LAKE COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Job-Embedded Professional Learning Programs for Educators
Lake County Regional Office of Education has partnered with BloomBoard to offer its member districts job-embedded professional learning programs designed to support educators in earning special education certification, teaching english learners certification, and build teaching capacity around social-emotional learning. Teachers must sign up for these programs as part of a district cohort.
Current Programs Available – Click to Learn More
Attend an Information Session to Learn More
To learn more about the Special Education (LBS1) and Teaching English Learners certification programs, register for one of our upcoming information sessions. If you have any questions, contact Michael Karner at mkarnmkarner@lake.k12.il.us.
Upcoming Information Sessions
Tuesday, May 9 – 9:00 AM
Tuesday, May 9 – 3:30 PM
Special Education Licensure – Program Overview
The Illinois Special Education Licensure Program is portfolio-based and designed for educators to become proficient in teaching students with disabilities and earn an LBS1 Endorsement. Participants complete four courses (12 credit hours) listed below, made up of 12 micro-credentials (MCs). This learn-by-doing program is geared toward current teachers with regular access to students. All artifacts participants create will come from classroom practice. They are then uploaded to the BloomBoard platform for assessment.
Participants will be included in a cohort of teachers and will receive a dedicated 1:1 coach. The program begins with an orientation and then 6-synchronous, 1-hour Zoom sessions facilitated by the coach in order to provide all the necessary supports for completion of the first portfolio. From there, participants are free to work asynchronously in small groups or individually as they continue through the rest of the first course and subsequent courses. Throughout the entire program they have the continued support of a faculty advisor as needed.
This program meets ISBE requirements and is offered through Oklahoma Christian University. Upon completion of all 4 courses, educators will need to take the LBS1 test. The program can be completed in one year (if a participant takes two courses per semester) at a discounted price of $3,570 per educator.
COURSE 1
Foundations of Supporting Students With Disabilities
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Exploring Issues in Special Education
- MC 2: Communicating Policies and Laws Regarding Students With Disabilities to Stakeholders
- MC 3: Leveraging IEPs for Student Success
COURSE 2
Foundations of Supporting Students With Disabilities
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Understanding and Supporting Students With High-Incidence Disabilities
- MC 2: Understanding and Supporting Students With Autism, Emotional Disabilities, and Sensory Needs in the Classroom
- MC 3: Understanding and Supporting Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities
Course 3:
Intervention, Identification, and Assessment for Students With Disabilities
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Assessing Students With Disabilities
- MC 2: Supporting Students and Families Through Intervention and Identification
- MC 3: Developing and Implementing IEPs
Course 4
Methods for Teaching Students With Disabilities
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Differentiating Instruction For Students With Disabilities
- MC 2: Supporting Students With Disabilities in Reading
- MC 3: Supporting Students With Disabilities in Math
Teaching English Learners Certification – Program Overview
The Teaching English Language Learners Certification Program is portfolio-based and designed for educators to become proficient in teaching english as a second language. Participants complete six courses (18 credit hours) listed below, made up of 18 micro-credentials (MCs). This learn-by-doing program is designed for current teachers with regular access to students. All artifacts participants create will come from classroom practice. They are then uploaded to the BloomBoard platform for assessment.
Participants will be included in a cohort of teachers and will receive a dedicated 1:1 coach. The program begins with an orientation and then 6-synchronous, 1-hour Zoom sessions facilitated by the coach in order to provide all the necessary supports for completion of the first portfolio. From there, participants are free to work asynchronously in small groups or individually as they continue through the rest of the first course and subsequent courses. Throughout the entire program they have the continued support of a faculty advisor as needed.
This program meets ISBE requirements and is offered through Oklahoma Christian University. This program can be completed in 1-2 years (depending on the number of courses taken per semester) at a discounted price of $5,350 per educator.
COURSE 1
Foundations of Supporting English Learners
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Exploring Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Schools
- MC 2: Communicating Policies and Laws Regarding English Learners to Stakeholders
- MC 3: Delivering Culturally Responsive Instruction to English Learners
COURSE 2
Applied Linguistics for Teaching English Learners
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Incorporating Linguistic Analysis into Teaching English
- MC 2: Recognizing the Stages of Second Language Acquisition
- MC 3: Supporting Academic Language Development
Course 3:
Effective Practices for Teaching English Learners: Assessment
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Elevating Effective Assessment and Instructional Practices for English Learners
- MC 2: Leveraging Formative Assessment and Scaffolding for English Learners
- MC 3: Implementing Equitable Assessment Practices for English Learners
Course 4
Effective Practices for Teaching English Learners: Discourse
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Promoting Student Interaction Through Cooperative Learning
- MC 2: Facilitating Classroom Discussions to Support English Learners
- MC 3: Leveraging Classroom Conversation to Support English Learners
Course 5:
Effective Practices for Teaching English Learners: Targeted Instruction
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Promoting Literacy Development for English Learners
- MC 2: Evaluating Approaches to Intervention for English Learners
- MC 3: Supporting Special Populations of English Learners
Course 6
Professionalism in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Environment
Credit hours = 3
- MC 1: Collaborating with Multilingual Families
- MC 2: Collaborating with Peers for the Success of English Learners
- MC 3: Advocating for English Learners
Watch the video to learn more about BloomBoard and the work they’re doing with states and districts. You’ll also hear from educators about their experience with micro-credentials.
SEL Program Overview
The SEL Hub program is aligned to the goals set out by the Illinois State Board of Education for statewide LEAD Hubs. The program consists of three micro-endorsements, each made up of three micro-credentials.
Micro-credentials are research-backed and evidence-based competencies around specific pedagogical skill sets. They are earned through BloomBoard’s learn-by-doing process, allowing educators to submit evidence from their own classroom practice to demonstrate their skills. Each micro-credential takes approximately 4-6 weeks to complete. A personal coach and professional learning community is also provided.
Micro-endorsement 1: Leadership for SEL
In this program, participants will engage in a set of three micro-credentials for SEL in which they will learn to communicate and integrate social-emotional learning principles and practices in their buildings, and with their students’ families. Participants will utilize The Lorie’s Trauma Assessment Tool to determine areas of need. They will also work to evaluate their school/ district’s current level of SEL implementation, analyze school/district data, and communicate findings to continuously grow, improve and expand SEL supports. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Building a School Culture for Student Success
- Elevating Social Emotional Learning
- Assessing Social Emotional Learning Implementation in the School Setting
Micro-endorsement 2: Leadership for Equity
Understanding that teachers are the most important driver in effectively supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students, ensuring equitable outcomes for all students requires commitment from school and district leaders at all levels. In this program, participants will analyze information about their schools or districts, design and develop strategies to address problems of practice, implement those strategies, and evaluate their effectiveness. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Exploring and Deepening an Equity Mindset
- Assessing the Current Culture for Equity
- Leading Systems Change
Micro-endorsement 3: Leadership for English Learners
Within Illinois, one in every four children speaks a language other than English at home. Some of these students will be identified as English Learners (ELs) meaning they are not fully proficient in academic English necessary for school success. To prepare leaders to best assist these students, The Latino Policy Forum partnered with Partners to Lead and BloomBoard to develop the Leadership for English Learners Micro-Endorsement.
In this micro-endorsement, participants will be asked to: gain awareness of personal biases that may serve as facilitators or inhibitors for English Learners in their schools and/or districts; identify connections between personal and systemic biases and inequities in their schools and/or districts; and question common mindsets in their schools in ways that build capacity and promote equity for English Learners. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Evaluate Data Trends on EL Programs and Outcomes
- Plan to Implement Systemic Improvement for ELs
- Engaging Stakeholders to Develop a Systemic Improvement Plan for EL Outcomes
How Micro-credentials Work
Program Benefits
Online—no traditional exams or required class-time
Job-embedded,
learn-by-doing experiences
