School may have been out for the students this summer, but not for the teachers. Approximately 50 teachers and administrators throughout the West Babylon School District participated in the professional development program titled, Summer Academy for Teachers of Excellence. In an effort to provide the district’s teachers and administrators with quality professional development, math and literacy consultants who have been working with the district were contracted to provide a variety of summer workshops.

Some of the workshops the teachers participated in include Integrated Literacy Work Stations, Differentiated Instruction, Wilson Language Training and Word Study for Primary Classrooms. These workshops provided teachers with new knowledge to support the standards in preparation for the high-stakes state assessments. One teacher in the district commented, "The three courses I took this summer turned out to be an invaluable learning and teaching tool."

The skills learned in this program will be implemented during the 2005-06 school year.