1. Visit Team Training. The Consortium's two-day visit team training is designed to prepare participants to serve as members of a visit team conducting a Tri-State evaluation of another member district. The sessions involve an analysis of the Tri-State assessment model, opportunities for district teams to create storyboards that describe the district's work on specific indicators, and a series of simulation exercises that reflect the visit process. Working with protocols that outline the specific stages in each activity, participants review interviewing techniques, examine evidence, and consider the scoring rubric. At the conclusion of the training, participants are given the opportunity to sign up to become members of a Tri-State visit team. The Consortium offers two options for visit team training:
   
   
   • Regional Visit Team Training. The Consortium offers regional training sessions in Connecticut, Long Island, and Westchester (accommodating participants from Westchester, Rockland, and New Jersey). These sessions are held at a location central to the region and can usually accommodate six to eight participants per district. Participants have found that a particular advantage of this version of the visit team training is the interaction with practitioners from other member districts in conversations about teaching and learning that results in a rich professional development experience. The cost of this training is $400 per participant, inclusive of materials and meals.
     
     
   • In-district Visit Team Training. At the request of several member districts, we have developed a two-day training session conducted in the member district. This alternative model provides the opportunity to familiarize a large contingent from the district with the Tri-State model. A dozen member districts have chosen this option to date and all of them have found that it served to generate two days of excellent conversation across grade levels and buildings about the district and its work. The cost per participant for this in-district visit team training is $250; we ask the district to provide meeting space, breakfast and lunch. Using this model we are able to accommodate up to 60 participants. We require a minimum of 21 participants for this training.
     
     
2. Training to prepare for receiving a visit. Experience has shown that the greater proportion of the staff that are familiar with the Tri-State model and its visit process, the greater will be the value of the visit to the district. The Consortium offers three options for visit preparation training. They are not mutually exclusive, and many districts have opted to arrange for their staff members to participate in more than one version of the training.
   
   
   • District Team Training. This one-day training session is offered in late June or early July and is open to teams from districts preparing to receive a visit in the ensuing eighteen months. Districts are encouraged to send teams of eight to ten participants that include all of the key players who will be directing the district's work in preparation for its visit. It is critical that the team includes those in the central office who are responsible for the visit. The training provides an introduction to key indicators in the Tri-State model and an opportunity to begin to create storyboards designed to organize the collection of evidence. It also focuses on a planning timeline, walking participants through the key tasks involved in preparing for the visit. The cost of this training is $200 per participant, including materials and meals.
     
     
   • In-district Short Course. In order to introduce a larger number of those involved in preparing for the visit to the Tri-State model and the process for collecting evidence, the Consortium offers a one-day in-district training session replicating the first day of the Visit Team Training described above. The training focuses on analyzing the Tri-State assessment model, collaborating with colleagues to create storyboards outlining the district’s current status in terms of specific indicators, and reflecting on the model’s assumptions about teaching and learning. Participants work with protocols that guide a close reading of the model, and time is allotted for extended conversations about best practices, data analysis, and the district’s evaluation focus. If requested, trainers can return for a second day to to work with a sub-set of the first day participants to complete the visit team training cycle and prepare them to participate as visit team members. The cost of this training is $100 per participant for a one-day course and $150 per participant for a two-day course. We ask the district to provide meeting space, breakfast and lunch.
     
     
   • In-service Course--"Preparing for the Tri-State Visit." This in-service course is designed to introduce teachers to the Tri-State model, guide them through a close reading of the assessment criteria, and assist them in the process of identifying and collecting evidence for the visit team. Participating teachers will analyze the language of the model, its specific applications to the classroom, and define the ways that student learning and achievement are observed and enhanced. Involving six two-hour sessions, after school, and open to teachers K-12, the course has a syllabus that includes selected readings. The course is normally offered for one or two in-service credits. The cost of this training is billed at $10.00 per participant per hour for a total, on average, of $100 per participant for the six sessions.
     
     

For further information about training opportunities please write Kathleen Reilly, Director of Training.