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Welcome to the Schalmont Teachers' Institute (STI) webpage!
Our office is currently located in Schalmont High School, Room 205, 1 Sabre Dr. Schenectady, NY 12306
The STI hours of operation by appointment from 11:00 to 3:30.
Donna Notar is available at 355-9200 ext. 4005 from 8:30 to 3:30
Visit the new website for teacher centers. |
Teacher Center News Updates:Do you have something you want to share with our learning community? Send it to us.
Draft of new national science standards is released New national standards in K-12 science are aimed at providing students with essential science knowledge and deepening that knowledge through scientific inquiry and the engineering-design process, organizers say. The first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards, released Friday, was developed by educators and experts in 26 states, which are "lead state partners" in the effort to improve science education. Organizers hope the standards will be adopted by all states, but adoption in certain states is expected to be complicated by the handling of topics such as climate change and evolution. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (5/11) |
These self-paced classroom lessons are designed to enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers in grades 5–8. Each uses videos, interactive activities, note-taking, reading, and writing to present students with an engaging science, social studies, or English language arts topic. Each lesson addresses a
range of literacy strategies, which are listed in the accompanying teacher's guide.
Shared by Elisa Pepe |
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Webinar from Education Week - From Paper to Practice: Implementing the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts The Common Core State Standards in English/language arts make new demands on both students and teachers. They ask that students become masters at “close reading” of text, build their argumentation skills, and be able to marshal evidence to defend their positions. Teachers learn how to lead students in that work, with new kinds of questions, new types of readings, and new ways of thinking about literacy. Teachers in two districts in Kentucky are on the leading edge of working with new instructional tools designed for the standards. Join us for a compelling discussion with two educators overseeing the implementation in these districts.
Shared by Mary Martini-Faith |
One teacher's method for evaluating students' classroom participation  Eighth-grade English teacher Ariel Sacks in this blog post shares a tool she created for calculating students' grades for classroom participation. The measurement considers both how
well the student contributes to the overall learning of the class, plus how well they manage their personal conduct so they do not disturb learning of others. Sacks describes an exercise in which she has students use the tool to understand and evaluate their own performance and that of their classmates. Teacher Leaders Network/On the Shoulders of Giants blog (3/31)
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Understanding what makes text complex There are several factors that determine whether text is complex, says Timothy Shanahan, a professor and department chairman at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, professors at San Diego State University, California. They write in this article that vocabulary, sentence structure, coherence and organization of the text can indicate its complexity. Another factor, however, is the level of knowledge students have before reading the text. Educational Leadership (3/2012) |
Will the Common Core change focus on science, art? Common Core State Standards and the heavy focus on reading and math have prompted growing support for ensuring that subjects such as history, science and art also are taught. David Coleman, a lead writer of the English/language arts standards, has been quoted as saying the new requirements do not exclude the arts. "There is no such thing as doing the nuts and bolts of reading in kindergarten through 5th grade without coherently developing knowledge in science and history and
the arts. Period. It is false. It is a fiction," Coleman has said. Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog (3/21) |
How are NYC educators using the common core in the classroom? Educators involved in a pilot of the Common Core State Standards in some New York City schools gathered Monday to discuss how the standards are being used to shape instruction. Elementary teacher Nekia Wise said the standards' focus on "inquiry-based learning" builds on an approach she has long used in the classroom that favors hands-on experiences over rote learning. Others cautioned that teachers will need time and support to create new standards-aligned
lessons. GothamSchools.org (New York) (3/21) |
Setting "core" standards for the classroom As schools prepare to implement new Common Core State Standards, author and gifted-education teacher Anthony S. Colucci writes about the personal standards to which he holds himself in the classroom. Colucci strives to make his lessons engaging and aims to teach and model a culture of hard work. He also works to impart the skills students need to be responsible citizens, encourages them to pursue fulfilling careers and aims to treat them with respect, regardless of their
performance or behavior. Education Week Teacher (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (3/20) |
Ohio high school to provide new approach to learning An Ohio high school next fall will be home to a new academy featuring a student-centered, project-based curriculum, designed to teach students to use 21st-century skills. The instructional model at the new Renaissance Academy at Scott Hill High School will be based on the book, "A Whole New Mind," by Daniel Pink, focusing on six concepts: empathy, design, story, symphony, play and meaning. "It will allow our more creative, 'right-brain' students, who may not
succeed in a traditional classroom, to experience school in a whole new way," teacher Soula Palassis said. The Cincinnati Enquirer (3/4) |
Charged with the responsibility to prepare our students, educators nationwide are deciphering and responding. Some are wary of the Common Core Standards. Others are confused about what needs to change and what needs to be continued. And still others are simply not convinced that the Common Core Standards will create the outcomes needed.
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Q-and-A: ASCD leader discusses engaging students on all levels Edutopia.org interviews ASCD's Molly McCloskey, managing director of the Whole Child Initiative, to explore why addressing the physical and emotional needs of a child is critical to their effective education. Nurturing the whole child makes them more likely to be prepared for post-secondary education, McCloskey said, adding that the initiative encourages educators to become involved in their students lives and academic achievement. "[W]e know that the
adult-student relationship is the most powerful variable for learning and success," McCloskey said. Edutopia.org (2/17) |
How do educators, parents feel about student testing? Interim and formative assessments are seen as more valuable than summative tests, according to a new survey of parents, educators and school administrators. The survey results also revealed support for testing in subjects other than math and English, and the development of broader methods for assessing student progress. The online survey, commissioned by the nonprofit Northwest Evaluation Association, aimed to determine attitudes toward testing, as policies are revised at both
the state and federal levels. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (2/8)
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Why teachers should write, read with their students Online educator Rebecca Alber in this blog post encourages teachers to write and read alongside their students as a way to show them that adults -- even teachers -- also need to clarify, revise or
start over with a new topic. "When we model for students our love -- and struggles -- as readers and writers, they will follow. The more our students fall in love with writing and reading, the more of it they will do," she writes. Edutopia.org/Rebecca Alber's blog (2/6)
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The Animators of Life: See how Hollywood and Harvard are bringing us a better understanding of the living world. "The phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words, well a moving image is actually worth ten-thousand words." - Robert Lue, Ph.D - Professor of Molecular and Cellualar Biology at Harvard University.
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As part of our CC training with Jennifer Wells (Network Team ELA specialist) it was suggested that teachers view this video that is located on EngageNY to understand the Staircase of Complexity. |
How to involve students in formative assessments Author and high-school teacher Larry Ferlazzo offers suggestions and advice on involving students in the process of formative assessment. Simple activities include having students reflect on what they have learned from mistakes or create goal sheets for tracking their progress, he writes. Education Week Teacher/Classroom Q & A blog (1/10)
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This is an amazing discussion on International Benchmark and our educational system in the US, with Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat) and Mark Tucker (On the Shoulders of Giants). It's long but worth every second. 
The video is worth your time to understand our world and the demands it will place on our students. Average is over. Extra is not something that can teach. It might be inspired. - Thomas Friedman |
How to involve students in formative assessments Author and high-school teacher Larry Ferlazzo offers suggestions and advice on involving students in the process of formative assessment. Simple activities include having students reflect on what they have learned from mistakes or create goal sheets for tracking their progress, he writes. Education Week
Teacher/Classroom Q & A blog (1/10) |
How can teachers make time for peer interaction? Teachers spend most of their time in the classroom with students and comparatively little with their peers, which can lead to feelings of isolation, writes Rebecca Alber. To increase connections with fellow educators, Alber suggests teachers eat lunch together, or conduct lessons or activities with another class. Teachers also can attend a class, film or workshop with a colleague, Alber writes. Edutopia.org/Rebecca Alber's blog (1/9) |
Why are art, music, and media components of the units? -Response from the Curriculum Mapping Project.
While literature is of course a vital component of the standards, some standards in the CCSS address the arts as well. Because Common Core promotes the importance of all students studying the arts, we have highlighted places where ELA instruction could be enhanced by connecting a work of literature or an objective of the unit to art, music, or film. For example, students might compare a novel, story, or play to its film or musical rendition. Where a particular period of literature or the literature of a particular region or country is addressed, works of art from that period or country may also be examined. We suggest, for example, that students study self-portraiture when they are encountering memoirs. In each case, connections are made to the standards themselves. The inclusion of these works in our ELA Maps is NOT intended to substitute
for or infringe in any way upon instruction students should receive in separate arts and music classes. |
Study: Top teachers have a long-term effect on students  The ability of classroom teachers to raise standardized test scores of
their students is tied to students' long-term success, according to a recent study. Researchers found that elementary- and middle-school students taught by high-quality teachers more likely were to go to college and earn higher salaries than their peers. The study, conducted over 20 years, defined top teachers as those who raised students' scores on standardized tests -- adding to the ongoing debate over value-added scores. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/6) |
Groups reveal details about development of common assessments Some details have emerged recently about assessments being developed by two consortia of states for use with the new Common Core State Standards. One group, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, has indicated that summative and formative tests in English/language arts will include questions that measure students' deeper understanding of complex passages, as well as their "academic vocabulary." Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog (1/3) |
Bullying can hurt students' academic performance, report finds Bullying can have an indirect effect on students' school attendance and grades, according to a recent report by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Students who are bullied often are detached from learning, which can affect their performance, the study finds. The report suggests that schools promote mentoring, community service, bullying prevention and middle-school transition programs. The Huffington Post (12/17) |
Incorporating technology into project-based lessons Instructional technologist Andrew Marcinek offers his strategies for using project-based lessons to teach digital literacy to students. Marcinek lets students demonstrate understanding of classroom topics using videos, websites or blog posts, which can help students practice critical thinking and analysis, discern reliable and false information, and use
technology to share their findings. Edutopia.org/Andrew Marcinek's blog (12/9) |
How news articles can help teach Common Core "text structures" The writer of this blog post suggests ways in which teachers can use news articles to teach students about "text structures" -- compare-contrast, problem-solution, cause-effect -- that are part of the Common Core Standards. For example, stories tracking the effects of an earthquake in Japan or the Occupy Wall Street protests feature key terms and phrases such as "for this reason" and "consequently" that illustrate cause and
effect. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/The Learning Network blog (12/12) |
Ideas for using student data as part of teaching practice Edutopia consulting online editor Rebecca Alber in this blog post suggests ways teachers can use student data as a resource for their teaching practices. In the classroom, teachers can collect student data as formative assessments through exit slips, quizzes or a simple thumbs up or thumbs down, Alber suggests. Teachers can use data from students' cumulative files to gain a better understanding about their lives, while testing data can be useful in setting individual
student goals and creating student groups, among other things, she writes. Edutopia.org/Rebecca Alber's blog (12/6)
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New Video Series on the Common Core from the Hunt Institute Here is a great overview of the Common Core Learnign Standards that was shared by Mary Faith. The Hunt Institute and the Council for Chief State School Officers commissioned a series of video vignettes that explain the Standards in far greater depth. Several of the key Standards writers were asked, in their own words, to talk about how the Standards were
developed, who was involved, and the goals they set for all students. The list of vignettes is attached here. All of the videos are can be searched through Youtube.CCSS_Video_User_Guide.docx |
How should students' understanding be measured? The writer of this blog post considers how teachers should define students' "understanding" and how understanding should be assessed. The writer recommends teachers grasp the ambiguity of
understanding, recognize that one test does not measure students' true understanding and recognize that many diverse assessments are better indicators of understanding. Edutopia.org/Terry Heick's blog (5/10)
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Shifts in the Common Core Learning Standards Here is a link to EngageNY to help understand the instructional shifts for ELA and Math CCLS. The transition to the Common Core will lead to teaching less content but going more in-depth. |
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Downloading Videos We encourage you to download your videos through Zamzar ahead of time to protect their integrity, ensure availability and minimize network traffic during school. Simply follow the four easy steps and the file will be converted and sent to your email. Select download videos, copy
and paste the URL, select a format (WMV to play on school computer), enter your email address and click convert. The file will not instantly appear in your email so please complete this step ahead of time. When the email arrives, open your message and click on the link that will take you back to Zamzar to download your file. This file can then be stored on a drive for later use.
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Engage NY - A NYS site to learn about the Common Core Engage NY - This website will serve as a resource for implimenting the Common Core State Standards. In addition here is a message for educators around the three areas of focus to reform our education system. Click on the Complete Video Series to learn the specifics about the new ELA and math standards. |
Meaningful Resources for Managing Change in Education: Quotes: "Average is Over" by Thomas Friedman It is impossible to coast uphill. We have to get kids to imagine the future. Growth is not possible without reflection. We are not teaching kids the answers, we are teaching kids how to get the answers. "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never create anything" - Sir Ken Robinson
Books: Leading in a Culture of Change - by Michael Fullan Accountability for Learning by Doughlas B. Reeves That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How it Can Come Back by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
Videos: Links:
- Here is a link to Jim Collins' website which discusses the concept of a"Stop Doing" list. Collins is the author of Good to Great and Built to Last. The future is about doing things differently, not adding more to what we are doing.
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Understanding the Vocabulary and Implementation of Race to the Top
Helpful Acronyms RTTT – Race to the Top IHE – Institutions of Higher Education SED/NYSED – New York State Department of Education PARCC- Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
Here is the Prezi from Staff Development Day. Learn more about Race to the Top and the changes that it is bringing to education.
Rationale for RTTT Race to the Top was built upon the premise that too many American students graduate from high school without the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in postsecondary education and 21st Century careers. In 2008 the non-partisan group “Strong American Schools” issued a study called “Diploma to Nowhere” in which it found that one-third of the nation’s college students took remedial classes in college at a cost of $2.3 to $2.9 billion annually. In New York more than nearly a quarter of students in two and four-year IHE take remedial coursework and IHE in NYS consider a score of 75-85 on Regents
exams to be the bare minimum for college readiness. In an effort to set standards that would better prepare students and to compete for Race to the Top monies, NYS adopted the Common Core Standards with the understanding that 15% of the standards could be revised by NYSED.
Common Core Curriculum Maps for ELA- The Common Core Curriculum Mapping Project 2nd Edition is designed to help educators create a "well-developed, content-rich" curriculum that is aligned to the CCLS. These maps were developed from feedback from teachers, curriculum directors, literacy coaches and others. The site provides over 200 samples of writing, grammer and research activities as well as guidance for differentiated instruction.
Assessment of the Common Core Standards Prior to national assessment New York State will align their assessments to the Common Core for the 2012-2013 school year. In an effort to develop national test New York State has joined the PARCC consortium.
Assessing the Common Core – Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) – Leaders from 25 states formed PARCC to create a next-generation assessment system that would build upon the collective capacity to increase graduation rates from high school and prepare for success in college and the workplace. NYS is a member of this consortium and sits on the governing board. Over 200 IHE are participating to help design the assessments and ensure continuity between our P-12 and IHE.
The PARCC assessments will be designed to be formative in nature by assessing students at key times during the year (through-course assessments) and will be aligned with end-of-year evaluations. The majority of assessments will be computer based allowing teachers to be able to focus their instruction on clear targets and have access to actionable assessment data more frequently. Performance tasks will assess a wide variety of knowledge and skills. PARCC assessments will be aligned to the Common Core to enable cross-state comparison. The current time line projects that these assessments will be in place by 2014.
Teacher and Principal Evaluation RTTT is also bringing changes to Teacher and Principal Evaluation. The NYS Regents Task Force is charged with deciding on the regulations governing the new process of setting up the statewide teacher evaluation system that will be phased in starting in September of 2011. Click below for more information regarding changes to Principal and Teacher Evaluation and the time line for implementation. For more answers to your questions visit the NYSED website. 101227102403_APPR-teacherandprincipalevaluationinfo.pdf
Regional Network Teams As a recipient of the RTTT grant money extended by the federal government, NYS received $696 Million. Half of that money went directly to NYSED and the rest is to be distributed to local school districts over the next four years for training and professional development related to new standards, changes in teacher and principal evaluation, the implementation of new student data reporting systems and creation of school-based inquiry teams to focus on improving instruction. Due to the small amount distributed to individual districts ($6,500 per year for Schalmont), they were encouraged to pool their resources into
local networks that would provide the training and support for the roll out of RTTT. Schalmont has joined the Capital Region Network Team of 21 other school districts including Schenectady, Mohonasen, and North Colonie.
School-Based Inquiry Teams In an effort to improve student achievement through reflective instructional practice, all schools are required to put in place school-based inquiry teams which will be lead by the building principal. Using a data informed approach, these highly focused small teams will be charged with reviewing and improving student outcomes through teacher expertise and sharing of best practice. Successful strategies implemented by these teams will then be shared across the greater school learning community. Race to the Top Inquiry Team.pdf
Due to the scope of these changes, much of our future professional development will be focused around incorporating RTTT initiatives into our schools. The members of the STI Program Committee remain committed to helping guide this process to ensure that our students continue to receive high quality instruction. Please reach out to the Program Committee with your questions, concerns and observations as we move forward together. |
Web 2.0 for Educators Here are my notes from the NYSCATE meeting in Saratoga. Twitter: Globalearner
Alan began with a polling activity from PollEverywhere. com in which we were asked which 21st Century Skill we thought was the most important (collaboration, communication, empathy, etc..). We were all asked to turn our cell phones on and participate in the poll by texting our reply to the given number. Empathy was lowest on our list and he always finds this among educators. Empathy ranks the highest in the non-education world. In his work for HSBC Bank, Alan was told by their CEO that their people must have an understanding of what is going on at the local level to be
effective in the global market. Americans don’t appreciate other perspectives. The military is learning this lesson and General Patreas requires all of his leaders to read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Mortenson has had tremendous success in operating in the same part of the world the US Military is now because of empathy. We need to teach empathy.
Polling activity was awesome and Alan saw a principal use it in their cafeteria of an urban school to ask students any number of questions.
Next we were encouraged to search YouTube for Michael Wesch and watch the video titled Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/Ing US to understand the impact of the Web on youth culture – how schools and youth operate differently. Teachers don’t often collaborate.
Alan showed us an example of collaboration in the education technology world at twitterfall.com. This site will search twitter for hashtags(the equivalent of the dewy decimal system of libraries). In the search area we put the hashtag #edtech and in a few seconds tweets from all over the world that
contained #edtech were being posted on the site. That was a marker that the education technology community had set up to talk to each other and anyone could not look in on that conversation. (#edchat is another hashtag that is used by educators on twitterfall.com)
Sample Tweet: 4 minutes ago With the click of a mouse I was on the USED site checking out the information. Hashtags can be created by anyone and used by any organization for free. Alan said he now realizes that his job is not to be the person in the room who knows everything, but to be the person who creates capacity for people to learn. Most educators are not tapped into global networks and he believes we need to be. The power of the internet is people connecting
to people. We created a hashtag (#lsan)for our group this morning and we can now communicate with each other. Most people started tweets during the class asking questions about what we were learning. We could create a hashtag for every course we taught through the teacher center, post them before the class starts and the group could build a learning community around the course. Alan’s point was this, why wait until you are at the water cooler or in the faculty room to share ideas?
As a teacher, why not have your students using twitter to follow the best minds in chemistry or calculus and see what those people are thinking, reading or discussing right now. This is a knowledge base that the students will be able to take with them well beyond when they return their textbook.
Alan to teachers – Get a twitter account. Collaboration of ePals – a site set up by an American company for educators to network. Few American teachers are there. Why don’t we collaborate?
Information in Schools - Alan has worked in China and the internet is more open in China then it is our public schools. There has not been a single lawsuit in the US against a school for students finding inappropriate material on the web. He has spoken to lawyers and they have said it hasn’t happened because such a case would not go to court. We must teach kids to be life-long learners. Students need to know how to find out what material is credible and which is not. Our kids need to know more about how the internet works.
Read Drive by Daniel Pink (author of A Whole New Mind). Drive says to more you grade the less motivated students are. We have lowered the quality of their work.
Alan’s two thoughts on student work. Show students the work of others and tell them you want better. Have their work published around the world. Wikipedia – wonderful publishing platform for kids. Blogging. Art Sonia.
We need to show kids how the internet works (the structure of) and globalize the curriculum. In doing this teach our kids empathy.
- Country Codes and how to use them in research to look at work published from that country.
- Basic Information Literacy Information at – November Learning (How to validate information on the web)
- Check the history (every version) of a website at WayBackMachine (not available in school) all the way back to 1996.
- Doing a Google search for specific types of sites use site:edu for Google searches to get just sites that are .edu
Setting up your own search engine by using Google-more- even more- custom search
- Using www. tinyurl.com to change your url to something that is more user friendly
- Mathtrain.tv- math help site
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Digital Media and STEM Resources It is the goal of Teacher Centers to promote these public/private partnerships that are high quality and cost effective. Previously we have promoted Marco Polo (currently Thinkfinity). that provides a
tremendous amount of K-12 resources, lesson plans and interactive games. Teachers' Domain (see online newsletter below) also provides these K-12 tools and all lessons are aligned with New York State Standards. New York State Teacher Centers are proud to be rolling out another such initiative in late Winter called SAS Curriculum Pathways which has been a paid site but will be free through NYSTC and affiliated school districts. This validated and research based resource will also provide complete lesson plans, web quests and web resources that have been reviewed and approved by SAS and are safe for secondary classroom use. Please take a moment to check out Teachers' Domain and Thinkfinity when you have a moment or the next time you are looking to develop new lessons.
A brief overview of Teacher' Domain
Teachers’ Domain is an online library of more than 1,000 free media resources from the best in public television. These classroom resources, featuring media from NOVA, Frontline, Design Squad, American Experience, and other public broadcasting and content partners are easy to use and correlate to state and national standards.
Teachers’ Domain resources include video and audio segments, Flash interactives, images, documents, lesson plans for teachers, and student-oriented activities. Once you register, you can personalize the site using “My Folders” and “My Groups” to save your favorite resources into a folder and share them with your colleagues or students.
Teachers’ Domain strives to strengthen teacher knowledge by providing innovative teaching methods that incorporate technology in the classroom and inspire students to learn.
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Prezi - Learn more about this web-based presentation and storytelling tool by visiting the Prezi website. Click on the "Learn" tab for a
simple three step tutorial. Get started today. |
Edutopia - Harness the combine power of educators. Check out what is working in education at Edutopia.org. Great information for all levels and subject areas.
What Is the STI?
In 2001, the Schalmont Teachers' Association and the Schalmont Central School District collaborated to created a single district teacher center at Schalmont. Funded by a grant from the New York State Education Department, the Schalmont Teachers' Institute (STI) became a reality in December, 2001 and joined 125 teacher centers from across the state to provide high quality, meaningful professional development opportunities for teachers.
By creating our own center, we have been able to tailor the professional development opportunities offered directly to the needs of our teachers.
NYS Teacher Centers
New York State Teacher Centers represent the largest professional learning community in New York State. The official name of Teacher Centers is New York State Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers.
There are more than 130 Centers in seven regional networks throughout New York State.
Teacher Centers work with more than 685 public school districts and more than 1,000 non-public and charter schools.
New York State Teacher Centers deliver professional development to support quality teaching for more than 300,000 educators in their communities.
NYS Teacher Centers are responsible for:
Providing PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT for educators at all stages of their careers.
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Models to assess the professional development needs of all educators |
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Methods of evaluation for professional development plans |
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Information and skill-building to evaluate the impact of professional development on student achievement |
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Support for Professional Development (PDP) teams |
Helping educators integrate INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY into their classrooms to enrich curricula.
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High-quality, cutting-edge instructional technology training from basic to advanced levels |
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Mobile computer labs and laptop lending programs |
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Technology partnerships with Thinkfinity NY and Beyond and INTEL¨Teach programs |
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Access to Web-based lesson plans and worldwide education links |
Building and sustaining INDUCTION PROGRAMS.
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Mentor programs for holders of initial and transitional teaching certificates |
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Training for mentors and district mentor coordinators |
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Instructional coaches in literacy, mathematics, science and technology |
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Support for probationary teachers on the analysis and use of student data for instruction |
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Skill building on the use of portfolio and peer review |
Strengthening PARTNERSHIPS and collaborations.
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Collaborative programs with higher education institutions |
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Support from the New York State Education Department and its Pö16 initiative: an inclusive educational system from pre-kindergarten through higher education |
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Constructive relationships with parents, businesses, museums, libraries and community-based organizations |
Offering RESEARCH-BASED instructional strategies aligned with state learning standards.
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Meeting the diverse instructional needs of 21st-Century learners in classrooms across the state |
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Supporting students with disabilities |
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Differentiating instruction to address the needs of all students, including English language learners |
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Aligning instruction with the New York State Learning Standards |
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Encouraging and developing teacher leadership |
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Schalmont STI Mission Statement
The Schalmont Teachers' Institute (STI) which is governed by a policy board of teachers, administrators and community members, will provide professional development andeducational opportunities for teachers (refers to all instructional staff including specialists, teaching assistants and long-term substitutes). The needs of the members and the district, as well as the vision of the STI policy board and staff, will define the programs and resources available to members and evaluate their effectiveness. The Institute will strive for continual improvment in teacher growth and student achievement. Professional development opportunities will address the goals of its consitutent groups and the district as a whole.
STI Staff:
STI Policy Board Members 2011-2012:
Eileen Scheffer |
Co-Chair |
Joby Gifford |
Co-Chair |
Jackie Gordon |
Administrator/HS |
Matt Morgan |
Administrator/MS |
Heather Cohen |
High School |
Becky Remis |
HS/Member at Large |
Wendy Stearns |
High School |
Elisa Pepe |
Middle School |
Mary Shands |
Jefferson |
Michelle Weeks |
Jefferson |
Marty Rossner |
Jefferson |
Michele Williams |
Jefferson |
Alisha Couse |
Jefferson/At Large |
Carol Kramer |
Middle School |
Tiffany Wood |
Special Ed/Woestina |
Deb Falcone |
Special Area/HS |
Paula Gold |
Special Area/HS |
June Krone |
Special Area/MS |
Kelly Healy |
IDEA Chair/Woestina |
Pat Allen |
Higher Education/Union College |
Norma Jean Mitchell |
Business Community/SI Group |
April Lopuch |
Teacher Assistant (TA) |
Colleen Hirsch |
Parent |
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STI Building Ambassadors 2011-2012:
High School |
Becky Remis |
Middle School |
Kelly Healy |
Jefferson K-2 |
Michele Williams |
Jefferson 3-5 |
Marty Rossner |
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