Sonoma County Office of Education

Topic Areas

Topic Areas Supported

21st Century Learning

New technology has changed the way people communicate. School leaders need to be able to leverage these new tools to share their school or district's successes and important event information with stakeholders. Get up to speed on creating a dynamic website, using social media tools like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and find ways to include texting in your communication plan.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic overview of modern website design and social media tools for school communication.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of modern website design and social media tools for school communication as well as help with initial communication plan roll-out.
Audience: District and site administrators | Available Staff: Matt O’Donnell

Participants will apply the practices and procedures associated with close reading of written text to historical and contemporary visual media, including still and moving images. Working with freely available historical, artistic, and commercial images, participants will experience activities that demonstrate how Common Core close reading strategies can be made powerfully accessible through application to high-student-interest visual media. Full-day workshops include an exploration of how argumentative writing techniques can be enhanced through engaging multimedia projects. Creative Commons and other freely available sources for engaging imagery and editing tools will be shared.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Close Reading of Visual Media
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Close Reading of Visual Media and Argumentative Writing Techniques using Free, Open-Source, Multimedia Authoring Tools
Target Audience: Teachers (Grades 6-12) | Available Staff: Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Design Thinking Design thinking is both a mindset and a process for identifying key issues, generating multiple ideas, and developing human-centered solutions. Design Thinking has been employed in more traditional design fields like architecture and product design for years, but educators--and students--have been increasingly using Design Thinking to solve challenges in their classrooms, schools, districts, and communities. A Design Thinking project at Montgomery High School, facilitated by SCOE staff, was featured in a recent article in the Press Democrat. SCOE staff can provide your staff (or students) with three customizable workshops on Design Thinking: Design thinking1

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic Overview of Design Thinking
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of Design Thinking w/completion of a full design challenge
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview of Design Thinking w/completion of a full design challenge and a follow-up day to apply Design Thinking to an existing challenge at the school or district
Target Audience: District and site administrators, teachers, students (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Dan Blake, Matt O’Donnell, Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Students need media literacy to be college and career ready in the 21st century and they should be able to showcase their understanding of complex topics through multimedia in addition to written work. This training will give teaches a basic understanding of available free digital tools that teachers and students can use for multimedia creation including photo and video editing, graphic design, website creation, and audio editing.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic Overview of Multimedia Tools
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of multimedia tools, hands-on lessons, and multimedia creation ideas customized to participants content area.
Target Audience:District and site administrators, teachers(Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Matt O’Donnell, Rick Phelan

Today’s students need spaces that allow for collaboration and are adaptable for different activities. We can help you transform dated classrooms and computer labs into robust 21st century learning spaces. Get ideas for lab, classroom, makerspace, and school design and receive documentation and guidance to transform existing spaces into dynamic learning environments.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic Overview of Learning Space Redesign
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of 21st century learning spaces w/ initial plan for a redesigned space
Target Audience: District and site administrators, teachers (Grades K-12), facilities personnel | Available Staff: Matt O’Donnell

California Content Standards

SCOE can facilitate a cycle of Lesson Study for teams of five to seven teachers at your site. A four- or five-day full Lesson Study cycle involves goal-setting, in-depth study of content and pedagogy, planning a lesson, student interviews, classroom observation, and reflection. (Lesson Study can be done with any content area.)

  • Four to Five Days (Six to eight hours per day): Full Lesson Study Cycle
Audience: Teachers (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Josh Deis, Jenn Guerrero, Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Data and Assessment

With the advent of Common Core, educators have an opportunity to re-imagine grading and assessment practices and to collaboratively reexamine what they grade for. In this custom-designed workshop series co-created with participants, we explore alternative grading practices and ways to assess student learning that foster growth mindset, and align with the English-Language Arts Habits of Mind, Standards for Mathematical Practice, and Smarter Balanced claims. Best as a sequence of several (five to eight) staff development meetings.
Scope and sequence TBD.
Audience: Teachers and administrators (Grades K-12) | Available Staff:Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Support for leadership groups and data teams using electronic tools to monitor student achievement related to LCAP metrics, California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance (CAASPP) assessments, and other local data resources (e.g., SBAC Interim Assessments, DIBELS, LexiaCore5, Illuminate Assessments, BrightBytes results, etc.)

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific data tool’s use.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific data tool’s use, facilitation of data team meeting analyzing results from one data source, and creating a product for a stakeholder group (e.g., trustees, parents, and/or community).
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific data tool’s use, facilitation of two or more data team meetings to analyze results from different data sources, and creating a product for a stakeholder group (e.g., webpage, brochure, LCAP report element).
Audience: District and site administrators, teachers, students (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Rick Phelan

Early Literacy/School Readiness

Transitional Kindergarten helps the youngest students get the best start possible to school. For a district or school it can be challenging to determine how to best meet the needs of these young learners. The Ed Codes regarding the implementation of Transitional Kindergarten continue to be updated. SCOE staff can provide up-to-date information regarding Ed Code changes and highlight the policies and procedures which need to be considered by districts as they provide Transitional Kindergarten classes for their students. Audience: District and site administrators | Available Staff: Brulene Zanutto

School readiness is an important indicator of student academic success both early in their education and in later years. Readiness can be looked at from three different perspectives: the child’s readiness for school, the school’s readiness for the child, and the families and communities readiness for school. SCOE staff can provide an overview of these different perspectives as well as provide information on different domains teachers and administrators can look at in order to determine student readiness. An introduction to possible ratings tools can be provided including the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP) and the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP). Target Audience: Administrators, teachers, parents | Available Staff: Brulene Zanutto

English Language-Arts

“Teaching is a complex and dynamic act. Approaches to instruction vary widely, and excellent teachers employ different approaches as appropriate for lesson objectives and their students.” (ELA/ELD Framework for CA) Explore three broad models of instruction: inquiry based instruction, collaborative learning, and direct instruction. Learn to plan with clarity and intention in order to effectively incorporate these models into your teaching practice.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic Overview of inquiry-based instruction, collaborative learning, and direct instruction.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of inquiry-based instruction, collaborative learning, and direct instruction. SCOE staff will facilitate an analysis of example lessons using these models.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview of inquiry-based instruction, collaborative learning, and direction instruction. Support planning a lesson incorporating one or more of these instructional models and a follow-up day to analyze student work samples.
Audience: Teachers, (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Kelly Matteri

“A growing number of efforts to implement culturally and linguistically informed instructional approaches have shown that all students improve academically when they develop explicit awareness of the social and grammatical expectations for language use.” (ELA/ELD Framework for CA) The ELA/ELD framework outlines a set of general practices that reflect culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. Participants will study these practices and their effect on school community and student success.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic overview of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and related practices.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and related practices. SCOE staff will facilitate analysis of relevant case studies.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and related practices. SCOE staff will facilitate site/district specific discussion and goal-setting related to culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and related practices. SCOE staff will return for a follow-up session to reflect on the initial implementation of the practices.
Audience: Teachers, (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Kelly Matteri

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English Learner Services

The CA ELD Standards describe the key knowledge, skills, and abilities that students who are learning English as a new language need in order to access, engage with, and achieve in grade-level academic content. Participants will work collaboratively with colleagues to learn about the layout, organization, and overarching themes of the new CA ELD Standards.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic overview of the standards
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of the standards and introduction to Integrated and Designated ELD
  • Two Day (12-16 hours): Overview of the standards, focused professional development on either Integrated and Designated ELD, lesson planning using the ELD standards
Target Audience: K-12 classroom teachers, ELD teachers, coaches, administrators Available Staff: Jenn Guerrero, Kelly Matteri

In California, three out of five English Learners in grades 6-12 are Long Term English Learners (LTEL). In order to address this crisis, English Learners must be purposefully positioned as active, valued participants in the learning community of the classroom. This workshop will equip teachers with instructional strategies called Structured Language Practice that build engagement and inclusion while increasing language acquisition and content understanding.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): How the research on LTELs impacts our work with English Learners, Introduction to Structured Language Practice (SLP), one-two instructional SLP strategies for classroom use.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): How the research on LTELs impacts our work with English Learners, introduction to Structured Language Practice (SLP), two-three instructional SLP strategies for classroom use, and lesson planning.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): How the research on LTELs impacts our work with English Learners, introduction to Structured Language Practice (SLP), two-three instructional SLP strategies for classroom use, lesson planning, and visioning and support around school-wide implementation of SLP.
Target Audience: K-12 classroom teachers, ELD teachers, coaches, administrators Available Staff: Jenn Guerrero, Kelly Matteri

The CA ELA/ELD Framework defines two types of ELD that all English Learners are required to receive: Integrated ELD: All teachers with English learners in their classrooms use the ELD Standards in tandem with the focal California Content Standards for English-Language Arts and other content standards. Designated ELD: A protected time during the regular school day when teachers use the ELD Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop the critical language that English Learners need for content learning in English.

This custom service option offers participants an opportunity to understand and implement the instructional shifts highlighted in either type of ELD.

    Half-Day (2-4 hours): Overview of Integrated or Designated ELD using the ELA/ELD framework.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of Integrated or Designated ELD, Understanding the new CA ELD Standards, strategies for implementation of Integrated or Designated ELD.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview of Integrated or Designated ELD, Understanding the new CA ELD Standards, instructional strategies for implementation of Integrated or Designated ELD, lesson planning for Integrated or Designated ELD.
Target Audience: K-12 classroom teachers, ELD teachers, coaches, administrators Available Staff: Jenn Guerrero, Kelly Matteri

The CA ELA/ELD Framework is a groundbreaking document that guides the implementation of two sets of interrelated standards: California’s Content Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy and California’s English Language Development (ELD) Standards. Participants will become familiar with the new CA ELA/ELD Framework and the invaluable resources it contains for quality instruction of English Learners.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic overview of the Framework with specific attention paid to snapshots and vignettes focused on Designated or Integrated ELD.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Basic overview of the framework, with an emphasis on unpacking Designated or Integrated ELD.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Basic overview of the framework, unpacking of Designated or Integrated ELD, and visioning and planning around Designated or Integrated ELD
Target Audience: K-12 classroom teachers, ELD teachers, coaches, administrators Available Staff:Jenn Guerrero, Kelly Matteri

Interdisciplinary Integrated Units of Study

This fun, interactive full day workshop uses elements of Project-based Learning and Design Thinking to:

  • Facilitate collaboration among teacher teams to develop high-student-interest integrated units that are feasible, viable, and desirable.
  • Immerse teachers in the experience of completing a standards-aligned performance task based on authentic documents and open-ended dilemmas from an actual business.
  • Train teachers in developing driving questions for high student interest, standards-based, integrated projects.
  • Introduce a template for creating Common Core-aligned integrated performance tasks anchored in authentic activities that students care about.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Experience an Integrated Performance Task from the student perspective to see how open-ended dilemmas can enhance standards-based instruction
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Experience an Integrated Performance Task and collaborate with colleagues to create an authentic and engaging interdisciplinary experience for students
Audience: Teachers (Grades 6-12 | Available Staff: Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Leadership Initiatives

Using a strengths-based approach, administrative teams will engage in radical collaboration with representative constituents to empathetically identify needs, and to create a division of labor that maximizes attention to instructional support, while maintaining other administrative functions. Participants will engage in facilitated dialogue around the question: “What does a 21st-Century Administrator look like?”

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Facilitated brainstorming around team strengths and goals.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Focused retreat including empathy interviews with certificated and classified staff from other sites.
Audience: Teachers (Grades K-12 | Available Staff: Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Maker Education

Digital manufacturing tools such as laser and vinyl cutters, 3D printers, and desktop CNC mills are becoming more affordable and user friendly with the advancement of technology and the growth of the Maker Movement. SCOE personnel can help train individuals or small groups on these tools and help to provide curriculum ideas to connect activities to core subjects. Trainings can be held in the SCOE Design Lab or at the user’s site.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic overview of digital manufacturing tools with limited time for hands-on practice.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of digital manufacturing tools with time for hands-on practice and curriculum ideas for connecting activities to core subjects.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview of digital manufacturing tools, time for hands-on practice with equipment, and assistance with developing specific lessons incorporating activities into core subject areas.
Audience: Teachers (Grades K-12)
Available Staff: Casey Shea

Makerspaces can be set up in a variety of spaces, from the corners of classrooms to entire shop buildings and can include a range of materials and equipment, from low to high tech. SCOE personnel can help with everything from initial site evaluation and planning to equipment and material selection, installation, and staff training on specialized tools and software.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic consultation on Makerspace planning.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Full consultation on Makerspace planning and installation including visits to local Makerspaces for ideas and inspiration.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Full consultation on Makerspace planning, installation, and implementation with follow-up training and support on specific equipment.
Audience: Site and district administrators, facilities personnel, teachers (Grades K-12)
Available Staff: Casey Shea, Matt O’Donnell

Give your staff a chance to participate in a hands-on activity to experience the power of maker education to foster student engagement and to promote 21st century skills. A variety of age-appropriate activities from paper circuits to scribbling robots to compressed air rockets can be presented.

  • Half-Day: (2-4 hours): Series of hands-on activities followed by a debrief on the dimensions of learning framework.
Audience: Teachers (Grades K-12)
Available Staff: Casey Shea

Bring your student group to SCOE to experience maker activities in the Design Lab. Groups of up to 45 can rotate through stations and experience a variety of hands-on activities including circuitry, 3D design, laser cutting, and t-shirt making.

  • Half-Day: (2-4 hours): Series of hands-on activities followed by a debrief
Audience: Students (Grades K-12)
Available Staff: Casey Shea, Matt O’Donnell

Mathematics

SCOE personnel will work with grade level teams to organize their math program into a coherent system that matches their students’ needs. This mapping includes: naming the Big Ideas of each unit of study, pacing the content over the course of the school year, identifying assessments, and aligning text book and other resources to the desired goals. This work can be done with or without the implementation of a new textbook.

  • Full Day (6-8 hours)
Audience: Teachers (grades K-12) | Available Staff: Josh Deis

Mathematics Instruction Improvement: SCOE personnel can train your staff in the use of several instructional designs that have been proven effective in teaching students common core math content and the mathematical practices. The first step is to learn about a new pedagogical structure. Teachers are then expected to do it in their classroom and are given an opportunity to reflect on the experience and enter a model of continuous improvement, which should include teachers visiting each other’s classrooms. Some of the instructional designs we can support your staff with include: Number Talks, Diagnostic Teaching Lessons, You-We-I lessons, Three Read Strategy.

  • Half-Day: (2-4 hours)
  • Full Day: (6-8 hours)
Audience: Teachers (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Josh Deis

Parent Education

Building Early Language and Literacy in the Home: The development of early language and literacy skills are key factors in school success. This workshop engages parents in a combination of current research and information paired with hands-on activities and resources that help build a language and literacy-rich environment at home. Sessions are available in English and Spanish.

  • Partial Day (2 hours): Sessions are approximately 2 hours in length
Audience: Parents of TK-Grade 2 students | Available Staff: Patricia Rendon, Brulene Zanutto

Project-Based Learning

This fun, interactive full day workshop uses elements of Project-based Learning and Design Thinking to: Facilitate collaboration among teacher teams to develop high-student-interest integrated units that are feasible, viable, and desirable; immerse teachers in the experience of completing a standards-aligned performance task based on authentic documents and open-ended dilemmas from an actual business; train teachers in developing driving questions for high student interest, standards-based, integrated projects; introduce a template for creating Common Core-aligned integrated performance tasks anchored in authentic activities that students care about.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Experience an Integrated Performance Task from the student perspective to see how open-ended dilemmas can enhance standards-based instruction
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Experience an Integrated Performance Task and collaborate with colleagues to create an authentic and engaging interdisciplinary experience for students.
  • Partial Day (2 hours): Sessions are approximately 2 hours in length
Audience: Teachers (Grades 6-12) | Available Staff: Jessica Progulske, Chuck Wade

Restorative Practices

"The fundamental premise of restorative practices is that people are happier, more cooperative and productive, and more likely to make positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them." (International Institute for Restorative Practices). Participants will learn practical strategies to build strong, healthy relationships with students, families, employees, and colleagues. Interactive experiences throughout the workshop will yield a better understanding of the continuum of Restorative Practices and how they can be applied to an educator's practice.

  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Introduction to Restorative Practices
  • 2 Days: Introduction to Restorative Practices and Using Circles Effectively
    • Audience: Teachers, Administrators, Counselors, and Support Staff (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Jessica Progulske

Science: NGSS

"The Next Generation Science Standards have incredible potential to frame science in a way that engages students, invites them to think deeply, and gives them awareness of and skills to be competitive in STEM careers. Implementation of NGSS, particularly in conjunction with CCSS, is both exciting and challenging, raising questions at the classroom, site, and district levels. SCOE staff can provide educators with three customizable workshops on NGSS that give information about the standards, provide classroom examples, invite questions and discussion, and facilitate planning for implementation.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Basic Overview of NGSS
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview of NGSS with various NGSS activities, labs, and literacy strategies as desired
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview of NGSS with various NGSS activities, labs, literacy strategies as desired and guided time for digging into standards and planning individually and in teams
Audience: District and site administrators, multiple subject and science teachers. (Grades K-12) | Available Staff:

Teacher Development

Teacher Development

Job-embedded learning designs engage individuals, pairs, or teams of educators in professional learning during the workday. Designs for job-embedded learning include analyzing student data, case studies, peer observation or visitations, simulations, co-teaching with peers or specialists, action research, peer and expert coaching, observing and analyzing demonstrations of practice, problem-based learning, inquiry into practice, student observation, study groups, data analysis, constructing and scoring assessments, examining student or educator work, lesson study, video clubs, professional reading, or book studies (Standards for Professional Learning, Learning Forward). Custom Services through ESS can provide you the opportunity to plan with content managers and directors from SCOE to provide job-embedded professional learning opportunities to meet the specific learning needs of your teachers. Time needed varies depending on needs of participants. Audience: K-12 classroom teachers, coaches, administrators

Technology for Learners

Assistive technology refers to any item, piece of equipment, or product that helps people with learning differences find ways to access information and express themselves. SCOE Technology for Learning specialists can help teachers and students understand built-in device features, add-ons and specific applications to support reading, writing, and personal expression.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific universal access technology (e.g., Read&Write, Co:Writer, Google Chrome extensions, SBAC Universal Tools & Designated Supports, etc.).
  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): IEP or 504 consultation related to specific technology access needs (e.g., Read&Write, Co:Writer, Google Chrome extensions, SBAC Universal Tools & Designated Supports, etc.) in conjunction with an annual plan.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific universal access technology and time for development of curriculum integration ideas considering personalized learning opportunities & trial teaching process.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific universal access technology and time for development of curriculum integration ideas with coaching & support in classroom setting with student(s).
Audience: District and site administrators, teachers, students (Grades K-12) | Available Staff:Rick Phelan

There are a huge array of digital learning materials for K-12 students such as digital texts, supplemental learning programs, and learning management systems. SCOE Technology for Learning specialists can help schools select and use specific digital learning materials that will support instructional objectives and deepen student learning.

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific digital learning material (e.g., Google Classroom, iTunesU, LexiaCore5, PhET Interactive materials, EBSCO databases, Library of Congress collections, etc.).
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview and introduction to a specific digital learning material and time for development of curriculum integration ideas considering whole class, small group, and personalized learning opportunities.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview and introduction a specific digital learning material, time for development of curriculum applications, and coaching & support in classroom setting with students.
Audience: District and site administrators, teachers, students (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Rick Phelan, Matt O’Donnell

Training related to specific hardware and/or software (e.g., Chromebooks, iPads, Laptops, Google Apps, iMovie, Excel, Evernote, Book Creator, etc).

  • Half-Day (2-4 hours): Overview and introduction to feature and functions of hardware and software.
  • Full-Day (6-8 hours): Overview and introduction to features and functions and time for development of curriculum integration ideas considering whole class, small group, and personalized learning opportunities.
  • Two-Day (12-16 hours): Overview and introduction to features, time for development of curriculum applications, and coaching & support in classroom setting with students.
Audience: District and site administrators, teachers, students (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Rick Phelan, Matt O’Donnell

Technology and Learning specialists are available to facilitate, model, and coach lessons integrating technology in classrooms with students. Some ideas follow for various content areas that can be arranged for half-day or full-day custom service arrangements. Don’t currently have the technology? That’s OK, you can borrow selected devices through SCOE’s Try Before You Buy program.

    ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:
    Multimedia Apps, Grades K-12
    SBAC Practice Tests, Grades 3-8 & 11
    Web 2.0 Technologies, Grades K-12

    MATHEMATICS:
    Coding, Grades K-12
    Number Sense, Grades K-4
    MinecraftEdu, Grades 3-8
    SBAC Practice Tests, Grades 3-8 & 11
    Spreadsheets, Grades 5-12
    Virtual Manipulatives, Grades K-12

    SCIENCE:
    Digital Microscopes, Grades K-4
    Electric Circuits, Grades 4-10
    Temperature Probes, Grades 2-12
    Robotics, Grades 4-8

    SOCIAL STUDIES:
    Digital Citizenship, Grades K-12
    MinecraftEdu, Grades 6-10
Audience: Teachers and students (Grades K-12) | Available Staff: Rick Phelan, Matt O’Donnell

Leilan, Student
"I like Amarosa because there's a much smaller student count and so teachers can be one-on-one with you. They can actually help you and be one-on-one with you while the class is doing something else. I feel like that's a huge game-changer." - Leilan, Student