Professional Learning

Unlock the Power of Outdoor Learning

Join us for a full day of transformative professional learning that empowers educators to create dynamic outdoor learning experiences. Discover topics and strategies such as:

• Benefits of outdoor learning on social-emotional growth
• Universal Design in outdoor learning
• Incorporating academic subjects with the outdoors
• Hands-on activities and collaborative planning
• Enhance lesson plans with outdoor learning
• Elevate your teaching and inspire your students by bringing the classroom into the great outdoors!

Date: March 29, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location: ENMU-Roswell 

$300 Stipend for Educators

Registration closes March 17, 2025

**Limited Space Available – Priority given to educators in and around Roswell**

Questions? Outdoor Learning Initiative Team

Integrated Statistics and Quantitative Reasoning (ISQR) for High School Mathematics Early Exploration Project

WestEd seeks public school districts and state and local charters to participate in the Integrated Statistics and Quantitative Reasoning (ISQR) Early Exploration Project. New Mexico is one of five states invited to participate in this national project to expand high school course offerings. In the ISQR Early Exploration Project, WestEd will be partnering with districts to investigate what would be necessary for schools and districts to pilot a new rigorous high school mathematics course designed to integrate quantitative, algebraic, statistical, geometric, and data literacy concepts and strategies to empower students to live skillfully and productively in our data-driven society. Integrating these disciplines gives students a more realistic picture of approaching problems utilizing these concepts and strategies. This approach pulls together all of the available tools and resources to tackle different parts of the task to reach a more comprehensive solution.

Below is a project overview that will give you more information about participating in the project. WestEd is expecting to identify the Early Exploration districts by January/February with activities starting in March. There is also an opportunity to join the project as a pilot site later on.

Building Science Leaders Network: NGSS Storyline Series

The Building Science Leaders Network would like to provide an opportunity for all local educational agencies (LEA) to attend grade band specific NGSS storyline series to help support newly adopted high-quality science instructional materials. The series is intended for any and all who would like to attend. The focus for these sessions will be centered around best practices for K–12 three-dimensional science instruction while using your newly adopted HQIM. All sessions will be available for future LEA-wide professional learning.

The Storyline Series will allow participants to:

• Gain a deeper understanding of three-dimensional teaching and learning.
• Build an understanding of the importance of coherence using science instructional materials to support students’ application of the three dimensions to explain phenomena and solve problems.
  • Understand the importance of phenomena for student sensemaking in science and consider its capacity to make science learning equitable for all students.
  • How do concepts and science ideas build over time?
  • Look at instructional materials to identify phenomena and/or problems that are present throughout units
  • Learn how to identify a logical sequence of concepts in a unit, and map the phenomena and/or problems in your instructional materials

• Explore opportunities to storyline with your newly selected high quality science instructional materials.

If you are interested in engaging the virtual three-part professional learning series, please click on the link below to attend:

Questions? Lisa Sanchez, Science Specialist

High Quality Science Instructional Materials

Criteria and Guidance for Selection to
Provide Equity in K–12 Science Instruction

Science instructional materials adoption will begin in the spring 2025. What better way to prepare than by delving into our HQIM science instructional materials criteria and at-a-glance guidance document created by New Mexico science educators? Our one-hour professional learning (PL) experience will provide guidance to help identify high-quality instructional materials, use evidence analysis of high-quality science instructional materials that will benefit your students’ academic needs, and make considerations for the next steps to better prepare for the upcoming science textbook adoption cycle.

Would you like our team to do a one-hour virtual PL of the High Quality Science Instructional Material Criteria and Guidance for Selection presentation for your district, charter school, school site, or science department?

Questions? Lisa Sanchez, Science Specialist