LETRS VOLUME 2 COHORT
2025-02-13 09:00 - 15:30, 2025-03-27 09:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York)
*Completion of Volume 1 and 2 course meets PA Structured Literacy Chapter 49 requirements.

Developed by renowned literacy experts Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Carol Tolman, LETRS® is a flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–12 educators. LETRS earned the International Dyslexia Association’s Accreditation and provides teachers with the skills they need to master the fundamentals of reading instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language.
LETRS empowers teachers to understand the what, why, and how of scientifically based reading instruction

Promoting Instruction with PASA DLM Resources from the Dynamic Learning Maps
2025-02-17 08:30 - 15:00, 2025-03-17 08:30 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
This training aims to provide educators who deliver the PASA-DLM and their administrators with a deeper dive into the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM). The focus is on improving student outcomes through standards aligned instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Participants will have the opportunity to explore multiple resources on the Dynamic Learning Maps website and find new strategies to support IEP development and/or instruction.

Virtual Paraprofessional Trainings
2025-02-17 08:30 - 15:00
The day will consist of two morning and two afternoon sessions developed specifically for paraprofessionals.

Navigating 504s Comprehensive Guidance for School Teams
2025-02-19 09:00 - 15:30
Join us for a focused professional development session to craft a streamlined Chapter 504 process. Tailored for school district teams which may include 504 administrators, coordinators, and other vested partners, this session covers legal history, eligibility, service agreements, LEA responsibilities, and current trends. Together, we’ll design an efficient process for conducting, evaluating, implementing, and progress monitoring 504 plans.

Let's Play Strategies for Child Centered Learning
2025-02-20 08:30 - 15:00
Play is self-chosen and self-directed; intrinsically motivated; guided by mental rules; imaginative; and conducted in an active, alert, but relatively non-stressed frame of mind. How neurodivergent students play may be different from their neurotypical peers, but it’s not wrong and does not need to be fixed.
This session will focus on how to find and nurture the strengths and interests of neurodivergent early learners, accept their play as valid by joining in, and use strategies such as modeling and social play chains to promote authentic connections and growth. We will explore Parten’s 6 stages of play and learn new ways to promote interaction and language across each stage. Participants will gain a better understanding of what it means to “follow the child’s lead” to ensure more positive and meaningful interactions.

Canva: Beyond the Basics
2025-02-20 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Level-up your Canva game by learning about and practicing with some of its most useful features.

Description
Already love Canva and ready to level-up?
In this workshop, we will explore many of Canva’s seemingly limitless features, while also considering how they can enhance what we do in our schools.
You will have opportunities to apply what you learn as you create ready-to-use materials (with support on-hand!).

What to Bring | A laptop or tablet, if possible
Who Should Attend | Anyone comfortable with Canva’s most basic features, such as finding and using templates, “elements,” etc.
All are welcome! Please note that the context of the workshop will be focused on the field of education.
Lunch will be provided.

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions to Student Behavior
2025-02-20 09:30 - 11:30
Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) is an evidence-based model of psychosocial treatment originated and developed by Dr. Ross Greene, and described in his books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Raising Human Beings, and Lost & Found. This session will discuss application of his model across all three tiers of a PBIS framework. Resources and tools to implement the model will be shared in the session. Rather than focusing on kids’ concerning behaviors (and modifying them), CPS helps kids and adults solve the problems that are causing those behaviors. The problem solving is collaborative (not unilateral) and proactive (not reactive). Research has shown that the model is effective not only at solving problems and improving behavior but also at enhancing skills.

Lunch and Learn: Utilizing Spring Math as a Classwide Intervention in Math
2025-02-21 11:30 - 12:30
Spring Math is a comprehensive RtI system that includes screening, progress monitoring, class-wide and individual math intervention, and implementation and decision-making support. Assessments are generated within the tool when needed and Spring Math uses student data to customize class-wide and individual intervention plans for students. Spring Math assesses 130 skills in Grades K-8 and remedies gaps in learning for grades K-12. Both new and current users are welcome to attend.
Audience: Administrators, General Education teachers, Special Education teachers, Interventionists, and Coaches.

Classroom Management Structuring Your Learning Environment
2025-02-24 08:30 - 15:00, 2025-03-10 08:30 - 15:00
This professional development session offers comprehensive training on effective classroom management, focusing on evidence-based practices to reduce supervision issues. Participants will explore the six Evidenced-Based Practices of Classroom Management and learn practical strategies, tips, and procedures to design and implement an effective classroom management plan, fostering positive behavior modifications in students.

Integrating CS into ELA: A Tale of Two Literacies (Virtual)
2025-02-25 09:00 - 12:00
In this virtual workshop, learn how computational thinking is a natural fit in ELA instruction and can enhance your practice.

Description
This online professional development session offers a glimpse into a unique course developed in collaboration between University of Pittsburgh researchers and local area teachers, designed to help ELA educators integrate computational thinking (CT) into their classrooms. Participants will explore key concepts and activities from the course, discovering how CT can enhance critical thinking, student engagement, and core ELA skills like reading, writing, and analysis.
The session highlights practical strategies and activities while addressing equity and inclusion in technology use, ensuring innovative and accessible learning experiences. By the end, participants will have a clear understanding of the course’s offerings and actionable ideas to bring CT into their ELA classrooms.
*A link to join this virtual opportunity will be sent to participants prior to the event.
Background | Strength Across Schools is a regional collaboration to teach justice-focused computational thinking and computer science in middle School ELA Classrooms. It is a collaborative partnership between University of Pittsburgh researchers, districts, teachers, and regional educational organizations, with the goal to integrate computational thinking and computer science into ELA classrooms.
Who Should Attend | ELA teachers grades 5-9

IES Practice Guide Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding K-3
2025-02-27 08:30 - 15:00
This session will review the research and practical application of the four recommendations for teaching foundational reading skills to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Each recommendation includes implementation steps and solutions for common obstacles. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared towards teachers, administrators, and other educators who want to improve their students’ foundational reading skills, and is a companion to the practice guide, Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade. To preview the practice guide, visit https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/21

Building AI Tools to Personalize Learning and Simplify Tasks
2025-02-27 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Learn to build AI tools to personalize learning more effectively and efficiently than ever. Also, learn to automate your own routine tasks.

Description
Learn how to build AI tools, like chatbots, that are safe and customized to your classroom. Learning gets more efficient as we harness AI to personalize learning for students and automate our own routine tasks.

No experience is necessary–you will be amazed by what you can create in one day of learning!

What to Bring | Please bring a laptop or tablet, if possible
Who Should Attend | Educators interested in AI; no prior experience necessary.
Lunch will be provided.

STEM Educator and Innovator Role-Alike
2025-02-28 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Join our role-alike group for STEM/STEAM teachers to share ideas and build skills.

Description
This role-alike group is designed for STEM/STEAM teachers and coordinators to build skills and gain new ideas. Hear how others are integrating everything from maker education to coding and beyond. This group will meet multiple times during the school year. You are welcome to join us for one, some, or all sessions.
Background | What is a role-alike? Role-alike events bring together educators from around the region holding a similar position or role.
What to Bring | A laptop or tablet, if possible
Who Should Attend | Both experienced STEAM educators and those newer to STEAM education are encouraged to attend.
Lunch will be provided.

Lunch and Learn: TransMath: Addressing Important Prerequisite Skills to Support Algebra Readiness
2025-02-28 11:30 - 12:30
TransMath® Third Edition is a comprehensive math intervention curriculum that targets middle and high school students who lack the foundational skills necessary for entry into algebra and/or who are two or more years below grade level in math. Using a dual-topic approach, TransMath improves math skills by emphasizing fewer topics in greater depth while accelerating students to more advanced math, from number sense to rational numbers, to understanding algebra.
Audience: Administrators, General Education teachers, Special Education teachers, Interventionists, and Coaches.

Direct Instruction Mathematics
2025-03-03 08:30 - 15:00
This training program helps teachers improve their math teaching skills using Direct Instruction (DI). Participants will learn the key ideas and strategies from the “Direct Instruction Mathematics” book. They will get practical experience and knowledge to effectively use DI in their classrooms. The course covers lesson planning, teaching methods, assessment techniques, and ways to support different student needs.The content in this series can be used for any learner, including those with higher support needs in autistic and life skills support settings to those students learning advanced mathematical concepts.

EBPs in Elementary Mathematics Evidence Based Practices to Assist Struggling Students
2025-03-04 08:30 - 15:00
Join us for a comprehensive year-long professional development series designed to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to support elementary students struggling with mathematics. Based on the evidence-based recommendations from the “Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades” IES practice guide by the What Works Clearinghouse, this series will provide practical strategies, hands-on activities, and collaborative learning opportunities to enhance mathematical instruction and intervention.

Learning to Vet Science Instructional Materials with NextGen TIME
2025-03-04 08:30 - 2025-03-05 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Learn to evaluate science teaching materials claiming to be STEELS or NGSS-aligned using NextGen Tools for Instructional Materials Evaluatio

Learning to vet science instructional materials with NextGen Toolkit for Instructional Materials Evaluation (TIME):
Learn how to effectively evaluate and select science instructional materials for your classroom.
Who: Science Leadership Teams from school districts in and around Allegheny Intermediate Unit. It is strongly recommended that you and your team have previously engaged in the “Planning Strategically for Science Professional Learning” professional learning offering in June 2023, April, 2024 or September, 2024. (If this is not the case, please reach out to corinne.murawski@aiu3.net or kristen.rice@aiu3.net to discuss other appropriate preporatory professional learning for you and your team.)
When: March 4-5, 2025 from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Where: Allegheny Intermediate Unit; 475 E. Waterfront Dr.; Homestead, PA 15120
Price: Free to science leadership teams from school districts who attended the Planning Strategically for Science Professional Learning in June 2023, April 2024, or September, 2024.
What: During this two-day professional learning offering, you and your district science leadership team will learn how to use three of the five tools in the NextGen Toolkit for Instructional Materials Evaluation (TIME) suite. More specifically, we will engage with the Prepare, Prescreen, and Paperscreen tools using an examplar unit.
Expect that by the conclusion of the two-day professional learning offering, you and your district colleagues will be equipped to use the NextGen TIME pre- and paperscreening tools to review and vet science instructional materials for their quality and alignment with PA STEELS to better decide which materials you will move forward into a pilot phase.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve your science curriculum!

Assistive Technology Making - Solder, Switches, & Stuffing
2025-03-06 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Discover AT-making skills for creating accessible technology solutions by learning soldering and other useful techniques.

Description
Are you looking for projects that your school’s STEAM program or club can use to develop and hone basic making skills? Are you curious about additional, real-life applications for the tools and skills your students are learning? Are you wondering how you can hack toys to make them more accessible to children with physical disabilities?
This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to assistive technology (AT) making skills to create usable access products. Participants will learn basic soldering to join wire segments and assemble mono and stereo components for use in a variety of assistive technology applications. Those skills – along with some 3D-printed parts – will be applied to create a mechanical switch that could be used by an individual with physical disabilities. Each participant will also make a battery interrupter and switch-adapt a stuffed, electronic toy that can be used with the scratch-built switch.
Skill Level | Beginner (no previous knowledge expected or needed)
What to Bring | All materials will be provided for this workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring a reusable shopping bag to carry completed projects home at the end of the day.
Who Should Attend | STEAM teachers and other educators who would like to learn valuable “making” skills in ways that can increase accessibility for others
Lunch will be provided.

Spring Make-AT-looza
2025-03-07 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
An AT-making party to create accessible solutions through toy adaptations and 3D-printed products

Description
Join an AT-making party at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Participants will spend the day creating AT switches from 3D-printed components, designing and sharing 3D products, adapting simple toys, creating and assembling accessible aids for daily living, or creating and adapting items of their own. The purpose of this day is to produce accessible solutions for a wide variety of potential users that can be distributed to students and adults in our region.

Skill Level
No formal instruction will occur at this event. A variety of projects will be available for this making event, however, most will be geared toward participants with basic to intermediate skills in AT-making. For participants with no maker experience, consider attending the Assistive Technology Making – Solder, Switches, & Stuffing workshop on the day prior to this event.

What to Bring | All supplies and the products intended for later distribution will be provided for this workshop. If participants are interested in adapting their own toys or products, they are welcome to bring those items to this event to make use of the tools and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow makers.
Who Should Attend | Anyone with an interest and a bit of experience in AT-making
Lunch will be provided.

Math For All: Supporting Inclusive Practices in the 7-12 Classroom
2025-03-10 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
An interactive workshop for 7-12 math teachers who want to create an inclusive learning environment that accounts for learner variability

Description
Join us for “Math for All,” an interactive workshop for 7-12 math teachers focused on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
In this workshop, you will discover how to present math concepts through multiple means, allowing students to access information in various ways and demonstrate their understanding through diverse formats. Gain hands-on experience with tech tools for differentiated math instruction. By the end, you will be ready to create an inclusive and engaging math environment for all learners.

What to Bring | Please bring a laptop or tablet, if possible.
Who Should Attend | Math Teachers, grades 7-12
Lunch will be provided.

Mathematics Coaches Network 2024-25
2025-03-11 08:30 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Join us at Math Coaches Network where we’ll share strategies and resources for coaches to support mathematics teaching and learning.

Math Coaches Network 2024-25
Come join us at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for a professional learning community focused on supporting mathematics coaches. This Network is led by Mr. Samuel Shaneyfelt, former school district level administrator and Math & Science Collaborative Project Director.
Price: free
Audience: K-12 mathematics coaches and leaders
When: October 11, 2024, November 15, 2024, January 31, 2025, and March 11, 2024
Where: In-person at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn and grow! See you there at East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, USA.

MTSS Networking for Administrators & Core Teams
2025-03-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-17 13:00 - 14:00
Please join us for monthly virtual networking opportunities designed to create a robust Professional Learning Community (PLC) around the topic of MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports).
Meetings in the 2024-2025 school year will be offered in two strands:

The morning session for Administrators leading efforts to scale implementation of MTSS at their district or building
the afternoon session intended for MTSS Core Team members working at the school level Administrators are free to join either or both sessions.

The focus for Networking is on fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and providing mutual support to enhance the implementation and management of MTSS frameworks, ensuring comprehensive academic support for all students.

LETRS Training @ AIU 2024-2025 AIU Cohorts
2025-03-20 09:00 - 15:30
*Completion of Volume 1 and 2 course meets PA Structured Literacy Chapter 49 requirements.
Developed by renowned literacy experts Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Carol Tolman, LETRS® is a flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–12 educators. LETRS earned the International Dyslexia Association’s Accreditation and provides teachers with the skills they need to master the fundamentals of reading instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language.
LETRS empowers teachers to understand the what, why, and how of scientifically based reading instruction
Time & location for all sessions:
9am-3:30pm
Allegheny Intermediate Unit; 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Dates:
October 10, 2024 – Unit 1 The Challenge of Learning to Read (Sullivan)
November 21, 2024 – Unit 2 The Speech Sounds of English (Sullivan)
January 16, 2025- Unit 3 Teaching Beginning Phonics, Word Recognition, and Spelling (McGuffey) March 20, 2025 – Unit 4 Advanced Decoding, Spelling, and Word Recognition (Sullivan)
Time Commitment:
Independent Reading: 33 hours
Online LETRS Platform: 15 hours
Synchronous and In-Person PD: 22 hours
Total of 70 Act 48 Hours Available
Registration:
1. Register on Frontline
2. Complete Google Form to select payment option: https://forms.gle/B3SRX4HLPHQ6UZnp9
Registration Deadline: October 3, 2024
Materials Cost: $400 per participant includes Volume 1 manual and one year of online access; invoicing will be processed at first session.

Lunch and Learn: Acadience Pathways of Progress
2025-03-21 11:30 - 12:30
This session will cover the functionality and interpretation of Pathways of Progress on the ALO platform. Pathways of Progress is an innovative approach that empowers educators to set goals that are meaningful, ambitious, and attainable. It increases the precision with which progress is evaluated at the student and classroom levels. Pathways of Progress, when combined with Acadience benchmark goals and composite scores, provides teachers with a frame of reference for examining where their students are, specifying where they need to get to, and evaluating whether they are making adequate progress.
Audience: Administrators, General Education teachers, Special Education teachers, Interventionists, and Coaches.

Supporting Struggling Students Classroom Behavioral Interventions
2025-03-24 08:30 - 15:30
Join us for a comprehensive professional development series designed to equip school personnel with effective strategies to support students who struggle in the classroom environment. This series offers a blend of asynchronous and in-person learning to provide you with a thorough understanding of behavioral interventions.
Prerequisite: To maximize the benefits of this training, it is recommended that participants attend classroom management training prior to this series. A solid foundation in classroom management will enable learners to effectively implement the advanced strategies discussed. Follow the link to learn more about our Classroom Management: Structuring Your Learning Environment training series.

TCCAC Meeting Series The Resources Around YOUth: What, Why, Who & When to Use Them
2025-03-26 08:30 - 14:30
Pennsylvania’s transition community has a rich history of helping youth and young adults successfully transition from school to adult life. Since 1990, PA’s Local Transition Coordinating Councils (LTCCs) have played an instrumental role in this process.

With cross vested partner representation, the TCCAC will host 4 meetings during the 2024-2025 school year. The meeting series will be conducted as a full day, in-person experience to afford attendees time for professional development, networking, coordination, and resource development. Each session is designed to educate transition coordinators, educational professionals, parents, and agency providers to better coordinate, collaborate, problem solve, and support transition age youth with disabilities successfully navigate their pathway toward graduation.

Please consider attending each council meeting to expand your professional network, enhance your knowledge and expertise, gather meaningful tools and resources, while learning about upcoming events to develop your professional or community network.
