Professional Development

Project-Based Learning

We have extensive experience in using a project-based learning approach in the classroom, and over the past decade we've trained over 1000 teachers across the nation in this powerful instructional approach. Teachers find our workshops engaging and our training tools to be some of the most useful materials available anywhere. Contact us to find out how we can customize a PBL workshop for your teaching team or school staff.

PBL Topics Include:

Project samples and exemplars
Designing projects to meet academic standards
Integrated project design
The "Six A's" of quality projects
The "Nine Steps" of project delivery
Scaffolding key project implementation elements
Raising student work quality
Project assessment and evaluation

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Integrated Curriculum Design

Schools that are organized around teaching teams can benefit from our integrated curriculum design training. We'll show you examples of integrated units we developed and used in the classroom and share tools and strategies for designing integrated units for your own students that are rigorous, relevant, and engaging.
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Standards-based Instruction

We can help your teaching team or staff design instructional experiences that align with local, state, and national standards and that help prepare students for high-stakes assessments.
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Assessment and Evaluation

Our instructional training work can help teachers become experts in developing classroom assessments for ongoing learning feedback as well as snapshots of student progress. Assessment and evaluation training sessions can be customized to address any of the following topics:

Aligning assessments with content standards
Balanced use of different assessment tools and strategies
Rubric development and use
Formative assessment vs. summative evaluation
Triangulation of results
Performance-based assessment
Project assessment
Student portfolios
Using data to drive classroom instruction

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Data Collection, Analysis, and Implications

We can help your school determine what data to collect and how to use it to improve instruction and drive school reform.
Specific training topics include:

collecting classroom-level data that teachers can use
involving students in data collection and analysis
disaggregating data and striving for equity
working with data as a staff to drive reform conversations
reporting data to community partners and stakeholders
conducting a "needs assessment" through data analysis
using data to determine school redesign priorities

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Quality Student Work

This training series engages teachers in an analysis of student project work and why it at times fails to meet teacher expectations. Key topics include designing for quality, formative feedback, the use of rubrics, and scaffolding for success.

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Senior Projects and Portfolios

We can help your school, district, or reform organization design high quality projects and portfolios that evidence student mastery of academic standards and skills.

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