What is a PGAP course?
Professional Growth Activity Program (PGAP) is a subcommittee of the Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC). The purpose of this program is to provide quality professional development to all District #301 certified staff. Courses are offered based on the needs of District staff members. Participants are given the option of receiving PGAP credit or a stipend for every successfully completed PGAP course.
How many credits can I earn?
Professional Growth Activity Program classes (PGAP) must have a minimum of 15 hours of instruction. Participants are expected to be present at all sessions and to complete all assignments. Absence of more than 20% of instructional time will result in loss of credit for that course. Teachers participating in the program will be granted one hour of equivalent credit for each 15 hours of instruction successfully completed. A maximum of 8 equivalent credit hours may be earned in this manner during the course of one school year. A school year is considered from September 1st to August 31st. Teachers participating in the approved PGAP will be granted credit for salary schedule movement at the rate of one (1) hour of equivalent graduate credit for each fifteen (15) hours of instruction successfully completed. Teachers who elect not to take the PGAP credit will be given a stipend of $150.00 for every PGAP hour earned up to a maximum of $1200.00 per year.
What is the registration process & the cost?
Teachers who wish to participate shall pay a $50 registration fee per PGAP class (made payable to CCUSD 301) which shall be refunded to the teacher only if he/she successfully completes the course in the original allotted time period. (i.e., teachers who withdraw after the registration deadline or do not complete the course shall forfeit the $50 registration fee). In order for your registration to be complete the $50 registration fee must be submitted by the deadline date for each of the PGAP classes you have signed up for (Please provide separate checks for each PGAP you have registered for). A non-refundable fee of $25.00 is charged to each participant which will be due at the beginning of each PGAP course taken. In addition, each participant shall be responsible for the cost of any possible course books, materials, and/or other supplies.
How do I sign up?
Complete the registration form(s) below. If you have questions, please contact Kate Micheletto (kathryn.micheletto@central301.net) or call (224) 990-7051.
Course Schedule
STEAM – Powered Teaching:
Registration Deadline: August 18, 2023
Registration Link: STEAM – Powered Teaching
Restoring Behavior Through Restorative Practices:
Registration Deadline: September 15, 2023
Registration Link: Restoring Behavior Through Restorative Practices
Confronting Student Apathy: Engagement Actions for the Classroom:
Registration Deadline: October 27, 2023
Registration Link: Confronting Student Apathy
Assignments Matter:
Registration Deadline: November 17, 2023
Registration Link: Assignments Matter
Dynamic Differentiation: Creating an Inclusive and Efficient Classroom:
Registration Deadline: December 22, 2023
Registration Link: Dynamic Differentiation
How to Engage 21st Century Learners using Multimodal Texts:
Registration Deadline: February 16, 2024
Registration Link: How to Engage 21st Century Learners
Course Information
STEAM – Powered Teaching
Instructor: Rachel Priola & Leah Herold
Intended Participants: K-12
Session Schedule: September 5, 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 2023
Time: 4-6:15 p.m.
Location: CMS
1 PGAP Credit
Materials Needed: Laptop
Description: Looking for ways to equip students with problem solving skills, collaboration, and
creativity? This course will walk participants through the STEAM lesson design process as well as provide teachers time to develop their own grade level STEAM lesson. By the end of the course, teachers will have engaged in multiple STEAM lessons, walk away with easy to implement lesson plans, as well as create their own grade level STEAM lesson linked to their grade level and/or subject area.
Restoring Behavior Through Restorative Practices
Instructor: David Brannstrom
Intended Participants: ALL
Session Schedule: October 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov. 1, 8, 2023
Time: 4:15-6:15 (3 hours blended)
Location: PKMS Collab Room
1 PGAP Credit
Materials Needed: Computer
Description: Building and strengthening relationships and community is a critical component of
school culture. Restorative practices are an essential process for creating a positive learning
environment, building social capital, and resolving relational issues to help build positive behaviors in the classroom. Teachers will learn about the importance of being explicit about practice, how to set high expectations while being supportive, and ways to build community in the classroom. This class would include twelve in-person classroom hours and three observation/reflection sessions with the instructor in your classroom/area.
Confronting Student Apathy: Engagement Actions for the Classroom
Instructor: Kim Paulus
Intended Participants: K-12
Session Schedule: November 13, 15, 27, 29, 2023
Time: 4-8 p.m.
Location: CMS Collab Room
1 PGAP Credit
Materials Needed: Fisher, Douglas, et al. Confronting the Crisis of Engagement: Creating Focus and Resilience for Students, Staff, and Communities. Corwin Press, 2022. AND Laptop
Description: How do you define engagement? How often do you think of student engagement
within your classroom? There is more to engagement than just activities. This class will focus on the
challenge of engaging our students–both academically and behaviorally–to help them grow. We will
examine the belief that in order for learning, teaching, and leadership to succeed, effective engagement must come first. Come join this class if you want to take a hard look at what engagement means, how it looks in your classroom and how we can leverage it to help our students.
Assignments Matter
Instructor: Kim Paulus
Intended Participants: All
Session Schedule: December 5, 6, 7, 13, 14 2023
Time: 4-7 p.m.
Location: CMS Collab Room
1 PGAP Credit
Materials Needed: Laptop
Description: Teaching that challenges students to meet expectations is hard work. It takes
thoughtful planning and skill to deliver instruction effectively. One-way teachers can make their work
more challenging for students and manageable for themselves is to insert targeted assignments in their curriculum. This class will teach participants how to unpack their standards and lesson plan purposeful assignments that extend student learning
Dynamic Differentiation: Creating an Inclusive and Efficient Classroom
Instructor: Andrew Vock
Intended Participants: All
Session Schedule: Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30 Feb. 6, 2024
Time: 4-7 p.m.
Location: CHS LMC
1 PGAP Credit
Materials Needed:
Description: While all teachers know about the importance of differentiation, for many it can be
difficult to find the time to sit down, reflect, change, and create differentiated lessons and instruction.
This PGAP provides just that opportunity and much more. We will look into the 5 Dimensions of
Differentiation (Content, Strategy, Environment, Product, and Teacher) and provide examples, ideas,
research, collaboration opportunities, and most importantly time to enhance your lessons. This course is designed to help you as the teacher or even as a coach create ideas that best fit your
classroom/practices. In the long run this will not only help the students achieve more but save teachers time in making a more efficient, dynamic, and inclusive curriculum.
How to Engage 21st Century Learners using Multimodal Texts:
Instructor: Amy Bender
Intended Participants: All excluding Math
Session Schedule: March 4, 7, 11, 18, 20 Apr. 8, 11, 15, 2024
Time: 4-6 p.m.
Location: PKMS Collab Room
1 PGAP Credit
Materials Needed: Books/content from their curriculum. Articles will be supplied. Computers
Description: Teaching with multimodal texts helps with engagement, meaning making, and
higher-level thinking. In this Pgap, participants will learn about multimodal texts to better understand
the complexity of them, how to integrate multimodal texts with the Common Core Standards, and how
to build an understanding of how students make meaning using multimodal texts. The classes will be
spread out, giving participants time to read, attend classes, work with the instructor and small groups,
and practice what we learn.