If you are a teacher using Skyline, we invite you to participate in the year-long curriculum-based professional learning series specifically designed for your Skyline course.
Each course-specific series is research-based and designed to ensure that all teachers are empowered to implement Skyline so all students access Skyline’s rich culturally relevant and engaging grade-level content. The SY24 Skyline Professional Learning Plan combines centralized learning sessions (Bridging to Skyline, Summer Kick-Off, Quarterly Instructional Practice and Planning Summits, Skyline Sprints), with school-based, teacher-led learning cycles (“Skyline Co-Labs”) that support internalization of curriculum in a job-embedded and peer-supported environment. All details about the the SY24 Skyline Professional Plan, including schedules and enrollment information, can be found in the SY24 Skyline Professional Learning Guide.
June - September, 2023
Unit 1 Launch
August, 2023
Practice and Unit
Planning Summits
SY24 Skyline Professional Learning
Please familiarize yourself with the SY24 Skyline Professional Learning opportunities. Follow the guidance within to create a Sched account to enroll in Skyline professional learning sessions.
Skyline Co-Labs
Skyline Co-Labs consist of highly articulated protocols that any team of teachers can easily follow, extending learning that begins at centralized professional sessions. School-based teams have the flexibility to schedule Skyline Co-Labs within their existing meeting structures, including grade level meetings, principal directed time, whole school professional development, or flex time. Each Skyline Co-Lab is designed to take approximately 45 minutes and can include optional extension activities. By engaging in Skyline Co-Labs, school-based teams will:
- Internalize unit content - understanding how key content and instructional shifts live in the curriculum
- Engage in lesson study protocols - internalizing and rehearsing lesson content for implementation
- Engage in data collection and reflection - informing instructional decision-making with upcoming Skyline content
Skyline Co-Labs are accessible below:
Skyline Essentials Training Materials
The Skyline Essentials Pathway prepares you to plan, teach, and assess with Skyline using asynchronous training modules that can be found within SAFARI Montage. Upon completion of each training module, CPS educators can earn a badge - a microcredential housed within the district’s badging platform Canvas Credentials (formerly Badgr). Digital badges are representative of professional learning achievements. Skyline-adopting teachers who complete the training modules and earn the associated badge will be paid for one hour per completed badge at the non-instructional rate and receive 1 ISBE credit per badge. The badges are accompanied by the Skyline Instructional Technology Reference which answers many frequently asked questions about the digital learning environment of Skyline.
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Available now: Navigating Skyline
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Available now: Planning with Skyline
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Available now: Teaching with Skyline
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Available now: Assessing with Skyline, Parts 1 and 2
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Available now: Customizing with Skyline
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Available now: Accessibility Skyline
Continuous Learning Partners
If your school has been paired with a Continuous Learning Partner (PCG, TNTP, ANet, Leading Educators, or Teaching Lab) to support Skyline implementation, please contact Robert Welch (rwelch2@cps.edu) with any questions. You may also contact the manager of your respective Continuous Learning Partner:
- Achievement Network (ANet): Janine Givens-Belsley (jgivensbelsley@achievementnetwork.org)
- Leading Educators: Claudine Andrews (candrews@leadingeducators.org)
- Public Consulting Group (PCG): Paul Wilson (PWilson@pcgus.com)
- Teaching Lab: Jalinda Soto (jalinda.soto@teachinglab.org)
- The New Teacher Project (TNTP): Amy Nicholson (amy.nicholson@tntp.org)
Self-Paced Skyline Professional Learning Resources
All self-paced professional learning content is conveniently located on the Skyline Professional Learning Asset Map. Included among these resources are:
Quarterly Curriculum Series
- These self-paced content-specific sessions build understanding of the principles, key practices, and instructional shifts aligned to Skyline in each subject area, and lay the foundation for successful planning and teaching of your upcoming Skyline units.
Unit-Specific Modules
- Self-paced, unit-specific modules guide teachers through the most important content and instructional practices for each Skyline unit by subject area. These modules are designed so school-based teams of teachers (or individual teachers, if necessary) can learn and plan together (note these are available for each quarter for World Language).
Instructional Practice Series Modules (ELA and Math)
- Self-paced modules that provide deep dives into the core practices and instructional shifts aligned to Skyline ELA and Math content. Teacher teams or individuals can use these flexibly according to their needs or professional learning interest.
Skyline 101 for Administrators
- Professional learning series designed for school leaders to support them through successful Skyline adoption. These self-paced sessions:
- Focus on best practices for successful curriculum implementation
- Hone understanding of content-specific best practices and instructional look-fors
- Provide structured and supported collaborative planning for successful curriculum adoption
Research-Based Best Practices
Skyline professional learning rests on the design elements that research shows have the most impact on teacher practice, as detailed in the Carnegie Corporation report The Elements: Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning. As aligned to this research, Skyline curriculum-based professional learning:
- Is rooted in the high quality materials teachers use in their classrooms, with their students in mind
- Combines centralized supports from content experts with school-based collaborative inquiry by teams of teachers
Need Help?
If you or a member of your team encounter challenges using Skyline, please visit the Service Now website and open a support ticket, or simply call 773-553-3925 and a support ticket will be opened for you.