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: November 11, 2025 or 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.
Fall 2025 Meeting Dates: September 17, October 2, October 30, 2025, 9 A.M. - 3 P.M.
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 1
Do your students lack confidence and/or motivation to do mathematics?
Are your students content to wait for the right answer from the teacher?
Do your students lack perseverance when the answer is not immediately obvious?
If so, come learn how to Build a Thinking Classroom. 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.
Part 1 of Building a Thinking Classroom for K-12 will dig into the first 11 chapters of the book including the foundational changes to the classroom such as using thinking tasks, random groups and vertical non-permanent surfaces. We will also delve into supporting students during thinking tasks by how we question students, give hints and extensions, and build student autonomy. Finally, we will focus on lesson closure including consolidating student thinking, note taking, and managing “homework”.
All teachers will receive a copy of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, 14 Teaching Practices for Enhanced Learning as part of their registration fee.
2025 Meeting Dates: November 5, December 18, 2025, January 12, 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
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
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