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Illinois Science Teaching Association

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Professional Learning Opportunities 

ISTA is proud to partner with: 

Illinois State Board of Education

Regional Office of Education #47

Lee - Ogle - Whiteside 

National Science Teaching Association

to offer several virtual professional learning opportunites at NO COST to Illinois educators.

Illinois State Board of Education

See their website for Science Standards, Resources, and Professional Development opportunities!




Did you attend NSTA Indianapolis??

A NEW FREE benefit for ISTA members (and with a fee for non members) - getting credit with ISBE for your sessions at NSTA! (even though its in Indiana!!)

PLEASE make sure to follow all the steps in the image to the right (click on it for a PDF copy with links) to ensure you receive your hours! 

Everything must be completed by November 30th


Check out these upcoming events for Professional Development hours hosted by ISBE! There is a mix of online and in-person opportunities. Questions? Contact Meagan Budke at MBUDKE@isbe.net


2026-2027 Book Study Series. Sign up here for the 2026-2027 Book Study Series .

Grading for Equity Author: Joe Feldman Jan. 12-Feb. 16, 2027

Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work

Authors: Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas Many, Mike Mattos, & Anthony Muhammad April 6-May 11, 2027


November 9 | 4-5:30 p.m. ONLINE Register for Navigating the Illinois Climate Education Hub: Ready-to-Use Science Resources and Lessons

December 2 | 4:00-5:00 pm ONLINE From Cafeteria to Classroom: Engaging Students in Reducing Food Waste and Making the Climate Connection

December 9 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Presentation By Dr. Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist (more information coming soon)

December 14 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Learn About the Illinois EPA's NGSS-aligned free curricula units

January 11| 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Presentation by Sam Lindgren, U of I (more information coming soon)

January 20 | 4-5:00 pm ONLINE Climate, Crops, & Cattle: Connecting Climate Change to Agriculture

January 27 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Presentation by Dr. Marie Cabiya and Frank Pettis Illinois Clinicians for Climate Action (more information coming soon)

February 8 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Resilient Watersheds for a Changing World

March 8 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Taking Climate Education Outside

April 12 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Presentation by Warren Lavey, Holly Rosencranz, and Allison Lavey (more information coming soon)

May 10 | 4-5:30 pm ONLINE Presentation by Dr. Becky Smith, U of I (more information coming soon)

To View All the Sessions Please Follow This LINK



Learning in Places: A Seasonal Journey of Wonder, Community, and Science:

Thursday October 9th, January 7th, March 11th, and May 13th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM ET

Designed for K–5 educators, this interactive series provides classroom-ready strategies for outdoor learning, family engagement, and transdisciplinary instruction that centers science. Throughout the year, participants will experience Learning in Places as learners, explore resources from LearningInPlaces.org, engage in Wonder and "Should We?" discussions, and examine the Learning in Places articles from Science and Children while developing plans to bring place-based science learning into their own classrooms.

NSTA Web Seminars are live professional learning experiences that use online learning technologies to allow participants to interact with nationally acclaimed experts, NSTA Press authors, and scientists, engineers, and education specialists from NSTA partner organizations.




OpenSciEd Exploration: Transforming Science Teaching and Learning with High-Quality Instructional Materials

Wednesday February 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM ET

Are you curious about OpenSciEd? Whether you are ready to implement, or just starting to explore new science curricula, this four-part series offers a guided introduction to how high-quality instructional materials, like OpenSciEd, can support meaningful shifts in science teaching and learning.


Class CrunchLabs Exploration: Transforming Science Teaching and Learning with High-Quality Instructional Materials

Wednesday February 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM ET

Are you curious about Class CrunchLabs? Whether you are ready to implement, or just starting to explore new science curricula, this four-part series offers a guided introduction to how high-quality instructional materials, like Class CrunchLabs, can support meaningful shifts in science teaching and learning.

This microcredential provides teachers of all disciplines the practical tools, resources, and confidence to lead meaningful conversations in their classroom. This online, asynchronous course is $210 and provides 40 PDHs and a digital badge on teachers' Illinois professional educator license. Registration is now open.

The College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has just launched a new microcredential that was developed to meet the new state mandate requiring Climate Change Education for all K-12 classrooms effective Fall 2026. This course equips educators to teach climate change thoughtfully and in ways that foster meaningful engagement and action.

In this self-paced program, teachers will:

  • Build a strong understanding of the fundamentals of climate change including how it disproportionately impacts people globally
  • Learn strategies for teaching climate topics while making space for students’ emotions, questions, and agency
  • Explore how climate education can inspire meaningful hope-in-action across disciplines
  • Develop standards-aligned resources for your classroom
  • Bring holistic climate action to their school

For additional information and to register, visit: ROE 47 PL Opportunities or https://my.nsta.org/plufree

About us

We are a membership-based organization dedicated to promoting excellence in science teaching and learning throughout Illinois.   As the state chapter of the NSTA, the Illinois Science Teaching Association (ISTA) serves as a local resource for science educators in Illinois.   

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Join the professional network of educators influencing science education in Illinois.  

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