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Professional Development Opportunities
November Workshops
Science PLG (K-12)
Join a collaborative community of science educators as we dive into the adventure, challenge, and creativity of teaching with three-dimensional science learning! Together, teachers will design, share, and refine engaging resources that support students in exploring science concepts as they think and work like scientists! The group is a space to exchange fresh ideas, experiment with strategies, and build a supportive community dedicated to keeping science learning exciting and accessible. Whether you’re new to 3 dimensional teaching or looking to refine your practice, this group is a space to experiment, reflect, and grow!
November 19, 2025 – 4:00-5:30
TriPlexus Room 105 (T8 Entrance) – Madison-Oneida BOCES Verona Campus
Active Minds, Active Learning
Join us for a dynamic, hands-on workshop focused on boosting student engagement through practical routines and instructional structures that work across all grade levelsand subject areas. In the morning, you'll explore easy-to-implement strategies to keepstudents actively involved in learning. In the afternoon, you'll have dedicated time to applythese ideas directly to your own lesson plans with support from facilitators and peers.Leave with ready-to-use tools that can make an immediate impact in your classroom.
November 20, 2025 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
The Science of Reading for Multilingual Learners
The New York State Education Department will release a new toolkit, developed in collaboration with Dr. Socorro Herrera, Dr. Kathy Escamilla, and Dr. Robin Cabral. The agenda includes an overview of the six briefs developed to help educators ensure that the teaching of reading is inclusive of ELLs and MLs.
This event will be held as a hybrid webinar with in-person discussion and online presentations. New York State administrators and literacy leaders will be presented specific and useful information to understand and address the ontological differences between ELLs, MLs, and monolingual students. Please note that to participate in this event, you must attend in person at a designated BOCES, Big 5, or Small City School District site.
Participants in the event will have the opportunity to learn about the briefs with Dr. Socorro Herrera, a professor at the College of Education and the director of the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy at Kansas State University. Dr. Herrera’s K–12 teaching experience includes an emphasis on literacy development, and her research focuses on literacy opportunities with culturally and linguistically diverse students, reading strategies, and teacher preparation for diversity in the classroom.
November 24, 2025 – 9:00-3:00
Costello Center
December Workshops
Read it like you mean it: Building Fluent Readers. Accuracy matters.
Empowering educators with evidence-based practices to accelerate literacy growth focusing on instructional practices listed in NYS’s Literacy Attestation.
December 4, 2025
Costello Center
Join a supportive community of educators who are passionate about helping students thrive. Together, we’ll share strategies, celebrate successes, and collaborate across districts to strengthen our practices.
Who Should Attend?
Special education teachers, paraprofessionals, psychologists, social workers, counselors, administrators – anyone committed to supporting students.
What to Expect
- Welcoming inclusion activities and team building
- Technical updates (goals, progress monitoring, transition, BIPs, etc.)
- Classroom environment & management strategies
- Problem- and success-sharing protocols
- Active student engagement & technology tools
- Dedicated collaboration time
Why Join?
- Connect with colleagues from across Central New York
- Gain practical strategies you can use right away
- Collaborate in a positive, welcoming environment
December 8, 2025 – 8:30-3:00
Campus Conference Room: Madison-Oneida BOCES, Verona
Math Manipulatives – Place Value
Math manipulatives can make learning so much more accessible for many of our students, from Kindergarten through high school! These trainings will focus on how manipulatives can be used to support all students in your classroom instruction. Attention will also be given to how these tools can be referenced on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students who are identified through special education.
December 9, 2025 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
Science PLG (K-12)
Join a collaborative community of science educators as we dive into the adventure, challenge, and creativity of teaching with three-dimensional science learning! Together, teachers will design, share, and refine engaging resources that support students in exploring science concepts as they think and work like scientists! The group is a space to exchange fresh ideas, experiment with strategies, and build a supportive community dedicated to keeping science learning exciting and accessible. Whether you’re new to 3 dimensional teaching or looking to refine your practice, this group is a space to experiment, reflect, and grow!
December 17, 2025 – 4:00-5:30
TriPlexus Room 105 (T8 Entrance) – Madison-Oneida BOCES Verona Campus
January Workshops
Dive into the Not So Simple View of Writing
In this workshop participants will learn about the necessity of transcription instruction for our primary students to lead to the composition skills needed for intermediate students. Resources will be shared and time for implementation planning will be worked into the day. All work aligned to New York State ELA Learning Standards and NYSED's Best Instructional Practices in writing.
January 6, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Discover how today’s digital culture is shaping youth and learn strategies to promote resilience, focus, and well-being. Grounded in key insights from Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, this interactive session explores the effects of screens, social media, and shifting childhood experiences. Participants will engage in small-group discussions to share perspectives and develop practical solutions that support healthier digital habits, stronger relationships, and more balanced lives at school and home.
January 9, 2026 - 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Science Phrases and PLDS: Building up the Instruction
How often have we heard that science exams are also “reading exams”? How often have we seen students struggle to decode a phrase or idea, to the point where it gets in the way of the learning? How often have we thought, “How did they miss this question? They know this!”
All of these ideas point back to one simple action that we can take to help students along: Reducing the cognitive load. In the simplest terms, if we can make the ancillary skills commonplace, we free up student brain power for the things we want them to focus on.
How do we do this?
Great question! Participants in Science Phrases and PLDs will work together in a structured format to comb through state assessments and performance level descriptions (PLDs) to identify important and common phrases used in the secondary sciences. Once we know them, we can use them on a regular basis within our classrooms. These phrases become comfortable for our students, reducing their cognitive load, reducing frustration and making room for the good stuff!
January 12, 2026 – 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
HEART First: SEL in the Elementary Classroom
A Google Classroom and podcast series for nurturing emotional intelligence, resilience, and connection in the classroom.
Kick off event – January 12, 2026 – Virtual – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Wrap up event – February 24, 2026 – Virtual – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
This workshop will dig into all things Vocabulary. Learn and Practice the most effective strategies for learning vocabulary. AS one of the big six (6) components of learning to read, Vocabulary is being offered this year for Tier 2 & 3 words. Join us to learn which instructional best practices build vocabulary and try them out!
January 26, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Conference Center
Numeracy Unboxed: Making Sense of the NYS Briefs
Join us for a dynamic full-day professional development experience designed to deepen understanding and spark collaboration around the New York State Numeracy Briefs. These sessions will bring together administrators, teachers, and support staff to explore how these timely and research-backed briefs can inform and elevate math instruction across all grade levels.
Brief 3: High Leverage Mathematical Content
Brief 4: High-Leverage Instructional Practices
January 30, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
