More than 150 Special Schools educators gathered at the Irvington Conference Center on Aug. 19 for the Curriculum Connections Conference, a professional development day that provided skills and resources for the group to add to their instructional toolkits.  

Division leaders designed the one-day event as a traditional conference, with various tracks based on each individual’s campus and position. All educators received training on PowerSchool, a new lesson planning software, and the technology available in their classrooms. Professionals at the Academic and Behavior Schools learned how utilizing interactive notebooks in their classrooms can further engage students and how arts and craft activities can enhance students’ comprehension of various topics. At the same time, educators from Fortis Academy and Highpoint School gained strategies to incorporate more STEM-related activities into their lesson plans.  

“This conference is just a first step in establishing and maintaining well-rounded teachers,” explained Dr. Margaret Patton, Special Schools director of curriculum & special services. “This year, we have weekly planned professional learning communities (PLC) at our campuses, where they will look at what the data is saying. Then we can direct what our teachers do in the classroom, instructionally and behaviorally.”  

Staff were briefed on professional development changes for the 2025-2026 academic year, including the addition of “learning walks.” Special Schools leaders and two instructional coaches will perform quarterly assessments, visiting each campus to evaluate whether teachers meet the set expectations and have implemented the strategies learned at the Curriculum Conference.  

“We were trying to be more intentional this year about making sure our teachers get tools they can use, whether they have five years in the classroom or 20,” Patton said. “I just walked into a session and they said, ‘Oh, this was good. I’ll be able to do this in my classroom,’ and that’s what we want to hear. We are focusing on the tools; they can apply them to any content they need.”  

Additional updates include migrating to a digital lesson plan, which allows principals to provide feedback to teachers and aligning planning periods at the AB schools to foster collaboration and cohesive instruction across campuses.  

Special Schools will welcome students for the first day of classes on Aug. 25.