Guess who has developed a two-hour session for a region of school districts on how to develop tests aligned with the state’s common core standards? And that will support the curriculum development for this important work? The Hudson River Teacher Center with the Curriculum Center at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES. It’s from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 6 at the Tech South Ampitheater at the PNW BOCES in Yorktown Heights. You can find out more by going to this link, but you will need to log in and it is for those districts in the lower Hudson area.

Tell me, who else organizes such things? Who else prepares instructors for changes mandated by the Board of Regents? for the use of “data-driven instruction” or the new evaluation standards for teachers?

Teacher Center sdo. Even in the largest school districts it falls to the teacher centers.

Again this year Gov. Cuomo proposes to cut them.  The state had eliminated teacher center funding for the 2010- 11 school year, a move that forced the centers to drastically reduce hours and rely on volunteer staffing for awhile but then lawmakers restored funding. Perhaps the state is betting that many districts will find some way to persevere and some will never miss a beat.

But you can do something about it. Call your lawmaker and ask them to please restore funding for these resource and computer training center in the 2012-13 budget. There have been so many stories through the years about the relevant, hands-on professional development provided through the centers, and real change to schools. They are involved in developing changes to teacher evaluation. Add your own story or comment about what teacher centers have meant to your classroom, your school or your district.