This event, which will be a hybrid webinar with in-person discussion and presentations, will provide New York State administrators and school leaders with an opportunity to engage in regional discussions about what the NYS Portrait of a Graduate means in PreK to Grade 5, as well as how this connects to inquiry-based learning. Please note that to attend this event, you must attend in person at a BOCES or Big 5 designated site.

Suppose you have the opportunity during the day to provide Math Intervention or would love to have it. In that case, this session will explore the essential components that can make Math Intervention purposeful and effective. Participants will learn how to structure a Math Intervention block that provides support to all learners and ensures every student receives what they need.

This follow-up session checks in on how teachers are applying the strategies learned during the Math Intervention PD. Teachers will share what is working, discuss challenges, and look at student data to reflect on progress. The session provides additional guidance, short model demonstrations, and time to adjust intervention plans. The goal is to ensure consistent, effective use of intervention practices and give teachers support as they continue improving instruction.

If you are using iReady Math Classroom 2024 curriculum, this PD is for you! This professional development session is designed to help educators effectively implement i-Ready Math Centers as a tool for differentiation, engagement, and targeted skill development. Participants will explore how to connect center activities to i-Ready data, structure centers for smooth classroom management, and ensure all students receive meaningful math practice. Participants to collaborate with colleagues to exchange effective strategies and successes of delivery and use of math centers. They will have the opportunity to share feedback and insights on the effectiveness of the different math centers, as well as plan and pre for future math centers.

Suppose you have the opportunity during the day to provide Math Intervention or would love to have it. In that case, this session will explore the essential components that can make Math Intervention purposeful and effective. Participants will learn how to structure a Math Intervention block that provides support to all learners and ensures every student receives what they need.

This 2 day training will be designed to give participants an overview of TCIS skills and techniques. Participants will participate in discussions and skills practice to allow them to attend the train the trainer course in August. During this training, more information regarding the train the trainer week will be discussed. 

Beginning January 1, 2014, all persons applying to the NYS Education Department for an adminstrative or supervisory service, classroom teaching service, or school service certificate or license, must complete six (6) hours of coursework or training in harassment, bullying, and discrimination prevention and intervention. The training is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to create an affirming school environment for all students. This class must be paid for ahead of time. No credit card payments can be accepted. Checks may be sent to HFM BOCES 2755 StHwy 67, Johnstown, NY 12095 Att: Instructional Services. If your district is supplying payment they will be billed. This is an asynchronous workshop. Participants will receive a link with the required work and be given five business days to complete it. Please send questions to tcaraco@hfmboces.org

This year's required evidence-based observation training will be in person at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. We will spend time with the NYS Teaching Standards as well as inter-rater reliability and agreement. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric, or any four-point rubric, and support teachers with the NYS Teaching Standards.

This year's required evidence-based observation training will be in person at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. We will spend time with the NYS Teaching Standards as well as inter-rater reliability and agreement. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric, or any four-point rubric, and support teachers with the NYS Teaching Standards.

This year's required evidence-based observation training will be in person at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. We will spend time with the NYS Teaching Standards as well as inter-rater reliability and agreement. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric, or any four-point rubric, and support teachers with the NYS Teaching Standards.

This session will be an opportunity for participants to put Canva to use! Come prepared with some ideas for your classroom or ask us to help you brainstorm. This will be a collaborative time to use your skills to create something awesome for 2026-2027! Please be sure to bring a computer with access to your Canva for Education account.

Description:
Streamline how you monitor student performance. This hands-on workshop focuses on Google Sheets best practices-specifically data validation, easy data input, and user experience (UX)-to design efficient student trackers. Aligned with the NYSED Portrait of a Graduate, this session equips educators to easily manage data from varied assessment strategies (formative, interim, and summative) so they can spend less time entering numbers and more time evaluating student evidence critically.

Workshop Structure:

• Part 1: Guided Build - Learn to use dropdowns, checkboxes, and formatting rules to make data entry fast, accurate, and visually intuitive.
• Part 2: Application Lab - Dedicated sandbox time to build or customize your own tracker (e.g., skills gradebook, MTSS log) with on-site coaching.

What to Bring: Please bring a laptop and a sample roster or assessment layout you would like to digitize.

This year our retreat will be held at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. This year's retreat will focus on The Portrait of a Graduate and NY Inspires, what this looks like as a region, and developing a plan for implementation. There will be a fee for the retreat that will be broken out and billed per district.

Achieving Inbox Zero: Summer Email Strategies

*** RESCHEDULED TO 7/30/26 ***

Ready to clear the digital clutter? Take time this summer to recharge and become a more Reflective and Future-Focused professional by mastering your inbox. This session will help all staff members become Effective Communicators by streamlining digital workflows to reduce stress and boost well-being.

• Part 1: Tools & Best Practices (Discussion): Analyze your email habits like a Critical Thinker. We will cover essential Gmail and Outlook features, including labels, folders, rules, and triaging best practices.
• Part 2: Put it into Practice (Workshop): Act as a Creative Innovator. Use this dedicated, supported time to build and implement your new organizational system directly in your own account.

Note: This session does not bear CTLE credits. Please bring a charged laptop or device.

This year's required evidence-based observation training will be in person at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. We will spend time with the NYS Teaching Standards as well as inter-rater reliability and agreement. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric, or any four-point rubric, and support teachers with the NYS Teaching Standards.

This year's required evidence-based observation training will be in person at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. We will spend time with the NYS Teaching Standards as well as inter-rater reliability and agreement. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric, or any four-point rubric, and support teachers with the NYS Teaching Standards.

Unlock the potential of your district's data to drive intentional instructional change. Because supporting student success is a shared responsibility, this session is designed for any teacher, coach, or administrator with an active Tableau and COGNOS license.

Participants will engage in a hands-on exploration of:

• Navigation: Identify trends and patterns by moving smoothly from macro-level district data to micro-level student demographics.
• Advanced Filtering & Exporting: Customize datasets to answer specific questions and make reflective, data-driven decisions.
• Tips, Tricks, and Workarounds: Learn proven shortcuts and system workarounds discovered through extensive hands-on experience to maintain data integrity and save time.

Note: This is a hands-on lab. Please bring a laptop and verify your NERIC Tableau credentials prior to arrival.

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Train the Trainer The Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) system is an adaptation of the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention System (TCI). TCI and TCIS embody the same concepts, but TCIS uses language and scenarios specific to the needs of a school audience. Additionally, TCIS recognizes the many challenges teachers and school staff face such as fluctuations in class size, staff shortages, ever-changing initiatives and regulations, children who live with complex trauma, and the diverse social economic conditions among school districts. TCIS is a trauma-informed system that provides school staff with safe, effective, and trauma-sensitive skills to manage the emotional and behavioral challenges they encounter in their daily interactions with students. During this training, participants will dive deeper into the TCIS system as well as develop the necessary skills to deliver this training to their school staff.  There is a prerequisite to this course!

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Train the Trainer The Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) system is an adaptation of the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention System (TCI). TCI and TCIS embody the same concepts, but TCIS uses language and scenarios specific to the needs of a school audience. Additionally, TCIS recognizes the many challenges teachers and school staff face such as fluctuations in class size, staff shortages, ever-changing initiatives and regulations, children who live with complex trauma, and the diverse social economic conditions among school districts. TCIS is a trauma-informed system that provides school staff with safe, effective, and trauma-sensitive skills to manage the emotional and behavioral challenges they encounter in their daily interactions with students. During this training, participants will dive deeper into the TCIS system as well as develop the necessary skills to deliver this training to their school staff.  There is a prerequisite to this course

Join us for a dynamic two-day professional learning experience designed to deepen educators' understanding of how students learn and how to translate that knowledge into impactful classroom practice across content areas. This institute brings together research-based strategies and practical applications for teachers of ELA, social studies, math, science, and technology.

Day 1: Literacy & Learning (ELA and Social Studies Focus)

Day 1 centers on literacy-rich instruction through the lens of the science of learning. Educators will explore how cognitive science supports reading, writing, and knowledge-building in ELA and social studies classrooms. Sessions will highlight strategies for strengthening comprehension, building background knowledge, and fostering meaningful student discourse. Participants will also examine the role of relationships in creating inclusive, engaging literacy environments.

Day 2: STEM & Applied Learning (Math, Science, and Technology Focus)

Day 2 focuses on applying the science of learning within STEM classrooms, with an emphasis on student thinking and problem-solving. Educators will explore principles such as cognitive load, retrieval practice, and productive struggle in math and science contexts. Sessions will highlight Building Thinking Classrooms techniques, including task design, student collaboration, and structuring environments that promote active engagement and reasoning. Participants will also examine classroom management approaches that support discourse, persistence, and deep conceptual understanding.

Across both days, participants will:

~Apply cognitive science principles to discipline-specific instruction

~Strengthen classroom management through a learning-centered lens

~Explore AI integration to enhance student thinking and engagement

~Align teaching practices with Portrait of a Graduate outcomes

~Collaborate across content areas to deepen instructional impact

Sign up for the days separately.

Join us for a dynamic two-day professional learning experience designed to deepen educators' understanding of how students learn and how to translate that knowledge into impactful classroom practice across content areas. This institute brings together research-based strategies and practical applications for teachers of ELA, social studies, math, science, and technology. Day 1: Literacy & Learning (ELA and Social Studies Focus) Day 1 centers on literacy-rich instruction through the lens of the science of learning. Educators will explore how cognitive science supports reading, writing, and knowledge-building in ELA and social studies classrooms. Sessions will highlight strategies for strengthening comprehension, building background knowledge, and fostering meaningful student discourse. Participants will also examine the role of relationships in creating inclusive, engaging literacy environments. Day 2: STEM & Applied Learning (Math, Science, and Technology Focus) Day 2 focuses on applying the science of learning within STEM classrooms, with an emphasis on student thinking and problem-solving. Educators will explore principles such as cognitive load, retrieval practice, and productive struggle in math and science contexts. Sessions will highlight Building Thinking Classrooms techniques, including task design, student collaboration, and structuring environments that promote active engagement and reasoning. Participants will also examine classroom management approaches that support discourse, persistence, and deep conceptual understanding. Across both days, participants will: Apply cognitive science principles to discipline-specific instruction Strengthen classroom management through a learning-centered lens Explore AI integration to enhance student thinking and engagement Align teaching practices with Portrait of a Graduate outcomes Collaborate across content areas to deepen instructional impact Sign up for the days separately.

This year's required evidence-based observation training including inter-rater reliability and agreement for all new evaluators is a two day in-person workshop. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric. (lunch is on your own) This is for leaders new to evaluation. For anyone previously trained, please find a refresher listed in the catalog.

This year's required evidence-based observation training will be in person at the HFM BOCES Conference Center. We will spend time with the NYS Teaching Standards as well as inter-rater reliability and agreement. This workshop will prepare attendees to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Rubric, or any four-point rubric, and support teachers with the NYS Teaching Standards.

This workshop will prepare all who wish to become Mentors by introducing them to the key information and skills necessary to build effective mentoring relationships. Anyone who has completed this but would like a refresher is also welcome to attend.

New York State's Dignity for All Students Act seeks to provide the State's public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function. This three hour training will provide Dignity Act Coordinators with an overview of the requirements of the Dignity Act and provide multiple resources.

A two-day institute that prepares participants to design and facilitate their own Portrait of a Graduate workshops. Day 1 immerses participants as learners in a model Deeper Learning experience by building community, unpacking the Portrait of a Graduate, and grounding the work in New Tech Network's daily instructional practices. Day 2 shifts participants into the designer role, using Day 1 and NTN's Principles of Adult Learning as a blueprint to plan and give peer feedback on their own workshops. Learning Outcomes Participants will be able to: Connect content, the Portrait of a Graduate, and NTN Practices to daily instructional practices Apply NTN's Principles of Adult Learning to design engaging professional learning experiences Use core facilitation tools to lead adult learning sessions Design an original Deeper Learning workshop for their home district Cost includes lunch Billing will go through HFM Business Office

This is for teachers who joined the Teach Like a Champion Book Study during the 2025-2026 school year and would like to continue their learning by diving deeper into the techniques. We will meet bi-monthly to discuss the techniques we read and tried last year, as well as a few new techniques from the book. We will learn from each other on making our classrooms better through these tried and true techniques. Our first meeting in September will be to decide what we would like our focus to be and why, as well as a debrief of how last year went.

Join fellow school librarians for a day of professional learning focused on strengthening library program, supporting student success, and building connections with colleagues. Discover practical AI and information literacy resources, learn about collection development and resource-sharing opportunities, and engage in goal-setting for teaching, leadership, and library growth. This is a Communication Coordinator required training.

The book Why Don't Students Like School? answers exactly that. Written by a cognitive scientist,this book will help you improve your teaching practice by explaining how you and your students think and learn. It reveals the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences. Other questions Willinham answers are; How can you teach students the skills they need when standardized testing just requires facts? Why do students remember everything on TV, but forget everything you say? How can you adjust your teaching for different learning styles? Together we will read this book for the answers to these questions and for practical advice on helping your learners learn better.
Please register before September 11th, or you will have to purchase the book on your own and the book fee will be waved.

As districts begin planning for NY Inspires, this collaborative breakfast brings administrators and school librarians together to explore how school library programs can support the Portrait of a Graduate and advance district priorities. Using the New York State School Library Program Rubric as a strategic planning tool, teams will identify strengths, align goals, and develop next steps for supporting teaching, learning, and leadership.

This session will incorporate exclusively Teach Like a Champion techniques to improve procedures and routines, high behavioral expectations, and building student trust and motivation.

Teachers know that encouraging young children to talk and listen improves their ability to communicate. Strive-for-Five Conversations gives them a power tool aligned with the science of reading: the "Strive-for-Five” framework. These responsive conversations start with what children say and continue as the teacher listens and responds over five turns―with the goal of stretching their talking and thinking, knowledge, vocabulary, reasoning, and other skills that underpin reading success. This will be a 3 part book study perfect for early childhood educators, literacy coaches, and anyone seeking effective ways to strengthen oral language skills in students grades PK-2. There is a direct relation to Portrait of a Graduate for its importance of open ended questioning, thinking, explaining/justifying, and communicating in the early grades.
Please register before September 11th, or you will have to purchase the book on your own and the book fee will be waved.

Interested in refining everyday instructional moves that make lessons clearer, increase student engagement, and support consistent expectations across classrooms? Join us for a year long book study using Teach Like a Champion 3.0. This series is intentionally designed to be manageable and practical. We will not read the book cover to cover; instead, we'll explore a small number of high-leverage techniques and discuss how they look across PK-12 classrooms. Readings are short, discussion-based, and centered on strategies you can try right away. Teachers who wish to read more of the book are absolutely welcome to do so, and additional techniques may be shared throughout the sessions. Whether you're newer to the text or already familiar with it, this study offers space for reflection, collaboration, and professional conversation without added pressure.
Please register by September 18th, or you will have to purchase the book on your own and the book fee will be waved.

This workshop will be the first Regional Showcase of Excellence. School librarians will share programs, lessons, and projects from their libraries. It will be held at Capital Region BOCES SLS with librarians from all four library systems in our region. This is a SLS Communication Coordinator Training. SNOW DATE IS JANUARY 25, 2027

Read-i-cide: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools. Reading is dying in our schools. Educators are familiar with many of the factors that have contributed to the decline, poverty, second-language issues, and the ever-expanding choices of electronic entertainment. In this provocative book Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It , author and teacher Kelly Gallagher suggests it is time to recognize a new and significant contributor to the death of reading: our schools. Readicide provides teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators with specific steps to reverse the downward spiral in reading-;steps that will help prevent the loss of another generation of readers. In this 4 part book study we will explore what we can do about this conundrum in our education system. This is open to PK-12 (though mostly geared towards 4-12), admin, coaches, parents, and anyone who wishes to learn more.
Please register before December 21st or you will have to purchase the book on your own and the book fee will be waved.