Professional Learning Newsletter
Summer 2021
Outlined below are professional learning opportunities to be offered by the district, state, and other organizations during Summer 2021.
UPDATED 6/18/2021
2021 Professional Learning Conference
Session registration will open July 30, 2021!
Read to Succeed Course for Secondary Administrators and Counselors
This course gives administrators and counselors their required Read to Succeed endorsement. Re-certification points will be awarded upon completion of the course. The timeline for the course is June 28 - July 29. The first and last sessions on June 28 and July 29th, will be the only two face-to-face sessions from 9:00 am - 12:00 noon. Location TBA.
The virtual, asynchronous sessions will be July 1, 8, 15 and 22. Participants should be present at the face-to-face sessions.
District Self-Paced Courses
Self-paced courses are designed specifically for Rock Hill Schools educators and are designed to give participants a quality learning experience with flexibility in mind. Participants should register in KickUp and may pace themselves through the course. Courses open June 24, 2021 and must be completed by August 6, 2021 in order to receive credit.
Virtual Professional Learning Opportunities for Content and Instructional Support
Richland 2 and the SC Geographic Alliance will be hosting a free virtual professional learning opportunity this summer for 7th grade teachers. It will be held daily from 9:00 am-12:00 pm on July 20th-22nd. More info on this flyer.
SC Multilingual Education Kick-Off
A three-day virtual professional learning opportunity to meet the needs of multilingual learners in South Carolina July 20th-22nd 8:15 am - 12:15 pm
State Department of Education
Self-Paced Courses for Teachers
These PLOs are designed in Google Classroom for you to participate anywhere and anytime from May 24, 2021 through July 30, 2021. PLO contact hours will be given for the participation and completion of each series. You may work through the PLO individually or you may invite colleagues to join you as a team.
Once you are in the Google Classroom PLO for any of the subject areas, follow the steps in this link to turn on your notifications so you always know what is happening in your PLO. You will have personalized opportunities to engage one-on-one with an SCDE Office of Standards and Learning Thinking Partner (notifications on will support these opportunities) throughout the entire PLO.
Access SDE page HERE.
(You will need a Gmail account to access the Google Classroom courses. We encourage you to use a personal gmail account; however, you may access the courses with your rhschools.org account until August 1st.)
K-12 Making Thinking Visible in ELA
K-5 Mathematics through SCCR Priority and Support Standards
6-8 Math Strengths-Based Learning
6-12 Three Dimensional Science Instruction
K-5 Science 3-Dimensional Science Instruction
K-12 Starting with Social Studies Standards
K-12 Controversy and the Classroom
K-12 Collaborative Artists (Visual and Performing Arts)
K-8 Creating an Effective Classroom Environment for GT Services
K-12 Understanding and Using the Priority and Support Learning Standards
Office of Personalized Learning- Personalized Learning PD
Framework Foundations Course
Check out our new self-paced Framework Foundations Series intended to help you visualize what personalized learning can look like in your classroom while you experience it firsthand! These five modules are one of several ways the OPL can help support teachers and leaders across our state. This series, hosted as a Canvas course, aims to meet you where you are and allow you to move at your own pace!
Click HERE to enroll in the course!
Teaching Channel Self-Paced Courses
Teaching Channel has created a series of online professional learning courses that all take under two hours to complete. When you've finished each course, they will send you a personalized certificate of completion that you can use towards your PD hours. All courses are FREE for Teaching Channel subscribers.
Self-Paced VirtualSC Courses
Webinars for Teachers
Technology & Blended Learning: A Recipe for Student Growth - Thursday, June 24 @ 12pm EST
Recent investments in 1:1 technology do not have to go to waste as we return to the classroom. This session will cover the best ways to leverage technology for personalized instruction and tailored support for students. Join this webinar to find out just how effective leftover technology can be.
Using Groups to Empower Student Ownership and Personalize Instruction - Thursday, July 1st at 2pm EST
During the transition to online learning, many schools found trouble in holding students accountable. As schools transition back to hybrid or in-person models, technology tools can be used to support student ownership—not just drive a wedge between students and teachers, as many educators suspect. Find out how teachers use student groups in Kiddom to empower students and personalize instruction.
Disembarking from Cloud Drive: Post-Pandemic Shifts in the State of Digital Curriculum - Wednesday, July 7 @ 4pm EST
In early 2021, Kiddom conducted a comprehensive survey for educators on the state of curriculum and instruction. The results revealed some fascinating opinions and priorities surrounding curriculum and digital learning. This session will explore the report in depth, focusing on the “why” behind the results.
Webinars for School Leaders
The South Carolina Department of Education, Office of Student Intervention Services, in partnership with the National Dropout Prevention Center, is offering the Learning Loss Professional Development Series, a series of webinars that addresses the issues of post-pandemic school resumption that are faced by students and educators and prepares school leaders to help students recover from the learning loss they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first three of the six-part series will begin in June 2021, and the remaining three of the six-part series will begin in October 2021. Information about the second part of the series will be distributed at a later date.
Webinar One: The Pandemics Impact on At-Risk Students, Schools, and Learning
Wednesday June 23, 2021, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EST Instructor – Dr. Sandy Addis, Chairman, National Dropout Prevention Center
This Learning Session will investigate the impact of pandemic school shutdowns on already-at-risk students, on not previously at-risk students who are now at-risk, and on educators, school climates, and student outcomes. The session is intended to alert to and prepare educators for the changed environment, challenges, and school landscapes they face in the months and years after the pandemic.
Webinar Two: Strategies for Recovering and Reengaging Students after Pandemic Shutdown
Wednesday July 14, 2021, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EST Instructor: Dr. Robert Peters, Chief Academic Officer, National Dropout Prevention Center
This Learning Session will address the challenges of finding students who were lost during the pandemic shutdown, who were minimally engaged in virtual instruction, and those who may have become displaced during the pandemic. The session will go beyond finding and reenrolling students to address the challenges of reengaging them with instruction, of assessing learning loss, and of reentering them into the mainstream of face-to-face school without loss of motivation and will to succeed.
Webinar Three: Improving Attendance to Reduce Learning Loss
Wednesday September 15, 2021, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EST Instructor – Dr. Sandy Addis, Chairman, National Dropout Prevention Center
This Learning Session will address the importance and challenges of restoring positive attendance patterns for students who have become non-attenders during school shutdown and virtual instruction. The topic of truancy as a common withdrawal reaction for trauma-impacted students will be explored. The session will address the primary motivators of school attendance including routine, parental expectations, positive interpersonal connections, and relevance of instruction and school-based activities.
Sign-up for Leadership Opportunities for the 2021-22 School Year!
Professional Learning Conference Facilitator- Application window closes June 25th
Professional Learning Conference Moderator- Application window closes June 25th
Professional Learning Strand Leader- Application window closes June 23rd
Leadership Academy (Aspiring Instructional Leaders, Asst. Principals, Principals)- Application window closes August 30th
Feedback Requested
Please complete the survey linked to the image on the left to provide feedback regarding the district's graduate credit, endorsement, certification, and renewal credit course offerings for the upcoming year.
