The goal of a Community of Practice is to improve the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, best-practice exchange, professional dialogue, and data analysis. This group will meet 5 times to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students through the Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards.

Part of this Community of Practice will be to:

-Continue building a community of Math Intervention teachers across the CNY region.

-Utilize NYS assessment data interactively, allowing participants to analyze trends, patterns, and learning gaps together, and discuss instructional strategies.

-Create and share materials, strategies, and best practices that foster a hands on and active learning for students

-Identify and describe techniques for differentiating instruction for below and above grade-level students.

Group will decide on a book to ground our sessions.

One hour lunch on your own.

The goal of a Community of Practice is to improve the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, best-practice exchange, professional dialogue, and data analysis. This group will meet four times to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students through the Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards.

Part of this Community of Practice will be to:

-Continue building a community of Algebra I teachers across the CNY region.

-Utilize NYS assessment data interactively, allowing participants to analyze trends, patterns, and learning gaps together, and discuss instructional strategies.

-Looking at the questions from the June 2024 regents.

-Create and share materials, strategies, and best practices that foster a hands on and active learning for students

-Identify and describe techniques for differentiating instruction for below and above grade-level students.

Group will decide on a book to ground our sessions.

One hour lunch on your own.

Join us to explore how intentional literacy integration is a fundamental element for achieving deeper scientific understanding. You'll experience alignment of literacy practices with 3 dimensional instruction that can immediately be put into practice, ensuring students can effectively engage with scientific concepts and communicate their learning.

Participants must attend all 3 sessions of this Community of Practice. One hour lunch on your own.

This year, we are on a mission to uncover and share the best new books for our libraries and classrooms. To streamline the process, each participant will fill out a Google form for every book reviewed, making it easier to focus on crafting insightful reviews. The collected information will be featured on our blog, helping us crowdsource top book recommendations from our region and beyond!

The Details:

• Review one chapter book (over 150 pages) or three picture books to earn 1 credit hour.
• Accumulate up to 16 credit hours from October to May.
• Open to all genres for PreK-12 readers and professional development titles.

Important Notes:

• This is an entirely online and asynchronous course, with no in-person meetings.
• All hours are recorded for district Professional Learning requirements.
• Participants are responsible for procuring their own books.

For questions, contact me at hturner@ocmboces.org.

The goal of a Community of Practice is to improve the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, best-practice exchange, professional dialogue, and data analysis. This group will meet four times to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students through the Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards.

Part of this Community of Practice will be to:

-Continue building a community of Geometry teachers across the CNY region. -Utilize NYS assessment data interactively, allowing participants to analyze trends, patterns, and learning gaps together, and discuss instructional strategies.

-Looking at the questions from the June 2024 regents.

-Create and share materials, strategies, and best practices that foster a hands on and active learning for students

-Identify and describe techniques for differentiating instruction for below and above grade-level students.

Group will decide on a book to ground our sessions.

One hour lunch on your own.

The goal of a Community of Practice is to improve the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, best-practice exchange, professional dialogue, and data analysis. This group will meet four times to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students through the Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards.

Part of this Community of Practice will be to:

-Continue building a community of Middle School Math teachers across the CNY region.

-Utilize NYS assessment data interactively, allowing participants to analyze trends, patterns, and learning gaps together, and discuss instructional strategies.

-Looking at the questions from the June 2024 regents.

-Create and share materials, strategies, and best practices that foster a hands on and active learning for students

-Identify and describe techniques for differentiating instruction for below and above grade-level students.

Group will decide on a book to ground our sessions.

One hour lunch on your own.

Outcomes:

-Learn systematic ways to cultivate conditions and supports that foster adult learning and collaboration

-Develop a deeper understanding of how to lead and implement effective Tier 1 Literacy Instructional Best Practices at all levels for all students

-Build connections with administrators and teacher leaders with similar vision/goals

-Make evidence-based decisions to take actionable steps to improve effectiveness of teacher professional development, curriculum, instruction, intervention, and assessments

Time:

All Meetings will be held VIRTUALLY

All Meetings will be 2 hours (9:30-11:30 a.m.)

Anchor Texts:

-NYSED PreK-3 Literacy Instructional Best Practices Guide

-NYSED PreK-3 Writing Best Practices Guide

-NYSED P-3 Literacy Attestation

-NYSED Literacy Briefs

-Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (Grades 4-12)

The goal of a Community of Practice is to improve the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, best-practice exchange, professional dialogue, and data analysis. This group will meet four times to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students through the Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards.

Part of this Community of Practice will be to:

-Continue building a community of Algebra II teachers across the CNY region. -Utilize NYS assessment data interactively, allowing participants to analyze trends, patterns, and learning gaps together, and discuss instructional strategies.

-Looking at the questions from the June 2024 regents.

-Create and share materials, strategies, and best practices that foster a hands on and active learning for students

-Identify and describe techniques for differentiating instruction for below and above grade-level students.

Group will decide on a book to ground our sessions.

One hour lunch on your own.

This group serves to support the development of the district and regional capacity related to the Next Generation standards. This includes sharing and discussing up-to-date information related to the implementation of the standards from the State Education Department. Additionally, the goal of this group is to develop collaboration between districts in the region to support high-quality PK-12 instruction and position the region to implement the standards and evidence-based practices successfully.

The expectation for participating in this group is:

1. Attending all three meetings during the year. We will have a focus of study for the year that will build on our previous work.

2. Being prepared for the meeting by completing any personal learning required by the facilitator of this group.

3. Being responsible for working with your team to bring the learning from the meeting back to your district.

4. Being designated or gaining approval by your district to participate in this group.

*It is recommended that districts send a team to these meetings that includes teacher leaders (elementary, middle, and high school teachers) as well as building and district leaders.

The goal of a Community of Practice is to improve the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, best-practice exchange, professional dialogue, and data analysis. This group will meet four times to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students through the Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards.

Part of this Community of Practice will be to:

-Continue building a community of elementary teachers across the CNY region.

-Utilize NYS assessment data interactively, allowing participants to analyze trends, patterns, and learning gaps together, and discuss instructional strategies.

-Create and share materials, strategies, and best practices that foster a hands on and active learning for students

-Identify and describe techniques for differentiating instruction for below and above grade-level students.

Group will decide on a book to ground our sessions.

One hour lunch on your own.

Participants will attend all three meetings to allow us to build something meaningful over time, focusing on whatever the group decides to work on together. This is an extension of the Humanities Leadership meetings, providing a space to dive deeper into topics discussed in those sessions. In this ongoing professional development series, participants will:

- Collaborate with regional Social Studies teachers to enhance instructional practice.

- Receive updates from the New York State Department of Education, including insights into the latest standards and assessments.

- Learn research-based instructional strategies to improve student outcomes.

- Gain insights into the essential skills students need for success on the new Global and U.S. History Regents exams.

- Explore best practices in writing instruction, including strategies from The Writing Revolution and other evidence-based approaches to improve students' writing.

- Collaborate with colleagues to help build students' proficiency in critical thinking, historical inquiry, and the essential Social Studies practices of the NYS S.S. Framework.

This is a must-attend series for educators seeking to stay informed, improve practice, and ensure student success in Social Studies.

In this collaborative series, participants will:

-Connect with colleagues across districts to exchange ideas, strategies, and resources.

-Receive timely updates from the New York State Education Department, including guidance on standards and assessments.

-Explore research-based instructional practices that support literacy growth and improve student outcomes.

-Strengthen approaches to writing instruction with evidence-based strategies such as The Writing Revolution.

-Learn and apply methods that foster critical thinking, text-based analysis, and academic writing.

-Work together to address shared challenges and identify best practices for supporting diverse learners in ELA classrooms.

This is a valuable opportunity for educators who want to stay informed, collaborate with peers, and enhance instruction to better prepare students for success in ELA and beyond.

Through embedded videos and interactive tasks within this Google Form, you will learn how to:

• Navigate the teacher dashboard and locate key features
• Assign articles, customize questions, and build custom units
• Use student tools such as Read-to-Me, Fact versus Act, the interactive map, and accessibility settings
• Explore Active Learning lessons that provide ready-to-use instructional materials

You will watch short training videos, complete knowledge checks, and complete a hands-on task to apply what you learned. By the end, you will be prepared to guide students and colleagues in using News-O-Matic effectively to support inquiry, literacy, and engagement.

Create a Sooth account using your school email or single sign-on (SSO) Confirm your account and customize basic profile settings Explore key tools to support student research and critical thinking

You will watch short training videos, complete knowledge checks, and complete a hands-on task to apply what you learned. By the end, you will be prepared to guide students and colleagues in using Sooth effectively for inquiry and research.

Are you ready to take your teaching to the next level with gamified learning experiences? Join our self-paced professional development workshop centered around Legends of Learning Math Basecamp, an exciting platform that offers educators a vast library of curriculum-aligned math fluency. This course is completely asynchronous with no in person or live connections.

Participants will discover how AI tools can help create three dimensional:

---classroom activities (Day 1)

---assessment questions and tasks (Day 2)

---rubrics to support student feedback (Day 3)

Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights into how educational technology can support you in the science classroom and help prepare your students for the future. Participants must attend all 3 workshop dates to register.

One hour lunch on your own.

This book provides educators the tools and culture-building strategies needed to help all students fall in love with reading. And it will help you co-create a community of readers that challenges and inspires.
- This book is for any educator who wants to grow as a literacy leader.
- This book will empower teams to initiate conversations that will take the work deeper.
- This book explores six literacy levers that will help you create a community of readers.

This book will equip you with actionable ideas and the research needed to push the field forward. Filled with inspiring stories and practical advice and strategies, The 6 Literacy Levers is a book that will transform the literacy culture wherever you serve.

The Six Literacy Levers by Brad Gustafson is unlike any book for educators. Readers familiar with Gustafson's other books (Renegade Leadership and Reclaiming Our Calling) will recognize Brad's accessible style, self deprecating humor, and emphasis on practical strategies for immediate implementation. However, what sets The Six Literacy Levers apart from the rest of Gustafson's catalog, as well as from any other book on the topic, is its emphasis on story as the foundational tool for moving literacy practice forward.

Note: Participants will need to purchase a copy of the book for this book study.

Participants will:
Examine the research and reasoning behind the Book-Head-Heart (BHH) framework.
Reflect on how to shift reading instruction from compliance to engagement.
Explore strategies that foster deeper comprehension, empathy, and critical thinking.>br> Collaborate with colleagues to design lessons and practices that inspire student readers.

This study is perfect for educators, librarians, and literacy leaders who want to transform reading experiences into meaningful, student-centered journeys.

Join me in this asynchronous course as we explore digital art projects, ranging from beginner to intermediate, with options for single-day or multi-day activities. While the course is self-paced, I'll be available during virtual office hours to offer support as needed. The dates listed below indicate the course duration, not scheduled meetings. The virtual office hours will be announced once the course begins!

Some of the topics we will explore include:

Exploring Digital Tools with Students: Beyond the basic scavenger hunt

Digital Platforms: Explore several digital platforms creating choice boards that work for your classroom .

Project Planning and Digital Delivery: Create a digital project that fits your timeline and digital access

Regardless of which grade or fine art area you teach, this professional development will equip you with practical strategies and time to learn them to help you enrich your teaching practice and support student creativity.

Participants will be able to:

This professional learning experience connects library advocacy with the Seal of Civic Readiness, empowering participants as educators and active civic leaders.

Prior to the Albany visit, participants will attend a one-hour advocacy preparation session to build background knowledge, understand the structure of the day, and review the four legislative and four budgetary asks that will be the focus this year.

Participants will then spend a full day in Albany engaging in hands-on advocacy for school libraries, including meetings with legislators and their staff, sharing the impact of school libraries on student learning, and practicing effective advocacy strategies.

Participants will explore advocacy as a powerful form of civic engagement and examine how librarians can model and support skills embedded in the Seal of Civic Readiness, including communication, collaboration, critical thinking, informed participation, and research practices. Connections will be made to inquiry-based learning and civic-focused capstone projects.

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Strengthen advocacy skills for school libraries and education
• Understand the connection between advocacy, civic readiness, and student research
• Design capstone projects centered on civic engagement, policy, and community impact
• Develop strategies for teaching research, source evaluation, and evidence-based argumentation
• Model active citizenship within school communities

Transportation: Participants are expected to either register for the CLRC bus or find transportation to Albany.

- Help us to understand our learners

- Define clearly the role of differentiated instruction

- Explore differentiated instruction strategies

- Help teachers to understand and use these differentiated strategies as a tool for formative assessment in order to inform and drive instruction

*This professional development opportunity is designed for educators with 0-3 years of experience or any educator looking for a refresher.

Morning: Art and Music Leadership Meeting including NYSED updates, IAAP, Grants and Grant writing with Jeremy Stoller from CNY Arts.

Afternoon: Stay for the afternoon at La Casita Cultural Center to create Huichol Art. Participants will create imagery using yarn, a traditional art form of indigenous peoples of Mexico in the Jalisco and Nayarit regions. Participants will be given a simple template and discuss the significance of the art style and practice. All materials are included. Begin workshop at 12:30pm and complete at 2pm. Separate Huichol Workshop Registration Here!

La Casita is a program of Syracuse University established to advance an educational and cultural agenda of civic engagement through research, cultural heritage preservation, media, and the arts-bridging the Hispanic communities of the University and Central New York. This group is for people who have been designated by their district to take a leadership role in the arts. It is recommended that districts send a team to the Leadership meetings that includes teacher leaders (elementary, middle and high school teachers) as well as building and district leaders.

The Art and Music Leadership group serves to support the development of district and regional capacity related to the transition to the New York Learning Standards for the Arts and implementing the Individualized Arts Assessment Pathway. This includes sharing and discussing up-to-date information related to the standards implementation from the State Education Department.

Additionally, the goal of this group is to develop collaboration between districts in the region to support high-quality K-12 Fine Arts education and position the region to successfully implement the new Arts standards.

How Can We Light Our Way in the Dark? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is designed to address a bundle of grade 1 physical science, life science, and engineering standards.

In this module, students:

-Investigate interactions between a beam of light and transparent, translucent, and opaque materials, including the formation of shadows and reflection of light

-Identify cause-and-effect relationships as they explain their observations

-Obtain information about animal structures that use light to help the animal survive

-Obtain information about the parts of lighthouses that make the buildings stable and send signals to protect humans

-Design stable solutions to visibility problems, including biomimicry in the design

One hour lunch on your own.

NYS Learning Standards for the Arts:

How Can We Send a Message Using Sound? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is designed to address a bundle of grade 1 engineering and physical science standards.

In this module, students:

-Ask questions and use a modeling activity to better understand a problem.

-Use prior experiences and a reading to research ways that people communicate over different distances.

-Conduct investigations to test their ideas about how they can make sound.

-Use evidence from investigations and research to explain what causes sound.

-Design, build, and test sound-making devices to solve two problems.

One hour lunch on your own.

Come join us for the virtual sharing of your best color wheel & rainbow projects, tips & techniques, and favorite materials.

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.

Through structured online modules, you will engage with key concepts from the book, participate in reflective activities, and join discussions on enhancing reading experiences in your educational environment. Discover effective techniques to motivate students, build a vibrant reading culture, and integrate reading into everyday learning.

Ideal for educators and librarians seeking flexible, meaningful professional development, with the freedom to explore the content at your own pace.

Note: Participants will be provided with the eBook via Sora. In addition, the times are required to receive CTLE credit and will not be LIVE contact hours.

For the full meeting schedule, click HERE.

What is Music in Our Schools Month? Wondering how to get students, parents, faculty and administrators involved in celebrating young musicians for MIOSM? Come join us as we share the best ideas for rolling out a MIOSM event in your building. We will be sharing how to get started with events, ideas and more to celebrate student musicians!

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.

What is Youth Art Month? Wondering how to get students, parents, faculty and administrators involved in celebrating young artists for Youth Art Month? Come join us as we share the best ideas for rolling out a Youth Art Month extravaganza in your building. We will be sharing how to get started with events, contests, art show tips, handouts and more to celebrate Youth Art Month!

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.

In this book study, participants will read and discuss research and strategies that shift educators into an asset-based approach to unlock the full potential of our English Language Learners. This self-paced book study will run asynchronously via Canvas.

E-book provided.

Come join us for the virtual sharing of your best lessons, classroom management, favorite musicians & composers and more!

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.

Participants will learn how to utilize a 3D Assessment Task Analyzer to identify the reading and writing barriers to student success and learn new strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Join us to explore how intentional literacy integration is a fundamental element for achieving deeper scientific understanding. You'll experience alignment of literacy practices with 3 dimensional instruction that can immediately be put into practice, ensuring students can effectively engage with scientific concepts and communicate their learning.Participants must attend all 3 sessions of this Community of Practice. One hour lunch on your own.

During this workshop we will explore all that you can do with acrylic, watercolor and tempera paints. We will cover techniques, tools, supply management, project ideas and more!

Come join us for the virtual sharing of your best painting projects, tips & techniques, and favorite materials.

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.

OCM BOCES Science Center has 30 rovers that can be loaned out to schools and classrooms. If you intend on borrowing these, it is required for you to come to this training.

This training is valuable for ALL teachers grades 3-12 especially ELL, SPED and Reading Teachers.

Specific strategies are presented to improve the structure, coherence and clarity of students' writing, beginning at the sentence-level. The focus moves to outlines, paragraphs, and compositions. Participants will also learn how to teach notetaking, summarization, and revision. There are opportunities to practice and create activities as well as receive feedback from TWR faculty.

This course is intended for STEM educators serving grades 3-12, especially those teaching science or math. Learn from The Writing Revolution's faculty in 8 hours of total training via Zoom (four 2-hour sessions). Includes opportunities to ask questions and receive direct feedback from TWR faculty members.

NOTE: Deadline to register on MLP is February 13, 2026

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.

Participants will:

Join OCM BOCES for this dynamic workshop and unlock the potential of 3-dimensional assessment writing to elevate student learning and engagement in science education. Participants must attend all 3 workshop dates to register.

One hour lunch on your own.

For the full meeting schedule, click HERE.

During this workshop, we will explore the rich world of traditional and contemporary craft in the art room. We will cover techniques, tools, supply management, project ideas, and creative ways to bring craft practices into PreK-12 classrooms. This workshop is designed to inspire and support both new and experienced art educators.

Come join us for the virtual sharing of your best craft projects, supply management, favorite materials and more.

This workshop will be 2 hours of independent work and 2 hours of a Google meet with participants.