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CommonLit Archive CommonLit's Professional Development Portal: On-Demand Trainings to Support Effective Literacy Instruction

• 3 min read
Rob Fleisher

Rob Fleisher

Districts across the country are preparing for a very irregular start to the coming school year. Under normal circumstances, high-quality professional development can be costly and challenging to organize. These issues will be even more pronounced next school year due to the unpredictable effects of COVID-19.

With over 75,000 schools relying on CommonLit, we want to help teachers learn how to effectively use our lessons, digital tools, and data-tracking features. For this reason, we are proud to announce CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal, which will be a part of our paid Distance Learning Support Package for next school year.

CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal

Starting this summer, CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal will include over 20 on-demand trainings that focus on best practices for using CommonLit’s digital program. Several of these training modules focus particularly on strategies for using CommonLit’s resources during periods of distance learning.

The trainings are designed to be flexible: they can be facilitated by an instructional leader or completed independently by teachers. The goal is to help teachers make the most of what’s available for free on CommonLit.org.

Below are just a few of the trainings that the portal will include:

  • Effectively Administering and Analyzing Data from CommonLit’s Pre-Assessment
  • Effectively Teaching One of CommonLit’s Distance Learning Units
  • Turning Any CommonLit Lesson Into A Video Lesson
  • Reinforcing Strong Academic Writing with CommonLit

Click here to check out the Comprehensive Guide to CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal.

Each training follows a similar, easy-to-use format. Here are the main components:

Overview

Trainings will begin with a short overview of the module and an explanation of the best practices that teachers will learn.

Real-Life Example

From there, teachers will review a case study or “Real-Life Example.” Through this model, teachers will quickly learn a best practice for using CommonLit with their students. This model will use realistic examples and provide practical strategies for using CommonLit’s resources.

Application Activity

After exploring the “Real-Life Example,” teachers will take part in an “Application Activity.” Through the “Application Activity,” teachers will have the opportunity to put the skills they just learned into practice.

Key Takeaways

After teachers complete the “Application Activity”, teachers are provided a few “Key Takeaways” to consider before they complete the training.

Getting Access

CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal will be included in CommonLit’s Distance Learning Support Package. This package costs just $500 per school and is designed to support teams as they roll out CommonLit’s full instructional program.

In addition to the Professional Development Portal, CommonLit will work with teams to ensure that all students and teachers have seamless access to CommonLit’s resources at the start of the year. CommonLit offers district-wide rostering and SSO through Clever and trainings on class and student setup.

Finally, CommonLit will provide consultative support through a dedicated account manager. This account manager will play a critical role in ensuring that schools have the curriculum and technical support that they need to fully leverage CommonLit throughout SY 20–21.

Next Steps

To learn more about CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal and the full Distance Learning Support Package, email partnerships@commonlit.org.

CommonLit is eager to support your team!