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Catalog: Rockland BOCES (WR)

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1. ELA Curriculum Council Grades K-5

Program: Professional Development Center

Dates: 10/8/2025 to 5/5/2026

Are you a Literacy Leader in your District? If you are, this council is an ideal opportunity for you to come share ideas, resources and strategies with your colleagues from across the county. The ELA council is a Professional Learning Community (PLC) who will meet four times throughout the school year during rotating half day sessions.

During the councils, participants will examine instructional strategies and best practices currently being implemented in classrooms across the county in ELA. Updates from the State Education Department will be shared along with how to navigate the Next Generation ELA Learning Standards.

The council provides an opportunity for collaboration with Literacy colleagues across the districts to discuss professional development needs, best practices, vertical alignment across grade levels and provide direction for ELA instruction in Rockland County.

Participants will be added to the list serv to raise questions and get answers from all members of the council!

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 30

2. ELA Curriculum Council Grades 6-12

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Administrators, ELA Chairperson

Dates: 10/9/2025 to 5/12/2026

Are you a Literacy Leader in your District? If you are, this council is an ideal opportunity for you to come share ideas, resources and strategies with your colleagues from across the county. The council is a Professional Learning Community (PLC) who will meet four times throughout the school year during rotating half day sessions.

During the councils, participants will examine instructional strategies and best practices currently being implemented in classrooms across the county in ELA. Updates from the State Education Department will be shared along with how to navigate the Next Generation ELA Learning Standards.

The council provides an opportunity for collaboration with Literacy colleagues across the districts to discuss professional development needs, best practices, vertical alignment across grade levels and provide direction for ELA instruction in Rockland County.

Participants will be added to the list serv to raise questions and get answers from all members of the council!

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 30

3. Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Council facilitated by Pat Krizan

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Social Studies Lead Teachers, Department Chairs/Supervisors, Administrators

Dates: 11/12/2025 to 4/29/2026

The Social Studies Curriculum Council is a Professional Learning Community (PLC) that will meet for three half-day sessions to keep informed of NYSED updates in social studies curriculum, instruction, and assessment as well as provide direction for social studies education in Rockland County. Council members will keep abreast of and share best practices in the varied aspects of the Seal of Civic Readiness. In addition, members will have the opportunity to collaborate on social studies teaching and learning in order to best prepare students for success.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 20

4. Portrait of a Graduate: School Building Leaders PLC **NEW DATES***

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: School building leaders, coaches, and directors

Dates: 3/12/2026 to 4/16/2026

***We apologize for the change and any disruption caused by the recent snow days. This course reflects new dates for workshops that were previously scheduled. The content and focus remain the same; only the session dates have been updated. If you were previously registered for the original workshop, please register for this one.***

This two-session Professional Learning Community (PLC) helps school leaders fulfill the New York State Education Department's Portrait of a Graduate mandate. Leaders include principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and directors.

Participants will integrate the six Portrait of a Graduate competencies, four NYSED transformations, culturally responsive-sustaining education (CR-SE), financial literacy, and climate education. They will apply these to the school vision, instructional norms, professional development, and staff accountability. The PLC underscores leaders' duty to implement state mandates at the building level in ways that are visible, measurable, and sustainable.

Participants will receive guidance on incorporating Portrait of a Graduate expectations into curriculum alignment, instruction, assessment, walkthroughs, coaching, and school improvement planning. Leaders will use this guidance to examine how New York State's graduation pathways connect to instructional design and student outcomes. They will also identify key areas that principals must monitor to ensure fidelity, equity, and compliance across departments and grade levels.

Please bring a device to engage fully and make the most of the workshop experience.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 30

5. Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Rockland BOCES [HVRBERN-CTLE ID #23120]

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: MS/HS administrators, and teachers of special education, ELA and other content area subjects, ENL or Bilingual Teachers of Long-Term ELLs

Dates: 4/9/2026

Starting Soon
Long-Term English Learners (LTELs) face challenges due to limited access to grade-level curriculum and lack of targeted support, often resulting in low academic achievement and higher dropout rates. This session will explore how accelerated instructional practices with asset-based strategies can help LTELs reach their academic and linguistic potential. We will explore methods such as activating prior knowledge, peer collaboration, scaffolding that preserves the richness of text, and providing flexible access to grade-level standards. Using this approach, LTELs no longer need to be relegated to remedial programs. This workshop underscores the importance of ensuring LTELs' civil right to education and a pathway to graduation. Participants will leave with practical tools and insights to better support LTELs and foster a learning environment that upholds the principles of equity and inclusion. Participants should bring a device to access workshop materials. Fee: FREE For questions regarding this activity, please contact the HV RBERN
  • Max Class Size: 15

6. Personal Finance Education: Leadership Planning for Implementation in September 2026

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Directors of Curriculum, Middle School Leaders, High School Leaders, Department Chairs

Dates: 4/9/2026 to 4/28/2026

Starting Soon
Middle and high school leaders will explore the New York Personal Finance Education guidance and consider options for implementation beginning in September. Participants will review state guidance, examine examples from districts already offering instruction in personal finance, and collaborate with regional colleagues to discuss possible approaches for their own districts. Time will be provided for leaders to reflect on their current programs--whether well established or still emerging--and begin identifying next steps.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 25

7. Crafting Measurable & Meaningful IEP Goals that Drive Student Achievement

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Those who develop IEP goals

Dates: 4/14/2026

Decisions regarding special education programming are driven by data, and the importance of collecting, maintaining, and analyzing data remains critical in formulating Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and progress monitoring over time. This workshop will unpack how we use assessment data to draft goals that are "SMART” - specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and time-bound, focusing on literacy needs. Participants will review and analyze IEP goals through a new lens and emerge with a template for goal writing that aligns with instructional targets.

Amy is a Certified-Level Orton-Gillingham Practitioner through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (OGA) and a certified Structured Literacy/ Dyslexia Specialist through the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). Amy has training in Lindamood-Bell's Visualizing & Verbalizing Program for Cognitive Development, Comprehension and Thinking (V/V), and Lindamood-Bell's Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading, Spelling and Speech (LiPS). She has training in Judith Hochman's writing program (The Writing Revolution), Preventing Academic Failure Multisensory Reading Instruction (PAF) and literacy assessment. Amy engages in ongoing professional development and has attended workshops in early literacy and language development, syllabication, executive functions and study skills at the Windward Institute.

This workshop will be held online through an interactive Zoom session.
  • Max Class Size: 35

8. Lunch and Learn: Using Gamification to Track and Support Student Mental Health

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: District leaders, Student services leaders, MTSS and SEL teams, Elementary principals

Dates: 4/14/2026

New
Join Rockland BOCES and MEandMine for a 30-minute virtual lunch and learn focused on identifying early indicators of student need across mental health, attendance, and behavior. Learn how 10 minutes of gamification provides real-time visibility into student well-being, helping teams proactively identify students who may need support and respond before challenges escalate.

During the session, we will walk through how schools use this approach within MTSS to strengthen Tier 1 supports, monitor trends across classrooms, and equip student services teams with actionable insights without adding to teacher workload.

Interactive demos will repeat at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 12:00 p.m. Drop in when you can! Participants will receive a DoorDash gift card for attending.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 25

9. Smart Start 2025-26 Event (3-5, Full Day, April)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Grade 3-5 Teachers

Dates: 4/16/2026

*** Only for 2025-26 Smart Start Participants *** As part of the NY State Smart Start Grant Professional Development with Mouse.Org, teachers who participate, will be trained in effective coaching techniques and how to lead a professional learning community in the context of computer science education.

OBJECTIVES
Objective #1: Increase the number of teachers prepared to teach and deliver K-8 CS using research and evidence-based curriculum and instructional strategies.

Objective #2: Increase the number of schools offering computer science in grades K-8.

Objective #3: Increase the number of students enrolled in computer science-related courses for all students with attention to diversity -- racial, socioeconomic, gender, disabilities, ELL.

Objective #4: Demonstrate relevance of computer science education and computer science careers in local contexts (as defined by REDC).

Objective #5: Engage CS educators in a supportive professional learning community.

This activity has a Team Room

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 15

10. Smart Start 2025-26 Event (6-8, Full Day, April)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Grade 6-8 Teachers

Dates: 4/16/2026

*** Only for 2025-26 Smart Start Participants *** As part of the NY State Smart Start Grant Professional Development with Mouse.Org, teachers who participate, will be trained in effective coaching techniques and how to lead a professional learning community in the context of computer science education.

OBJECTIVES
Objective #1: Increase the number of teachers prepared to teach and deliver K-8 CS using research and evidence-based curriculum and instructional strategies.

Objective #2: Increase the number of schools offering computer science in grades K-8.

Objective #3: Increase the number of students enrolled in computer science-related courses for all students with attention to diversity -- racial, socioeconomic, gender, disabilities, ELL.

Objective #4: Demonstrate relevance of computer science education and computer science careers in local contexts (as defined by REDC).

Objective #5: Engage CS educators in a supportive professional learning community.

This activity has a Team Room

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 35

11. Smart Start 2025-26 Event (K-2, Full Day, April)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Grade K-2 Teachers

Dates: 4/16/2026

*** Only for 2025-26 Smart Start Participants *** As part of the NY State Smart Start Grant Professional Development with Mouse.Org, teachers who participate, will be trained in effective coaching techniques and how to lead a professional learning community in the context of computer science education.

OBJECTIVES
Objective #1: Increase the number of teachers prepared to teach and deliver K-8 CS using research and evidence-based curriculum and instructional strategies.

Objective #2: Increase the number of schools offering computer science in grades K-8.

Objective #3: Increase the number of students enrolled in computer science-related courses for all students with attention to diversity -- racial, socioeconomic, gender, disabilities, ELL.

Objective #4: Demonstrate relevance of computer science education and computer science careers in local contexts (as defined by REDC).

Objective #5: Engage CS educators in a supportive professional learning community.

This activity has a Team Room

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 15

12. The 5 B's: Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Valued, Be Active, BELONG

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Pre-K, Kindergarten, ESL/ENL, Special Education and Speech teachers, Family Resource, Reading Specialists, Reading Teachers and Administrators

Dates: 4/17/2026

This half day Early Childhood Transitions Conference will focus on a variety of topics in Pre-K and K education. Workshops will provide hands-on experience with strategies and activities. Workshops include: Beyond the Behavior: Trauma, ADHD and the Preschooler, Creating Literacy Centers Where Young Learners Belong: Designing ELA Spaces for Pre-K and Kindergarten, Tiny Hands, Fill Buckets: Nurturing Belonging in the Classroom, The Power of Belonging in Early Childhood: Supporting Social, Emotional and Academic Growth in Early Learners, Back to the Basics, Creating Belonging Through Sensory Art: Bringing Classrooms Together Through Regulation, Expression and Play, and Building a Math Community.

(Forms to sign-up for workshops with descriptions will be sent via email to participants after registering on Frontline/MLP.)

More Info? Contact tcummings@nyackschools.org

Registration Deadline: Thursday, April 9, 2026

Fee: includes materials and Continental breakfast

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 30

13. Building Literacy Through Play: Powerful, Purposeful, and Developmentally Appropriate

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Literacy Coaches, and Early Childhood Instructional Leaders

Dates: 4/21/2026

Play is at the heart of how young children learn-and it's a powerful way to build early literacy skills. In this session, designed for PreK and Kindergarten teachers, we'll explore how to maximize play in your classroom to support language, reading, and writing development.

Together, we'll explore how various types of play-such as dramatic play, blocks, sensory bins, and storytelling-can be utilized to develop vocabulary, foster conversation, and stimulate early reading and writing skills. You'll see real classroom examples, share ideas with fellow educators, and walk away with practical strategies to bring more purposeful play into your day.

Whether you're looking to strengthen your literacy centers or better connect play to your instructional goals, this session will help you find that balance between joyful learning and strong foundations.
By the end of this session, participants will:
*Understand the research and rationale behind play-based learning and its impact on early literacy.
*Identify and design intentional play experiences that support oral language, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and early writing.
*Explore classroom environments and materials that foster literacy-rich play.

This workshop is free for those who are members of the Rockland BOCES UPK Consortium.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 25

14. Performance-Based Learning and Assessment in Middle & High School

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: New York State administrators and school leaders

Dates: 4/30/2026

We invite you to join us on Thursday, April 30, 2026, for a day of learning and professional discussion on performance-based learning and assessment in middle and high school.

This event, which will be a hybrid webinar with in-person discussions and presentations, will provide New York State administrators and school leaders with an opportunity to engage in regional discussions about approaches to performance-based learning and assessment (PBLA) that support local implementation of NY Inspires and NY's Educational Assessment Strategy in middle and high school.

Please note that to attend this event, you must attend in person at Rockland BOCES.

(65 Parrott Rd, West Nyack, New York, 10994)

This activity has a Team Room

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 60

15. New York Personal Finance Integration Task Force (Grades 6-12)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Grades 6–12 teachers in Mathematics, Social Studies, ELA, Business/CTE, Family & Consumer Sciences, Computer Science/Technology, and curriculum leaders.

Dates: 5/7/2026 to 5/19/2026

Participants will take part in a regional task force focused on supporting districts that plan to embed the New York State Personal Finance guidance within existing grades 6-12 curricula. The group will examine the standards and identify natural connections to content-area standards in subjects such as mathematics, ELA, social studies, business, and technology.

Participants will collaborate to develop a crosswalk resource with links to existing lessons that districts and teachers can use when integrating personal finance concepts into current courses. The resource is intended to support districts planning an integrated approach to implementing the Personal Finance standards beginning in September 2026.

Through this work, participants will deepen their understanding of the standards and build capacity to support implementation within their districts.

Recommended for: Grades 6-12 teachers in Mathematics, Social Studies, ELA, Business/CTE, Family & Consumer Sciences, Computer Science/Technology, and curriculum leaders.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 25

16. Best Practices in ELL Leadership - at Rockland BOCES

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: School Leaders, District Leaders, Program Leaders, Department Leads

Dates: 5/21/2026

Best Practices in ELL Leadership - at Rockland BOCES [HVRBERN-CTLE ID #23120] TO REGISTER FOR THIS WORKSHOP, PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO ENROLL AT ROCKLAND BOCES' SITE: CLICK HERE TO ENROLL This workshop will provide educational leaders with essential strategies for supporting English Language Learners (ELLs). Attendees will understand the implications of CR Part 154, explore effective instructional program designs and scheduling recommendations, and learn best practices for welcoming ELL families. The workshop will also cover second language acquisition processes, classroom "look-fors,” and techniques for fostering inclusive and culturally responsive school environments. Fee: FREE
  • Max Class Size: 15

17. New York State ELL Identification Workshop - at Rockland BOCES [HVRBERN-CTLE ID #23120]

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: All who are involved in the identification and screening process of potential ELLs; including registrars/registration staff, ENL coordinators, district and building administrators, PPS personnel, ENL teachers, guidance counselors, and bilingual family liaisons

Dates: 6/4/2026

TO REGISTER FOR THIS WORKSHOP, PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO ENROLL AT Rockland BOCES' SITE: CLICK HERE TO ENROLL This workshop will include an overview of New York State regulations related to the English Language Learner Identification process. Participants will unpack the ELL Identification Flowchart, Home Language Questionnaire, and Individual Interview process. Participants will also understand when and how to convene a Language Proficiency Team and how to screen for potential SIFE students (Students with Interrupted Formal Education). Participants will review: * ELL identification regulations * The completion and processing of the HLQ * The role of the Language Proficiency Team (LPT) when potential ELLs are enrolling who already have an IEP or 504 plan * Screening for potential Students with Inconsistent/Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) * Parent Orientation and Student Placement procedure * How and when to initiate and ELL Identification Review Cost: Free For questions regarding this activity, please contact the HV RBERN.
  • Max Class Size: 25

18. Building Thinking Classrooms with Peter Liljedahl Session 2 (11/19)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Elementary Teachers; mathematics teachers, K-12

Dates: 11/19/2026

Dr. Peter Liljedahl will be giving a full-day workshop on Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC), the second of his full 3-day training. He will be outlining 14 research-based classroom practices that promote thinking in the mathematics classroom. This workshop will not only give an overview of the ideas in BTC, but also allow teachers who have begun to implement these practices to ask questions about implementing these practices successfully.
***NOTES***
--If you can no longer attend after being fully enrolled, you will need to find someone to take your place. No refunds will be given.
--Please be fully enrolled by September 18, 2026.
***********
Building Thinking Classrooms is an educational approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Sparked by observing dozens and dozens of teachers struggle to engage students in deep thinking and problem solving, and observing hundreds of students engaged in a lot of behavior that didn't include thinking-or learning-Peter set out to find the answer to a simple question: How can we get more students to think and to think longer?
Over the next 15 years, he set a research course to break every institutional norm possible to see what shifts could get students thinking. Out of this research grew 14 specific norm-busting teaching practices that have proven to enhance thinking-and thus learning in hundreds of thousands of classrooms around the world. And it doesn't stop there. Not only do the 14 practices enhance thinking, they enhance other competencies in students such as collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking. Further, they enhance access and equity to learning and student autonomy and ownership of learning.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 60

19. Building Thinking Classrooms with Peter Liljedahl Session 2 (11/20)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Elementary Teachers; mathematics teachers, K-12

Dates: 11/20/2026

Dr. Peter Liljedahl will be giving a full-day workshop on Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC), the second of his full 3-day training. He will be outlining 14 research-based classroom practices that promote thinking in the mathematics classroom. This workshop will not only give an overview of the ideas in BTC, but also allow teachers who have begun to implement these practices to ask questions about implementing these practices successfully.
***NOTES***
--If you can no longer attend after being fully enrolled, you will need to find someone to take your place. No refunds will be given.
--Please be fully enrolled by September 18, 2026.
***********
Building Thinking Classrooms is an educational approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Sparked by observing dozens and dozens of teachers struggle to engage students in deep thinking and problem solving, and observing hundreds of students engaged in a lot of behavior that didn't include thinking-or learning-Peter set out to find the answer to a simple question: How can we get more students to think and to think longer?
Over the next 15 years, he set a research course to break every institutional norm possible to see what shifts could get students thinking. Out of this research grew 14 specific norm-busting teaching practices that have proven to enhance thinking-and thus learning in hundreds of thousands of classrooms around the world. And it doesn't stop there. Not only do the 14 practices enhance thinking, they enhance other competencies in students such as collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking. Further, they enhance access and equity to learning and student autonomy and ownership of learning.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 60

20. Building Thinking Classrooms with Peter Liljedahl Session 3 (3/11)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Elementary Teachers; mathematics teachers, K-12

Dates: 3/11/2027

Dr. Peter Liljedahl will be giving a full-day workshop on Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC), the third of his full 3-day training. He will be outlining 14 research-based classroom practices that promote thinking in the mathematics classroom. This workshop will not only give an overview of the ideas in BTC, but also allow teachers who have begun to implement these practices to ask questions about implementing these practices successfully.
***NOTES***
--If you can no longer attend after being fully enrolled, you will need to find someone to take your place. No refunds will be given.
--Please be fully enrolled by January 10, 2027.
***********
Building Thinking Classrooms is an educational approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Sparked by observing dozens and dozens of teachers struggle to engage students in deep thinking and problem solving, and observing hundreds of students engaged in a lot of behavior that didn't include thinking-or learning-Peter set out to find the answer to a simple question: How can we get more students to think and to think longer?
Over the next 15 years, he set a research course to break every institutional norm possible to see what shifts could get students thinking. Out of this research grew 14 specific norm-busting teaching practices that have proven to enhance thinking-and thus learning in hundreds of thousands of classrooms around the world. And it doesn't stop there. Not only do the 14 practices enhance thinking, they enhance other competencies in students such as collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking. Further, they enhance access and equity to learning and student autonomy and ownership of learning.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 60

21. Building Thinking Classrooms with Peter Liljedahl Session 3 (3/12)

Program: Professional Development Center

Audience: Elementary Teachers; mathematics teachers, K-12

Dates: 3/12/2027

Dr. Peter Liljedahl will be giving a full-day workshop on Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC), the third of his full 3-day training. He will be outlining 14 research-based classroom practices that promote thinking in the mathematics classroom. This workshop will not only give an overview of the ideas in BTC, but also allow teachers who have begun to implement these practices to ask questions about implementing these practices successfully.
***NOTES***
--If you can no longer attend after being fully enrolled, you will need to find someone to take your place. No refunds will be given.
--Please be fully enrolled by January 10, 2027.
***********
Building Thinking Classrooms is an educational approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Sparked by observing dozens and dozens of teachers struggle to engage students in deep thinking and problem solving, and observing hundreds of students engaged in a lot of behavior that didn't include thinking-or learning-Peter set out to find the answer to a simple question: How can we get more students to think and to think longer?
Over the next 15 years, he set a research course to break every institutional norm possible to see what shifts could get students thinking. Out of this research grew 14 specific norm-busting teaching practices that have proven to enhance thinking-and thus learning in hundreds of thousands of classrooms around the world. And it doesn't stop there. Not only do the 14 practices enhance thinking, they enhance other competencies in students such as collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking. Further, they enhance access and equity to learning and student autonomy and ownership of learning.

This activity has a required evaluation

  • Max Class Size: 60