Providing Training for Educators in the Provision of Online and Remote Instruction

A variety of professional learning options are available at free or minimal costs for schools, districts, and teacher licensure programs:

• The Institute for Personalized Learning, a division of CESA 1, is offering a statewide catalog of courses to support learner-centered instructions, online and blended teaching, and support for teacher licensure programs. Access the statewide course information webpage for learning options.

• The DPI has created an Online and Blended Learning Grab and Go resource page to assist districts and higher education and licensing programs to support districts in any format of learning this school year. Resources will continually be updated.

• Institutes of higher education and licensure organizations will be provided information in early September about course access, program coaching, and planning to support pre-service and student teachers at no cost through the Institute for Personalized Learning and DPI staff.

• In addition, local CESA Instructional Technology staff are providing professional learning support on a variety of instructional technology, supports for online and blended learning, as well as virtual learning program planning in collaboration with the statewide resources, organized by the Institute for Personalized Learning, a division of CESA 1. For a list of CESA contacts, please see the chart on this page.

All Wisconsin public, tribal and private schools serving students in high school grades are eligible to leverage the Institute for Personalized Learning, a Division of CESA 1. Private schools will have to work with their local public schools to purchase.

For more information, contact:

• Brenda Vodgs, Director, The Institute for Personalized Learning - a division of CESA #1 
• Janice Mertes, Assistant Director for Teaching and Learning, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

The DPI teleservice web page hosts the following content:

• a DPI e-learning module available for on-demand learning options
• a DPI FAQ
• a webinar schedule (coming soon) with recorded webinars done in collaboration with CESA 1 to support best practices and specific role practices, as well as support for student needs. CESA 1 will help with monthly office hours, a statewide focus group process, and provide support for pre-service and practicum students with these resources. 

For more information, contact:

• Janice Mertes, Assistant Director for Teaching and Learning, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Sue Doyle, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services, CESA 1

UDL Forward! is a new project supporting Wisconsin educators’ use of Universal Design for Learning, applying UDL core competencies and technology resources as a means to provide effective remote and in-person learning experiences. UDL Forward! provides four intersecting options:

• UDL Blasts - Apply UDL fundamentals with free technology tools for immediate use to strengthen student engagement and formative assessment practices. Access on-demand overviews/uses of each featured tech tool in professional learning resources for facilitators or self-paced users on the UDL Blasts webpage.
• UDL Learning Design Coaching Labs: Apply UDL to real-world learning design scenarios with access to technical assistance for specific student needs, particularly those who have traditionally been underserved. For training and coaching, contact UDL CESA Consultants today!
• UDL Community of Practice (CoP): Learn and share how expert learners develop and what is working in settings across Wisconsin. Conversations to push thinking, and critically examine UDL implementation priorities will help participants use UDL as a framing for education justice through a statewide professional learning network. Subscribe to our UDL Newsletter for updates and next year’s meeting schedule.
• UDL Virtual Conference: National keynoters promoting equitable learning for all using UDL principles and design practices, with stories and resources from Wisconsin leaders and educators. Save the date: Oct 7-8, 2021

The UDL Forward! project is supported through regional CESA networks and CAST, the national technical assistance center for UDL. Check the UDL Forward! webpage for 2021-22 calendar of events and registration – coming soon!

Contact Jayne Bischoff with any questions.

The DPI offered a series of connected webinars for K-2 literacy leaders to deepen knowledge of Wisconsin’s standards for reading foundational skills (part of Wisconsin’s Standards for English Language Arts), including understanding and application of explicit systematic phonics instruction in out-of-school environments. The webinars were offered live, recorded, and can now be found on the Reading Foundational Skills page.

Webinar Framework:

• introduce a topic and provide a research base
• relate the topic to Wisconsin’s standards
• share some ready-to-use low- or no-cost instructional ideas with an emphasis on strategies for out-of-school instruction and practice
• feature a story from a school or district about their experience related to focus topic

This project helps Wisconsin educators increase student and family autonomy in selecting and utilizing assistive technology (AT) tools to support access, engagement, and progress in virtual and distance learning. The project will help develop:

• a statewide Community of Practice (CoP) to support AT in virtual and distance learning 
• regular virtual CoP meetings on AT topics in virtual and distance learning
• provision of learning center subscriptions from the Assistive Technology Industry Association 
• virtual technical assistance to support the use of AT in virtual and distance learning 

Go to the DPI Assistive Technology web page to sign up to be a member of the stateside Assistive Technology Community of Practice and receive access to the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Learning Center Subscriptions, invitations to virtual CoP meetings, access to virtual technical assistance and coaching, and updates from a statewide Assistive Technology email list. Contact Molly Vierck for any questions.

Local educational agencies have received support in providing high-quality, standards-aligned instruction in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics in remote or hybrid learning scenarios through both coaching opportunities and a webinar series designed to provide just-in-time supports on a variety of topics.

Webinars, which can be accessed on the Supports for Technical Assistance Providers page, focus on topics such as: student engagement in remote or hybrid learning environments, making decisions about how to prioritize what to teach, and culturally responsive teaching in remote or hybrid learning environments.

Regional service providers also received support in building their capacity to support Local Education Agencies in providing high-quality, standards-aligned instruction in English language arts and mathematics in remote or hybrid learning environments. Those webinars were recorded and can be accessed on the Supports for Technical Assistance Providers page.

Local educational agencies had the opportunity to receive coaching and support in spring and summer of 2021 to monitor and adjust their ELA and mathematics academic recovery efforts in preparation for the 2021-2022 school year.

CESA 1 will be providing information for accessing the CESA-level trainings when ready. Coaching and support will be provided to approximately 21 to 24 LEAs (which can include private schools) statewide.

For more considerations in making intentional choices about what engaging learning can look like within alternate instruction - including home, community, distance learning, and modified school environments – visit our Learning in the Context of COVID-19: ELA, Literacy and Mathematics.

When instruction time is particularly limited, identifying and teaching Priority Instructional Content in ELA and Mathematics allows systems to ensure students simultaneously learn grade-level content and unfinished learning from prior grades.