Current PD Course Catalog

• ELA Enhanced Core Reading Instruction Training   August 10, 11, 12 & 13, 2025 from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm in the Kuss Middle School Community Room

Current and K-2 teachers, special educators, and para and teacher interventionists who have not yet been trained AND new teachers that fit into those categories.

This session equips K-2 educators with a deep understanding of Enhanced Core Reading Foundational Skills Routines, essential for effective Tier I instruction. These structured routines are designed for use in ALL K-2 classrooms, ensuring consistency in foundational literacy development across grade levels and across schools.

Aligned with our core content, Wonders, these routines strengthen early literacy, build phonemic awareness, and support decoding and fluency. Educators will gain hands-on experience in implementing these strategies, ensuring students receive targeted, research-based support that fosters strong foundational reading skills.

*Participants will be paid for this summer training.

• Amplify ELA (Grades 6-8) on Tuesday, Aug. 12th @ 4 p.m. ET - FREE WEBINAR

As the new school year approaches, Amplify invites you to join them for a free back-to-school webinar hosted by Amplify experts. Whether you’re brand new to Amplify or looking to deepen your expertise, this is a great opportunity to dive in and learn how to get the most out of your Amplify program. 

REGISTER HERE

Can't attend live? No problem! Register anyway, and you will receive the recordings and relevant links after the event.

• Math/MLL/STEM   Enhancing Language STEM  August 5,6 & 7, 2025 from 9 am until 1 pm each day

Fall River Public Schools is excited to offer an MLL course this summer facilitated by Lisa Zagarella and Sheryl Patterson. This professional development opportunity is open to all STEM educators of all grade levels and is offered at no cost to you-the district will fully cover course expenses. Goals: Identify points of interconnectedness between different initiatives, WIDA standards and MA Science and Math standards Make connections between the components of the WIDA ELD standards and MA Math and Science content and practice standards Use a protocol for integrating MA Math, Science and ELD Standards with a lens on scaffolding instruction for equitable access.

• Math/SpEd Backward Mapping for Forward Progress: A Standards-Driven Approach    July 24, 2025

This session empowers Special Education Supervisors and Cluster Coordinators to effectively use the Common Core Companion and other essential resources to unpack grade-level standards. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to identify teacher actions that support standards mastery and define student actions that demonstrate mastery. Through an analysis of standard progression, educators will determine a pathway forward for students based on their strengths and needs. This insight will guide decisions on necessary instruction and targeted supports, ensuring all learners receive equitable access to grade-level expectations.

The session will focus on priority standards, equipping leaders with strategic tools to refine instructional planning, enhance teacher guidance, and foster student success.

• Asynchronous ESL PD will be offered in the Google classroom. ESL teachers please contact Lisa Zagarella for more information. 

• MLL Advanced SFL Course

Advanced SFL is a 10 week hybrid course (see course calendar) designed to deepen your knowledge of SFL genre pedagogy and language functions and features.  Participants in this course will dive more deeply into the teaching and learning cycle, consider how genres overlap, and explore genres beyond the most prominent Key Language Uses, including inquiry and response.  Multimodal expressions of language will also be considered.  Participants will have the opportunity to apply learning within the context of existing curriculum units across disciplines. 

This course is offered free of charge and participants can earn up to three credits toward FRPS salary advancement by completing the coursework and a short extension project.  Participation in the Academic Literacies Book Study is a prerequisite for this course.

• Math/MLL/STEM   Enhancing Language STEM  August 5,6 & 7, 2025 from 9 am until 1 pm each day

Fall River Public Schools is excited to offer an MLL course this summer facilitated by Lisa Zagarella and Sheryl Patterson. This professional development opportunity is open to all STEM educators of all grade levels and is offered at no cost to you-the district will fully cover course expenses. Goals: Identify points of interconnectedness between different initiatives, WIDA standards and MA Science and Math standards Make connections between the components of the WIDA ELD standards and MA Math and Science content and practice standards Use a protocol for integrating MA Math, Science and ELD Standards with a lens on scaffolding instruction for equitable access.

• Math/MLL/STEM   Enhancing Language STEM  August 5,6 & 7, 2025 from 9 am until 1 pm each day

Fall River Public Schools is excited to offer an MLL course this summer facilitated by Lisa Zagarella and Sheryl Patterson. This professional development opportunity is open to all STEM educators of all grade levels and is offered at no cost to you-the district will fully cover course expenses. Goals: Identify points of interconnectedness between different initiatives, WIDA standards and MA Science and Math standards Make connections between the components of the WIDA ELD standards and MA Math and Science content and practice standards Use a protocol for integrating MA Math, Science and ELD Standards with a lens on scaffolding instruction for equitable access.

• Elementary K-2 OpenSciEd Launch:  Session 7 August 11-12 at Silvia Elementary School

The FRPS Elementary K-2 OpenSciEd Launch professional development series for K-2 teachers, facilitated by Fall River Elementary Facilitator-Field Test Teachers, covers 6 key topic areas required to set the foundation for effective implementation of the High Quality OpenSciEd Curriculum for science.  Open to educators from grades K-2 , this series will introduce the key components needed to plan and implement effective and engaging science opportunities using the district curriculum.  Teachers will collaborate with experienced elementary facilitators, who have been actively using these resources since their introduction across Massachusetts, and will have opportunities to plan with other district teachers.

Sessions will be held at Silvia Elementary on Aug 11-12, from 8:00-2:00 daily.  Participants must attend and complete all sessions to receive their PDPs.

•  Elementary Grades 3-5 OpenSciEd Launch:  Session 3  August 12-13 at Silvia Elementary School

The FRPS Elementary 3-5 OpenSciEd Launch 2-part, professional development series, facilitated by Fall River Elementary Facilitator-Field Test Teachers, covers 6 key topic areas required to set the foundation for effective implementation of the High Quality OpenSciEd Curriculum for science.  Open to educators of 3, 4, and 5 grade levels, this series will introduce the key components needed to plan and implement effective and engaging science opportunities using the district curriculum.  Teachers will collaborate with experienced elementary facilitators, who have been actively using these resources since their introduction across Massachusetts, and will have opportunities to plan with other district teachers.

2-part sessions on August 12, & 13, will be held from 8:00am -2:00pm daily.  A working lunch will be included in this session.  Participants will need to bring their own lunches and snacks for these two 6-hour sessions.  Participants must attend and complete both sessions to receive their PDPs.

• Investigating History: Launching Grade 5 on July 31, 2025

Grade 5 teachers will be provided with an overview of the Investigating History Curriculum, with a focus on its structure, strategies, and alignment opportunities with Wonders.  Teachers new to IH will implement Units 1 and 4 next year, with experienced IH teachers moving to full implementation.  This three hour session will be followed by additional asynchronous PD opportunities in August.

• Math/SpEd Backward Mapping for Forward Progress: A Standards-Driven Approach    July 24, 2025

This session empowers Special Education Supervisors and Cluster Coordinators to effectively use the Common Core Companion and other essential resources to unpack grade-level standards. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to identify teacher actions that support standards mastery and define student actions that demonstrate mastery. Through an analysis of standard progression, educators will determine a pathway forward for students based on their strengths and needs. This insight will guide decisions on necessary instruction and targeted supports, ensuring all learners receive equitable access to grade-level expectations.

The session will focus on priority standards, equipping leaders with strategic tools to refine instructional planning, enhance teacher guidance, and foster student success.