• Introduction
• Course Schedule

Welcome Plano ISD Teachers and Administrators!

Through a partnership between Plano ISD and CaseNEX, teachers and administrators may sign up for free, online professional development learning modules in gifted education, differentiation, and diversity. These two-week modules allow participants to collaborate with peers and receive instructor feedback from the comfort of their classroom, office, or home. Each module represents five hours of contact time.

The modules provide a collaborative approach to learning and are based upon the tenets of problem-based learning. All materials and assignments are completed online allowing participants the flexibility to work from anywhere. Participants may sign up for one module or series of three modules to participate in an entire course.

Module windows for summer 2008 are outlined below. Complete the registration information at the bottom of this page to register. You must complete one registration for each module. You will receive login information via email directly from CaseNEX either two days before the module begins or soon after registration (if the module is already underway).

Course Schedule

• Differentiating Instruction: Grouping Students to Target Needs
  Module One: Building Rapport and Community in the Classroom
  

  In this module, teachers will explore the relationship between classroom climate, rapport, and differentiation and will learn ways to affect the climate in order to support flexible grouping and the use of varied instructional strategies.

• Differentiating Instruction: Grouping Students to Target Needs
  Module Two: Using Pre-Assessment Information to Support Flexible Grouping
  

  In this module, teachers will examine formal and informal pre-assessment and how the information gathered from pre-assessment might be used to inform grouping and instruction.

• Narrowing the Achievement Gap by Addressing Diversity
  Module One: Who We Teach: Working with Diverse Students
  

  In this module, teachers will engage in ongoing self–evaluation and reflection regarding beliefs, best practices, challenges, and current research on equity and diversity.

• Narrowing the Achievement Gap by Addressing Diversity
  Module Two: How We Teach: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
  

  In this module, teachers will explore the critical connections between transitioning into American public school culture, learning English, and succeeding in specific content area instruction. Teachers also will learn specific attributes of content learning or subject-specific instruction that may be challenging for ELL students.

• The Socio-Emotional Needs of Gifted Learners
  Module One: Understanding Social and Emotional Characteristics of Gifted Learner
  

  In this module, teachers will reflect on the many characteristics often attributed to the 'gifted' and the unique socio-emotional needs that emerge from collections of these characteristics.

• The Socio-Emotional Needs of Gifted Learners
  Module Two: Barriers to Eminence
  

  In this module, teachers will learn about issues that confront some gifted girls and ways to support gifted girls at all grade levels as they face social, emotional, and environmental pressures to hide or avoid their abilities.

• Introduction to Special Populations of Gifted Learners
  Module One: Understanding Twice-Exceptional Students
  

  In this module, teachers will consider the challenges of identifying and serving gifted and talented students with dual exceptionalities.

• Introduction to Special Populations of Gifted Learners
  Module Two: Understanding the Role of Race, Poverty, and Language in Gifted Eligibility
  

  In this module, teachers will learn about the characteristics of under-served populations and a variety of strategies that may improve identification of students from these populations.