Powering Next Level Learning: Designing, Connecting, and Sustaining Impact

Agenda

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Arrival and Welcome 8:00 - 8:30 AM

Chris Sweeney, Deion Jordan, & Julianna Charles Brown

Begin the day with arrival, registration, and light refreshments. Opening remarks will frame the vision and goals for the day, situating the summit within the broader regional movement toward personalized and competency-based learning in Pennsylvania.

Kickoff Session 8:30 AM

Perspectives on PL in SWPA, A Unified View Across Roles

Speakers: Madeline Loring, Dr. Christian Lesnett, Dr. Autumn Turk

Moderator: Deion Jordan

The opening conversation explores personalized learning through the lens of the people leading and experiencing the work every day. Panelists will discuss instructional shifts, enabling conditions, student empowerment, systems leadership, learner agency, and the future of personalized learning across Southwest Pennsylvania.

Participants will hear how educators, leaders, and students are collectively shaping more responsive, equitable, and future-ready learning systems

Morning Preview & Breakout Orientation: 8:30 - 9:15

A brief overview of the morning experience, breakout sessions, and pathways for participant engagement throughout the summit.

9:15 - 9:35

Team Planning Time: Structured district/school team planning facilitated through reflection prompts focused on current needs, priorities, and next steps for advancing personalized learning within their local context. This session intentionally creates space for teams to slow down, align, and strategically plan amidst the realities of implementation work.

Break: 9:35 - 9:45

9:45 - 10:30

Themeatic Peer Dialgoue: Participants will select one facilitated conversation centered on a key area of systems transformation.

Operationalizing a Portrait of a Graduate

Facilitators: The Consortium for Public Education

Explore how districts are translating Portraits of a Graduate from vision statements into actionable systems, instructional practices, learner experiences, and implementation strategies.

School Structures & Policy Flexibility

Facilitator: Julianna Charles Brown

This dialogue examines how schools are leveraging Pennsylvania policy flexibility around instructional time, scheduling, grading, and learning structures to support learner-centered environments.

Outcomes & Performance Assessment Systems

Facilitators: Building 21

Participants will explore emerging approaches to competency-based assessment, learner evidence, and performance systems that move beyond traditional grading structures toward demonstrations of mastery.

Classroom Practices for Personalized Learning

Facilitators: Personalized Learning Ambassadors

This session highlights practical classroom-level shifts that strengthen learner agency, voice, authentic engagement, and facilitation-centered instruction.

Break: 10:30 - 10:45

10:45 - 11:45

PL Deep Dive I (Session I)

Facilitated hands-on deep-dive, focused on providing opportunities to learn, collaborate, and share new ideas that lead to implementation. Participants leave with concrete, actionable steps and resources.

Beyond the Bell: Designing a Future-Ready High School Experience

Presenters: Chartiers-Houston SD Team

Explore how schools are redesigning the high school experience through career-connected learning, internships, cross-sector partnerships, and future-ready pathways. Participants will examine innovative approaches to rethinking the senior year and expanding authentic learning opportunities.

Personalization and Precision Teaching: Redesigning the High School Experience

Presenters: Butler Area SD Team

Learn how Butler Area SD leveraged Precision Teaching, personalized educator evaluation systems, and a Ninth Grade Academy model to redesign student learning experiences and strengthen learner engagement through facilitation-centered instruction.

Building a Learner-Centered Ecosystem: Examples from Practice

Presenters: Hampton SD Team

This session explores practical examples of learner-centered systems and how districts can shift from school-centered models toward more responsive and empowering learning environments.

Centering Culture, Amplifying Voice: Using Arts Learning to Deepen Personalized Learning

Presenters: Yael Silk, Nina Unitas & Pittsburgh Public Schools / Arts Education Collaborative Team

Participants will explore how arts-based and culturally responsive practices deepen personalized learning implementation, strengthen learner identity, and amplify student voice through authentic and equitable learning experiences.

Next Talks

Moonshot Grant Innovation Showcase: Rapid-fire presentations highlighting innovative learner-centered practices emerging through Remake Learning Moonshot initiatives.

Presenters: Moonshot Grant Recipients

Lunch 11:45 - 12:30

Afternoon Plenary 12:30 - 1:05

PL in PA

Presenters: Chip Linehan & Thomas Gaffey, Building 21
Moderator: Deion Jordan

Pennsylvania is building momentum around personalized, competency-based learning through strong regional collaboration, innovative district leadership and flexible policy conditions. This work is advancing a shared vision for learner-centered systems that empower students through authentic learning, flexible pathways and meaningful demonstration of mastery.

Break: 1:05 - 1:15

1:15 - 2:15

PL Deep Dive (Session II)

Outcomes by Design: Building Competency-Based Systems

Presenters: Chip Linehan & Thomas Gaffey, Building 21

This session explores how districts can design coherent competency-based systems aligned to learner outcomes, performance assessment, and mastery-based learning progression.

Studios in Motion: Building Future-Ready Skills Through Personalized Learning in Middle School

Presenters: Autumn Turk, Travis Welch, Courtney Barbiaux & Burrell SD Team

Explore Burrell’s middle school Studio model, where learners engage in immersive, interdisciplinary experiences driven by student interests, real-world challenges, and career pathways. Participants will learn how Burrell redesigned schedules, spaces, and instructional roles to support agency, collaboration, and authentic learning.

Reimagining Learning Through Personalized Systems

Presenters: Emily Sanders, Jamie Schmidt & Hempfield Area SD Team

Learn how districts are building future-ready systems that align personalized learning, instructional innovation, and learner-centered supports across schools.

Next Talks

PL Ambassador Spotlight Talks: Short-form practitioner talks highlighting instructional shifts, implementation lessons, learner agency, and classroom transformation stories from across the region.

Presenters:

Madeline Loring, 2026 PA Teacher of the Year | Jefferson-Morgan
Justin Gavazzi | Chartiers-Houston
Amanda Wilhelm | Grove City

Transition and Break: Networking 2:00 - 2:15

2:15 - 2:45

Facilitated Reflection: The Future of PL in SWPA

Participants will engage in a facilitated regional reflection exploring emerging opportunities, barriers, and next steps for advancing personalized learning and systems transformation across Southwest Pennsylvania.

Closing & Regional Recognition 2:45 - 3:00

Post-Summit Social Networking | Location TBD

3:00 - 5:00

Participants are invited to continue conversations, strengthen partnerships, and build connections across districts, organizations, and regional learning communities.

Page updated

Report abuse