Connecting the Dots: Using a District Centralized Data Hub to Improve Instruction, Accountability, and Performance

Beth Felts, Leigh Jones, Dr. Jermaine Porter

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Improving student outcomes requires more than collecting data—it requires transforming data into actionable insights that inform instruction and strengthen accountability. This session will highlight how our district developed a centralized Data Hub designed to integrate key state and local data sources, including assessment results, district benchmark results, EVAAS projections, growth metrics, attendance, and behavior trends. By consolidating information into a single, user-friendly platform, the Data Hub provides leaders, teachers, and staff with timely access to the data that matters most for meeting state accountability standards and advancing continuous improvement.

AI Literacy for All

Brian Whitson

Selected Audience: K-12, Curriculum Coaches

As AI becomes part of everyday life, helping students build AI literacy is no longer optional; it is essential. Experience hands-on, ready-to-use activities that make AI concepts accessible and meaningful for learners. Together, we will explore AI fundamentals, ethical implications, and real classroom applications while tapping into your learners’ natural curiosity, sparking creativity, and strengthening digital citizenship. Leave equipped with strategies you can use immediately to empower your students to think critically and navigate an AI-infused world with improved confidence.

Reimagine Your Leadership Workflow: Notes, Knowledge, and Insights with NotebookLM

Brian Whitson

Selected Audience: School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

School leaders are being asked to analyze data, manage initiatives, communicate clearly, and make data, informed decisions. NotebookLM can be your new strategic advantage and resource. Discover how this AI-powered tool turns complex documents, reports, and plans into clear, actionable insights. Experience how NotebookLM can streamline your workflow, support evidence-based decision-making, and strengthen collaboration across teams. Whether you’re preparing presentations, synthesizing stakeholder feedback, or leading instructional improvement efforts, you’ll walk away with practical ways to use AI to save time, clarify priorities, and amplify your leadership impact. Empower yourself and your school with smarter tools for a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

Incorporating Data Investigations of Relevant Issues

Travis Weiland
Selected Audience: Middle 6-8, High 9-12

In this session we will provide resources and discussion of how to use or create data investigations relevant to your students to engage students and support their learning of the statistics and probability standards in grades 6-12. Ready to go activities and resources will be shared and explored

Engaging in Data Reasoning K-5

Travis Weiland

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5

In this session we will explore interdisciplinary ways of incorporating data reasoning in K-5 classrooms connecting content in mathematics, science, social studies and literacy. Resources and activities will be provided. This session is aligned with the proposed edits to the K-5 standards.

Intentional Instructional Leadership

Dr. Joanna Perkins
Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

In schools and districts striving for excellence, the language we use to describe teaching and learning matters. When educators share a common language for rigor, expectations, and impact, the results are transformational. This session will inspire district leaders, principals, coaches, and teachers to leverage common Depth of Knowledge (DOK) stems, calibrated classroom walkthrough tools, and purposeful PLC structures to build a culture of collaboration and collective accountability. Participants will explore how consistent use of common language sharpens instructional focus, motivates staff, and creates alignment across classrooms and campuses. By anchoring walkthroughs and PLC conversations in calibrated DOK stems, leaders can ensure that professional dialogue moves beyond surface-level observations and instead targets the depth and quality of student thinking. This approach fosters equity, clarity, and shared ownership of student success.

Designing Behavior Intervention Plans

Louise Southern, PhD, LBA, BCBA

Selected Audience: PreK, K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators

Target behavior and replacement behavior definitions, preventative strategies, reinforcement procedures, de-escalation steps, data collection...Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) can feel overwhelming to write! This session will outline the key components of a quality, student-specific BIP. We will guide participants through each section of the BIP using realistic examples of different student profiles.

Implementing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs)

Louise Southern, PhD, LBA, BCBA

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators

A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) only works when we work together to consistently apply the strategies that are outlined within this legal document. This session will examine common positive behavioral interventions often included in BIPs and how these plans are cohesively applied across general and special education environments.

Best Practices for Students with Autism in the General Education Environment

Louise Southern, PhD, LBA, BCBA

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators

According the most recent prevalence data published by the CDC (May, 2025), approximately 1 out of every 31 children in the U.S. is identified with autism. Many school districts are also noting increases in the proportion of students identified as having autism. Some students with autism display unique strengths and differences that require innovative and proactive supports. This session will explore high-leverage practices and Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports that are responsive to the academic and socio-behavioral needs of many students with autism.

The DLI Dilemma: Creating a Program That Makes Sense: An Overview of the Pillars, Guiding Principles, and Curriculum-Aligned Instructional Strategies

Victor Hiraldo

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

As Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs continue to expand, teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators are often working toward the same goals—but without a shared, coherent framework. This misalignment can create a common dilemma: strong commitment to the DLI model, yet uncertainty about how the pillars and guiding principles translate into daily instruction, coaching practices, and leadership decisions.

This session provides a shared understanding of the DLI pillars and guiding principles and examines how they can be intentionally aligned with curriculum design, instructional planning, and program implementation. Participants will explore how language development, academic rigor, and sociocultural competence function as an integrated system rather than as isolated components.

• Through practical examples and cross-role perspectives, the session will address:

• What the DLI pillars look like in classroom instruction, coaching feedback, and administrative decision-making

• How to align curriculum, pacing, and instructional strategies with language goals

• Common implementation gaps across classrooms and schools—and how to address them collaboratively

• Structures and strategies that promote consistency, clarity, and sustainability in DLI programs

This session is designed to support teachers in planning intentional instruction, coaches in providing focused and effective feedback, and administrators in making informed leadership decisions that strengthen DLI implementation. Participants will leave with a shared language, clear frameworks, and practical strategies to create a DLI program that truly makes sense across roles and contexts.

Discourse Moves: Structured Talk for Every Learner

Tamara J. Coburn

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Guarantee every student a turn—and something worth saying. In this session, we’ll practice two discourse routines designed to make academic talk predictable, inclusive, and purposeful: Microlabs (everyone speaks, everyone listens) and a QSSSA‑style prompt sequence to scaffold accountable talk. Together, we’ll surface the language students generate and map it to learning goals you can assess tomorrow. You’ll leave with teachable routines and a quick-start rollout plan. Designed with multilingual learners in mind; adaptable across grade levels and content areas.

Literacy Moves: Reading & Writing Routines That Stick

Tamara J. Coburn

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

If students can say it, they can start to write it—and read with more purpose. Building on Discourse Moves, this session introduces talking-to-writing strategies that are quick, repeatable, and sustainable. Together, we’ll explore how sentence starters support expression and complexity in writing, then use an informational-text reading move to set a purpose for reading and guide thoughtful interaction with the text. We’ll reverse-engineer “juicy sentences” so readers learn how structure, vocabulary, and logic come together. You’ll leave with tools to use tomorrow and a plan to capture visible artifacts of growth. Designed with multilingual learners in mind; adaptable across grade levels and content areas.

"Growing Words that Bloom!” Growing Morphology through the Grade levels.

Tarona Hollingsworth, Kayla Simmons

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, School Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

In this engaging and practical session, educators will explore how intentional morphology instruction can strengthen vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, and writing across grade levels. From early exposure to word parts to advanced analysis of roots and affixes, you’ll see how morphology can be nurtured year after year for lasting impact. Participants will learn research-based strategies to make prefixes, suffixes, and roots come alive through hands-on activities, visual supports, and classroom-ready routines. You’ll walk away with concrete tools, lesson ideas, and vertical connections that help students unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words and grow into confident, independent word learners.

Whether you teach primary, intermediate, or upper grades, this session will help you plant the seeds of word knowledge—and watch your students’ language skills bloom!

Solving Social Problems in the Classroom

Jessica Fitzgerald

Selected Audience: PreK, Elementary K-5

Get grounded in strategies to increase the calm! Participants will access strategies to support young children as they engage in solving social problems- conflict among peers. Solving social problems is important for young children because it helps them develop crucial life skills like communication, empathy, cooperation, and critical thinking.

Phonological Awareness Throughout the Day

Jessica Fitzgerald

Selected Audience: PreK

Phonological awareness (PA) is a foundational early literacy skill, and it can be quick, fun, and engaging. Revisit the importance of PA and explore ways to incorporate activities that support phonological awareness development during play, transitions, mealtimes, and more.

The Magical CTE Classroom

Sasha Murphy

Selected Audience: Middle 6-8, High 9-12

The purpose of this professional development session is to support middle and high school Career and Technical Education teachers in strengthening instructional practices by exploring the book The Magical CTE Classroom. This session will provide educators with practical strategies to increase student engagement, improve classroom culture, and enhance real-world relevance across CTE pathways.

Beyond Decoding: Teaching Reading Comprehension with Precision and Purpose

Alexandra Tobin; Sabreen Mutawally

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, Curriculum Coaches

Reading comprehension is not a worksheet, it’s a complex way of thinking. Yet too often, instruction stops at decoding and recall, leaving students unable to access meaning, structure, or purpose in complex texts. This interactive session is designed for educators who are ready to move beyond surface-level strategies and into intentional, standards-aligned comprehension instruction. Participants will explore four essential pillars for effective reading instruction: Vocabulary, Questioning, Text Structure, and Using Text Evidence. This will be done through a practical, classroom-ready lens. Grounded in research and elevated by real instructional moves, this session will model comprehension strategies for students to begin constructing meaning with confidence and clarity. Educators will leave with tools they can implement immediately, strategies that support all learners, and a renewed sense of purpose around teaching reading with precision.

Back to Basics: Essential Classroom Management Practices

BriAnne Hall

Selected Audience: PreK, Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, High 9-12, K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Managing student behavior can feel overwhelming, especially when classroom routines and expectations are not fully in place. In this session, we will focus on a small set of essential classroom management practices that work across grade levels and content areas. You will leave with practical, doable strategies you can start using right away whether you are a classroom teacher, instructional coach, school leader, or supporting schools from the district level. This session is designed to help you identify a strong starting point and build from there.

Using EVAAS to grow ALL students

Kim Bell and Jammie Jolly

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

This will be an interactive deep dive into EVAAS. Participants will learn how to use EVAAS subgroup data. In this session attendees will better understand trends over time noting successes and areas for improvement for each subgroup.

Using Data to improve School Performance Grade

Kim Bell and Jammie Jolly

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Participants will learn how to incorporate EVAAS projections along with other data sources to raise proficiency scores.

Considerations for Building an Effective Intervention System (Part 2)

Dr. Holly Williamson

Selected Audience: EMS Staff ONLY

This session is restricted to Elkin Middle School staff. This session serves as Part 2 of Elkin Middle School's MTSS Implementation Series.

Once Upon A Standard: Personalized Stories in the Classroom

Lindsey Sipe

Selected Audience: PreK, Elementary K-5, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Step into a storybook where learning targets come alive.

In this enchanted experience, educators transform everyday learning goals into vibrant, student-centered tales that sparkle with meaning. Gemini Storybook invites teachers to weave standards-aligned objectives into stories filled with rich language, imagination, and heart, turning “what we are learning” into an adventure students cannot wait to enter.

Each story is thoughtfully crafted to reflect students’ identities, interests, and voices, helping every learner feel seen and valued within the pages. As vocabulary blooms and concepts unfold through narrative, comprehension deepens naturally, confidence grows, and students begin to see themselves not just as readers, but as heroes in their own learning journey.

With Gemini Storybook, reading becomes a place of wonder, curiosity, and belonging, where academic goals feel less like instructions and more like an invitation to explore.

Gamify Your Classroom With AI

Lindsey Sipe

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, High 9-12, K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Gamification does not require advanced coding or expensive tools. In this hands-on session, educators will learn how to use AI large language models to design engaging classroom games that reinforce learning, boost motivation, and save planning time.

Participants will explore how AI can help generate digital escape rooms, breakouts, learning quests, and easy to implement review games like Trash-ketball, Tic-Tac-Toe, Battleship, and more. The session will also introduce vibe coding as a low-barrier way to build simple interactive games. Educators will leave with ready-to-use prompts, templates, and at least one game they can immediately adapt for their classroom.

Pac Man? Yes! Frogger? Say Less! Pong? We've got you! Fun? You bet! Engagement? Check!

From Insight to Impact: Using AI to Connect Needs with Research

Jordan Caldwell

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Educators and school leaders are increasingly rich in data—but often limited in time and capacity to connect that data to high-quality, research-based practices. This session explores how A.I. deep research features can act as powerful research partners during the research and literature review process helping educators move from data awareness to evidence-based action more effectively and efficiently.

Participants will learn how to use AI to:

-Conduct efficient, high-quality literature reviews aligned to identified areas of need

-Surface research-based best practices, instructional strategies, and interventions

-Compare findings across multiple sources to strengthen decision-making

Good Vibes with A.I. and Vibe Coding

Jordan Caldwell

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, High 9-12, K-12, Curriculum Coaches

Step into the next wave of EdTech innovation with this session designed for educators already familiar with generative A.I. tools. In “Good Vibes with A.I. and Vibe Coding,” we'll go beyond prompts and explore how vibe coding—a creative, intuitive approach to shaping interactive experiences—can transform the way you build engaging digital content for your classroom.

Supporting All Students to Solve Word Problems

Drew Polly, Madelyn Colonnese

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5

Word problems are hard for students but they don't have to be. Come learn about ways to support your students with problem solving and get access to free resources.

The Innovation Garden with AI Standards Coaches

Stacy Lovdahl

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, High 9-12, K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

What if you had a planning partner that helped your lessons grow?

Step into the Innovation Garden and work with the NC AI Standards Coaches to grow aligned, classroom-ready instructional materials. These AI assistants are trained on curated resources from the NC Office of Teaching and Learning, ISTE, and more, and support standards unpacking, instructional planning, and literacy-rich practices across content areas. This is a hands-on session with task cards and guided exploration. Bring an upcoming NC Standard and leave with fresh resources you can use right away.

NotebookLM: Your Swiss Army Knife for K–12 Teaching

Stacy Lovdahl

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, High 9-12, K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

NotebookLM is a hidden gem in your Google toolbox and one of the most flexible AI tools available to educators. It helps you organize teaching materials and generate polished learning supports in minutes. In this hands-on session, K–12 teachers will explore how NotebookLM can transform documents from Google Drive, your computer, or the web into audio explainers, videos, slide decks, infographics, mindmaps, and student-ready materials.

Think of NotebookLM as a Swiss army knife for teaching: one tool with many uses, designed to make your materials clearer, more accessible, and easier to share. Participants will leave with a ready-to-use notebook and practical strategies they can implement right away.

The Power of Mattering: Building the Foundation for Teacher Growth

Caroline Beam

Selected Audience: School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

In this session, participants will consider Zach Mercurio's work on The Power of Mattering; we will interrogate how the skills of noticing, affirming, and needing support teacher growth and retention. Participants will leave this session with concrete strategies to support connection and community among those with whom you work.

An Engaged Classroom Is A Managed Classroom

Caroline Beam

Selected Audience: K-12

In this session, participants will engage in a variety of protocols to explore how engagement influences classroom management; participants will evaluate protocols to consider how they might work in different contexts. Participants will leave with numerous strategies and protocols to adapt and use right away.

AI in Action: Young Minds with Artificial Intelligence in K-5 Classrooms

Natalie Hulbert

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5

This interactive session explores age-appropriate strategies for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into K–5 classrooms to spark curiosity, creativity, and foundational digital literacy. Educators will discover hands-on activities, tools, and lesson ideas that introduce key AI concepts—such as pattern recognition, decision-making, and responsible technology use—through storytelling, play, and cross-curricular connections. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use resources, classroom-tested examples, and a deeper understanding of how to cultivate AI fluency in ways that are developmentally appropriate and aligned with 21st-century skills.

Code and Create: Seamless Computer Science Integration for K-5 Classrooms

Natalie Hulbert

Selected Audience: Elementary K-5, Curriculum Coaches

Discover how to weave computer science into everyday instruction in fun, age-appropriate ways that support core content learning. This interactive session empowers K–5 educators to integrate CS concepts like sequencing, pattern recognition, and algorithms into literacy, math, and science lessons—no prior coding experience required! Participants will explore hands-on, unplugged, and digital activities that foster computational thinking and creativity while aligning with academic standards. Walk away with ready-to-use resources and strategies to bring computer science to life across your classroom curriculum.

From Lesson Planning to Classroom Implementation

Mrs. Alejandra Carrasco, Mrs. Elaine Reales

Selected Audience: K-5

Do you want to move swiftly and confidently from planning to delivering high‑quality Spanish dual language immersion lessons? Come join us, and you'll leave with concrete strategies, easy-to-use templates, and classroom-tested routines that make implementation smoother for both novice and experienced DLI educators.

Data Tracking & Communication Strategies

Bryan Hayes, Courtney Howlett

Selected Audience: Middle 6-8, High 9-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

In this practical, classroom-tested session, we will model how intentional data tracking and clear communication can strengthen instruction and student outcomes. Participants will see the spreadsheet systems we use to track formative and summative assessment data, allowing us to monitor all students’ progress and make informed instructional decisions. We will also share effective strategies for communicating student progress with students, parents, and colleagues through email and Canvas messaging, providing tools teachers can use immediately.

Strategic Spiral Review for EOG and EOC Success

Kimberly Swisher, Leslie Baker

Selected Audience: K-12

Join Mrs. Leslie Baker and Mrs. Kimberly Swisher for a brief session highlighting the strategies they use to help students prepare for the Math 1 End-of-Course (EOC) exam. While the focus is on EOC preparation, the strategies shared can be applied across content areas and grade levels. Participants will leave with practical ideas for implementing spiral review throughout instructional units to better support students as they prepare for summative assessments.

Learning to Write, Writing to Learn - Providing Students With Opportunities to Write

Beth Lowry, Brooke Ledford

Selected Audience: K-12, School Administrators, District Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

During this writing focused session, teachers will engage writing strategies and activities. This knowledge will allow teachers to amplify their lessons with opportunities for writing in English as well as content area classrooms.

Understanding Finch: A Guided Walkthrough Each Module of the Finch Assessment 

Tarona Hollingsworth, Kayla Simmons

Selected Audience: Pre-K

This session provides a guided walkthrough of each Finch module, showing Pre-K teachers how to navigate the platform, understand the purpose of each component, and use the tools effectively to support assessment and instruction.

Introduction to Amplify (Desmos) Classroom for Middle School 

Erica Bower

Selected Audience: 6-8 teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Get hands-on with Amplify (formerly Desmos Classroom) and experience how interactive lessons turn student thinking into visible, teachable moments. Teachers will explore how to launch activities, monitor student progress in real time, and use built-in tools to spark discussion, check understanding, and adjust instruction on the fly.

Desmos Support for the High School Classroom

Erica Bower

Selected Audience: 9-12 teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Coaches

Learn Desmos Graphing Calculator tips, discover engaging graph-based activities, and see how Amplify (formerly Desmos) Classroom aligns seamlessly with high school standards to prepare students for math content.