Allegheny Intermediate Unit

Local Task Force 3 Meeting
2026-06-03 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | https://www.aiu3.net/event/local-task-force-3-meeting-10/
Local Task Force 3 Meetings are VIRTUAL only.
Link to Online Meeting will be sent to Task Force members.

Workshop DLM: Plot the Path to Propel Progress
2026-06-12 08:00 - 17:00 | PA
Drop in the second Friday of each month to workshop your IEP goals, lesson plans, and instructional strategies for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This workshop is your go-to space for hands-on support, where special education consultants guide you in aligning your instruction with grade-level standards, while leveraging the Essential Elements and Linkage Levels from the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM).
Together, we can:
– Review assessment resources
– Summarize data
– Align Essential Elements to IEP goals
– Connect data to instruction
– Plan for inclusion
– Explore Instructional Strategies
Whether you’re new to DLM or refining your approach, this is the place to connect with fellow educators, get personalized advice, and develop strategies for navigating the complexities of teaching students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Please note this is an open forum to receive instructional and IEP development support, this is NOT about the PA Alternate State Assessment (PASA).

Science School Year Kickoff
2026-08-12 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Start the school year in science off right by setting your classroom up for success with implementing PA STEELS standards

Are you thinking about how you might want to start the 2026-2027 school year in science to maximize your students’ sensemaking? How can you create a solid foundation for a classroom community that values figuring things out about our natural and engineered world and leverages crosscutting concepts and science & engineering practices along with core science ideas?
Spend the day with us to generate a workable plan for starting the school year in a way that will pay dividends by the time testing season rolls around.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
WHERE: Allegheny Intermediate Unit in Homestead, PA
WHO: Any K-12 science teacher or administrator who has attended any of the science professional learning offerings from AIU MSC around PA STEELS. (This prerequisite is mentioned because we will assume particiaptants come with a working knowledge of phenomenon-based, three-dimensional, equitable science teaching. In other words, you are already working towards instruction aligned with PA STEELS standards.)

OpenSciEd User Group; 2026-2027 school year
2026-09-09 09:00 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Is your district piloting or adopting OpenSciEd science instructional materials? This user group can provide a way to learn more & connect.

Welcome to the OpenSciEd User Group!
The Math & Science Collaborative (AIU MSC) is hosting a K-12 OpenSciEd (OSE) User Group during the 2026-2027 school year. This professional learning provides both new and experienced implementers of OpenSciEd at any grade level the opportunity to learn more about skillfully teaching with this high-quality set of science instructional materials. While OSE embodies our PA STEELS standards as well as the shifts called for by A Framework for K–12 Science Education (NRC, 2012), these changes in classroom practice can be a heavy lift! That is where the OSE User Group can help. We will delve into common questions and concerns raised by our local OSE-implementing school districts, and we will provide opportunities to connect with other OSE-implementors throughout the region.
Come and join our group for a professional learning experience full of learning, collaborating, and connecting that will benefit you, your colleagues, and your students!

WHO:
Any educators piloting (planning to pilot), implementing, or supporting implementation of OpenSciEd Instructional Materials at any grade level(s)
WHEN:
September 9, 2026
November 16, 2026
January 7, 2027
March 11, 2027
WHERE:
Allegheny Intermediate Unit (475 E. Waterfront Dr., Homestead, PA 15120)

The K-3 Reading Apprenticeship Model
2026-09-16 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Option 1: $3,800 per participant (includes 1-on-1 support)
Option 2: $2,800 per participant (no 1-on-1 support)
Series Length: 12 modules
Delivery Mode: Face-to-Face – 12 in-person sessions at the AIU on scheduled dates listed below
Developed with the primary teacher in mind, the Reading Achievement Center’s K-3 Reading Apprenticeship Model consists of 12 intensive, comprehensive training in reading pedagogy, theory, research, and proven instructional practices; meets requirements for PDE Chapter 49 Structured Literacy.
Option 1 only: Individualized data-driven planning and coaching to support teachers with meaningful implementation of content and strategies from sessions; virtual informal observations with feedback.
Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 16, 17; October 14, 15; November 17; December 8, 9; January 13; February 10; March 10; April 15; May 13

Text Dependent Analysis: Effective Instructional Practices - English Language Arts (Grades 4-8)
2026-09-16 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
This Reading Achievement Center series focuses on effective teaching practices that help teachers help students overcome some of the biggest struggles with the text-dependent analysis portion of the PSSA, including instructional practices to support students with composing TDA on the online PSSA.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 16, October 20, December 9, January 28

Keys to Comprehension English Language Arts (Grades 3-8)
2026-09-23 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Targeted for teachers in grades 3 to 8, this Reading Achievement Center series focuses on the literacy domain of reading comprehension. Participants learn instructional techniques to unlock reading comprehension, applicable to both literature and informational text.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 23, October 28, December 15, February 11

Text Dependent Analysis Part 2: Effective Instructional Practices - English Language Arts (Grades 4-8)
2026-09-24 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
This three-module Reading Achievement Center series is open to participants who attended “TDA: Effective Instructional Practices” during a previous school year. In this series, participants will deepen their understanding of the reading, thinking, and writing processes necessary for TDA success.
Price: $450 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 24, February 2, March 3

Administrator-Focused Science Professional Learning
2026-09-30 08:00 - 2026-10-01 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
This administrator-focused PL offering was specifically designed to help leaders support shifts in science instruction towards PA STEELS

Who: Any and all administrators (district or building) or explicitly defined science leaders (e.g., department head, coach, grade-level lead) are invited to attend
When: September 30-October 1, 2026 from 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Where: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Price: $350 (Possible discounted rate for educators from high-needs school districts based on potential grant funding)
What: The Principals Learn and Network to Support 3-Dimensional Science Learning (PLANS) is an interactive experience emphasizing Instructional leadership and active support for K-12 science and STEM teachers at both the building and district level. This pathway is specifically created for instructional leaders interested in knowing more about and figuring out constructive strategies for supporting teachers and students as they make shifts in their teaching and learning towards phenomenon-based, three-dimensional science.
PLANS participants are immersed in actively learning in ways that NGSS , PA STEELS standards, and education research calls for students to learn science in the classroom. Administrators experience firsthand what it feels, looks, and sounds like when K-12 students are figuring out why phenomena happen as well as representing their thinking through modeling and productive classroom talk. Administrators use some of the important tools for making thinking public that teachers and students use in NGSS-designed units. Then, administrators have opportunities to reflect together on what it means for students and teachers to work together as a community —- and how they can support this work themselves.
Throughout the experience, participants consider the ways in which their school can begin (or continue) to make these shifts. They see examples of students engaged in NGSS-designed learning in classrooms, as well as administrators supporting teachers as they begin to implement the changes called for by NGSS. They explore concrete tools they can use to support teachers (for example, in planning meetings, observations, and debriefs), and they begin to plan how they might use these tools themselves.
The shifts motivated by the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education (NAS, 2012), the NGSS and PA STEELS standards are substantial. Yet we know that these shifts are possible for teachers to make. We also know that the shifts are productive for student learning, and they must be supported through pedagogy and classroom culture. Instructional leadership and active support at the building and district level is an important part of a successful outcome for teachers of science and for their students!
Tech: Please bring a laptop and/or tablet to access online resources.

Decoding the Science of Reading Module 2 (Teaching the Upper Strands of the Reading Rope)
2026-09-30 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Price & Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Register for all 4 sessions. Cost is $599 – Invoiced after first session. 20 Act 48 hours will be awarded.
Option 2: Register for individual sessions at a cost of $150.
Move beyond the foundational skills to develop strategic thinkers, readers and writers ready to engage with complex text and academic vocabulary. This RAC series provides the content offered in other national training programs but delivered in a more efficient and flexible manner.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:

Session 6 – Unpacking Language Comprehension
Session 7 – Vocabulary & Language Structures
Session 8 – Developing Knowledge and Thinking Through Text
Session 9 – Literacy Structure – Working with Fiction & Nonfiction Structures & Genres

Adolescent Literacy Institute: Middle and High School English & Reading Teachers
2026-09-30 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Specifically aligned with brain research on how adolescents learn, this Reading Achievement Center workshop series engages participants in the research behind and modeling of effective reading and writing instruction for the secondary grades.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 30, November 10, January 27, February 25

Decoding the Science of Reading Module 1 (Building Blocks for the Foundational Skills)
2026-10-06 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Price & Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Register for all 5 sessions. Cost is $599 – Invoiced after first session. 25 Act 48 hours will be awarded.
Option 2: Register for individual sessions at a cost of $150.
Deepen your knowledge and application of teaching and assessing the foundational skills. Unpack the research and learn program agnostic strategies to develop accurate and automatic readers in whole and small group settings. This RAC series provides the content offered in other national training programs but delivered in a more efficient and flexible manner.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:

Session 1 – How the Brain Learns to Read | October 6
Session 2 – All About the Sounds – Phonology and Sound Walls | November 19
Session 3 – Phonics Trifecta – Decoding, Encoding and Transfer to Text | December 16
Session 4 – Advanced Phonics, Spelling and Orthography | January 14
Session 5 – The Science of Writing: Syntax Writing and Developing Syntactic Awareness | February 11

Thinking through the Pencil - English Language Arts (Grades 4-8)
2026-10-08 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Thinking Through the Pencil is designed to build students’ critical thinking skills through writing. Participants engage in instructional practices based on current research in this Reading Achievement Center series.
Price: $600 per person

2026-27 Meeting Dates:
October 8, November 17, January 12, February 23

Digging into Phenomenon-Based, Three-Dimensional Science Learning
2026-10-12 08:30 - 15:00 | PA
Are you ready to start learning more about the science standards within the PA STEELS standards? Join us for this free day of learning!

Who: Any and all science educators, including K-12 science teachers or science-supporting teachers and administrators (e.g., academic coaches, STEM Coordinators, Curriculum Coordinators, Directors of Innovation & Curriculum, etc.)
When: Monday, October 12, 2026
Where: Thomas Jefferson High School, 830 Old Clairton Road, Jefferson Hills, PA 15025 (This is an in-person only event.)
Price: Free to all AIU3 educators
What: Experience the Power of the PA STEELS Standards. This science professional learning offering is a one-day deep dive into and reflection on science teaching and learning that is aligned to the science standards in the recently-released PA Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (STEELS) Standards. Participants will immerse themselves in a science learning experience, and as a consequence, walk away with increased understanding of what science instruction looks and feels like when it is three-dimensional, phenomenon-based, and equitable.
Food: A light lunch will be provided courtesy of West Jefferson Hills School District. Thank you, West Jeff!
Tech: Please bring a laptop and/or tablet to access online resources.

Word Wizards: English Language Arts (Grades 3-12)
2026-10-22 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Build your students into word wizards! This Reading Achievement Center series presents teachers in grades 3-12 with research and practical strategies to strengthen students’ word knowledge, through both indirect vocabulary exposure and direct vocabulary instruction.
Price: $450 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
October 22, December 8, February 9

Assessment in K-12 Science Aligned with PA STEELS Standards
2026-11-02 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Are you ready to learn more about classroom assessment that is aligned to PA STEELS? Join us for this institute!

Join us for this in-person science and environmental literacy & sustainability professional learning offering from the Math & Science Collaborative at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit! The Assessment in K-12 Science Aligned with PA STEELS Standards is designed for educators who have already attended one of our Science Institutes (e.g., Elementary Science, K-2 STEM Institute, Grades 3-5 Science Institute, Secondary Science, Physical Science Institute, Life Science Institute, K-12 Science Institute). This professional learning opportunity is perfect for all K-12 science educators who are ready to dig deeply into the classroom-based assessment practices that are aligned to science and EL&S teaching and learning with the PA STEELS standards. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn more about teaching science for the next generation!
Who: Any K-12 science educators who previously attended one of the Science Institutes from AIU MSC (e.g., Elementary Science, K-2 STEM Institute, Grades 3-5 Science Institute, Secondary Science, Physical Science Institute, Life Science Institute, K-12 Science Institute)
When: November 2, 2026, January 28, and February 23, 2027
Where: In-person at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit
Price: $450 all AIU3 educators; $600 for educators outside AIU3
Administrators are encouraged to attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building.
Act 48 hours will be awarded pending approval by PDE for those who attend all sessions and complete all related assignments.

English Language Arts Symposium 2026-27 (Grades 3-5)
2026-11-11 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
The English Language Arts (ELA) Symposium is the Reading Achievement Center’s annual workshop addressing a critical need for strengthening teacher practice that improves student achievement.
Price: Free

K-12 Science Institute, 2026-2027
2026-11-13 08:30 - 15:30 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
Content foci are primarily life science and physical science, with some Earth & space science and engineering.

Who: Open to all grades K-12 science teachers (e.g., life science, physical science, Earth & space science, biology, chemistry, physics, etc.)
When: November 13, December 9, 2026, January 12, February 11, 2027
Where: In-person at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit
Price: Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU)districts $600; Non-AIU districts: $800 (School district will be invoiced.)
Administrators are strongly encouraged to attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building
Attendees will develop a shared understanding of phenomenon-based and problem-driven science teaching and learning that effectively incorporates all three dimensions of the science standards (disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, & crosscutting concepts) and provides equitable, inclusive instruction.
Participants will engage, as learners and as teachers, with the pedagogical practices that foster reasoning and sense-making in the science classroom and support equity and access for all students. They will also gain access to tools and resources for the teaching and learning of science at their grade band as they become familiar with what instruction in science looks and feels like when implementing the science standards from PA STEELS.
Over the course of the four days, participants will explore the science standards from the PA Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (STEELS) standards within the elementary, middle school, and high school grade bands.
Act 48 hours will be awarded pending approval by PDE for those who attend all sessions and complete all related assignments.

If you attended a three-day Introductory Institute during a previous school year, this institute may be somewhat repetitive for you. However, we have revised the immersive experiences and included some content from our previously offered Course 2. Thus, you may still find benefit in this offering. Alternatively, consider enrolling in our Assessment and Grading in K-12 Science professional learning offering.

English Language Arts Symposium 2026-27 (Grades 6-8)
2027-01-13 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit Central Office, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA, 15120, United States
The ELA Symposium is the Reading Achievement Center’s annual workshop addressing a critical need for strengthening teacher practice that improves student achievement. This session, for ELA teachers in grades 6-8, will focus on literacy activities that allow for purposeful movement in the ELA classroom.
