participate at no cost thanks to the generous support of the PPG Foundation. To verify if your school district qualifies, check here)
Audience: Secondary mathematics teachers, coaches, and interventionalist in grades 8-12
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120, except for the last date
Act 48 hours will be awarded pending approval by PDE for those who attend all sessions and complete related assignments.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn and grow!
Mastering Online Math Tools for PSSA and Keystone Success
Is your school ready for the online PSSA and Keystone exams? Ensure your students excel with our comprehensive training.
Join us for an interactive workshop:
- Online Tools Exploration: Discover the online tools available for PSSA and Keystone exams and learn how to prepare your students for success.
- Strategies for Student Perseverance: Discuss with fellow educators how to foster perseverance in students, especially on open-ended and constructed response items.
- Integrating Tools into Ongoing Instruction: Brainstorm ways to incorporate similar tools into your daily teaching to optimize student preparation.
Hands-on Handscoring Review in the afternoon:
- Delve into the life cycle of a PSSA or Keystone exam item
- Engage in handscoring with newly released student responses
Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your students' testing experience and performance!
Meeting Dates: February 11, 2026, 9 AM - 3 PM
Price: Free
Audience: Grades 3 - Algebra I educators and leaders
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Implementing a Keystone Algebra I Course
Do you struggle with finding curricular materials aligned perfectly with the Keystone Algebra I assessment anchors?
Do you need Algebra I resources that are novel, engaging, and support students’ unfinished learning from prior years?
If so, join us to get access to a carefully sequenced set of materials for Algebra I aligned to the Keystone Algebra I Assessment Anchors. These materials include tasks from open-source resources such Illustrative Mathematics, Amplify Desmos math, and Math Medic.
Throughout our three days together, we will engage in several of the tasks together as well as discuss how to implement them effectively with a diverse population of learners. These materials could be utilized as a primary Algebra I course or as resources to use in a remediation course.
Spring 2026 Meeting Dates: February 5, March 10, April 9, 2026, 9 A.M. - 3 P.M.
Price: $450/participant* (High-needs/low resourced schools - MAY participate at no cost PENDING the approval of grant funding. To verify if your school district /school meets the PDE definition of High-needs, check here); Administrators may attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building at no additional cost.
Audience: Algebra I teachers
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Building Thinking Classrooms: Part 2
Part 2 of Building Thinking Classroom for K-12 will focus on fine tuning implementation of the first eleven practices and delving into the assessment practices. This is not for novices or anyone new to BTC. You must be a K-12 educator or leader who has completed BTC: Part 1 OR you have read the book and are actively attempting to implement the first three toolkits.
Come engage in a professional learning community to learn more about a thinking classroom and collaborate with peers to share ideas and implementation strategies. A thinking student is an engaged student!
Built on 14 key practices teased out over 15 years of research, it’s a way of teaching that gets students up on their feet, collaborating and thinking through challenging problems on a daily basis.
A thinking classroom looks very different from a typical classroom. Students are working in groups rather than individually, they are standing rather than sitting, and the furniture is arranged so as to defront the room. Closer inspection will reveal that the teacher is giving instructions verbally, is answering fewer questions, and has drastically altered the way they give “homework.”
Part 2 focuses on the fine tuning implementation of the first eleven practices and delving into the assessment practices from the following chapters:
- Chapter 12: What We Choose to Evaluate in a Thinking Classroom
- Chapter 13: How We Use Formative Assessment in a Thinking Classroom
- Chapter 14: How We Grade in a Thinking Classroom
All participants are expected to bring their own copy of Building Thinking Classroom in Mathematics, 14 Teaching Practices for Enhanced Learning.
2026 Meeting Dates: January 28, February 26, March 25, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Price: $450/participant* (High-needs/low resourced schools - MAY participate at no cost PENDING the approval of grant funding. To verify if your school district /school meets the PDE definition of High-needs, check here); Administrators may attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building at no additional cost.
Audience: K-12 educators and leaders who have completed BTC: Part 1 OR you have read the book and are actively attempting to implement the first three toolkits.
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Extra Math Block: Strategies to Support Students Where They Are
Come join us for an exciting event focused strategies and routines that can be integrated into a block of instructional time and help all students grow their mathematical agency and identity. This course is available in two ways: In-person at the AIU or Virtual Synchronous.
Are you struggling to meet students where they are in the mathematics classroom? Do you have an extra block of time dedicated to teaching and learning mathematics? Come learn about a center-based model for providing options to students during the math block that creates an inviting environment for students while also addressing their learning needs. An extra block of math doesn’t need to be a time students dread but rather an interactive and engaging opportunity to increase student agency. A structure for the math block will be introduced including an opening routine followed by centers at varying levels of challenge. A tool will also be shared to determine which standards may be an appropriate focus during the math block.
Price: $450 ( Free for educators from high-needs school districts or school districts participating in AIU MSC's grant funded program: STEM+C Career Readiness)
Audience: K-12 mathematics teachers and leaders (including interventionists)
When: January 29, 2026, February 12, 2026, and February 25, 2026
Where: In-person at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and Virtual Synchronous
Act 48 hours will be awarded pending approval by PDE for those who attend all sessions and complete related assignments.
Unlock the Power of Amplify Desmos Classroom: Elevate Your Classroom!
Overview
Amplify Desmos Classroom will engage your students as they think critically about math concepts. Join us to learn more and gain hands-on experience.
Join us for an engaging Amplify Desmos Classroom training session, led by Amplify Desmos Math experts Fawn Nguyen and Kurt Salisbury. Discover how to harness the full potential of this innovative online platform and meaningful tasks to engage your students and deepen their understanding of mathematics.
Engage in an Open-Ended Task with Fawn Nguyen
- Explore ways to engage students with a meaningful task
- Discuss effective teacher moves that open up tasks for students
Explore Features and Tools to Support Meaningful Pedagogy
- Get hands-on experience with interactive lessons and activities
- Learn how to easily find, assign, and customize Amplify Desmos activities for your students
- Unlock the secrets of the Amplify Desmos Activity Builder to create your own engaging lessons
- Dive into the latest features, including the powerful Polypad tool
Take Your Amplify Desmos Skills to the Next Level
- Whether you’re a beginner or advanced user, join our breakout session to explore the computational layer and unlock new possibilities.
Don't miss this opportunity to revolutionize your math classroom! Register now and get ready to amplify student engagement and understanding.
What to Bring | A laptop or tablet, if possible
Who Should Attend | Math teachers, coaches and administrators (K-12)
Amplify will generously be providing a continental breakfast and lunch.
Mathematics Leaders
Math Coaches/Administrators Network
The Math Coach/Administrator Network, a free network, is a professional learning community that brings together math coaches and leaders to learn from and with each other, exploring and sharing successful strategies that actively engage students in the content and practices of the PA Core Standards for Mathematics.
Meeting Dates: September 26, 2025, November 21, 2025, January 30, 2026, March 13, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Price: Free
Audience: Mathematics coaches and administrators
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Act 45 Course -School Leadership in Mathematics - Part 1
The School Leadership in Mathematics Workshop is designed to enhance the ability of principals, curriculum directors, instructional coaches, department chairs, other school leaders to support high-quality mathematics teaching and learning and mathematics professional development efforts in their schools.
Specifically, the purposes of the School Leadership Workshop are:
- To build capacity of instructional leaders to support standards-based mathematics teaching and learning and mathematics professional development efforts in their schools.
- To provide a focus for classroom observations and conversations between teachers and instructional leaders based on aspects of mathematics teaching and learning known to support students’ understanding of mathematics and mathematical achievement.
- To enable school leaders to communicate the purpose, intent, focus, and importance of standards-based mathematics teaching and learning and mathematics professional development efforts to other instructional leaders, parents, and members of the school community.
- To review or obtain research-based knowledge of effective mathematics pedagogy that school leaders can share in discussions with teachers, other leaders, and parents.
The workshop consists of four sessions to be attended by principals and other school leaders, accompanied by a mathematics lead teacher, coach, or department chair from their school.
Dates:
- Session 1: Supporting Effective Mathematical Tasks and Curriculum Jan 27, 2026 @ AIU3, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
- Session 2: Effective Classroom Observations: Focus on Task Implementation Feb 18, 2026 @ AIU3, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
- Session 3-Part 1: Effective Classroom Observations: Focus on Classroom Talk and Student Engagement March 24, 2026 Virtual Synchronous, 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
- Session 3-Part 2: Effective Classroom Observations: Focus on Classroom Talk and Student Engagement April 7, 2026 Virtual Synchronous, 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Price: $600*. Includes: One teacher or classroom/instructional coach may attend for free with a paid/registered administrator from their district.
Book- "Making Sense of Mathematics For Teaching to Inform Instructional Quality
* (High-needs/low resourced schools - MAY participate at no cost PENDING the approval of grant funding. To verify if your school district /school meets the PDE definition of High-needs, check here)
Audience: Principals or other school leaders, accompanied by a mathematics lead teacher, coach, or department chair from their school.
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Act 45 hours will be awarded pending approval by PDE for those who attend all sessions and complete related assignments.
For additional information, contact: Melissa Boston, bostonm@duq.edu