Embedded Files
Ron Gallagher
IU1 Curriculum Department
IU1 Curriculum Department
Buy 9 full PD days and get one free.
Save the Dates
Save the Dates
District Data Clinic: Connecting Data, Instruction, and Opportunity (March 25)
IU1 Co-Teaching and Differentiated Instruction Workshop (March 26)
IU1 Co-Teaching and Differentiated Instruction Workshop (March 26)
PA STEELS Workshop (March 30)
IU1 will be holding an in-person STEELS PD on Monday, March 30th. We'll provide a brief overview of phenomenon and the 3-dimensions as well as time to explore how to incorporate into your classroom instruction.
Western PA SCL Summit Registration
Join us for the PA Student-Centered Learning Summit on June 17, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)!
We are excited to welcome educators, administrators, and partners from across Pennsylvania to a day of collaboration, innovation, and exploration focused on student-centered learning.
Register now to take part in interactive sessions, connect with peers, and discover impactful strategies to support meaningful learning experiences for all students.
West III Regional Meet-Up
PA Principals – West 3 Regional Meeting
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Moon Area High School, 8353 University Boulevard, Moon Township, PA 15108
Join us for a special session with the Pennsylvania State Education leadership team titled:
From Policy to Practice: What Principals Need to Know with special guests
Dr. Carrie Rowe, Secretary of Education for Pennsylvania
Amy Lena, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Register here: West III Principals Meet-Up Spring – Fill out form
Mandated State Updates
Mandated State Updates
Brain Gasper updates
Brain Gasper updates
Structured Literacy
Dear Colleague Letter sent as an update
Over 500 submissions to the survey
Continue to push questions to the RA account
SL FAQs posted since March 3; landing page keeps getting updated
Chapter 4 Committee of the State Board - Standards
Arts & Humanities and Health, Safety, and PE - Moving forward through the revision process
Making recommendations and suggested changes
July will discuss Math & ELA standards
AP Personal Finance does not meet the Personal Finance course for the graduation requirement
PA School Code Updates
PA School Code Updates
Legal Updates for Education Leaders April 9 at 12:00 PAIU - Professional Learning (Fee on Registration)
No cell phone bill has passed the Senate and many believe this will pass.
Requires Pennsylvania public and private elementary schools to teach cursive handwriting. Effective in 60 days (from Feb. 11, 2026).
Cursive Writing will not need to be implemented till the start of next school year. It was mentioned to incorporate this into how you currently teach handwriting.
Cursive writing is to be integrated into the appropriate area of an LEA’s curriculum for the 2026-2027 SY.
TCM Cursive Resources for Pennsylvania Schools:
180 Days of Cursive: Beginning
Build foundational cursive skills through daily practice that strengthens muscle memory and handwriting fluency.180 Days of Cursive: Advanced
Ideal for grades 4–5 or students needing more challenge; reinforces legibility, speed, and application of cursive skills.Using Cursive Today
Practical application lessons that connect cursive writing to real‑world tasks, perfectly aligned with Pennsylvania's emphasis on relevance and functional skill‑building.
CP Tip Jar
CP Tip Jar
Upcoming Due Dates
Comprehensive Plans and State Reports (Phase 1): March 31
K-12 Guidance Plan (Phase 3): March 31
PVAAS Updates
PVAAS Updates
Important Dates
LEA Preview Phase
April 16 - 29
Teacher Verification Phase
April 30 - May 13
School Administrator Verification Phase
May 14 - 27
LEA Verification Phase
May 28 - June 17
Online Assessment Update
Online Assessment Update
Link
Math, ELA, and Science STEELS item samplers were released on March 6th.
No TEI's for Item Samplers because last year was Year 1 for these items. Next year there will be a release of TEI's
OTT Updates
OTT ELA Grade 3 #22: glossing is introduced
EQ builder has been updated
Accommodations: Continuous Magnification and Spanish were added.
CDT/Firefly Updates
CDT/Firefly Updates
Over 950,00 Administrations of Firefly
CDT and Firefly remembers how you did on the previous test to start the next session.
CDT Skills Pamphlet for STEELS will be updated soon.
Longitudal Data is operational and will contain 5 years of data
Group Progress Report coming to Firefly at the end of the month in March.
Accessibility
Accessibility
We have space remaining for one team on Tuesday, April 16 at our Watershed Conservation Field Day experience! A $250 travel stipend is available for districts that are rural and/or high socioeconomic need. Click here to register.
Math Vault Challenge Promo.pdfJordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist (Social Studies Updates)
250th America Essay Contest (1 Page Flyer).pdfIn honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, The Daily Courier invites students to participate in a community essay contest celebrating the ideals of America’s founding. Essay Divisions (One Winner in Each Grade Level)
ESSAY TOPICS
Grades 5-8: How can young people can help protect American ideals?
Grades 9-12: Interpreting the Founders’ Vision 250 years later
Submission Deadline:
May 18th , 2026
Submit Essays To:
The Daily Courier Email: cwhipkey@dailycourier.com or rabramowitz@dailycourier.com
Mail or Drop Off:
127 W. Apple St., Connellsville, PA One winner will be selected in each grade level. Monetary prizes will be awarded!
Classrooms Without Borders 2025-26 IU1 Sessions (with makeup day in May).pdfWe are pleased to offer the following sessions for the IU1 professional development calendar. These offerings are designed to engage educators in meaningful, inquiry-based learning that integrates historical understanding with practical classroom strategies.
*All sessions will be held at IU1 Central Office (One Intermediate Unit Drive, Coal Center, PA 15423) from 9am-3pm*
*Meets Act 70 School Requirement
***Next Session will be held on Friday, April 17th 2026. ***
Also: May 18th, 2026 is the makeup session for the cancellation of the January session. (Rescheduled due to inclement weather) Memory and Meaning: Teaching the Holocaust in Today’s Classroom Featuring Emily Loeb, Director of Programs & Education, Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
The American Battlefield History Field Trip Grant Program is designed to help offset the cost of K-12 field trips to sites related to the Revolutionary War, War or 1812, and the American Civil War. Approved applicants can receive up to $3,000 in funding for their field trip. Funds can be applied to transportation to and from the site(s), guide fees, and admissions to the historic sites. We do not provide funding for first-class accommodations, souvenirs, or overnight stays/accommodations. (Please visit our History Field Trip Grant Program page for more information).
If you are seeking additional resources or any information related to enhancing your existing social studies curriculum, please contact:
Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist
Phone: 724-938-3241 ext. #405
Email: jordan.lozosky@iu1.org
Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist (Gifted, Induction, and Other Updates)
Gifted Updates
Gifted Updates
NEW!! To Register for the Gifted Email listserv - IU1 Gifted Listserv Sign-Up Link
This is intended to create email lists for various interests/grade levels regarding gifted education and student opportunities. Please feel free to forward to colleagues that might want to be included.
Regular Ed Teacher slide deck -Slide Deck Link (it will force them to make a copy. That way they can make changes to the slides.)
IU1 Induction 2025-26 Schedule and Registration Links.pdf2025-26 Induction Schedule
2025-26 Induction Schedule
*Participants must register on the hyperlinks on the flyer through Learning Stream.
Directions to Create IU1 PD Hub Accounts
2026-27 Calendar will be available in July 2026!
HPE Flyer March 24 2026 Training.pdfHealth & Physical Education Training at IU1
Health & Physical Education Training at IU1
Teachers will be able to collaborate with fellow educators in planning and practicing the outcomes in a mini lesson setting. Teachers will gain access to ideas of how to include activities in both health and physical education classes. Teachers will leave the training with experience in implementing both health literacy skills and physical literacy components in their classes.
Date: March 24, 2026
Time: 9:00 am-2:00 pm
Lunch: (On Your Own)
Facilitator: PDE and SHAPE PA (Nick Slotterback)
(You Must Register for Act 48 & Attendance Records)
Face-to-Face & Virtual Training Event
Location: Intermediate Unit 1 Face-to-Face or Join Us Via Zoom
Zoom Link: Will Be Emailed the Day Before the Event
Contact Information: jordan.lozosky@iu1.org
Western PA SCL Summit Registration
Join us for the PA Student-Centered Learning Summit on June 17, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)!
We are excited to welcome educators, administrators, and partners from across Pennsylvania to a day of collaboration, innovation, and exploration focused on student-centered learning.
Register now to take part in interactive sessions, connect with peers, and discover impactful strategies to support meaningful learning experiences for all students.
Meghan McAnulty & Emily Hughes
Meghan McAnulty & Emily Hughes
Project WILD
Project WILD
Wednesday, March 25th
10:00am-3:00pm
Join Julie Travaglini from the Allegheny Land Trust, for a Project WILD workshop. Participants will be immersed in wildlife-based conservation and environmental education lessons that foster responsible actions towards wildlife. All resources aligned with PA STEELS Standards.
Science Notebook Training
Science Notebook Training
Thursday, April 9 & Friday, May 8
1:00–4:00 PM (both sessions)
We are excited to share an upcoming virtual professional learning opportunity focused on science notebooking for grades 4–12, led by Jennifer Weibert.
Notebook teacher guides will be shipped directly to each IU prior to the event
Email Meghan McAnulty or Emily Hughes to sign-up: meghan.mcanulty@iu1.org or emily.hughes@iu1.org
Western PA EE Summit
Western PA EE Summit
Thursday, June 11th
9:00am-2:00pm
Grove City College
Project WET Educator Workshop
Project WET Educator Workshop
July 23rd
9:00am-4:00pm
Ohiopyle State Park
Water matters—every drop counts! While we can’t make more water, we can protect and manage what we have.
Join our Project WET Educator Workshop and get the brand-new 2024 Foundations of Water Education Guide, packed with hands-on, interdisciplinary lessons that make water education fun and accessible. Activities align with PA STEELS and fit right into your existing curriculum. Learn more at www.projectwet.org.
This workshop has a $15 fee.
ELA - Dr. Tracey Czajkowski and David Dunham, M.Ed
ELA - Dr. Tracey Czajkowski and David Dunham, M.Ed
Your Go‑To Hub for PSSA ELA Success
Your Go‑To Hub for PSSA ELA Success
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) ELA webpage serves as a central, educator‑friendly hub for understanding and preparing students for the English Language Arts PSSA. The site clearly explains what the PSSA measures, how it aligns to Pennsylvania Core Standards, and what students are expected to know and be able to do in grades 3–8. Most importantly for teachers, it provides direct access to Assessment Anchors, Eligible Content, item samplers, scoring guidelines, and administration resources, all of which can be used to align instruction, practice test‑like questions, and explicitly teach reading and writing skills assessed on the ELA PSSA. When used intentionally, this site helps educators design targeted lessons, scaffold text‑dependent analysis, and familiarize students with question types and expectations—making test preparation more focused, standards‑aligned, and meaningful.
Level Up Your Test Prep
Digital & Physical Escape Rooms: Create themed breakout rooms where students solve ELA puzzles, analyze literature, and apply vocabulary to "escape."
4-Corners: Hang signs (e.g., Tone, Figurative Language, Plot, Theme) in corners. Read a literary quote, and have students move to the corner that best describes it.
Annotation Stations: Use Kami to collaboratively annotate fiction and non-fiction texts. Focus on finding evidence to support claims, which is critical for Keystone writing.
Incentives: Use a point system for checking work for errors.
Professional Development Opportunity
Professional Development Opportunity
April 9, 2026
Bridging ELA to Careers is an engaging, hands-on PD that connects ELA instruction to real-world careers. ELA Curriculum Specialist David Dunham and Career Readiness Coordinator Morgan North guide teachers through creative, classroom-ready activities that show how reading, writing, speaking, and listening come alive beyond school.
Participants will explore careers using VR Career Exploration Headsets, stepping into virtual workplaces to see literacy skills in action. This energetic session delivers practical ideas, high engagement, and immediate takeaways that make ELA more relevant and exciting for all learners.
Currciulum Writing at the IU
10th Grade ELA Curriculum is finished.
11th Grade Curriculum Writing has begun.
Eleventh‑grade teachers from participating districts are beginning the curriculum writing process this week. Curriculum is being intentionally developed for each district and aligned to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. The work emphasizes high‑interest text sets and meaningful stories across a wide range of genres to build background knowledge and strengthen student engagement and comprehension.
Scientifically based best practices serve as the foundation of the curriculum. Instructional components such as mentor sentences, robust vocabulary instruction, varied levels of questioning, and differentiated strategies are thoughtfully embedded, well scaffolded, and shared to support effective, high‑quality instruction.
School Improvement - David Dunham, M.Ed
School Improvement - David Dunham, M.Ed
Join colleagues from around PA to learn about resources strategies and tools that are being used across the state in continuous school improvement.
Register Today
ESL - David Dunham, M.Ed
ESL - David Dunham, M.Ed
Morgan North, Career Readiness Coordinator
STEM Business & Educator Roundtable Discussions
STEM Business & Educator Roundtable Discussions
Upcoming Meeting Dates
Upcoming Meeting Dates
Friday, June 5th 2026 - more information to come.
This will be the final roundtable of the session and will be held in person. The time and location will be announced soon.
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