A school PD Series for educators and staff that offers: 

• Overview of the NPS English Learner Education Program 
• Training for educators who have Former English Learners in FY 22/23 and need to complete their mandated monitoring forms electronically through Ellevation 
• Sheltered Content Instructional Strategies & SEI Smart card for educators 
• Discussion about schools’ ELs, curriculum benchmark assessments for ELs, family engagement, multilingual communication supports, and any other topics raised by attendees
• Any related topics you would like to discuss ! 

All attendees will receive; 

• First edition of the NPS English Learner Education Handbook
• SEI Smart Card Resource 
• Ellevation Software – FEL monitoring training packet 
• ELE PDP’s for licensure renewal (electronically through Frontline) Please check Frontline in June 2023 to claim your PDPs, if participating!

Please contact Lauren Barry for details. lbarry@northampton-k12.us

The Hitchcock Center is in its second year of partnering with NPS K-3 teachers in offering this exciting, standards-based science program which takes students outdoors and teaches students to think critically about our environment through an animal assigned to each grade level! Read about it HERE. In a November 1.5 hour workshop (Nov 14 or 15), teachers will grow their toolbox of management skills in an outdoor setting. Without the four walls of the classroom, teaching and learning can look very different. We will address the obstacles to learning outdoors, learn strategies of how to keep students safe and comfortable while benefiting from all the sensory richness that nature has to offer, play science games and move like animals. This is an active outdoor workshop so please come prepared to move and sit outdoors. This workshop is funded by the Northampton Education Foundation.

District Improvement Plan Goal#3: Provide instruction and curriculum that empowers all students to explore who they are, to embrace and honor the world around them, to identify and think critially about the messages they receive, and to be powerful contributors to change.

This PD aligns with the DIP Goals and is eligible for PDPs. Please visit Frontline in June 2023 to claim your PDPs if you are participating!

AdaptiveX is a Professional Development and Software company specifically committed to creating equitable outcomes and improving the lives of students through Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning. To us, Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning means helping teachers recognize their own biases, while also arming them with research-based practices in order to appropriately respond to student needs. Our roster of highly trained educational professionals is uniquely qualified to provide high quality, research-based professional development to teachers and school leaders using a mixture of in-person and web-based training, virtual coaching, and unique assessments. Watch a video on how teachers are trained in culturally responsive practices by clicking HERE

This year teachers at the NPS High School and JFK Middle School have the opportunity to be part of this exciting professional development opportunity which is a continuation of the work started last year. Teachers will meet for 2 full days and also afterschool once a month (paid at the ontractual rate) to read articles, learn about culturally responsive teaching practices, and to help to develop observation and teaching tools that can be used in coaching, mentoring, and to self-reflect.

If you are a high school teacher, middle schoool teacher, or ETS and would like to participate please contact the following building based leads:

District Improvement Plan Goal#1: Strengthen and sustain professional growth opportunities and collaboration for district employees with a focus on equity and anti-bias work in order to increase student engagement and mastery of content area standards (i.e. learning goals).

This PD aligns with the DIP Goals and PDPs will be available to participants in June 2023 through Frontline.  Any secondary NPS teacher or ESP who is interested in attending can contact the following leads to learn more and sign up:

NHS- mharrison@northampton-k12.us

JFK- sbuchanan@northampton-k12.us

NESPEN is a project that creates Communities of Practice (CoPs) for Educational Support Professionals (ESPs) from Northampton Public Schools.  The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) will facilitate sessions.  Northampton Public Schools will award PDPs as described below for all para educators who complete all scheduled sessions.

• 15 PDPs for the year awarded by Northampton Public Schools to ESPs who complete all scheduled sessions.
• Session length:  2 hours total (30 minutes asynchronous preview of resources; 90 minutes synchronous in person if possible) 
• Session dates:
  • October 19, 2022 (half day)
  • December 7, 2022 (half day)
  • January 27, 2023 (full day–2 sessions total)
  • February 8, 2023 (half day)
  • March 17, 2023 (half day)
  • May 10, 2023 (half day)
• Groupings:  4 groups total.  1 facilitator for each group.  Sessions will be in-person if possible for all involved (e.g. facilitators, participants and the district).
  • Elementary–2 groups
    • First session will be together to identify topics for the year.  
    • Subsequent sessions will be separate in order to keep the groups smaller
    • ESPs will choose which group they want to join based on topics identified during the first session.
  • JFK Middle- TBD
  • Northampton High School– TBD

This PD aligns with the DIP Goals and is eligible for PDPs. Please visit Frontline in June 2023 to claim your PDPs if you are participating!

District Improvement Plan Goal#2: Strengthen and sustain professional growth opportunities and collaboration for district employees with a focus on equity and anti-bias work in order to increase student engagement and mastery of content area standards (i.e. learning goals).

The Center for Teacher Education and Research (CENTER) at Westfield State University and  Northampton Public Schools have a partnership.

All Northampton teachers and administrators, including support staff (school social workers, school  psychologists, school nurses, school counselors), may take any of the following courses at no cost from each month through June, 2023: 

• SEI: ‘Understanding Academic Language to Improve Content Area Instruction for ELLs’  (differentiated by content area)

Course Description:  

This 15 hour self-paced online PD course will provide in-service teachers with the subject matter  knowledge, professional standards, skills, and dispositions essential to effectively shelter their content  instruction to ensure English language learners (ELLs) in their classrooms will successfully access  curriculum and achieve academic success in the area of academic vocabulary. Teachers will learn about  theories and experience evidence-based instructional practices, protocols, methods, and strategies to  develop academic vocabulary. Teachers will have opportunities to practice specific modeled  instructional strategies for teaching identified features of academic language in different disciplines  (math, science, social studies, and ELA) while promoting language development in all language domains  (reading, speaking, listening, writing) in ways appropriate for ELL students at different language  proficiency levels. Teachers will take into account the English Language Development (ELD) World Class  Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) standards and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework,  which incorporates the CCSS (Pre K-12), when creating lesson plans. They will use the Teacher  Endorsement Lesson Plan Template, approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and  Secondary Education, to create mini-lessons focused on integrating academic vocabulary for the target  grade level/content area. 

NPS professional educators may only register for one Westfield State PD course per month. NPS professional  educators must register electronically in order to have access for one self-paced online PD course on  the first of the month through the last day of the month. 

• Here is the registration link to self-register: 

https://forms.gle/rCXRU974rNLq8g618 

 The WSU will use NPS professional educators’ school email address to provide access to the course.

• Electronic registration forms must be received by the 20th of the month preceding the desired month start date to assure enrollment.  
• On the first of the month, WSU will send an email to each registered professional educator with log-in information: link to course platform, username, and password for the registered course.  If this email is not received by 3:00 pm on the first of the month, check spam and if not in spam,  email Dr. Olsen, molsen@westfield.ma.edu who will have email resent. 
• Professional educators will have one month to successfully complete the self-paced online  course. 
  • The CENTER will provide Professional Development Points and certificates for successful  completion of each online course. Dr. Olsen  is the person to contact.  molsen@westfield.ma.edu

District Improvement Plan Goal#2: Strengthen and sustain professional growth opportunities and collaboration for district employees with a focus on equity and anti-bias work in order to increase student engagement and mastery of content area standards (i.e. learning goals).

The Center for Teacher Education and Research (CENTER) at Westfield State University and  Northampton Public Schools have a partnership.

All Northampton teachers and administrators, including support staff (school social workers, school  psychologists, school nurses, school counselors), may take any of the following courses at no cost from each month through June, 2023: 

1st Course Description:
The purpose of this 15 hour self-paced online PD course is to present evidence-based classroom strategies for modifying instruction and behavior management to meet the unique learning needs of students with disabilities. Readings, reflective discussions, module content, and online activities will describe specific teaching strategies to facilitate and support student progress. Utilizing a case study approach course participants will develop an Instructional Strategy Plan for at least one student with a mild or moderate disability. These action plans will spell out in detail specific instructional strategies matched to annual goals in a student’s Individual Education Plan. The following teaching priorities will be addressed: student learning style, discipline, classroom routines, classroom organization,
test taking procedures, and general/special education collaboration. The components of the Instructional Strategy Plan will include description of student strength and weakness, instructional/behavioral interventions, classroom accommodations/modifications, data collection method, and evaluation timeline

2nd Edition Course Description:
This 2nd edition 15 hour self-paced online PD course is created for those individuals who successfully completed the original ‘Instructional Strategies for the Exceptional Learner’ self-paced online course. However, successful completion of the original course is not required to take this 2nd edition. The purpose of this 2nd edition course is to extend the knowledge, skills, and strategies of this original course by continuing to present evidence-based classroom strategies for modifying instruction and behavior management to meet them unique learning needs of students with disabilities. Readings, module content, and online activities will describe specific teaching strategies to facilitate and support student progress. The first module consists of the History of Disability and the Law, aiming to give individuals the knowledge base to answer some of the why’s of special education. The second module is based on broadening the individual’s scope of understanding of accessibility and Universal Design for Learning along with accommodations and modifications. Modules 3 and 4 contain at least one material related to one of the 13 disabilities identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These materials were selected for specific reasons – knowledge, perspective sharing, and information about supports and strategies to increase the success of your students. Specific instructional strategies matched to annual goals in a student’s Individual Education Plan will be addressed: including modifications to classroom routines and organization, accommodations, general/special education collaboration, and behavior interventions.

NPS professional educators may only register for one Westfield State PD course per month. NPS professional  educators must register electronically in order to have access for one self-paced online PD course on  the first of the month through the last day of the month. 

• Here is the registration link to self-register: 

https://forms.gle/rCXRU974rNLq8g618 

The WSU will use NPS professional educators’ school email address to provide access to the course.

• Electronic registration forms must be received by the 20th of the month preceding the desired month start date to assure enrollment.
• On the first of the month, WSU will send an email to each registered professional educator with log-in information: link to course platform, username, and password for the registered course.  If this email is not received by 3:00 pm on the first of the month, check spam and if not in spam,  email Dr. Olsen, molsen@westfield.ma.edu who will have email resent.
• Professional educators will have one month to successfully complete the self-paced online  course.
  • The CENTER will provide Professional Development Points and certificates for successful  completion of each online course. Dr. Olsen  is the person to contact.  molsen@westfield.ma.edu

District Improvement Plan Goal#4: Address the current inequity of educational resources through a data-driven framework of strategies that provide equitable outcomes for students.

The Center for Teacher Education and Research (CENTER) at Westfield State University and  Northampton Public Schools have a partnership.

All Northampton teachers and administrators, including support staff (school social workers, school  psychologists, school nurses, school counselors), may take any of the following courses at no cost from each month through June, 2023: 

• Using Technology to Support ELLs in SEI and ESL/ELD Classrooms

Course Description:  

This 15 hour self-paced online PD course will provide in-service teachers with the subject matter  knowledge, professional standards, skills and dispositions essential to effectively shelter their content  instruction through the effective use of technology to ensure English language learners (ELLs) in their  classrooms will successfully access curriculum and achieve academic success. Teachers will learn about  theories and experience evidence-based instructional practices, protocols, methods and strategies to  support students in the application of the MA ELA standards using technology as a scaffold and as a  means of demonstrating content area knowledge. Teachers will have opportunities to practice specific  modeled instructional strategies and technology applications for teaching English Language Learners  while promoting language development in all language domains (reading, speaking, listening, writing) in  ways appropriate for ELL students at different language proficiency levels. Teachers will take into  account Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the English Language Development (ELD) World Class  Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) standards and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework,  which incorporates the CCSS (PreK-12), when creating and/or revising lesson plans. They will use the  Teacher Endorsement Lesson Plan Template, approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary  and Secondary Education, to create mini-lessons focused on integrating technology for the target grade  level/content area. Courses are offered each month and begin on the first of the month. 

NPS professional educators may only register for one Westfield State PD course per month. NPS professional  educators must register electronically in order to have access for one self-paced online PD course on  the first of the month through the last day of the month. 

• Here is the registration link to self-register: 

https://forms.gle/rCXRU974rNLq8g618 

 The WSU will use NPS professional educators’ school email address to provide access to the course.

• Electronic registration forms must be received by the 20th of the month preceding the desired month start date to assure enrollment.  
• On the first of the month, WSU will send an email to each registered professional educator with log-in information: link to course platform, username, and password for the registered course.  If this email is not received by 3:00 pm on the first of the month, check spam and if not in spam,  email Dr. Olsen, molsen@westfield.ma.edu who will have email resent. 
• Professional educators will have one month to successfully complete the self-paced online  course. 
  • The CENTER will provide Professional Development Points and certificates for successful  completion of each online course. Dr. Olsen  is the person to contact.  molsen@westfield.ma.edu

District Improvement Plan Goal#4: Address the current inequity of educational resources through a data-driven framework of strategies that provide equitable outcomes for students.

The Center for Teacher Education and Research (CENTER) at Westfield State University and  Northampton Public Schools have a partnership.

All Northampton teachers and administrators, including support staff (school social workers, school  psychologists, school nurses, school counselors), may take any of the following courses at no cost from each month through June, 2023: 

• Understanding Diversity and Cultural Competency for ELL Students in Schools

Course Description:  

This 15 hour self-paced online PD course is intended to satisfy the 15 SEI EE PDPs needed for license renewal for professional educators without teaching responsibilities, i.e., school nurses, school social workers, school librarians, school counselors. It will present an overview of regulations, terminology, diversity and cultural competency, along with strategies for teaching and working with ELLs.

NPS professional educators may only register for one Westfield State PD course per month. NPS professional  educators must register electronically in order to have access for one self-paced online PD course on  the first of the month through the last day of the month. 

• Here is the registration link to self-register: 

https://forms.gle/rCXRU974rNLq8g618 

 The WSU will use NPS professional educators’ school email address to provide access to the course.

• Electronic registration forms must be received by the 20th of the month preceding the desired month start date to assure enrollment.  
• On the first of the month, WSU will send an email to each registered professional educator with log-in information: link to course platform, username, and password for the registered course.  If this email is not received by 3:00 pm on the first of the month, check spam and if not in spam,  email Dr. Olsen, molsen@westfield.ma.edu who will have email resent. 
• Professional educators will have one month to successfully complete the self-paced online  course. 
  • The CENTER will provide Professional Development Points and certificates for successful  completion of each online course. Dr. Olsen  is the person to contact.  molsen@westfield.ma.edu

District Improvement Plan Goal#1: Empower and engage caregivers and the community through classroom, school, and district collaboration that is culturally responsive and values anti-bias/ anti-racist practices.

About Add+VantageMR® Courses

These professional development courses focus on early numeracy development. Add+VantageMR® (AVMR) supports elementary educators, special education instructors, math interventionists, and math coaches in diagnosing and advancing student understanding and numeracy development. The assessment, data collection, and teaching tools are designed to accelerate the ability of educators to recognize students’ current levels of numeracy understanding to make data-driven instructional decisions. During these professional learning courses, participants will be actively involved in rich discussions around students’ mathematical thinking. Participants leave the course ready to work with students and implement new knowledge in their teaching practices to meet the needs of a diverse range of students.

• Add+VantageMR® Course 1 (AVMR 1): Foundational learning of whole number topics such as number words and numerals, structuring numbers, addition and subtraction, and topics that affect the development of future mathematical understanding. The topics and domains covered often appear later on as holes in understanding for older struggling students.
• Add+VantageMR® Course 2 (AVMR 2): Expand and deepen knowledge and understanding of mathematical development for all students by implementing diagnostic assessments for multiplication and division and place value understanding.
• Add+VantageMR® Fractions (AVMR Fractions): Explore how students develop concepts and strategies with fractions to support algebraic reasoning and applying operations.

Fractions training is being conducted at JFK this year and Diana Smith, our in-district Fractions trainer, will contact you if you are asked to participate. AVMR and AVMR 1 & 2 training will be provided to selected elementary teachers by Diana Smith and Susan Buchanan and you will be contacted if asked to participate this year. Participation will happen during the school day, with sub-coverage, and is manditory; the district is working to fully implement AVMR. PDPs can be claimed on FRONTLINE in June 2023.

AVMR website

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is an innovative discussion-based art-looking practice that fosters collaborative, community-building dialogue amongst students of all ages. The methodology, which builds critical thinking skills, is popular amongst PreK-12 teachers across all subjects in both general and special education. You can learn more about VTS here.

Last year, NEF funded a year-long project at Leeds. This year, through a two-day, paid workshop, preK-12 NPS educators throughout the district will learn to facilitate Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) discussions in their classrooms. VTS is an innovative discussion-based art-looking practice that fosters collaborative, community-building dialogue amongst learners of all ages. We will examine the theoretical underpinnings of the approach and practice facilitating. Participants will also consider how VTS teaches about more than art, helping students to build critical thinking, communication, and literacy skills.

Upon successful completion of the VTS training this fall, participants will be eligible for PDPs awarded through the museum and two in-class coaching sessions with me, a certified VTS coach. All participants will be paid $30/hour for training time (through this outside grant- not through NPS). We have space for 15 NPS participants in the workshop, preferably including some educators from all six schools in the district. If necessary, we will employ a lottery system to determine enrollment. Please email your interest (by October 1, 2022) to: saralasseryau@gmail.com to be considered for the lottery. You will be notified either way, by mid-October.

Unwind Your Mind Workshop

Please join us in a new program called Unwind Your Mind. This is an exciting opportunity to connect and share through inspiring and reflective mindfulness activities, and practice gentle yoga, generously funded by the NEF and FREE to YOU, led by Trish Armstrong (of NHS) and Michelle Eastman (of JFK). Workshop activities and assignments will come from Onward readings and Mindful Moments curriculum.  PDPs (1 per hour attended) will be awarded for attending the workshop offerings. Please claim your PDPs in FRONTLINE in June 2023.

2022/2023 school year offerings include:

(1) Two (FALL and SPRING) 6-week Unwind Your Mind Workshops for NPS faculty and staff

Fall 2022 dates: 10/13, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 12/1, & 12/8 from 3:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m.

Spring 2023 dates: TBD

AND optional (separate from the workshop offerings):

(2) Gentle yoga with Michelle at JFK – once per month in Jan., Feb., & March  TBD

(3) Gentle yoga with Trish at NHS – once per month in Jan., Feb., & March  TBD

***Space is limited ~ Hold your space today!!! ~ Please sign up by October 7th for the fall workshop***

We hope to see YOU! If interested, please fill out this form by October 7th. Any questions, please email us:

tarmstrong@northampton-k12.us

meastman@northampton-k12.us

Quotes from former group members:

“I loved the book we read in the Onward book group. It had so many great ideas that resonated with me. It was nice to get to know other educators in the district and I got some ideas that have stuck with me to help with managing my own stress and to help my students.

I appreciated the opportunity to do a quiet yoga/mindfulness class once a month after school with Michelle. She is such a calming teacher, and I appreciated the chance to have a safe place to relax and destress at the end of the work week.”

“As a teacher who can feel overwhelmed and overrun at times, the Onward book group provided a comfortable space to connect with other educators and learn from the expert words of the book Onward. I have since recommended this book to friends and have referenced it’s ideas about mindfulness, self-care, and other wisdom throughout this year. It has helped make a challenging year feel more manageable, and it’s helpful to hear from other teachers in the same position. Michelle leads a calm and thoughtful class and I highly recommend this class to any teacher.”

Self–Evident Education will work with Northampton Public Schools‘ fifth grade classroom teachers to effectively access and implement the SEE library of multimedia resources and follow up curriculum. SEE’s resources are designed to help educators and students examine the histories and legacies of systemic racism and use an understanding of the past to envision and move towards a just future. 

During our work together, we will examine all of the SEE resources and work together to be intentional about which resources work in the fifth grade classroom in terms of appropriateness of the content and alignment with the MA SS frameworks. 

• SEE will conduct three workshops (1.5 hours each) with Northampton Public School fifth grade teachers

■ first workshop will be 11/28/2022 

■ second workshop, date TBD

■ third workshop, date TBD

• SEE will provide four “office hours” and email availability 
• Guest teaching: 

Self–Evident team members will visit all fifth grade classrooms at NPS schools over the course of four days (scheduled with teachers) to guest teach and demonstrate the utility of the S.E.E resource library (shortly after the first workshop session)

District Improvement Plan Goal#1: Strengthen and sustain professional growth opportunities and collaboration for district employees with a focus on equity and anti-bias work in order to increase student engagement and mastery of content area standards (i.e. learning goals).

This PD aligns with the DIP Goals and PDPs will be available to participants in June 2023 through Frontline.