Area Schools
- Chester Union Free School District
- Cornwall Central School District
- Florida Union Free School District
- Goshen Central School District
- Greenwood Lake Union Free School District
- Highland Falls - Fort Montgomery Central School District
- John S. Burke Catholic High School
- Marlboro Central School District
- Middletown City School District
- Minisink Valley School District
- Monroe Woodbury Central School District
- Newburgh Enlarged City School District
- New York Military Academy
- Orange-Ulster Board of Cooperative Educational Services
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Elementary School
- Pine Bush School District
- Port Jervis City School District
- Tuxedo Union Free School District
- Valley Central School District
- Wallkill Central School District
- Warwick Valley Central School District
- Washingtonville Central School District
Curriculum Development
- The New York State Learning Standards
- Select a Standard Area by clicking on the text in one of the gray tabs.
- ARTSEDGE
- "ARTSEDGE offers free, standards-based teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, as well as professional development resources, student materials, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and assessment." From the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
- Curriculum, Instruction and Instructional Technology and Other Related Publications
- Find many of the publications in PDF format for downloading to your computer, or purchase hard copies by either contacting the Department's Publications Office, or downloading the 'Order Form' and mailing in your order.
- DocsTeach
- "Find and create interactive learning activities with primary source documents that promote historical thinking skills." From the U.S. National Archives.
- Educator Guides: Operas
- "Designed to bring opera to the classroom, each opera-specific guide includes full length classroom activities, musical highlights, story synopses, accompanying audio clips, post-opera activities, and student resources - all helpful tools to become familiar and understand the opera before viewing." From The Metropolitan Opera.
- ERIC
- "ERIC provides free access to more than 1.2 million bibliographic records of journal articles and other education-related materials and, if available, includes links to full text. ERIC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES)."
- The Gateway
- Sponsored by the National Education Association, this site organizes exemplary curriculum units and lesson plans. Drop-down menus help limit to the subject and narrower topics in each field of education. Materials are included for levels from Pre-K to higher education and continuing education as well.
- KinderArt
- "Over 800 free art and craft lessons, activities and plans for K-12."
- New York State Education Department Virtual Learning System
- The purpose of the New York State Education Department's Virtual Learning System is to encourage the use of the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning and to assist classroom teachers in locating Internet resources for instruction. Also includes the full text of New York State's learning standards.
- New York State Learning Standards and Curriculum
- Sections include: Core Curriculum Guidance, Learning Standards, E-Blast, General Education Diploma Requirements, Middle Level Education, Transfer Student Information, and more. Provided by the New York State Education Department.
- PBS Teachers
- K-12. Browse resources and lesson plan ideas by grade level (see menu at top of their page). Includes an archive of webinars and a forum for discussions between educators.
- Publications Catalog of the NYS Education Dept.
- All K-12 curriculum guides are listed and described in this catalog which downloads in PDF format. Any guide can be ordered by mail from Albany. Ordering information is listed on page 1. Note: You need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe.com to view this document.
- ReadWriteThink
- "Here at ReadWriteThink, our mission is to provide educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials." From the International Reading Association (IRA) and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
- Scholastic: Technology Tools, Organizers, and Templates for Lesson Planning, Classroom Management, and Teaching
- Scholastic provides a variety of tools, and downloadable guides, and other resources for educators.
- TeachingHistory.org
- "A single destination for K-12 American history content, teaching methods, and current research." From George Mason University.
- Teaching with Historic Places
- "Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) uses properties listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places to enliven history, social studies, geography, civics, and other subjects. TwHP has created a variety of products and activities that help teachers bring historic places into the classroom." From the National Park Service's Heritage Education Services.
- Thinkfinity
- "Verizon Thinkfinity offers comprehensive teaching and learning resources created by our content partners - the most respected organizations in each academic subject and literacy. The easy-to-navigate K-12 resources are grade-specific and are aligned with state standards."
Education - General Resources
- The Educator's Reference Desk
- Brings you the resources you have come to depend on including lesson plans, links to online education information, and 200+ question archive responses.
- Edutopia
- "Through the Edutopia.org Web site, we spread the word about ideal, interactive learning environments and enable others to adapt these successes locally. Edutopia.org contains a deep archive of continually updated best practices, from classroom tips to recommendations for districtwide change. Allied with a dedicated audience that actively contributes success stories from the field, our mission relies on input and participation from schools and communities. The diverse and innovative media resources available from The George Lucas Educational Foundation are designed to connect and inspire positive change in all areas of education." Includes videos, a blog, classroom resources (K-12), and more.
- ERIC
- "ERIC provides free access to more than 1.2 million bibliographic records of journal articles and other education-related materials and, if available, includes links to full text. ERIC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES)."
- FindYouthInfo.gov
- "FindYouthInfo.gov is the U.S. government website that helps you create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. Included are youth facts, funding information, and tools to help you assess community assets, generate maps of local and federal resources, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up-to-date on the latest, youth-related news."
- FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence)
- "More than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources are included from dozens of federal agencies. New sites are added regularly." From the U.S. Department of Education in cooperation with various other U.S. Government agencies.
- Middletown Teacher Center
- New York State Education Department
- New York State Report Cards
- The New York State Report Cards provide enrollment, demographic, attendance, suspension, dropout, teacher, assessment, accountability, graduation rate, post-graduate plan, career and technical education, and fiscal data for public and charter schools, districts, and the State. For each reporting year, a companion database containing statewide data in many of the above areas is also provided for statistical analysis purposes. Click on the appropriate year and then choose county and district.
- NYS BOCES and Regional Information Centers
- Click on links to New York State Boards of Cooperative Educational Services.
- Road Scholar
- "Discover nearly 8,000 educational tours in all 50 states and more than 90 countries with Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975. Alongside local and renowned experts, experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more." Formerly Elderhostel / Exploritas.
- School "Report Cards" from NY State
- Posted by the NY State Education Department based on local schools test results.
- SchoolTree.org
- Listings for over 140,000 public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, and school districts in the United States. Click on the state to begin.
- Selected Education Web Sites
- The New York State Library has compiled internet sites useful for educators and students. It is searchable by subjects, as well as such topics as charter schools, distance learning and more.
- U.S. Dept. of Education
Home Schooling
- American Homeschool Association
- Founded in 1995 to network homeschool advi\ocates around the country, this association site offers links about the history of home schooling, catalogs of materials,articles about homeschooling practice and effectiveness and an online newsletter.
- Eclectic Homeschool Online
- Find articles from a Christian perspective on homeschooling, materials to purchase and reviews of other materials.
- Home Instruction Laws and Regulations
- New York State's exact regulations for home schooling.
- Home Instruction Questions and Answers
- The New York State Education Department has 70 questions and answers divided into the categories of general, evaluation, individualized home instruction plan, commencement of home instruction during the school year, college entrance and suggested strategies.
- Homeschool.com's Top 100 Web Sites
- National Home Education Research Institute
- NHERI conducts and collects research about homeschooling and publishes the research journal called the Home School Researcher.
Online Learning Resources - Other
- Brightstorm
- Free educational videos in the following subject areas: Math (Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus), Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), and English (Grammar, Writing). Their Test Prep services are not free.
- GCFLearnFree.org
- "GCFLearnFree.org exists to serve the educational part of the GCF mission. We create and provide quality, innovative online learning opportunities to anyone who wants to improve the technology, literacy, and math skills necessary for them to be successful in both work and life."
- Khan Academy
- Educational videos. "Watch. Practice. Learn almost anything for free. With a library of over 2,400 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 150 practice exercises, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace."
Professional Development Resources
- Middletown Teacher Center
- "Founded in 1984, the Middletown Teacher Center is a professional development organization dedicated to the educational support of teachers, administrators, school-related personnel, parents and community. The programs and services offered through the Teacher Center are developed through a continuous process involving needs assessment and evaluation methods. These programs and services align with staff needs, the professional development goals of the Middletown School District, and local, state, and federal initiatives." (Middletown, New York).
- New York State Education Department: Teacher Resources
- Topics include: Teacher Certification, Professional Development, Standards, Grant Programs, Awards, Appeals, Decisions, and Regulations.
- New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) Home Page
- "The NYSTCE are criterion-referenced, objective-based tests designed to measure a candidate's knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates. The explicit purpose of these tests is to help identify for certification those candidates who have demonstrated the appropriate level of knowledge and skills that are important for performing the responsibilities of an educator in New York State public schools." Includes information about the test (registration, results, etc.), free test preparation guides. Practice tests are fee-based. From Pearson Education.
- Professional Development
- Professional development bulletins, news, and other information of interest to educations in New York. From NYSUT (New York State United Teachers).
- Teachers' Domain
- "Teachers' Domain is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners. You’ll find thousands of media resources, support materials, and tools for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and teacher professional learning communities." From PBS.
- U.S. Department of Education: Strengthening Teaching
- Articles on teachers, teaching reforms, classrooms, and many other articles related to educational professions and professional development.
Test Preparation - Sample Questions & Examinations
Featured Resource
- Testing and Education Reference Center
- Practice examinations (ACT, CLEP, GED, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, PSAT, SAT, TOEFL, etc.), practice courses, study materials, information on accredited schools, college planning/preparation, financial aid, graduate schools, scholarships, career tools, resumes, and more. Available to members of Thrall.
Web Resources
- ABCs of the ASVAB: All About the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery
- From About.com.
- ACT: Sample Tests
- Sample test questions in these categories: English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing. Also see their additional free and premium test preparation page. From ACTStudent.org.
- CSEA Civil Service Test Preparation Booklets
- CSEA members may download the books for free after logging in. The books cover general test skills and are not specific test titles. From New York CSEA.
- Free Microsoft Study Guides
- From About.com's Computer Certification website.
- Free TOEFL Test Preparation Exercises (Curso de Preparacion TOEFL)
- GEDPractice.com
- Click the "Start Practice Test" button (down their page) to begin.
- GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)
- Overview and sample questions.
- New York Civil Service Website
- Very brief Study Guides free for downloading in pdf format. The test guides are made available 60 days prior to the date of the written test. From the New York State Department of Civil Service. See also their State Examinations page for additional test study guides.
- Nursing Certification Exam Sample Questions
- Select your specialty to see free sample questions. From the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
- Preparing for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
- See also their LSAT "Full Menu" page.
- The Princeton Review:
- Free registration is required for some parts of this website. Includes these free practices examinations:
- Regents Exam Prep Center
- "The goal of this nonprofit site is to help high school students meet the New York State Regents requirements in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies." Include Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2/Trig. Provided by Oswego City School District.
- SAT Test Preparation Center
- Official SAT Practice Test and more. Free registration is required. From CollegeBoard.com.
- SparkNotes Free Online Test Preparation and Study Guides for College Admissions
- These "mini-tests" cover SAT, ACT, AP, LSAT, GRE.
- StudyGuideZone.com:
- Mostly free sample tests in categories including: primary and secondary tests, undergraduate and graduate-level exams, business, financial, medical, teaching, vocational topics. Also includes study tips.
- The U.S. Naturalization Test
- Includes English and Civics Requirements. Click "Redesigned (New) Naturalization Test" (near bottom of page), then scroll down to see "Study Materials for the New Naturalization Test." The "Study Materials" require the free Adobe Reader software to be on your computer. From U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
