TO: CSD 3, 5 & 6 Principals and Teachers: Project CRITICAL Information for Year 4: 2020—2021;

PD Will Start on Zoom on 8/24, 8/26 & 8/28

25 CSD 5/6 teachers are completing year 3 of “Scaling—Up Project CRITICAL,” funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Javits Gifted and Talented (G/T) Students Program through a grant to Syracuse University (SU). We are now expanding to CSD 3, seeking applicants for year 4; preference to schools that have 3-4 teachers.

Due to COVID-19, our 3 August PD Workshops (8/24, 8/26 & 8/28: 8:30 am—2:30 pm) will now be held on zoom (no zoom experience is needed). Teachers will be paid at the SU rate of $51 per hour for 16.5 hours (5.5 hours a day excluding 30-minutes for lunch, noon—12:30 pm each day) which totals $841.50. Do not apply unless you will be able to attend on zoom all 3 days: 8/224, 8/26, 8/28. Then, 5 workshops will be on 4 school release days in late Sept., Nov., Feb, and May; and 1 paid Saturday in March or April from 8:30—1 pm (no lunch: 4.5 hours: $229.50). All workshops will be either on zoom (if school shutdown continues) or at the CSD 5 Office at 123 Morningside Drive (rear of P.S. 36) or at a Harlem school. Stipends total: $1071.

CRITICAL’s philosophy, like that of our G/T consultants Professors Joseph Renzulli (UConn) and Heather Pinedo-Burns (Teachers College Columbia), is that “Talent Pool” students can be identified using the Renzulli Scales in any regular classroom. Professor Catherine Box (UPenn) presents on how to adapt the project’s problem-solving Internet applications in various content subjects (see application) for English Learners (ELs). These applications were created by Professor James Carroll and his former SU colleague, Joe Montecalvo. In addition to the 8 PD days, ongoing technical assistance will be provided online and by on-site visits as needed during 2020--21 by NYC area Staff Developers Art Fortin and Norm Harris.

Our goals are to help teachers (grades 4—12) to (1) restructure curricula to focus on some social problems in your curricula; (2) identify “Talent Pool” students in regular classrooms; (3) learn how to integrate the project’s unique Problem-Based Learning Internet applications to analyze and develop solutions for those social problems; (4) develop WebQuests and PowerPoints aligned to state standards and our Internet applications; (5) learn differentiated strategies for both regular and Talent Pool students; (6) address the needs of ELs. These goals will improve performance on state standards and Regents exams.

1. Principals: Let me know ASAP if you would like your school to participate.

2. Principals: Select 3 or 4 teachers who are interested and can attend PD on zoom: 8/24, 8/26 & 8/28

3. Teachers complete the application and Principal submits ASAP (limit of 30 teachers)

4. Questions and Submit Teacher applications: Dr. Jim Carroll jcarroll@syr.edu

5. Dr. Carroll will send an e-mail confirming the acceptance of your applications