Overview
Speak Agent offers unique professional learning courses that enhance academic language teaching skills and knowledge and enable classroom teachers to gain hands-on practice using Speak Agent and its research-based strategies. This not only helps educators gain firsthand experience using the platform, but also lets them experience learning from a student’s perspective. Each course develops specific competencies, such as Differentiated Instruction, Writing Strategies, or Student Progress Monitoring.
Certification Badges
Teachers earn badges by successfully completing each course.
- Gain recognition of new skills.
- Add badges to your email signature.
Course Catalog
Below is our current catalog. The badge image above each course shows the relevant certification that teachers can earn. Courses with the 
icon are available on demand in your teacher account! Click here to learn how to access them.
PD 101: Academic Language Learning with Speak Agent
PD 102: Supporting Multilingual Learners in High School Math and Science
PD 103: Virtual Gallery Walk
PD 201: Differentiating Instruction with Speak Agent
PD 202: Active Reading Strategies with Speak Agent
PD 203: Math and Science Writing Strategies
PD 204: Student Progress Monitoring in Speak Agent
PD 205: Data-Driven Leadership
#101: Academic Language Learning with Speak Agent
This course introduces the Speak Agent programs to classroom teachers at any grade level. Participants will learn the basics of how to use Speak Agent and how to embed the customized program and strategies into instruction—accelerating student learning gains while saving time on lesson preparation. The course optionally includes an interactive workshop where participants experience student learning activities firsthand and prepare to implement their first lesson in the classroom.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 60 minutes (add 30 minutes to integrate a workshop)
#102: Supporting Multilingual Learners in High School Math and Science
This course introduces the Speak Agent programs to high school ELD, Math and Science classroom teachers and specialists. Participants will learn the basics of how to use Speak Agent and how to embed the customized program and multilingual learning strategies into instruction—with additional spiraled learning supports for newcomer, SLIFE, or other students who may experience gaps in background knowledge, prior concept mastery, and/or English language skills. The course optionally includes an interactive workshop where participants experience student learning activities firsthand and prepare to implement their first lesson in the classroom.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 75 minutes (add 30 minutes to integrate a workshop)
#103: Virtual Gallery Walk
This is a webconference session where educators learn implementation best practices and collaboration strategies to assure high fidelity. Educators will share their experiences with the Content+Language framework by presenting a 3-minute “TED-Ed” talk to their colleagues. The goals are for teachers to learn from one another, to bring up challenges early on so they can be quickly addressed, and to ensure high fidelity in every classroom.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 60 minutes (adjusted based on # of participants)
#201: Differentiating Instruction with Speak Agent
This course takes a deeper look at the tools in Speak Agent that you can use for differentiating instruction with a language component in the math or science classroom. It will explore how to find and use digital lessons relevant to individual student needs (including course tracks created especially for multilingual learners at secondary grade levels), when and where customizing lessons may be helpful, and how to implement customization with minimal effort.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 60 minutes (add 30 minutes to integrate a workshop)
#202: Active Reading Strategies with Speak Agent
In this course, teachers gain hands-on experience with eight interpretive language strategies for math & science reading and how to use them in Speak Agent. These include (1) vocabulary development, (2) multiple visual representations, (3) sentence frames, (4) manipulative sentence construction, (5) dialogic reading & Three-Read strategies, (6) audiovisual texts, (7) reading aids, and (8) leveled texts for accessibility.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 45 minutes
#203: Math and Science Writing Strategies
In this course, teachers will learn about key research-based strategies for scaffolded math & science writing such as Accessible Vocabulary, Explaining Thinking, Immediate Feedback, Journaling, Marginal Notes, Sentence Stems, Writing Your Own Problem, and Writing Models. The course will also explore the process of using Speak Agent to respond to student writing submissions and how to give feedback.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 45 minutes (add 15 minutes to include both subjects)
#204: Student Progress Monitoring in Speak Agent
This course delivers best practices for using Speak Agent reporting tools to track completion of assignments, monitor student growth, and review data for purposes of collaborative learning, grading, and intervention. It also explores the student portfolio feature set.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 60 minutes
#205: Data-Driven Leadership
This course will provide school-based leaders who are responsible for data monitoring with critical strategies to ensure fidelity when implementing Speak Agent programs. Learn what data the platform collects, where to find the data, how to use it effectively to provide feedback to classroom teachers, and how the platform helps to identify points of intervention with students.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH: 45 minutes (flexible to scheduling constraints)
Become a Super Agent
Earn five badges to become a Certified Super Agent and receive the exclusive and much sought-after Speak Agent Swag Bag!
