Byram Hills

This course is offered through the Rose Institute for Learning and Literacy. Multisensory Structured Literacy Instruction 1 introduces participants to the fundamental elements of an Orton-Gillingham based approach characterized by explicit teaching of foundational literacy skills. The course includes an introduction to phonology and basic phonics, and focuses on instruction to promote fluency, vocabulary acquisition, and an understanding of the structure of the language. The content includes information on dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, strategies for multisensory instruction, using assessment results for small/large group lessons, and planning an Orton-Gillingham lesson. The scientifically-based methodology is explicit, interactive, diagnostic, multisensory, and integrated. The course is designed for general and special-education teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, and speech and reading specialists, and is recommended for instructional assistants and tutors.

Materials for the course will be purchased separately, please inquire for details. For full details of the program, please email tracy.mccarthy@mville.edu to schedule an advisement conference.

AUDIENCE: SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS WITH DIRECTOR'S APPROVAL

DATES : JULY 7 - JULY 11 OR JULY 28- AUGUST 1

TIME : 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

LOCATION : VIRTUAL – ZOOM

CREDITS: 2 IN-SERVICE OR 3 GRADUATE

*If you are taking the course for In-Service Hours (2 credits) you must register on My Learning Plan. Choose 'District PO' as the payment. Then, send a check for $400 to the District Office. The district will cover the remaining $900.

*If you are taking the course for 3 graduate credits, you must register through Manhattanville University.

This course is offered through the Rose Institute for Learning and Literacy. It is the second course in the Orton-Gillingham Academy training sequence and is taught by an Orton-Gillingham Fellow. This is the Orton-Gillingham Associate Level course.

Multisensory Structured Literacy Instruction 2 expands knowledge of all topics covered in Multisensory Structured Literacy Instruction 1. Topics include intermediate phonics and morphology; Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes; vocabulary, fluency, and writing simple and complex sentences and paragraphs, and learning to read, interpret and use assessment results to plan instruction. There will be mock tutoring with evaluation and critique. Participants will hone their ability to differentiate instruction for students who need challenge and those who struggle. Successful completion of Multisensory Structured Literacy Instruction 1 is a pre-requisite for this course.

AUDIENCE: SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS WITH DIRECTOR'S APPROVAL

DATES : AUGUST 4 – AUGUST 8

TIME : 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

LOCATION : VIRTUAL – ZOOM

CREDITS: 2 IN-SERVICE OR 3 GRADUATE

*If you are taking the course for In-Service Hours (2 credits) you must register on My Learning Plan. Choose 'District PO' as the payment. Then, send a check for $400 to the District Office. The district will cover the remaining $900.

*If you are taking the course for 3 graduate credits, you must register through Manhattanville University.

PNW BOCES is partnering with SUNY New Paltz to offer the 35-hour Science of Reading Fundamentals microcredential. The microcredential is a fully asynchronous online, non-credit microcredential delivered in the D2L Brightspace platform. It is designed for educators interested in learning about the research-based building blocks of reading instruction. The microcredential covers the five pillars of reading - phonemic awareness, phonics (including alphabetic principle and orthography), fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Participants will:

• Understand and implement the basic pillars of Science of Reading: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension;
• Understand how students become fluent readers;
• Understand instructional approaches to support vocabulary, comprehension, and writing;
• Analyze and synthesize data from a variety of diagnostic literacy assessments;
• Recognize and begin to apply tailored Science of Reading components; and
• Employ professional judgement, fair-mindedness, empathy, ethical behavior, and practical knowledge for improving all students' reading development and achievement.

DATES : JULY 1, 2025 – JAN 1, 2026

The microcredential will begin on July 1, 2025. Participants will have six months to complete the microcredential.

TIME : ASYNCHRONOUS

LOCATION : ON-LINE COURSE

CREDITS: 2 IN-SERVICE CREDITS

AUDIENCE: K-5 CLASSROOM OR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

COST : Please pay $55 through My Learning Plan (choose Credit Card at the time of registration). Then, send a check for $345 to Colin O'Connor at the District Office, made payable to Byram Hills CSD.

REGISTER HERE!

Registration will close on June 20, 2025; all approvals and necessary paperwork will need to be in place by this date.

This course is for you if..

• You’re a teacher, coach, or school leader trying to make sense of the balanced literacy vs. science of reading debate.

• You want to sort through the most current science about the reading brain, but feel overwhelmed about where to start. There’s so much!  

• You’ve learned some things about reading science, but are struggling with practical applications in the classroom.

• You’re ready to step into some cognitive dissonance and honestly appraise your current practices.

• You value responsive teaching but are worn down by trying to sort through the current claims that “everything’s wrong” with balanced literacy. 

• You don’t identify yourself as either “Balanced Literacy” or “Science of Reading.” You just want to find ways to help more kids read more easily. 

FACILITATOR : The Six Shifts

DATES : JULY 9, 2025 - JULY 20, 2025

LOCATION & TIME : Online/Asynchronous

COST : For EARLY BIRD pricing of $299, Regular pricing of $329, or 4 payments of $86 you will get:  

• A 6-Week Course with 6 Learning Modules

• 6 bonus weeks of 24/7 access 

• Complete shift-by-shift guidebook for bridging research to action

• Video, audio, PDF tool, and more

• Closed Captioning Available on all Videos

• 1 Live Q & A and Connection Session with the authors via Zoom 

• Flexibility to learn at your own pace and when it fits into your busy schedule.

CREDIT OPTIONS : 1.5 IN-SERVICE CREDITS OR AUDIT

Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Credits will not be awarded until the certificate is uploaded to Frontline PG and the activity is marked complete.

Register on My Learning Plan.

This course is for you if..

• You’re a teacher, coach, or school leader trying to make sense of the balanced literacy vs. science of reading debate.

• You want to sort through the most current science about the reading brain, but feel overwhelmed about where to start. There’s so much!  

• You’ve learned some things about reading science, but are struggling with practical applications in the classroom.

• You’re ready to step into some cognitive dissonance and honestly appraise your current practices.

• You value responsive teaching but are worn down by trying to sort through the current claims that “everything’s wrong” with balanced literacy. 

• You don’t identify yourself as either “Balanced Literacy” or “Science of Reading.” You just want to find ways to help more kids read more easily. 

FACILITATOR : The Six Shifts

DATES : JULY 9, 2025 - JULY 20, 2025

LOCATION & TIME : Online/Asynchronous

COST : For EARLY BIRD pricing of $299, Regular pricing of $329, or 4 payments of $86 you will get:  

• A 6-Week Course with 6 Learning Modules

• 6 bonus weeks of 24/7 access 

• Complete shift-by-shift guidebook for bridging research to action

• Video, audio, PDF tool, and more

• Closed Captioning Available on all Videos

• 1 Live Q & A and Connection Session with the authors via Zoom 

• Flexibility to learn at your own pace and when it fits into your busy schedule.

CREDIT OPTIONS : 1.5 IN-SERVICE CREDITS OR AUDIT

Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Credits will not be awarded until the certificate is uploaded to Frontline PG and the activity is marked complete.

Register on My Learning Plan.

We will focus on the Hochman Method of structured writing to learn strategies and integrate into our curriculum.  

FACILITATOR : Sophie Schechter

DATES : JULY 21 - JULY 22

TIME : 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (with one hour lunch), totaling 10 hrs

LOCATION : In-Person (Location TBD)

COST: Options Include:

• Stipend at $50/hr
• IN-SERVICE CREDIT for $200 : 1 credit with an additional 5 hours required (to present to colleagues during the year or conduct action research)

Register on My Learning Plan.

*If you are taking the course for In-Service (1 credit), please send a check for $200, made payable to Byram Hills CSD, to Colin O'Connor at the District.

We will focus on the Hochman Method of structured writing to learn strategies and integrate into our curriculum.  

FACILITATOR : Sophie Schechter

DATES : JULY 23 - JULY 24

TIME : 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (with one hour lunch), totaling 10 hrs

LOCATION : In-Person (Location TBD)

COST: Options Include:

• Stipend at $50/hr
• IN-SERVICE CREDIT for $200 : 1 credit with an additional 5 hours required (to present to colleagues during the year or conduct action research)

Register on My Learning Plan.

*If you are taking the course for In-Service (1 credit), please send a check for $200, made payable to Byram Hills CSD, to Colin O'Connor at the District.

We will design ways to extend and further the curriculum (tier 1 support) for students who are performing at or above grade level in mathematics using the Investigations program. 

The institute will focus on the philosophy and approach to differentiation within the program, with an emphasis on extending student learning and thinking.

• For grades K–2, the content focus will be Number and Operations.

FACILITATOR : Beth Schefelker

DATES : AUGUST 5, 2025

TIME : 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (with one hour lunch), totaling 5 hrs

LOCATION : In-Person (Location TBD)

COST: Options Include:

• Stipend at $50/hr

Register on My Learning Plan.

We will design ways to extend and further the curriculum (tier 1 support) for students who are performing at or above grade level in mathematics using the Investigations program. 

The institute will focus on the philosophy and approach to differentiation within the program, with an emphasis on extending student learning and thinking.

• For grades 3–5, the content focus will be Fractions.

FACILITATOR : Beth Schefelker

DATES : AUGUST 6, 2025

TIME : 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (with one hour lunch), totaling 5 hrs

LOCATION : In-Person (Location TBD)

COST: Options Include:

• Stipend at $50/hr

Register on My Learning Plan.

This book club will unpack the language and the pedagogy outlined and described in this book. We will discuss: planning for student engagement, talk as a tool for learning, making thinking visible through models, supporting changes in thinking, justifying claims in the science community, and more.

You will meet in small and large groups on zoom to make sense of the teaching and learning changes as part of the vision of the NYS P-12 SLS!

A copy of "Ambitious Science Teaching" by Mark Windschitl, Jessica Thompson, & Melissa Braaten must be purchased to participate.

DATES :

• OCTOBER 9, 2025
• NOVEMBER 13, 2025
• DECEMBER 4, 2025
• JANUARY 8, 2026
• FEBRUARY 5, 2026
• MARCH 5, 2026
• APRIL9, 2026

TIME : 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM

LOCATION : ZOOM LINK WILL BE EMAILED

CREDITS: 1/2 IN-SERVICE CREDIT

AUDIENCE: K-12 SCIENCE TEACHERS

COST : SELECT 'DISTRICT BILLING' ON MLP and please send a check for $100 to Colin O'Connor at the District Office, made payable to Byram Hills CSD.

REGISTER HERE!

Join us for the PNW BOCES Summer Math Academy, a dynamic professional development experience designed to deepen educators' understanding of research-backed learning trajectories in mathematics. This week-long professional learning experience is designed to equip educators to foster deep conceptual understanding, encourage the development of mathematical processes, and improve engagement in math classrooms. This experience, designed in partnership with Innovamat, is built on research-based strategies that promote deep, long-term learning through exploration, discovery, and social interaction using the CPA (concrete, pictorial, abstract) approach. Participants will learn about and engage with open-ended math tasks that support differentiated, student-centered instruction aligned with UDL (Universal Design for Learning) guidelines.

AUDIENCE : K-5 Teachers

FACILITATOR : Albert Vilalta & Melina Gruber: Innovamat

DATES : JULY 14, 2025 - JULY 18, 2025

TIME : 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM

LOCATION : PNW/BOCES Main Campus - School Services Building

CREDITS: 2 IN-SERVICE CREDITS

COST: SELECT 'DISTRICT BILLING' ON MLP and please send a check for $400 to Colin O'Connor at the District Office, made payable to Byram Hills CSD.

Register on My Learning Plan.

Click on the links below

• How Do I register for a Learning Lab Course?
• What do I do after completing a Learning Lab Course?

1. Payment for in-service credit:

• Payment should be sent to the District Office at the time of registration.
• Please make checks payable to Byram Hills and send to the District Office, attention: Colin O'Connor.
• For a ½-credit course (7½-hours), the fee is $100.
• For a 1-credit course (15-hours), the fee is $200.
• For a 2-credit course (30-hours), the fee is $400.
• For a 3-credit course (45-hours), the fee is $600.

2. Audit a course:

• At times, certain courses may be offered for "audit." To audit a course means that the District will pay for the course, however, teachers are not provided a stipend for participation. 

3. Stipends: 

• At times, certain courses, offered in the summer only, may provide teachers a stipend for participation at the current summer curriculum workshop rate. 

All registrations are to be done through My Learning Plan

Course registration is limited. Teachers will be admitted to the course in the order in which they submit payment. Approval will not be granted until receipt of payment.

Please note that courses may be cancelled if the minimum enrollment requirements are not met within 5 days prior to the start of the course.

Teachers who withdraw from a course must provide notice no less than 5 school days prior to the start of the course in order to receive a refund.

• Information and Instructions - For teachers and/or administrators who would like to teach a Learning Lab course.

   

• Course Proposal Application - For teachers and/or administrators who would like to teach a Learning Lab course.

Any questions or comments about the Byram Hills Learning Lab can be directed to:

Johanna Siragusa Carozza

914 - 273 - 9200, x4967