Embedded Files
IU1 Curriculum Department
IU1 Curriculum Department
Buy 9 full PD days and get one free.
IU1 PD HUB
IU1 PD HUB
Save the Dates
Save the Dates
PDE SAS Conference (December 8-10), ACT 45 hours available
Learn. Connect. Activate.
December 7-10, 2025 , Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
PVAAS Statewide training on November 24th
ACT 1 of 2022 Graduation Toolkit
ACT 1 of 2022 Graduation Toolkit
Will be released soon.
Official rollout of Toolkit: Friday, November 21, 10AM-11AM
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
Online Assessment Updates
Online Assessment Updates
- CDT/Firefly Updates
Upcoming IU1 trainings for CDT's will be held on October 31st.
- Online Assessments
There is an update to the format of Item Samplers. Historically posted as a pdf. Future samplers will be posted in the assessment ‘practice’ platform and replicate the Insight testing engine experience. OEQs will be accompanied w/ sample student responses w/ scores. Answers and analytics will accompany each objective question type as ‘click to enlarge’. These will appear in Home → INSIGHT Training → Online Tools Training → Item Samplers.
ACT 45 Updates
ACT 45 Updates
Principal Induction - Principals that are in year 4 and 5 will take priority.
Act 48 Updates
Act 48 Updates
Level I to Level II Assessment form
ACT 13
ACT 13
Upcoming PDE Act 13 Office Hour Meeting Dates for 2025-2026
On behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we are sharing information about Act 13 Office Hours. These sessions are provided monthly. All administrators are welcome to attend. These sessions address frequently asked questions and provide opportunities for attendees to ask questions related to Act 13 Educator Effectiveness implementation and processes.
Sessions are held the fourth Thursday of the month from 12 to 1 p.m. virtually via TEAMS.
No registration necessary. Simply join the meeting. See meeting link and details below:
2025 Dates:
8/28/25
9/25/25
10/23/25
11/26/25*
12/23/25*
2026 Dates:
1/22/26
2/26/26
3/26/26
4/23/26
5/28/26
6/25/26
To Access the Act 13 Office Hours Sessions (No registration is needed.)
FRPAI
FRPAI
Phase 2 has been released. Should be finalized on the site soon.
School Improvement
School Improvement
New designations and redesignations will be announced by December
Personal Finance
Personal Finance
Timing: The personal finance standards will take effect July 1, 2026.
Chapter 4 Personal Finance Elementary
(9) Personal Finance. (f) Planned instruction in the following areas shall be provided to every student every year in the intermediate level program. Planned instruction may be provided as a separate course or as an instructional unit within another course or other interdisciplinary instructional activity:
PVAAS Updates
PVAAS Updates
PVAAS Statewide training on November 24th
Building Level Score located in PEERS now!
Found in PEERS (available based on level of account access, not use of PEERS)
Open Evaluation List, Find an educator with a 13-1 evaluation, open the evaluation by clicking on 13-1. Go to the Building Level Data and open to find the score by school.
PDE Updates
PDE Updates
PSSA data has been released on eMetric district accounts.
PDE Content Advisors
PDE Content Advisors
Comp Planning/FRCPP
Comp Planning/FRCPP
Home Education and Private Tutoring
Due November 15, 2025
Interscholastic Athletic Opportunities
Due November 15, 2025
PAIMS Agreements
PAIMS Agreements
Soundtrap
TinkRworks
Brisk Learning
BrainPOP
Amira Learning
Book Creator
Juice Learning
Xello
Esports
Esports
TheEsportsCompany - Seth Mason
Working on a Fall/Spring Esports tournament for two different games. This will be held at Waynesburg University on December 15, 2025. REGISTRATION WILL BE COMING SOON.
Esports Lending Library - IU1 has Nintendo Switches and Gaming Computers to loan for a semester at a time.
7 Mindsets
7 Mindsets
Come visit the PD sessions at Central Greene SD. 7 Mindsets will be providing PD to the Elementary school from 8:00 - 11:30. The MS/HS will be in the adternoon from 12:40 - 3:30. If you are interested to learn more about 7 Mindsets, Central Greene has invited ant IU1 school to visit.
Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist (Social Studies)
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).
Classrooms Without Borders 2025-26 IU1 Sessions 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, November 7th***
Equipping Schools to Broaden Civics Education in SWPA Fall of 2025 and Beyond!
PA Civics Site Visit Sign Up Link
Civics Education (C70) Regional Training & Informational Meeting at IU1 (Registration Link)
This fall, the Committee of Seventy proposes to facilitate a multi-stage engagement with high schools in Greene and Fayette Counties to lay the groundwork for a sustained program to advance high-quality civics education in Southwest PA.
Many educators want to provide civics instruction to their students but don’t feel like they have the tools to do so, especially without potentially incurring negative reactions from parents, elected school board directors, or the community at-large. C70’s demonstrated success developing and deploying nonpartisan classroom resources and professional development is an essential solution for teachers. We will provide resources to educators and administrators to confront these concerns in a collaborative, productive manner. Ultimately, we aim for teachers in Greene and Fayette County to have the resources to confidently teach high-quality civics, and the peace-of-mind that they can do so with the support of their administration.
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 & 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 Gifted Bootcamp Flyer 2025-26.pdfIU1 Gifted Bootcamp
Our Gifted Bootcamp will be held here at Central Office on January 27th, 2026 from 9am-2pm
Gifted in PA Webinar Series (Virtual)
This introductory webinar series is designed to help educators, administrators, and school staff build a strong foundation in gifted education as it is practiced across Pennsylvania. Participants will gain essential knowledge of state regulations, student supports, and instructional considerations that shape services for gifted learners.
Session Topics Include:
Chapter 16 Overview (October 22) – Learn the key components of Pennsylvania’s gifted education regulations, including compliance expectations, timelines, and the responsibilities of schools in ensuring appropriate services.
GIEP Overview (November 19) – Explore the purpose and process of the Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP), with practical guidance on writing compliant, meaningful, and student-centered goals.
Characteristics of a Gifted Learner (January 21)– Understand the diverse academic, social, and emotional characteristics of gifted students, including how giftedness may present differently across populations.
Whether you are new to gifted education or seeking a refresher, this series will provide the knowledge and confidence needed to support gifted learners and collaborate effectively with families and colleagues.
All sessions are from 10am-11am and will be held virtually.
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 Learning Stream Accounts
Math & AI
A message from Alyssa Moore, IU1 Curriculum Specialist
Dear Curriculum Coordinators,
As I move on to a new position, I want to sincerely thank you for your collaboration and support over the years. Working alongside such a dedicated and passionate group of educators has been a true joy. I will miss our teamwork and conversations, and I wish you all continued success in the important work you do.
Best regards,
Alyssa Moore
Moonshot Grants | 2025 Pulse Checks Edition
Moonshot Grants | 2025 Pulse Checks Edition
Remake Learning Moonshot Grants invite educators, innovators, and organizations to envision a preferred future of learning and take bold steps today toward making that giant leap a reality.
This round, we’re focusing on region-wide transformations inspired by our Pulse Checks: AI in Education and Outdoor Learning (see funding priorities below).
Grants of up to $50,000 are available.
Letters of intent are due by October 31st.
Priorities for AI in Education
Priorities for AI in Education
Prepare learners for careers in an AI-driven world by connecting them with local employers, mentors, and hands-on experiences that build skills in ethical and creative-technology use.
Use AI tools to spark new creative pursuits—helping young people to imagine, design, and experiment in developmentally-appropriate ways that push their learning.
Leverage AI tools to bring learners together—helping educators and young people to share ideas, co-create designs, projects, and/or solutions; and do something that they might not otherwise be able to do without AI.
Priorities for Outdoor Learning
Priorities for Outdoor Learning
Give learners opportunities to explore career pathways in the outdoors and environmental fields, helping them see themselves as future leaders in these fields.
Create experiences where learning flows across classrooms and the outdoors, inspiring curiosity and creativity.
Build strong partnerships between schools and out-of-school providers around the implementation of the new STEELS Standards so students can benefit from the expertise of environmental educators and the resources of the wider community.
Emily Hughes, STEM Coordinator
IU1 STEM Pathways
IU1 STEM Pathways
IU1 STEM Pathways provides professional learning opportunities and material kits to support teachers in implementing OpenSciEd.
From Kits to Classrooms: An Introductory Look at OpenSciEd
Discover how OpenSciEd’s NGSS-aligned curriculum supports the PA STEELS standards while transforming science instruction through real-world phenomena, equitable learning, and strong teacher support. This webinar is designed to help leaders make informed decisions about implementing high-quality, research-based science programs in their districts.
WEBINAR DATES: January 22nd, February 6th
STE(ELS)
STE(ELS)
Support ELS with Project Wild
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.
DATE: March 27th
Tracey Czajkowski and David Dunham, ELA
8th Grade Curriculum Writing at the IU
Curricula is created specifically for each district following the PA Academic Core Standards, Anchors, and Eligible Content. Emphasis is on text sets of high interest topics and stories while using a wide variety of genres to establish background knowledge and better text engagement and comprehension.
Scientifically based best practices such as mentor sentences, robust vocabulary, levels of questioning, differentiation strategies and many more are also well scaffolded and shared.
Professional Development
Tracey TDA Rollout.pdfTracey Best Practice.pdfTracey Creating Text Sets.pdf
2025 Conference - Beyond The Page: Fostering a Love of Reading for Lifelong Learners
Kalahari Resort and Convention Center - Poconos
November 30 - December 2, 2025
Resources
Welcome to RIF's Literacy Central
Welcome to RIF's Literacy Central
Create engaged readers when you use Reading Is Fundamental’s Literacy Central. This award-winning digital library hosts over 10,000 resources directly tied to the books teachers, caregivers and community partners turn to everyday. Organize all of your book resources in one place, create and share book lists, find helpful reading tips and strategies and track student reading progress by creating and signing into your free account today. Choose a path to begin exploring resources.
David Dunham, ESL/ELD Curriculum Updates
PDE ELD Field Memo
PDE ELD Field Memo
EL Data Submission to PIMS
The data office at PDE will pull EL data needed for ACCESS testing on November 6th. This data is supplied to DRC to produce pre-ID labels and set up testing. Please ensure that your district has reported all EL data accurately before the deadline. Failure to report complete and accurate EL data to PIMS will result in missing labels and the need to manually enter students for testing.
You can find information about PIMS calendars and data elements at the PDE Data and Reporting page.
If you have questions about PIMS reporting, please contact your district PIMS Coordinator.
Educator Involvement in WIDA Test Development
There are many key activities that educators, from state-level administrators to classroom teachers, participate in to help WIDA make the tests and teaching tools students and teachers around the world rely on.
To learn about the various activities in which educators can participate, please visit the Building a WIDA Assessment page and browse the events to learn more about each. If WIDA is actively recruiting for a specific event, that event description will include a link to a participation survey. Fill out relevant surveys to be considered for each event.
If an educator would like to be considered for more than one WIDA assessment event, they can fill out the annual assessment event participation survey. WIDA will contact selected participants on a rolling basis throughout the 2025-26 school year
New Guidance for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
PDE has updated the SLIFE section of the K-12 EL Identification Procedure with a note to help clarify some of the criteria for identifying ELs as SLIFE. Please review the updated guidance.
PDE has also published a SLIFE Quick Reference Guide to the Special Populations page on the EL website. This guide is designed to help educators and administrators better understand the unique needs of SLIFE and to plan programs and supports that promote both language development and academic progress. It highlights key considerations for instruction, credit accrual, and program design so that districts can ensure equitable access to learning and graduation pathways.
Professional Learning Survey
PDE is committed to providing professional learning that supports ALL educators of English learners across the Commonwealth. We would like input and feedback from educators in the field and are providing this survey to better understand:
Responses will directly inform the planning of future professional learning activities.
Important notes:
The survey should take about 8–10 minutes to complete.
Responses are anonymous and will be reviewed only in aggregate.
Most responses are narrative in nature to allow educators to fully express their thoughts.
We greatly appreciate the feedback and input that can help us strengthen professional learning for educators and the students we serve.
SURVEY LINK
2025 Annual Virtual ELD Conference
Come together with a vibrant community of educators to explore the latest research findings and pedagogical practices in multilingual education. Conference sessions highlight strategies and programs that both affirm and leverage the rich identities and experiences of multilingual learners and foster and sustain equity and access for all learners and their families. Please note that sessions will not be recorded.
When: November 18 – 20, 2025
Where: This is a virtual conference. All sessions will occur on Zoom.
Cost: There is no cost to attend! Registration is free.
Sessions: You do not need to pre-register for sessions in advance of the conference.
Questions: Please email any questions to ELD@WITF.org
Agenda: 2025 Agenda
Please visit the EL Portal Professional Learning page to register – scroll down to the conference tile – or register here.
Please feel free to contact a member of the EL team at PDE with any questions or concerns – Bob Measel (romeasel@pa.gov) or Julia Puza (jpuza@pa.gov).
We’re happy to announce the launch of our brand-new Standards in Action webpage! This page brings to life the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework through real classroom examples, practical resources and videos that show how educators use the framework to support language development in multilingual learners. Explore the new Standards in Action webpage today!
David Dunham, CSI/School Improvement
Sarah D'Urzo - https://sites.google.com/iu1.org/innovationanddesign/home
Unified Robotics with VEX
Unified Robotics with VEX
The Unified Robotics Challenge with VEX is a competition for teams of students in grades 4-8 where they complete a challenge using the VEX IQ Robotics Kits. Teams are to be comprised equally of neurotypical and neurodiverse students, in grades 4-5 and grades 6-8 promoting an environment where all learners contribute, problem-solve, and succeed together.
Teams will have from November 1, 2025 to March 11, 2026 to test their skills and master the challenge. Two teams per school are able to participate with a max of eight students per team.
DATE: March 11, 2026
LOCATION: PennWest California, Convocation Center South Wing
REGISTRATION: opens on November 1, 2025
Participating teams will exclusively receive the equipment below, the items below can be kept by the school upon successful participation (over $1,000 in materials). This grant will cover the cost of all materials, etc. and there will be no cost in this pilot incurred by the schools.
2 VEX IQ Robots
1 Field Kit
1 Field Case
1 Set of Game Elements
To retain the equipment (successfully complete all requirements and your school can keep the equipment), schools must commit to the following:
Attend the required in-person Professional Development session (a $200 stipend will be provided to the district to cover costs for subs/travel)
Join scheduled Zoom check-ins
Participate in at least 2 virtual mini challenges
Provide student reflections (forms and instructions will be provided)
Take part in the Final Challenge at Penn West on March 11, 2026, from 9AM - 1PM
To confirm your school’s participation, please complete and return the attached Grant Participation Agreement Form by October 30, 2025. This form requires both your signature and your administrator’s signature.
IU1 Regional Keystone Competition.pdfKeystone Competition
Keystone Competition
This exciting, single-day event will replace the current Governor’s STEM Competition, making it more accessible and inclusive for all learners. The redesigned format invites students in three grade bands; 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12, to collaborate, innovate, and problem-solve in a dynamic, hands-on environment.
Teams will then embark on their design journey, imagining, creating, and prototyping solutions within the day. Whether their solution is a digital product, physical prototype, or conceptual model, students will have the freedom to think big, collaborate, and showcase their creativity. Challenge is announced on Oct. 14, 2025 for all participating teams.
No advance preparation is needed from coaches or students. Everything happens during the event, making it an easy and accessible opportunity for schools to engage students in innovation and teamwork.
DATE: December 10, 2025
LOCATION: PA Trolley Museum
REGISTRATION: https://forms.gle/niHFq7GCGbXCXGBS7
Innovation Grants: DUE Oct. 31st
Innovation Grants: DUE Oct. 31st
2025-2026 Innovation Grant $5,000
2025-2026 Innovation Grant $5,000
For larger, integrated projects that reflect your school’s vision of innovation across multiple disciplines.
NOTE: This is a Google Form and will NOT save your work while working on it to draft a submission and left idle or if you want to come back and work on it another day, this is for final submission only. Please use the template to draft your submission as this form will close out when left idle.
2025-2026 Innovation MICRO Grant $2,000
2025-2026 Innovation MICRO Grant $2,000
For smaller-scale or early-stage innovation projects—ideal for schools new to the grant program or testing bold, new ideas.
NOTE: This is a Google Form and will NOT save your work while working on it to draft a submission and left idle or if you want to come back and work on it another day, this is for final submission only. Please use the template to draft your submission as this form will close out when left idle.
Moonshot Grants: Letter of Intent due October 31st
Waitlist for the 2025 Student Holiday Market with Range
Upcoming PDs
Industry 4.0 Workshop (FREE) - https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0080-0031-8c0be2700ba74401a9f02d93b4eb8c15
Nov. 20th at IU1 Central Office
Join Catalyst Connection and IU1 for a professional learning experience called Industry 4.0 Teacher Academy! During this unique experience you will learn how the manufacturing industry is using emerging Industry 4.0 technologies to revolutionize the way they manufacture, improve and distribute their products. After attending this experience you will know how you can take the knowledge you gained back into your classroom to expose today’s learners of these high-demand and high-paying career pathways.
Technovation Girls Workshop - December 5th IU1 Central Office
Registration coming soon!
Technovation Girls, a global organization that supports young women (ages 8-18) in computer science. With the support of volunteer mentors and parents, girls work in teams to code mobile apps that address real-world problems, then participate in regional, national, and global “pitch” competitions annually to share their work.
College Board
College Board
Report abuse