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Professional Learning

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Professional Learning

Office Hours and training activities are designed for Pennsylvania educators and students or faculty members in PA institutions of higher education. Participants must register with their respective education institution’s email address.  

  • PDE Office Hours

    Facilitator:
    Bob Measel, Title III Director and Bilingual Education Advisor, Pennsylvania Department of Education and Julia Puza, Bilingual Education Advisor, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Andrea G. Kolb, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Education Officer, Pennon Education
    Description:
    PDE's English Language Development Office Hours is an open forum for educators across the Commonwealth to engage in Q&A with PDE staff, content experts, and ELD colleagues across the state. All educators in PA LEAs are encouraged to attend, including ESL Specialists, PreK-12 content teachers, building and district level administrators, paraprofessionals, specialists, and Intermediate Unit personnel. Office Hours are not eligible for Act 48 continuing education credits.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    No
    Intended Audience:
    All PA Educators and Administrators
    Registration:
  • EL Accountability and the Future Ready PA Index

    Description:

    This tutorial is meant to introduce you to the Future Ready PA Index (FRI) and how the EL Indicator in the FRI is calculated.

    Act 48 Eligible:
    2 hours
  • English Learner Reclassification Tutorial

    Description:

    This tutorial is meant to help you plan for reclassification.

    Act 48 Eligible:
    2 hours
  • New EL Coordinator Training

    Description:

    This tutorial is meant to help you plan for meeting your responsibilities as an EL Coordinator and for implementation of your language instruction educational program (LIEP). When you complete this tutorial, you should have a collection of resources including the information that is covered along with your notes, a plan for addressing areas that need attention, and contacts for assistance if needed.

    Act 48 Eligible:
    2 hours
  • The EL Screening, Identification, and Placement Process

    Description:

    This tutorial will cover the EL screening, identification, and placement process.

    Act 48 Eligible:
    2 hours
  • LIEP Evaluation Tutorial

    Description:
    The topics covered in this tutorial are:
    • The reclassification policy and procedure in Pennsylvania
    • How to plan for reclassification
    • The required communication with parents related to reclassification, and
    • Other tools and training resources available from PDE
    Act 48 Eligible:
    2 hours
  • New from Colorín Colorado: Exploring the ELL Strategy Library

    Facilitator:
    Lydia Breiseth, Director of Colorín Colorado, WETA Washington, D.C.
    Description:
    Learn more about the new ELL Strategy Library from Colorín Colorado, the nation’s leading ELL website! Discover ideas for using and sharing the strategies with ELLs at various proficiency levels, as well as ideas for co-teaching and professional development. 
    Act 48 Eligible:
    1.5 hours
    Intended Audience:
    All educators who teach ELs 
    Registration:
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with English Learners

    Facilitator:
    Andrea G. Kolb, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Education Officer at Pennon Education
    Description:
    “My English learners can’t do this!” Standard approaches to differentiation often leave teachers feeling overwhelmed as they try to create multiple individualized lessons for a single class period. Universal Design for Learning challenges teachers design with ELs in mind and place them at the center of their instructional planning. To begin, we will review the UDL design cycle with a focus on ELs and discuss practical applications for instruction in content area classrooms. 
    Act 48 Eligible:
    1.5 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This session designed for general classroom teachers in all grades and subjects. 
    Registration:
  • Teaching Structured Literacy Within a Multilingual Framework

    Facilitator:
    Andrea G. Kolb, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Education Officer at Pennon Education
    Description:
    As the Science of Reading is adopted as the go-to framework for literacy instruction, teachers often find themselves wondering how English learners fit into the equation. In this session, we will explore both first and second+ language and literacy development and some key similarities and differences between them. With connections to Pennsylvania’s Structure Literacy Competencies, we will explore strategies and tools for supporting English learners’ multilingual literacy development.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    1.5 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This session is applicable for teachers at all levels, but may appeal more strongly to elementary classroom teachers, Reading Specialists, PreK-12 ESL Specialists, school and district administrators
    Registration:
  • Access & Supports for English Learners: A Look at How PVAAS Can Support EL Programming

    Facilitator:
    Jennifer Ross, M.A., PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE, Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 Laurie Kolka, M.S., PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE, Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13
    Description:
    PVAAS is a powerful tool in helping to evaluate and assess ELD services. The PVAAS Student Report contains information such as student projections to state assessments and the ACCESS for ELLs assessment, that is helpful in goal setting and decision-making for services and support. Additionally, the PVAAS growth reporting data specific to student groups is vital in helping determine the academic progress for ELs, as well as the whole student population, helping in determining appropriate areas of focus and impact of your current programming. 
    Act 48 Eligible:
    1.5 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This workshop is designed for all educators who work with ELs.
    Registration:
  • Overview of PA Policy and Guidance Governing the Education of ELs

    Facilitator:
    Bob Measel, Title III Director and Bilingual Education Advisor, Pennsylvania Department of Education
    Description:
    This workshop is designed to provide a refresher for ELD Coordinators and other educators who work in or oversee decision-making in a district’s LIEP. This session will review state policies and guidance documents found on the PDE EL webpage. Topics include identification, placement, program design, instruction, reclassification, family engagement, and program evaluation.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    3 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This workshop is designed for all educators who work with ELs.
    Registration:
  • Making Content Comprehensible for ELs

    Facilitator:
    Christin Adams, M.Ed., Staff Development Facilitator, Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit Andrea Salgado O’Brien, ESL Facilitator, Allentown School District
    Description:
    This session will explore effective strategies to ensure English Learners can access and engage with grade-level content. Participants will learn how to modify and accommodate texts to meet diverse language proficiency levels while maintaining academic rigor. Through practical examples and hands-on activities, educators will leave equipped to support ELs in understanding and mastering challenging material.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    1.5 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This workshop is designed for all educators who work with ELs.
    Registration:
  • Scaffolding Strategies for ELs: AI and Beyond

    Facilitator:
    Christin Adams, M.Ed., Staff Development Facilitator, Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit
    Description:
    This session will introduce educators to innovative scaffolding strategies using AI to support English Learners at varying language proficiency levels. Educators will explore real-life examples to determine appropriate AI scaffolding tools to create an inclusive, engaging classroom environment.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    1.5 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This workshop is designed for all educators who work with ELs.
    Registration:
  • The LIEP Evaluation Process

    Facilitator:
    Bob Measel, Title III Director and Bilingual Education Advisor, Pennsylvania Department of Education
    Description:
    This workshop will review PDE’s evaluation tools for districts to engage in collaborative LIEP evaluation and improvement planning. Specifically, it will cover ACCESS data, data analysis, program review, program evaluation, and improvement planning including goal setting and the development of action items.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    3 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This workshop is designed for all educators who work with ELs. This includes administrators, content teachers, ESL Specialists, Reading Specialists, Special Education teams, and Guidance Counselors.
    Registration:
  • Developing Targeted ELD Curriculum

    Facilitator:
    Andrea G. Kolb, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Education Officer at Pennon Education Bob Measel, Title III Director and Bilingual Education Advisor, Pennsylvania Department of Education
    Description:
    School districts across the nation have been charged with transitioning from offering ELD or ESL as an intervention or ad hoc support service to a robust and intentionally designed instructional program. Leveraging a deep understanding of the WIDA Standards, WIDA Key Uses, and educational linguistics, this session outlines Pennsylvania's approach to collaboratively developing an ELD curriculum that intentionally centers on the academic language of school within the core academic disciplines.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    3 hours
    Intended Audience:
    This session is ideal for teams of ESL Specialists, classroom teachers, principals, and ELD Coordinators.
    Registration:
  • WIDA: Nurturing Speaking Growth

    Facilitator:
    Christina Nelson
    Description:

    March 25 & April 1 | 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

    In this workshop participants will explore the underpinnings of the Speaking Test in a self-paced module that allows for choice and control. In the webinars, participants will engage in meaning making activities that provide ways to nurture students’ speaking growth. This workshop is unique in that participants will be asked to speak and share ideas with colleagues during the webinars. Participants will be prompted to complete Module 1 before the first webinar and to complete post-webinar tasks. By engaging in this workshop, participants will be able to:

    ·        Apply the underpinnings of the Speaking Assessment to classroom practice

    ·        Connect the Key Language Uses to instructional practices in speaking

    ·        Explore the impact of holding the floor for extended classroom discourse

    ·        Choose Teacher Moves to support student voice

    ·        Develop an ear for language to support precision decisions Format: One self-paced module and two live webinars not to exceed 90 minutes each. Webinars will not be recorded.

    Live Webinar 1: March 25 | 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Live Webinar 2: April 1 | 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

    Act 48 Eligible:
    4 hours. Educators must complete all aspects of the workshop and submit their WIDA certificate of completion to be awarded Act 48 credits.
    Intended Audience:
    This virtual workshop is designed to support all K-12 educators who would like to explore the connection between the ACCESS Speaking Test and classroom practices that promote oral language development.  
    Registration:
  • WIDA: Considerations When Educating Bilingual Learners With Identified Learning Disabilities

    Facilitator:
    Melissa Paton
    Description:

    March 3 – June 1, 2025 | Asynchronous Course, Live Session May 6 at 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
    Click here to learn more about the course format.
    The purpose of this workshop is to create an online Professional Learning Community that supports participants’ collaboration and fosters ownership of their learning. Over the course of 15 weeks, participants engage in 6 modules that each consist of 3 sections: Explore, Make it Work, and Share. They select ideas to try out in their classrooms and share their experiences with colleagues in online discussion boards and one online meeting.  In this workshop, participants will explore the following questions:

    ·        What are the learning profiles of bilingual learners with identified learning disabilities?

    ·        What are the laws that address the education of bilingual learners with learning disabilities? What are educators' obligations under these laws?

    ·        What are the factors to consider when planning instruction for bilingual learners with learning disabilities?

    ·        Why is it necessary for educators to collaborate with qualified professionals (i.e., SLP, ESL Specialists) when planning effective instruction for bilingual learners with learning disabilities? How can this collaboration generate educational change for bilingual learners with LDs?

    ·        How do educators identify, administer and evaluate instructional accommodations for bilingual learners with learning disabilities? Format: Five self-paced modules and one online meeting or a sixth module. Each module is two weeks in duration. Online meeting not to exceed 60 minutes. Online meeting will not be recorded. Facilitator lightly moderates discussions.
    Live Webinar: May 6 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
    UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

    Act 48 Eligible:
    20 hours. Educators must complete all aspects of the workshop and submit their WIDA certificate of completion to be awarded Act 48 credits.
    Intended Audience:
    This virtual workshop is designed for classroom teachers who are ready to try out new ideas in their classrooms and share what they learned with a group of online colleagues.  
    Registration:
  • WIDA: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

    Facilitator:
    Andrea Mercado
    Description:

    March 3 – June 1, 2025 | Asynchronous Course, Live Session May 15 at 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
    Click here to learn more about the course format.
    The purpose of this workshop is to create an online Professional Learning Community that supports participants’ collaboration and fosters ownership of their learning. Over the course of 15 weeks, participants engage in 6 modules that each consist of 3 sections: Explore, Make it Work, and Share. They select ideas to try out in their classrooms and share their experiences with colleagues in online discussion boards and one online meeting. In this workshop, participants will explore the following questions:

    ·        How can MTSS support multilingual learners?

    ·        What are solution-seeking teams?

    ·        What resources support the success of multilingual learners in the MTSS process?

    ·        What resources support solution-seeking teams who strive to enact change?

    ·        How can teams collect and maintain culturally and linguistically responsive data? Format: Five self-paced modules and one online meeting or a sixth module. Each module is two weeks in duration. Online meeting not to exceed 60 minutes. Online meeting will not be recorded. Facilitator lightly moderates discussions.

    Live Webinar: May 15 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

    Act 48 Eligible:
    20 hours. Educators must complete all aspects of the workshop and submit their WIDA certificate of completion to be awarded Act 48 credits.
    Intended Audience:
    All members of school or district MTSS teams are encouraged to participate as a PLC. This virtual workshop promotes collaboration and multidisciplinary teaming throughout six modules.
    Registration:
  • WIDA Professional Learning Self-Paced Courses

    Description:

    We are excited to once again be able to offer all PA educators access to WIDA’s full catalogue of online self-paced (asynchronous) courses! The following courses will be available beginning September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025.  UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE(S) OF COMPLETION *Please note that Act 48 credits will be processed monthly. All certificates must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on August 31, 2025.

    • Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
    • Engaging Multilingual learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
    • Exploring the WIDA PreK-3 Essential Actions
    • Let's Play! Multilingual Children's Joyful Learning in Pre-K-3 (New)
    • Making Language Visible in the Classroom
    • Newcomers: Promoting Success through Strengthening Practice
    • Reading Comprehension Across Content Areas with Multilingual Learners (New)
    • Reframing Education for Long-term English Learners
    • Teaching Multilingual Learners Social Studies through Multiple Perspectives (New)
    • The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
    • WIDA Español: Desarrollando el español: Las epectativas del lenguaje (New)
    • WIDA Español: Evaluaciones del desarrollo del lenguaje a nivel del salón - Classroom assessment for language and development (New)
      UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE(S) OF COMPLETION *Please note that Act 48 credits will be processed monthly. All certificates must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on August 31, 2025.
    Act 48 Eligible:
    Yes, various
  • Reclassification Training Module

    Description:

    This training resource is meant to help educators use Rubric 1 (Speaking, Listening, Interaction, and Reading) to complete evaluations of their ELs’ language use for reclassification by providing video examples of students using language at various grades and proficiency levels. This training also provides additional criteria and resources that can be used in conjunction with reclassification Rubric 1 to help in decision-making.

    Please review the Reclassification, Monitoring and Re-designation of ELs guidance at www.education.pa.gov/englishlearners prior to completing this training.

    Act 48 Eligible:
    No

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