Course Catalog

Course Overview

This interactive virtual learning session explores how artificial intelligence can transform mathematics instruction. Designed for educators across grade levels, this session focuses on practical, classroom-ready strategies to leverage AI tools for high-quality math pedagogy. Participants will discover how to enhance student engagement, differentiate learning, foster mathematical discourse, and streamline daily lesson planning—all while maintaining instructional rigor and ethical AI practices. You will leave with actionable ideas, ready-to-use sample prompts, and real-world strategies you can apply immediately in your classroom.

Key Outcomes

• Design Engaging Math Tasks: Leverage AI platforms to generate rich, real-world problem-solving scenarios and spiraled review activities.
• Differentiate Instruction Efficiently: Adapt lessons and create targeted supports to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
• Streamline Assessment & Planning: Quickly develop formative assessments, extension activities, and tailored prompts to save valuable planning time.
• Promote Student Reasoning: Use AI-driven strategies to facilitate deeper mathematical discourse and critical thinking in the classroom.
• Apply AI Ethically & Responsibly: Integrate AI tools into daily practice with a strong focus on instructional integrity and digital responsibility.

Course Details

Course Overview

Level up your district’s attendance strategy in this fast-paced opening session. Moving beyond basic compliance, this forum helps teams build a practical roadmap for improved student presence. Participants will review essential "must-haves"—including State Model Guides, Board-approved policies, and Dashboard data—before diving into the daily logistics that matter most. You will leave with a clear action plan to drive attendance, manage missed work, and bridge the gap between simply tracking attendance and fostering true student engagement.

Note: The session will conclude with a collaborative discussion to help shape the topics and priorities for future forum dates.

Key Outcomes

• Align Policy to Practice: Review and align your current Board-Approved Attendance Policy with state guidelines and daily operations.

• Build Effective Systems: Organize structured Attendance Teams and establish streamlined, efficient documentation processes.

• Develop Practical Solutions: Brainstorm meaningful consequences and create actionable plans for managing students' missed work.

• Drive Student Engagement: Shift your district's focus from basic attendance tracking to fostering authentic, ongoing student connection to the classroom.

Course Details

Course Overview

Explore the impact of intentional instructional partnerships in this interactive 60-minute professional learning session focused on effective co-teaching practices and collaborative lesson design. Participants will engage in modeled co-teaching experiences while examining the foundational structures, communication strategies, and planning processes that support successful implementation across all grade bands. Designed for both new and experienced educators, this session offers two differentiated pathways—a Foundations Track for mastering the six core co-teaching models and an Advanced Practice Lab for strategic, data-informed lesson design. Both pathways culminate in a hands-on exploration of AI-supported planning strategies, empowering co-teaching teams to streamline collaboration, create targeted differentiations, and maximize student learning outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• Apply Core Co-Teaching Frameworks: Evaluate and implement the six co-teaching models, moving intentionally beyond "One Teach, One Assist" toward balanced instructional partnerships.

• Design Data-Informed Collaborative Lessons: Analyze student data, scheduling constraints, and learning goals to select and adapt the most effective co-teaching approach for your classroom.

• Streamline Planning with AI Tools: Leverage AI technology to generate differentiated instructional materials, station activities, and parallel teaching tasks in a fraction of the time.

• Enhance Team Communication: Utilize structured communication tools and collaborative planning processes to strengthen co-teaching roles and classroom execution.

Course Details

Course Overview

Designed for aspiring and emerging school leaders, this virtual leadership series supports educators who are preparing to take the next step in their professional journey. Engage in a structured, interactive learning experience focused on developing the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to transition into expanded educational leadership roles. Explore key competencies—such as strategic thinking, effective communication, systems-level leadership, and facilitating adult learning—while receiving actionable guidance on goal setting, networking, interview preparation, and articulating a personal leadership vision. Combining practical tools with reflective practice, this program empowers educators to clarify their career goals and step confidently into future leadership positions.

Key Outcomes

• Develop Core Competencies: Master critical leadership skills, including strategic thinking, systems-level planning, and clear communication.

• Lead Adult Learning: Cultivate strategies to effectively facilitate, mentor, and guide adult learners within school systems.

• Navigate the Leadership Pathway: Build a personalized career plan incorporating clear goal setting, professional networking, and targeted interview preparation.

• Articulate a Leadership Vision: Define personal strengths and convey a compelling vision for positive educational impact and advancement.

Course Details

Course Overview

With Ohio’s legislative expansion of the Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan (RIMP) through Grade 7, secondary educators must navigate new complexities in literacy monitoring. This half-day intensive session empowers middle school teams to refine their approach to RIMPs by shifting focus from foundational "learning to read" interventions to advanced "reading to learn" strategies. Participants will analyze diagnostic data to pinpoint targeted adolescent literacy deficits—including multisyllabic decoding, academic vocabulary, and complex comprehension—and construct actionable, standards-aligned intervention goals that drive student growth.

Key Outcomes

• Bridge Grade-Level Transitions: Implement instructional approaches that support students as they move seamlessly from foundational reading to advanced content comprehension.

• Apply Updated RIMP Guidelines: Navigate Ohio’s expanded legislative requirements for middle grade literacy monitoring.

• Shift Instructional Strategies: Transition literacy support from basic decoding to advanced "reading to learn" methods suited for adolescent learners.

• Target Literacy Deficits: Utilize diagnostic data to isolate specific challenges in multisyllabic decoding, academic vocabulary, and complex comprehension.

• Construct Actionable Goals: Design measurable, standards-aligned intervention plans that accelerate student academic progress.

Course Details

Course Overview

Unlock the full potential of your high-ability learners regardless of what subject or grade level you teach! Join us for a hands-on, multi-session workshop series on Curriculum Compacting—a high-impact instructional strategy designed to streamline learning for advanced students. Through five live Zoom meetings and supported classroom implementation, you will learn how to identify students who have already mastered core content, eliminate redundant coursework, and replace it with engaging enrichment activities that truly challenge them. Participants can earn up to 9 gifted professional development hours by combining live session time with applied, independent classroom practice.

Key Outcomes

• Identify Student Mastery: Assess and determine which students have already met grade-level standards prior to instruction.

• Eliminate Redundant Instruction: Efficiently streamline and compact existing curricula to make room for deeper learning opportunities.

• Design High-Impact Enrichment: Develop challenging, high-interest extension activities that foster critical thinking and advanced skill growth.

• Implement in Real-Time: Apply compacting strategies directly within your classroom between sessions and reflect on outcomes alongside peers.

Course Details

Course Overview

This practical, high-impact learning session is designed to help educators challenge and support advanced thinkers in the mathematics classroom without increasing teacher workload. Whether students are formally identified as gifted or simply ready for a greater challenge, this course equips teachers with the strategies needed to shift from assigning "more work" to fostering "deeper thinking." Participants will engage in hands-on practice with the "High-Floor, High-Ceiling" task design framework, learn to leverage Artificial Intelligence for rapid task differentiation, and utilize Ohio's iMTSS (Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports) framework to remove learning ceilings and maximize mathematical growth for every student.

Key Outcomes

• Design High-Floor, High-Ceiling Tasks: Create low-barrier, open-ended math tasks that provide accessible entry points while offering limitless extensions for advanced problem solvers.

• Leverage AI for Differentiation: Utilize artificial intelligence tools to quickly generate, adapt, and scale mathematically rigorous extensions tailored to diverse learner needs.

• Align with Ohio’s iMTSS Framework: Integrate Ohio’s Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports to structure advanced tier-one and tier-two math instruction that seamlessly accommodates high-achieving students.

• Shift from Quantity to Depth: Transition classroom practices away from traditional procedural worksheets toward rich tasks that emphasize conceptual understanding, reasoning, and critical thinking.

Course Details

Course Overview

In this intensive 4-part series, educators will explore the powerful intersection of The Writing Revolution (TWR) framework and instructional AI. Designed specifically for teachers of Grade 3 and above, the course centers on the "Sentence-to-Composition" philosophy to help students move beyond the struggle of the blank page. Participants will learn to leverage AI as a dynamic scaffolding tool—rather than a ghostwriter—to support students in mastering foundational writing skills and developing deep content knowledge.

Key Outcomes

• Apply TWR Principles: Integrate the "Sentence-to-Composition" philosophy across content areas to build robust foundational writing skills.

• Leverage AI as a Scaffold: Utilize generative AI tools to create targeted writing scaffolds, prompts, and feedback loops for students.

• Overcome the Blank Page: Implement practical strategies that reduce student writing anxiety and foster structured composition.

• Design AI-Enhanced Instruction: Craft balanced writing lessons where technology supports—rather than replaces—student critical thinking.

Course Details

Course Overview

Join the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve for the Visual Arts Network, a dynamic, no-cost professional network designed to bring together a community of passionate art educators eager to share ideas, explore new instructional approaches, and strengthen arts education across our region. This engaging session features a special collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art, whose team will highlight valuable museum resources and facilitate strategies for fostering deeper art appreciation in today's classrooms. Participants will exchange creative design strategies, collaborate with peers, and dive into critical ongoing conversations regarding the integration and impact of AI in art education. An optional afternoon work session (12:00 PM – 3:00 PM) is available for those looking to collaborate, lesson plan, or work on projects alongside fellow creative professionals.

Key Outcomes

• Leverage Museum Resources: Integrate specialized resources, digital tools, and educational offerings from the Cleveland Museum of Art to elevate classroom instruction and student engagement.

• Navigate AI in Art Education: Evaluate the role of artificial intelligence and emerging digital technologies in shaping modern artistic expression, creativity, and curriculum design.

• Implement Design & Appreciation Strategies: Apply fresh instructional techniques that foster critical thinking, creativity, and a deeper appreciation for the visual arts among students.

• Collaborate Across Networks: Share best practices, exchange lesson ideas, and build supportive professional connections with regional art educators during guided discussions and dedicated studio/planning time.

Course Details

Course Overview

Have you heard of depth and complexity and wondered how to seamlessly integrate it into your teaching? Join us for an engaging virtual book study centered on Gifted Guild's Guide to Depth and Complexity: Finding Your Way Through the Framework by Ian Byrd and Lisa Van Gemert. Designed for both beginners and experienced educators, this collaborative series offers a flexible pathway to elevate critical thinking in your classroom. Beginners will explore foundational concepts through independent reading and discussion, while returning readers can focus on applying the prompts directly to their instruction. Participants can earn up to 9 gifted professional development hours by combining live Zoom discussions with independent reading or applied classroom practice.

Key Outcomes

• Understand Core Frameworks: Analyze the key prompts of depth and complexity to cultivate high-level thinking among diverse learners.

• Integrate Advanced Concepts: Differentiate learning activities by embedding depth and complexity tools into existing curricula.

• Reflect and Collaborate: Share practical implementation experiences and pedagogical insights with peers during virtual discussions.

• Enhance Instructional Design: Develop and refine classroom resources that challenge students to engage with content at deeper levels.

Course Details

Course Overview

In the middle grades, the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" serves as a critical, rigorous academic bridge. This session provides an intensive, "under-the-hood" examination of Ohio’s Learning Standards for English Language Arts for grades 6 through 8. Moving beyond a high-level overview, participants will engage in a technical unpacking of the standards to identify precise shifts in cognitive demand, text complexity, and writing expectations that define the middle school experience and support student achievement.

Key Outcomes

• Unpack Core Standards: Perform a technical analysis of Ohio’s 6–8 ELA standards to pinpoint specific learning targets and skill progressions.

• Analyze Cognitive Demand: Identify key shifts in rigor and text complexity required for effective middle school literacy instruction.

• Align Writing Expectations: Map secondary writing requirements to classroom practices that foster clear, evidence-based student writing.

• Bridge Grade-Level Transitions: Implement instructional approaches that support students as they move seamlessly from foundational reading to advanced content comprehension.

Course Details

Course Overview

Designed for aspiring and emerging school leaders, this virtual leadership series supports educators who are preparing to take the next step in their professional journey. Engage in a structured, interactive learning experience focused on developing the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to transition into expanded educational leadership roles. Explore key competencies—such as strategic thinking, effective communication, systems-level leadership, and facilitating adult learning—while receiving actionable guidance on goal setting, networking, interview preparation, and articulating a personal leadership vision. Combining practical tools with reflective practice, this program empowers educators to clarify their career goals and step confidently into future leadership positions.

Key Outcomes

• Develop Core Instructional Practices: Apply proven methods in lesson planning, classroom management, communication, and assessment to create positive learning environments.

• Design Differentiated Instruction: Utilize student data and assessment results to tailor instructional strategies and lesson plans to diverse learner needs.

• Engage in Collaborative Planning: Leverage dedicated afternoon work sessions alongside mentors and peers to develop immediate, actionable classroom resources.

• Build Sustainable Teaching Habits: Develop foundational professional practices and problem-solving strategies to confidently navigate the early years of teaching.

Course Details