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Projects and Initiatives
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The following list represents a small portion of the professional development and staff development initiatives and projects administered by Urbana School District #116. Unless otherwise noted, these projects are funded through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Consolidated Grant Funds: Title I, Title IIA, Title IID, Title IV and Title V.
Project CRISS:
CRISS stands for CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies. It is an educational program designed to help teachers teach and students learn. CRISS provides research-based principles and strategies in reading and comprehension to help students become independent learners. The Level I CRISS training is offered two to three times per year, and elementary and secondary follow-ups are scheduled throughout the school year. For more information about Project CRISS, visit www.projectcriss.com.
Beginning School Math:
Beginning School Mathematics (BSM) is a professional development initiative for improving mathematics education in the primary grades. BSM provides a comprehensive program of professional development, a curriculum framework and classroom materials for manipulative and language-based activities. These activities build on developmentally appropriate practice for young students.
American History Teachers' Collaborative:
The American History Teachers' Collaborative (AHTC) is a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching American History Grant program. Urbana School District #116 received a second three-year Teaching American History grant, which is enabling us to expand the AHTC. The AHTC provides professional development to social studies and history teachers (Grades 3-12) in Champaign County.
The AHTC works with the Urbana Free Library, home of the Champaign County Historical Archives; the Champaign County Historical Museum; the Champaign County Forest Preserve District's Early American Museum and two new partners, the Illinois State Archives, and the Great Lakes Regional Center of the National Archives and Records Administration.
This collaboration provides content-driven inservice opportunities for teachers of American history in central Illinois. Teachers view the broad themes of American history through the lens of local, state and national historical documents, artifacts and events. For more information, visit www.americanhistoryteachers.org.