Understanding Students

Online Seminars for CTLE

Advanced Assessment Strategies (10 hours) - Participants will explore strategies to diversify and provide choice among assessments (including group/team assessments) that are aligned with outcomes and State Standards.

Enhancing Knowledge of Students (5 hours) - In this seminar, participants will explore student cognitive, social, and emotional developmental stages. The seminar also explores how to address gaps and avoid misconceptions about student development and capability. With a solid foundation in developmental patterns, participants will apply and evaluate strategies designed to engage their students with content.

Equitable Assessment: Implications for Instruction of English Learners (5 hours) - This online seminar will guide participants through understanding the critical role both formative and summative assessments play and exploring practical assessment strategies for validly measuring English learners’ knowledge in various content and grade-level classrooms.

Learning Expectations (5 hours) - Participants will explore when and how to make the purposes of their lessons or units clear, position those lessons around key concepts for broader learning, and link them to student interests. This seminar examines ways teachers can communicate to students the importance of what they are undertaking and clarify what they are learning.

Responsive Teaching: Basic (15 hours) - This seminar explores the essential foundation a teacher needs to accommodate student interests, explain outcomes, create activities, and design instruction to ensure engagement and success among all students in a flexible and responsive classroom. Participants will examine, implement, and reflect on the basics of lesson adjustment, teachable moments, and seek resources for students who need help.

Responsive Teaching: Intermediate (10 hours) - Participants will explore the teacher’s role in a classroom environment specifically designed to support self-directed student learning and teacher-student collaboration. This seminar examines the instructional flexibility teachers need to create a repertoire of alternate activities and strategies and have the ability to rapidly implement them.

Responsive Teaching: Advanced (10 hours) - Participants will examine when to make major or minor adjustments to a lesson/unit, opportunities for teachable moments that build on student interests, and persistent approaches for students who need help. More responsibility is passed along to students who can offer feedback about what is and isn’t working. Participants will become advocates for students, educating families, and forming effective partnerships with students, teachers, and other stakeholders.

SRP Seminar: Disability Awareness (3 hours) – This seminar introduces characteristics of disabilities and key information related to the education of students with disabilities. Participants will identify strategies to improve student learning and behavior specific to the students they support.

SRP Seminar: Poverty and Its Effect on Learning (3 hours) – This seminar explores the implications of poverty and socioeconomic issues on our students and examines the importance of building relationships and a sense of community within schools that effectively engage students.

SRP Seminar: Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) (3 hours) – This seminar addresses the associated features of ASD and how they may be presented in the educational setting along with evidence-based, proactive strategies for helping students with ASD succeed in schools.

Online and Remote Courses for Graduate Credit

Differentiated Instruction in Todays Schools (CURI 6517) - This course equips experienced and beginning K-12 educators with the essential skills to implement differentiated instruction (DI) successfully with students. A research-based instructional approach, DI provides educators with effective, manageable strategies for meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population within the context of today's challenging standards-based curriculum. Participants will gain expertise in understanding and implementing a broad range of strategies associated with the essential, distinguishing components of differentiated instruction. These components will be experienced in a highly interactive learning environment that models the differentiated instruction principles and processes.

Exceptionalities: Individualizing Learning (EDUC 6015) - This course provides an overview of theories and research about students with special needs and a range of exceptionalities, as well as issues and strategies in developing educational programs and adapting instruction to meet the needs of all students. Students develop awareness of and sensitivity to individual differences and learn how to individualize instruction in the context of their certification areas. Topics include: physical, emotional and learning disabilities; gifted and talented students; gifted and talented students and computers; individualizing instruction for all students; uses of assistive and adaptive technologies and computers to meet special needs; inclusion; and assessing behavior problems and planning, implementing, and evaluating interventions. Students complete at least 15 hours in a middle or high school classroom (appropriate to the certification area) working with a certified special education teacher to explore the application of what they are studying to a classroom setting.

Psychoeducational Assessment Practices and IEP Development and Implementation (SPED 6060) -This course focuses on special education processes, including screening, assessment, Individualized Education Program (IEP) development/ monitoring, and evaluation. Referral and assessment for special education eligibility, norm-referenced and teacher-developed assessments, legal and procedural issues in IEP development, and strategies for assessing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds will be included. The course will include discussion and practice of the components of effective assessment, including examination of evaluation procedures, from pre-referral intervention, eligibility/placement decision making to progress monitoring of scientifically-based instructional interventions based on Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Focus will include academic, affective, behavioral, work-study skill, adaptive functioning, and environmental measures. Students will also learn how to interpret and evaluate the psychometric properties of psychoeducational assessments as part of choosing valid and reliable assessment tools. Additional course topics will address emerging evaluation trends, test modifications/accommodations, parent involvement in the IEP process, and progress monitoring and reporting.

VESi-English Language Learner: Linguistics (EDV536) - This course will help teachers understand concepts and terms related to educating students whose first language is not English. The course discusses how to understand theoretical foundations of linguistics and how to apply the knowledge and skills in linguistics in ELL classrooms and content classrooms. have a better understanding of linguistics. This course will give you the knowledge and skills to create morphological trees and use the International Phonetic Alphabet. Students will receive the knowledge and skills to create morphological trees and use the International Phonetic Alphabet.

VESi-English Language Learner: Methods & Materials (EDV 534) - In this course you will learn concepts and terms related to educating students whose first language is not English. This course discusses how to apply instructional methods in creating lessons; how to create a motivating and caring learning environment; how to integrate teaching reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills; how to differentiate instruction for English language learners; and how to identify culturally appropriate curriculum and instructional resources.

VESi-Learning Disabilities: Practical Information for the Classroom Teacher (EDV 507) - This computer-based instruction (CBI) course will cover diverse theoretical approaches, lay the foundations for sensitive and appropriate assessment and evaluation of students, provide directions for program planning and implementation, indicate the importance of and the need for a close and positive partnership with parents (or alternative caregivers) and consider ways for ensuring that the home-school axis is effective and meaningful. This program will also consider some major trends and unresolved issues in the field of Learning Disabilities. Graduate level reading, writing, and research are required.

VESi-Talented & Gifted: Working with High Achievers (EDV 509) - This course provides information on the history of the exceptional in relation to education, current law, and accepted methods for referral, assessment, and identification of these students. The course also covers major program models and methods of differentiating instruction to meet the rate and level of learning of those students identified. The course gives you an understanding of ways to meet the affective needs of the gifted and talented student in the regular classroom. This course also lists resources for teachers and parents who would like more information about the talented and gifted. Graduate level reading, writing, and research are required.

In-Person and Virtual Synchronous Seminars

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Adjusting the Educational Image - This training provides up-to-date information on the clinical and associated features of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Attention will be given to how these features manifest themselves and present unique instructional and learning challenges within educational settings. (3 hours)

SRP: Cognitive Strategies and Engagement - The ultimate learning environment is rich in engagement. When the learner is engaged, they are fully immersed in the learning. This seminar delves into multiple strategies for educators to create that rich learning environment and motivate our 21st century students. With cognitive engagement the students do all the hard work of learning while the teacher is truly a facilitator (3 hours)

Collaborative Identification of English Learners with a Disability - Participants will examine the many facets of identifying English learners with special needs.  Federal regulations and New York’s CR Part 154-3 regulations will form the foundation of this session. Participants will analyze a case study and apply concepts and tools acquired throughout the course.  Enriching discussion will focus on the collaborative process of identifying ELs who have a disability.  (3 hours and 6 hours)

SRP and K-12 Practitioner: NEW! Creating Safer Spaces for LGBTQ Students - This seminar encourages discussions and provides a deeper awareness of the supports needed for LGBTQ Students to thrive. We will review national statistics from GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey, share resources and tools for creating an inclusive School environment, and focus on how educators can create classrooms free of bullying and harassment for LGBTQ students. (3 hours & 4 hours)

Differentiating Instruction - In this seminar, participants will explore the different purposes of questioning, classify questions according to purpose, and better understand Bloom’s Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. (1 hour)

Differentiated Instruction: Connecting With All Learners - This session raises awareness of research that supports instructional differentiation and examines the basic elements of two differentiation models. The seminar addresses the planning, teaching and learning aspects of differentiated instruction that all educators may experience. (3 hours)

Educating English Learners in Elementary Classrooms - This seminar, designed for elementary teachers, focuses on language acquisition and the challenges ELLs at different proficiency levels face in the mainstream classroom. Teachers will experience a variety of research-based strategies and modifications and learn how to apply them in lesson plans that foster the academic achievement of ELLs in their classes. (3 hours)

Engaging all Students: Focus on Poverty - Participants will explore factors that impact student engagement as discussed in Eric Jensen’s book Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind. Connections between economic status and student engagement will be generated. The rules and functions of engagement as well as strategies will be presented using a format that models the actual concepts throughout the seminar. The seminar ends with participants considering ways to implement these ideas in their daily practice. Required Text: Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen (3 hours)

Engaging the Disruptive Student - What can you do when you have students who disrupt the learning in your classroom? This seminar will discuss the many strategies to enhance personal effectiveness with disruptive students and get student learning back on track. (3 hours)

SRP: Engaging all Students: Focus on Poverty -  Participants will explore factors that impact student engagement as discussed in Eric Jensen’s book Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind. Connections between economic status and student engagement will be generated. The rules and functions of engagement as well as strategies will be presented using a format that models the actual concepts throughout the seminar. The seminar ends with participants considering ways to implement these ideas in their daily practice. (3 hours)

Guiding Struggling Readers - Becoming a competent reader and writer is essential for student success. The Balanced Literacy Approach begins with reading aloud and continues until students have developed the strategies to become independent readers. Along the way, those students who are struggling with reading must be guided. This seminar will identify the behaviors of struggling readers and suggest strategies needed to assist students in comprehending narrative and expository text. This program will discuss strategies to improve student literacy. Finally, how they can be implemented in classroom instruction to help struggling readers self-monitor their reading. (3 hours)

SRP: How SRPs Can Support Students with ADHD - The number of students in our classrooms diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other attention difficulties has increased dramatically. The symptoms can disrupt the child’s learning and affect their relationships with peers and adults. This seminar is designed to help the school-related professional achieve a better understanding of ADHD and provide intervention strategies to facilitate positive student behavior. (3 hours)

SRP and K-12 Practitioners: Inclusive Curriculum: Incorporating LGBTQ Topics into the Classroom - This seminar provides educators with GLSEN’s resources and LGBTQ-inclusive lessons that can be integrated into their existing curriculum. The goal of the seminar is to better understand the benefits of inclusive curriculum for all students and to provide awareness of tools and resources that align with current mandates yet enrich instruction for all students. (2 hours)

SRP seminar: Increasing Comprehension of ELLs for SRPs - This seminar will familiarize participants with who our English language learners are and the challenges that they face as they acquire a new language. Participants will have the opportunity to examine how critical culture is and its impact on an English learner’s identity as well as explore strategies for making information more comprehensible and accessible to ELLs. (3 hours)

SRP: I Think I Can I Know I Can: Motivating Students to Learn - This seminar analyzes why some students are not motivated to learn and how to increase the positive environment necessary for learning. Participants will discuss ideas, strategies and activities to increase engagement and motivation for students. The seminar will highlight the inner strengths, talents and abilities that you as an SRP possess. (3 hours)

Language Acquisition and Learning - How does language development affect learning? Through exposure to research literature and information on language acquisition theory, you will gain a deeper understanding of the intersection of language and learning. Educators will be guided to reflect on how language development affects instruction and learning in their own classrooms. (3 hours)

SRP and Teachers: Meet Individual Needs - Participants will discuss how to create a culture of learning, utilizing multiple methods to meet individual student needs. (1 hour)

K- 12 Practitioners: Poverty’s Effect on Students - This seminar examines the relationship between poverty, achievement and education. It engages educators in conversations about how they can effectively begin viewing their role as a crucial impetus for student learning in their classroom and school. (2 hours)

Planning Goals and Instructional Goal Setting - Participants will discuss how to create a culture of learning, utilizing multiple methods to meet individual student needs. (1 hour)

Self-Assessment for Student Learning - This seminar engages participants in discussing and exploring ways to engage students in self-assessment to be reflective of their experiences and foster a sense of student agency. (1 hour)

SIFE Success: Know Your Students and Strategies! - Help! I have a newcomer in my classroom! What should I do? Teachers can start by taking this foundational seminar on Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) students and spend time exploring characteristics of SIFE students to better serve their needs in the classroom. (3 hours)

Teaching for Clarity to Improve Student Achievement - Teaching with clarity allows the students to see the “big picture” of what and why of their learning, engaging students of poverty by fostering a strong academic environment and child well-being. The seminar will identify ways to integrate clarity in teacher practices. (3 hours)

SRP: The Way I See Things: Supporting Students with Autism - Ending the achievement gap between students with and without disabilities requires addressing the essential factors that can influence their success. This three-hour training provides up-to-date information on the clinical and associated features of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Attention will be given to how these features manifest themselves and present unique instructional and learning challenges within educational settings. The seminar provides evidence based, pro-active strategies for helping children and adolescents with ASDs succeed in schools today. (3 hours)

Understanding and Supporting Students with Autism in Schools - This is a three-hour seminar designed to support educators (teachers, TAs, aides, etc.) who work with students with autism. Participants will explore how the classroom and school environment can impact students with autism and strategies to make changes to provide a more supportive environment. Organizational, academic and self-management strategies will be shared through videos and activities. Come learn and develop your skills to help make your classroom a welcoming and supportive environment for students with autism. (3 hours)

Understanding English Language Learners - As a teacher, what can you do with students in your class who are learning English? How can you help them succeed? This seminar focuses on understanding the stages of verbal acquisition and identifying variables that influence the language acquisition process for ELLs. Strategies that have been shown to successfully engage ELLs are examined and instructional and assessment accommodations are demonstrated. (3 hours)

SRP: We Are All Intelligent: We Just Learn Differently - This seminar is based upon Howard Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” Participants will examine facts and myths about intelligence; understand the characteristics of each of Gardner’s eight intelligences; and identify and create multiple strategies for use in the classroom as well as other work settings. (3 hours)

Working with Economically Disadvantaged Students - This seminar provides an overview of how to engage students dealing with poverty. Strategies are embedded in the seminar to assist educators in the classroom. The training will encourage participants to participate in authentic conversations and activities that will assist in understanding how to effectively work with students living in poverty. (3 hours)