Science and engineering practices (SEPs), crosscutting concepts (CCCs), and  disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) — most teachers know these three dimensions by name, but weaving them together into a single coherent learning experience is a different skill entirely. In this session, teachers will examine real instructional tasks and assessments to see what three-dimensional learning actually looks like in action, then practice identifying (and strengthening) the three dimensions within their own instructional materials.

You’ll leave with practical tools for spotting where a task is missing a dimension, strategies for integrating all three more intentionally, and time to revise an upcoming lesson with colleagues from across the region.

Note: This is the second session of a four-session series running throughout the year. Sessions may be attended individually or as a full series — choose what works best for you!

6 Hours of PD/EILA credit 

Contact:  holly.lawrence@ckec.org

The goal of the Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar is to develop the collective identity and capacity of organization members as collaborators and inquirers. School-wide improvements in student learning accrue in schools whose work cultures are collaborative. In such cultures, professionals learn to talk about the hard-to-talk-about details of learning, teaching, assessment and the cumulative effects of their work with students. The Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar presents a productive, practical set of ideas and tools for developing collaborative groups in becoming effective and better equipped to resolve complex issues around student learning. The work of the Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar is to develop the resources and capacities of the organization and of individuals to cohesively respond to the changing needs of students and society.

NOTE: a PO Number is required to register.

 

EILA will be applied for each day.

Contact:  mark.helton@ckec.org

In this 1-day workshop participants will learn how to establish and sustain comprehensive school safety efforts that attend to both physical and psychological safety. The workshop addresses critical components needed to develop, exercise, and evaluate safety and crisis teams and plans and conduct building vulnerability assessments. The model also integrates school personnel and community provider roles in providing school-based crisis preparedness and response activities. Additional topics addressed also include media/social media, communication, reunification, students with special needs, culture, and memorials. After this workshop, participants will be better prepared to improve their school’s climate, student resilience, and crisis response capabilities of school personnel. With updated research and strategies, this workshop makes a clear connection between ongoing crisis prevention, mitigation, protection, response, and recovery.  PREPaRE Workshop 1 provides a broad overview of the school crisis team’s roles and responsibilities, with a special emphasis on crisis prevention and preparedness.

Participants must attend the entire day and stay through the end of the day to take the post-test in order to receive a certificate of completion.

NOTE: Registration Deadline is Monday, August 31 at 4:00 pm ET.

NOTE:  This training is offered at no cost by the KDE Stronger Connections Grant!  However, due to having to purchase seat licenses ahead of time, anyone who cancels registration after Monday, August 31, 2026 will be billed for the license fee.

6.5 hours of EILA credit will be available. Participants must allow time for some preparation prior to the training.

 

Cognitive Coaching℠ is a form of mediation that can be applied to professional interactions in a variety of settings and situations with the intention of enhancing self-directed learning. It is a composite of skills, strategies, maps, and tools as well as mental models and beliefs. It is also a model for classroom mediation to enhance students’ self-directed learning. Research on Cognitive Coaching℠ has linked its implementation to increased student achievement, greater teacher efficacy and satisfaction, higher levels of teacher cognition and professional, collaborative cultures. 

This is the 8-day Foundational Training and is presented only in a face-to-face format. Participants will develop understanding of three structured conversations focusing on planning, reflecting, and problem resolving.  In addition, they will develop knowledge and skills for expanding teacher thinking.

EILA will be applied for each day.

AI is moving fast — and so are the questions from teachers, parents, and students. Many districts are still figuring out where to start when it comes to policy and/or guidance. This regional think tank brings together school, district, and teacher leaders from across the region to have the conversations that matter most: What do we currently have in place? What are others doing? And what would actually work for our community?

Over these two hours, participants will share existing AI policies and guidance from their own districts, learn from the experiences of peers facing the same challenges, and spend the majority of the session collaborating to prototype practical frameworks that can be adapted and taken back home. This isn’t a lecture or a panel — it’s a working session designed for the people closest to the problem to build solutions together.

Please contact holly.lawrence@ckec.org with any questions. 

Scientists write to make sense of the world by observing, hypothesizing, arguing from evidence, and explaining. This one-hour session explores simple writing routines that strengthen scientific reasoning, build precise academic language, and make student thinking visible. Designed for K–12 science and aligned with phenomena based instruction, these strategies fit into everyday lessons and take minutes, not class periods. Leave with tools you can use in your classroom tomorrow.

Format: Virtual (Zoom) • 1 hour of PD/EILA credit provided • Zoom link sent prior to the session

When students explain their thinking, they understand math more deeply and writing makes that thinking visible. In this one-hour session, explore simple, high-impact writing strategies that strengthen mathematical reasoning, build precise language, and surface misconceptions in real time. Designed for K–12 math teachers, this session focuses on writing-to-learn and writing-to-demonstrate-learning routines that fit seamlessly into everyday instruction without adding extra workload. Leave with ready-to-use strategies you can use in tomorrow’s math lesson.

Format: Virtual (Zoom) • 1 hour of PD/EILA credit provided • Zoom link sent prior to the session

Social studies asks students to weigh evidence, take positions, and understand multiple perspectives, and writing is how they make that thinking visible. In this one-hour session, explore writing routines that strengthen argumentation, source analysis, and historical reasoning while moving students from recall to deeper thinking. Designed for K–12 social studies, these approaches fit into everyday instruction and are ready to use on Monday.

Format: Virtual (Zoom) • 1 hour of PD/EILA credit provided • Zoom link sent prior to the session

Writing is one of the most powerful tools for improving reading, thinking, and learning. In this one-hour virtual session, explore practical writing strategies that strengthen comprehension, analysis, and communication across K–12 ELA classrooms. Leave with ready-to-use approaches that fit seamlessly into the lessons you’re already teaching and can be implemented immediately to deepen student thinking and improve writing outcomes.

Format: Virtual (Zoom) • 1 hour of PD/EILA credit provided • Zoom link sent prior to the session

This professional learning series is designed for district and school leaders responsible for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Through a sequence of collaborative sessions, participants will explore how to effectively implement and maximize their High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) to drive improved student outcomes.

Using the Curriculum Implementation Framework as a guide, leaders will learn how to develop and refine a local curriculum document, utilize the Pedagogical Practices Mapping Tool, and align learning targets, standards, lessons, and assessments to ensure coherence across their instructional system.

Each session will balance learning, reflection, and collaboration, providing opportunities for participants to:

• Examine tools and processes that strengthen curriculum implementation;
• Apply learning to their own district or school context;
• Engage in meaningful discussion and problem-solving with peers; and
• Hear from other districts about their implementation successes and challenges.

By the end of the series, participants will leave with actionable tools, aligned curriculum structures, and strategies to ensure improved teaching and learning across classrooms.