Professional Development Opportunities
The CNY Education Conference: Standing Tall
July 21-22, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Vernon Downs, Vernon, NY
Get ready to Stand Tall this July!
Nationally acclaimed educator, author, and school culture expert "Stand Tall" Steven Bollar is coming to our region for a two-day professional learning experience you won't want to miss. Known for his high-energy keynotes, quick wit, and immediately actionable strategies, Steve has inspired educators across the country to transform their school climate, strengthen their leadership, and rediscover their passion for the work. Day 1 will feature Steve as both keynote speaker and primary presenter, with additional speakers and sessions to be announced soon. Save the date — more details are on the way, and trust us, you'll want to be in the room!
May Workshops
Join us to chat, collaborate, and get inspired for your next choir class.
May 8, 2026 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Costello Conference Room
Family and Consumer Science PLG
Cookie Decorating Class – Limited Registration to 10.
May 19, 2026 – 5:30 – 7:30 pm
VVS High School
Science K-12 PLG
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!
May 27, 2026 – 4:00 – 5:30 pm
TriPlexus Seminar Room
June
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
June 2, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Come to Instructional Coaching Professional Learning Group to connect with others in the region, learn, and share best practices around instructional coaching of teachers.
June 5, 2026 – 9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Costello Conference Room
T3 Regional Summit: Central New York
Attend four hands-on, professional learning sessions on topics including:
» Algebra 1 NYS Regents Exam Prep
» AP® Precalculus, Calculus, Statistics
» Building Thinking Classrooms
» Data Collection
» Digital SAT® Prep
» Learning with Drones
» Coding
» And more!
Receive a Certificate of Attendance which may be accepted for school or district professional development credit.
Texas Instruments Education Technology is an approved Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) sponsor in New York.
June 29, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
West Genesee High School | 5201 W Genesee Street | Camillus, NY 13031
Pricing:
$275 — Includes TI graphing calculator bundle
$225 — Includes TI online calculator or teacher software license only
Continental breakfast and lunch are included.
** Early Bird Discount: Register by June 1 and receive $25 off **
Phonemic Awareness & Phonics (Attestation Series)
Empowering educators with evidence-based practices to accelerate literacy growth focusing on instructional practices listed in NYS's Literacy Attestation.
June 30, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Conference Room
July Workshops
Project Based Learning (PBL) is a foundational training inspired by the work of the Buck Institute for Education, New Tech Network, Edutopia, and Expeditionary Learning. Through a balanced blend of direct instruction, exploration, resource sharing, peer collaboration and feedback, and work time, attendees will learn how to develop a PBL experience by participating in many of it’s inherent structures. By the end of the workshop participants will have the foundation for a PBL experience that can be implemented in their own classrooms!.
July 13, 14, 15, 16, 2026 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Costello Conference Room
Non-Component Registration Link
Think Fast, Think Deep: On-Demand Performance Tasks
Traditional tests measure what students memorized. Performance tasks measure what students can actually DO with their learning. These assessments ask students to transfer knowledge to novel, authentic challenges—think "You're a botanist diagnosing a greenhouse problem" instead of "Define photosynthesis." They're rigorous, standards aligned, and connect with the state’s NY Inspires initiative. And here's the thing: they work for ALL students—the ones who freeze on written tests, the ones who ace everything but can't apply it, and everyone in between…because life isn't a series of bubble sheets.
In this workshop, you'll experience an on-demand task as a learner (we're talking real cognitive work!), analyze what makes it effective, and design your own for your classroom. You'll leave with a complete, tomorrow-ready assessment: authentic scenario, curated materials, aligned rubric, and an implementation plan. No wishing you had time to figure this out later. No vague ideas you'll "get to eventually." You'll walk out with an assessment you can actually use!
A part of the Performance-Based Assessment Design series.
July 20, 2026 – 9:00 – 12:00 pm
Costello Conference Room
Non-Component Registration Link
Let Them Talk: The Art of the Socratic Seminar
Your students can recite facts. They can bubble in answers. But can they actually think—analyze complex texts, construct evidence-based arguments, and engage in civil discourse when it counts? Socratic Seminars assess what multiple-choice tests can't: real-time critical thinking and collaborative inquiry.
Let Them Talk puts you in the student seat first. You'll participate in a full Socratic Seminar, then deconstruct what made it work so you can design your own tomorrow-ready assessment. Walk away with protocols, rubrics, sentence stems, and strategies for managing the fears that keep teachers from trying seminars: "What if no one talks?" "What if three students dominate?" "How do I grade a conversation fairly?" This isn't about forcing awkward class discussions—it's about creating the conditions where students want to think out loud, challenge ideas respectfully, and build
understanding together. If NY Inspires demands performance-based assessment, let's give students something worth performing.
A part of the Performance-Based Assessment Design series.
July 29, 2026 – 12:00 – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Non-Component Registration Link
Getting Your Sundays Back: An A.I. Work Session
Do you miss your Sundays? Would you like to recapture some of your “free” time?
This interactive workshop is designed to meet you where you are in your AI journey. Whether you're brand new and curious, have only dabbled with AI for emails or letters, or already feel comfortable and want to push into lesson design or student feedback, this is your space. You'll receive
personalized guidance as you explore how AI can streamline your planning, instruction, and professional tasks.
The session will be free-flowing and hands-on, with plenty of time to try tools, ask questions, and test ideas. Most importantly, bring something you want to accomplish–a unit you'd like to rework, lessons you need to plan, or student work you want to analyze–and leave with real progress made. All levels of comfort are welcome, and you'll walk away with practical skills you can immediately apply to save time and elevate your work!
July 29, 2026 – 9:00 – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Non-Component Registration Link
