North Cook ISC / ROE #5
Job-Embedded Professional Learning Programs for Educators
North Cook Intermediate Service Center (NCISC) /Regional Office of Education #5 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 addressing COVID-related challenges such as learning loss, student well-being, and equity. 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
The next cohort* for the Special Education and Teaching English Learners programs will start in February 2023. All educators interested in enrolling must sign up by January 6. Register to attend one of our upcoming information sessions to learn more about these programs.
*Districts/teachers outside of North Cook ISC are welcome to join these cohorts but are subject to list pricing.
Administrator Info Session
December 2, 2022, 12:30 PM Central
Contact April D. Jordan at ajordan@ncisc.org to to attend this administrative informational session.
Teacher Info Session
December 7, 2022, 4:00 PM Central
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 NCISC 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. This program can be completed in one year (if a participant takes two courses per semester) at a discounted total cost of $3,570.00 for NCISC district educators.
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 as a Second Language 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 NCISC 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 number of courses taken per semester) at a discounted total cost of $5,350 for NCISC district educators.
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.
COVID Recovery Skills – Program Overview
To support teachers with the skills they need to address some of the challenges brought on by the pandemic, we are offering four foundational micro-endorsement courses. Each micro-endorsement program offered consists of a set of three micro-credentials. Micro-credentials are job-embedded, meaning the learning is integrated into classroom practice and no exams or class-time is required. Micro-credentials are asynchronous, self-paced learning experiences which allows flexibility for teachers to progress as their schedule allows. Each micro-credential takes approximately 4-6 weeks to complete. A personal coach and professional learning community is also provided.
As an added incentive, BloomBoard has partnered with the University of St. Francis to offer graduate level credit to educators who successfully complete the program. Each micro-credential is worth one graduate credit. Three micro-credentials make up one micro-endorsement and equates to approximately $333 per graduate credit hour.
Listed below are the four micro-endorsement courses being offered. Complete the form at the bottom of the page to get started.
Foundations of Addressing Learning Recovery
This micro-endorsement focuses on providing just-in-time supports so that students can successfully engage in on-grade-level work. Educators learn and practice strategies to fill students’ skill and knowledge gaps through intentional planning, implementation of flexible classroom structures, and connection of student data to appropriate supports. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Planning Instruction to Recover Learning
- Structuring the Classroom to Support All Students
- Scaffolding Instruction for Individual Students
Grad credit available
Foundations of Attending to Equity
This micro-endorsement focuses on understanding systemic inequities and their effects; and supports educators in evaluating their current context for equitable practices. Educators then, based on their specific school and classroom context, can strategically focus on building peer-to-peer relationships in respectful and deliberate ways, implement restorative practices in the classroom, and/or lead productive conversations with students about racism. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Exploring and Deepening an Equity Mindset
- Assessing the Current Classroom Culture for Equity
- Supporting Students as Individuals.
Grad credit available
Foundations of Addressing Student Well-being
This micro-endorsement focuses on first building positive relationships with students so that they can then intentionally, strategically, and collaboratively work to assess and address factors contributing to their well-being. Educators build skills for assessing individual student needs and working collaboratively with colleagues to address those needs. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Building Positive Relationships with Students
- Assessing the Well-being of Individual Students
- Addressing the Well-being of Individual Students
Grad Credit available
Foundations of Blended Learning
This micro-endorsement is a competency-based learning program designed to prepare educators to understand how to implement effective blended learning. It allows teachers to learn-by-doing through a set of micro-credentials based on foundational principles of blended learning. The following micro-credentials are included in the program:
- Building Positive Relationships with Students (in a Blended Environment)
- Designing a Weekly Blended Learning Arc
- Establishing Student Norms in a Blended Environment
Grad Credit available
How Micro-credentials Work
Learn more about micro-credentials »
Program Benefits
Low-cost
Job-Embedded
Personalized Support
Get on-demand support from a personal coach and peer learning communities.
Earn Graduate Credit
Earn one graduate credit for each micro-credential that is successfully completed!