You're invited to apply for a summer learning opportunity focused on the STEELS Assessment Toolkit!

Location, Date, and Time: PaTTAN Central Office in Harrisburg
  • June 1-3 to experience the toolkit (Learner Pathway), 8:30-3:00 each day (breakfast available starting at 8:00am)
  • June 1-4 to both experience and learn to facilitate the toolkit (Facilitator Pathway), 8:30-4:00 each day (breakfast available starting at 8:00am)
Cost: There is no registration fee for this Institute, which includes breakfast, lunch, and all meeting materials. Participants are required to cover their own travel expenses.

Participants will experience all three learning modules in the STEELS Assessment Foundations Toolkit below:
  • Module 1: Features of Quality Assessments for the STEELS Standards - Build a common understanding of features of quality STEELS-based assessments, including tasks that are phenomenon- and problem-based and multi-dimensional.
  • Module 2: Assessing Rigorous STEELS Learning of All Students - Build a common understanding of quality STEELS -based assessments in which all students can demonstrate their ability to apply reasoning to make sense of the world around them and solve problems.
  • Module 3: Cultivating a System Where Assessments Work Together to Improve Student Learning - Develop a common understanding of how different types of assessment work together throughout a learning experience and how assessment data is used intentionally to improve student learning.
There are two pathways you can experience during this professional learning - the Learner Pathway or the Facilitator Pathway:

The Learner Pathway
Date and Time: June 1–3, 2026 from 8:30am–3:00pm (breakfast available starting at 8:00am)
Pathway goal: Participants will experience all three learning modules and build a deeper understanding of ways that assessment can be used to monitor and further student learning of Pennsylvania’s STEELS standards.
This pathway is for anyone committed to deepening their understanding of STEELS assessments including teachers, school/district/IU leaders, curriculum specialists; teams are encouraged to apply (but must complete the application form as individuals).

The Facilitator Pathway
Date and Time: June 1–4, 2026 from 8:30am–4:00pm (breakfast available starting at 8:00am) plus approximately 4 hours of pre-work and 4 hours of post-reflection
Pathway goal: Both experience and prepare to facilitate all modules for teachers and leaders in your own community. Facilitators will complete all activities in the Learner Pathway as well as additional facilitation-specific content.
This pathway is for those who want to learn to facilitate the STEELS Assessment Toolkit with teachers and leaders in your own community. We have space for one facilitator per IU, although additional IU staff can attend the Learner Pathway. If additional seats for the Facilitator Pathway remain, we will open it up to additional applicants.

Application Deadline: Please complete the following application by Friday, May 1. You will be notified about your status within one week o

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* 1. Name

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* 2. Email

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* 3. IU / School District / Organization

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* 4. Role / Title

There are two pathways you can experience during this professional learning, the Learner Pathway (to deepen understanding of STEELS assessment) or the Facilitator Pathway (to deepen understanding of leading STEELS assessment PL). See descriptions of each pathway above.

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* 5. I am applying to join the:

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* 6. I am able to attend all of the in-person days for my selected pathway.

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* 7. If you answered no to the previous question, please explain.

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* 8. What are you hoping to gain from participating in the STEELS Assessment Toolkit Summer Institute?

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* 9. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or required accommodations for the meeting.

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* 10. Anything else we should know?

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