Course Catalog

Course Overview

This course is designed to introduce educators to the key components, strategies, and best practices of differentiated instruction and the integration of educational technology. This foundational knowledge aims to support educators in their preparation to plan, develop, and implement highly effective instruction tailored to meet diverse student needs.

The Five Lenses of Differentiation Covered

• The Learning Environment: Structuring the physical and digital classroom space for student success.
• Formative Assessment: Utilizing continuous benchmarks to accurately guide instructional adjustments.
• Content: Providing multiple access points to crucial curriculum concepts and information.
• Process: Designing diverse learning pathways and activities that match student learning styles.
• Product: Creating flexible options for students to demonstrate what they have mastered.

Course Details

Course Outline

This course was designed to provide educators with foundational knowledge of the science of reading, the components of reading (Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension), and structured literacy that is consistent with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement and Ohio’s Strategic Plan, Each Child, Our Future. Participating educators will gain an in-depth understanding of K-12 language and literacy development and instruction using current research to support educators with ongoing development of instructional best practices using direct explicit instruction.

Core Learning Domains

• Foundational Science of Reading: Understanding K–12 language and literacy development using current research and aligning practices with state literacy frameworks (such as Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement).

• Five Key Components of Reading: Developing in-depth knowledge of the core pillars of reading development:

  • Phonemic Awareness

  • Phonics

  • Fluency

  • Vocabulary

  • Reading Comprehension

• Structured Literacy Frameworks: Learning the principles and methodology behind structured literacy to deliver high-impact, systematic reading instruction.

• Direct & Explicit Instruction: Applying evidence-based instructional best practices and direct teaching strategies to support all learners.

Course Details

Course Overview

This course is designed to introduce educators to Ohio’s Social and Emotional Learning Standards including the research and standards development process. Educators will explore the importance of a growth mindset and unpack each of the standard’s core competencies. Resources accompany each module to assist educators in curating a list of strategies and activities to support planning and instruction.

What You Will Explore

• Self-Awareness & Self-Management: Understanding emotions and regulating behaviors.
• Social Awareness & Relationship Skills: Empathy, diverse perspectives, and building healthy connections.
• Responsible Decision-Making: Making ethical, constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.
• Growth Mindset: The research and developmental process behind fostering resilience in students.

Course Details

Course Overview

Are your students stuck at surface-level recall? Paired with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) framework, Think Ladders provide a highly effective, visual way to sequence questions based on cognitive complexity. This classroom-ready strategy can be applied to any subject area to instantly gauge comprehension and—more importantly—safely guide your students into getting comfortable with deeper, critical thinking.

This course is designed for busy educators who want to seamlessly align their content with rigorous cognitive demands. You will explore practical strategies, real-world examples, and curated resources to evaluate your current assessments and elevate your daily lesson planning. Give your students the stepping stones they need to reach new intellectual heights.

What You Will Learn

• Visual Question Sequencing: Construct dynamic Think Ladders to visually scaffold questions and guide students through advancing DOK levels.
• Cognitive Alignment: Evaluate the relationship between the complexity of your core content and the actual cognitive demands of your assessments and tasks.
• Strategic Lesson Planning: Integrate practical strategies and resources directly into your lesson prep to foster deeper comprehension across any topic.

Course Details

Course Overview

This course equips school staff to recognize, respond to, and refer students experiencing crises related to depression, suicide, self-harm, and school violence to proactive resources. Fully approved by the Ohio School Safety Center, this training satisfies the statutory requirements for School Threat Assessment Teams under Ohio HB123 (ORC 5502.263, Sec. 3313.669) and may be retaken to fulfill the three-year renewal mandate.

Upon completion, participants receive a contact hour certificate suitable for submission with their building’s emergency management plan. For maximum impact, threat assessment teams are strongly encouraged to complete this training together and utilize the provided learner journal to facilitate structured discussions and outline actionable next steps.

Key Training Focus Areas

• Crisis Identification: Spotting the early indicators of depression, self-harm tendencies, and potential violence.
• Statutory Compliance: Fully meeting your building's safety compliance benchmarks under Ohio House Bill 123 rules.
• The Proactive Referral Funnel: Actively guiding vulnerable students out of crisis situations and toward secure district resources.
• Threat Assessment Journaling: Collaborative materials provided to translate your coursework straight into actionable local building strategy.

Course Details

Course Overview

This course addresses the critical need for modern educators to understand the relevance and importance of interacting safely online in both their personal and professional lives. When educators understand how to protect their personal information and navigate digital environments securely, they are better equipped to model and incorporate these vital digital citizenship best practices into daily classroom instruction with their students.

What You Will Learn

• Professional Digital Footprints: Managing personal privacy boundaries while maintaining a professional online presence.
• Data Protection Principles: Safeguarding sensitive student data and personal information from digital vulnerabilities.
• Classroom Integration: Transforming core cybersecurity concepts into age-appropriate lessons for your students.
• Safe Tool Implementation: Evaluating educational technology and digital resources through a rigorous safety lens.

Course Details

Course Outline

Grounded in the core philosophy that good teaching is good teaching regardless of the setting, this course prepares educators to design highly effective instruction across face-to-face, blended, and remote classrooms. Participants will actively apply proven instructional strategies and modern blended frameworks to dramatically enhance lesson delivery and classroom layout design.

By exploring John Hattie’s groundbreaking Visible Learning research, educators will gain a deep understanding of which academic strategies yield the greatest statistical impact on student success. Furthermore, participants will explore how to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools to efficiently generate practical, targeted teaching ideas based on these high-yield methods.

Core Learning Domains

• Visible Learning Foundations: Analyzing Hattie's research to isolate and implement high-yield teaching frameworks.
• Modality Engineering: Seamlessly transitioning course materials between online environments and traditional desk spaces.
• AI-Assisted Lesson Design: Safely utilizing AI prompts to generate lesson plans aligned directly to your target learning standards.
• Student-Centered Layouts: Redesigning regular learning structures to foster better peer collaboration and autonomous study.

Course Details

Course Overview

This course is designed to create a shared understanding of instructional coaching as an evidence-based, job-embedded professional learning strategy focused on improved student learning and growth. Planning for instructional coaching is based on knowing the coaching context, choosing appropriate approaches, and defining roles.

This course also fosters an understanding of the essential coaching components of building and sustaining trusting and supportive relationships, fostering professional learning cycles, and using data to focus the coaching process.

Essential Coaching Components Explored

• Context & Roles: Analyzing your unique local coaching context to set clear boundaries and operational definitions.
• Trusting Relationships: Strategies for actively building and sustaining supportive, non-evaluative peer dynamics.
• Learning Cycles: Facilitating job-embedded professional learning structures that respect adult learning styles.
• Data Focus: Relying on objective metrics to direct and constantly refine the overarching coaching process.

Course Details

Course Overview

Educators are faced with the challenge of meeting the diverse learning needs of today’s students. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is an evidence-driven response to that challenge. Through MTSS, schools implement a three-tiered approach to interventions grounded in personalized, responsive classroom instruction that progresses into more intense interventions based on individual need.

An effective MTSS is led by a system of teams that have a common vision, use data to plan and monitor interventions, and evaluate impact. The modules of this course provide a foundational understanding of the rationale and critical components of MTSS; a thorough opportunity for self-assessment; and an overview of essential practices for successful implementation. Individuals and teams will find the course helpful in assessing current practice and planning to take MTSS work to the next level in a building or district.

Critical Components Explored

• Three-Tiered Framework: Navigating progression pathways from universal classroom instruction to high-intensity individual interventions.
• Team Systems & Shared Vision: Structuring leadership teams to coordinate and scale intervention alignment cohesively.
• Data-Driven Progress Monitoring: Using performance metrics to continuously plan, audit, and evaluate intervention impacts.
• Practical Self-Assessment: Guided tools designed for individual educators or full district groups to score and scale current operational practices.

Course Details

Course Overview

This nine-module eLearning course equips paraprofessionals with practical strategies for understanding and managing challenging student behaviors. Through videos, short readings, infographics, and interactive activities, participants build skills step-by-step and reflect on their learning through brief pre- and post-surveys.

The Curriculum Roadmap

Course Details

This course is designed to create a shared understanding of instructional coaching as an evidence-based, job-embedded professional learning strategy focused on improved student learning and growth. Planning for instructional coaching is based on knowing the coaching context, choosing appropriate approaches, and defining roles. This course also fosters an understanding of the essential coaching components of building and sustaining trusting and supportive relationships, fostering professional learning cycles, and using data to focus the coaching process.