Session #EL1: Understanding the WIDA Assessment: What EL Students Are Expected to Know and Be Able To Do
Room #: 224
Presenter: Melanie Malan
Description: This session is designed for any teacher who has EL students in their classroom. In this session, teachers will learn what EL students are expected to know and be able to do on the WIDA assessment. Teachers will learn how to interpret and apply WIDA data- such as proficiency levels, Can Do Descriptors, and ACCESS scores- to inform classroom instruction.
Session #EL2: Deepening Instruction with Data: Using WIDA ACCESS for Intentional Planning
Room #: 225
Presenter: Arlette Federico
Description: In this session, we will explore how to use multiple data points, specifically the WIDA ACCESS scores, to intentionally inform the planning already taking place. The focus will be on going deeper, not doing more. Teachers will learn how to integrate language development goals into existing instruction to better support English language learners.
Session #EL3: Supporting English Learners in Tier 1
Room #: 226
Presenter: Christy Wagner
Description: Learn scaffolding strategies to help EL students access Tier 1.
Session #EL4: Accelerating Acquisition: Tech Strategies to Boost EL Confidence
Room #: 227
Presenter: Monica Widdison
Description: Are you looking for effective ways to support your English Learners without spending hours creating differentiated materials? Join us for a fast-paced, practical session focused on leveraging technology you already have—and some you need to know about! We will demonstrate high-impact strategies for boosting EL confidence and academic output. Then, you'll roll up your sleeves for a guided workshop to put your new learning into practice.
Session #SPED1: Universal Design for Learning: What is Good for All is NECESSARY for Some!
Room #: 216
Presenter: Lora Shinney & Katie Bailey
Description: Mighty educators use universal design for learning to remove barriers in the learning environment. Learn how to use the three guiding principles of UDL to create more inclusive classrooms, foster expert learners, and ensure all students can access rigorous and meaningful learning experiences.
Session #SPED2: Universal Design for Learning: What is Good for All is NECESSARY for Some!
Room #: 217
Presenter: Heather Shepherd, Lori Spell, & Angie Day
Description: Mighty educators use universal design for learning to remove barriers in the learning environment. Learn how to use the three guiding principles of UDL to create more inclusive classrooms, foster expert learners, and ensure all students can access rigorous and meaningful learning experiences.
Session #SPED3: Adventures in Co-Teaching
Room #: 219
Presenter: Jared Abney & Peggy Pearson
Description: Step into the great unknown with your co-teaching partner for a thrilling and collaborative expedition. This workshop is for co-teaching teams, instructional coaches, and administrators ready to improve academic outcomes to increase learning for all students. Adventurers will share strategies for building stronger relationships, collaborative problem-solving, and celebrating shared successes. Discover how teams have met and overcome co-teaching challenges. Let’s share ideas and strategies that will led to success in the implementation of effective co-teaching.
Session #SPED4: The Digital Bridge: Tech Tools for Communication, Collaboration, and Connection
Room #: 221
Presenter: Alan Rhees
Description: If your IEP workload has ever made you question your life choices, this session is your new favorite coping mechanism. “It’s Time for the AI(EP)!” is a hands-on active workshop where we'll explore how AI tools like SchoolAI, Google Gemini, NotebookLM, ChatGPT, and other district-approved tools can help special education teachers reclaim precious minutes of sanity. We’ll dig into practical, classroom-safe ways to use AI for:
Drafting and differentiating lesson ideas that actually fit your students
Summarizing student data or progress reports (without losing your mind)
Brainstorming accommodations, modifications, and social-emotional supports
Creating parent communication that sounds both human and professional
Organizing all the chaos that comes with being everyone’s superhero
You’ll get live demos, example prompts, and time to experiment with your favorite tool. Walk away with ready-to-use templates, smarter workflows, and maybe a little faith in technology again.
Session #PBIS1: The Consistency Compass: Navigating Expectations, Consequences, and Reteaching
Room #: Library
Presenter: Jana Haywood
Description: Move beyond vague directives and build a robust behavioral framework. This training focuses on the essential structure of an effective classroom: communicating high expectations with precision, creating a transparent consequence hierarchy, and utilizing reteaching as a key tool for mastery, not punishment.
Session #PBIS2: Beyond "Good Job": Practical Positive Reinforcement for Every Student
Room #: Choir Room
Presenter: Kalli Holmes and Alycia Scott
Description: Move past generic praise and discover a toolkit of personalized positive reinforcement methods that work for a range of student needs and age levels. This session will cover best practices for using positive feedback, privileges, and peer recognition to improve on-task behavior, increase student engagement, and strengthen teacher-student relationships.
Session ELA1: Everyday Words, Extraordinary Impact
Room #: 503
Presenter: Vanessa Brian
Description: Do you need more practice and clarity around the Most Common Word routine? Do you want to help build and strengthen your students' sight word bank so they recognize those highly utilized words automatically? Then join us for this session to learn effective strategies and collaborate with fellow teachers dedicated to supporting their students in achieving stronger literacy outcomes.
Session ELA2: Tick Tock, Literacy Block: Best Use of Time!
Room #: 508
Presenter: Melanie Tilley and Ami Loder
Description: Make every minute matter! Collaborate with your peers to trade ideas for fitting the five pillars of reading into your literacy block and see how FORI brings fluency and comprehension to life through quick, effective routines.
Session ELA3: The Power of Long Words: Routines that Work!
Room #: 505
Presenter: Mindi Gifford and Lori Rumsey
Description: Long words don't have to be intimidating! In this session, you'll learn easy, classroom-tested routines that help students break down big words and read them with confidence. Discover fun ways to build decoding skills, boost fluency, and make word learning more engaging for your students.
Session ELA4: Routines Matter: Making Phonics Stick (Rock the Routine: Make Phonics Stick )
Room #: 530
Presenter: Jenny Ross
Description: Routines matter—and they make phonics instruction powerful! In this session, we’ll unpack what to include in every phonics lesson and how consistent routines help students become confident, successful readers.
Session ELA5: Limitless Literacy: Building Better ELA Assessments
Room #: 524
Presenter: Jennie Pollock and Tiffany Jones
Description: Unlock the full potential of your ELA assessments in this interactive session designed to help you create limitless learning opportunities for your students! Using the WSD Assessment Framework, you'll discover how to develop assessments that increase rigor by challenging students. Get ready to explore new ways to make assessments exciting and empowering, all while fostering a limitless approach to literacy that will leave your students excited to learn!
Session ELA6: The Mighty Blueprint: Designing ELA Unit Plans for Lasting Impact
Room #: 521
Presenter: Lyndsey Anderson and Angie Kindall
Description: In this professional development session, we will explore the process of designing effective, targeted unit plans for English Language Arts. Participants will be guided through the essential components of unit planning and reviewing available resources and planning tools to support the work. The session will include dedicated time for collaborative planning, allowing teams to begin crafting or refining their own unit plans. This is a hands-on, practical session designed to support intentional, aligned ELA instruction in the classrooms.
Session ELA7: Nearpod + AI = Next Level Engagement
Room #: 536
Presenter: Emily Jones
Description: Did you know that Nearpod has a new AI lesson creator? All of the amazing resources from Nearpod at the ease of an AI prompt! See how easy it is to create fun and engaging ELA lessons in minutes!
Session #MATH1: RISE Readiness (Math & RISE)
Room #: 534
Presenter: Katie Griffiths and Trina Bingham
Description:Learn how to embed effective test-preparation strategies throughout the school year in meaningful, engaging ways. This session will focus on goal setting, student data tracking, academic vocabulary development, reading strategies, and integrating higher-level DOK 2 and DOK 3 questions into daily instruction.
Session #MATH2: Believe. Expect. Achieve. The Power of High Expectations in Math for Every Learner
Room #: 531
Presenter: Stacy Tonioli
Description: Explore research-based strategies for communicating and maintaining high expectations in elementary math. Examine the impact of teacher expectations on student achievement and learn practical ways to scaffold challenging tasks, use growth mindset language, and provide effective feedback so all students can achieve rigorous math goals. Leave with tools to help every student succeed in math.
Session #MATH3: Powerful Grouping: Maximizing Tier 2 Impact in Math
Room #: 229
Presenter: Jayna Frost
Description: Unlock the potential of every student. This session will equip elementary educators with the knowledge and tools to create effective Tier 2 math intervention groups. Learn the purpose and guiding principles of Tier 2 interventions, discover how to use data to form meaningful groups, and explore a variety of resources to support targeted math instruction. Participants will share successes and challenges, leaving with practical strategies to enhance student growth through purposeful grouping.
Session #MATH4: Fast, Fluent, Fun: Building Number Sense with Games!
Room #: 228
Presenter: Amy Filiaga
Description: Shake things up! Kids love to play—so let’s give them what they want while building number sense tied to our core curriculum. Explore games that boost fluency, place value, operations, and more. Walk away with ready-to-use games and ideas for daily routines, centers, whole-class, and small-group instruction.
Session #MATH5: Math Matters: Designing Aligned and Insightful Assessments
Room #: 520
Presenter: Holly White and Julie Loos
Description: Join us to deepen your understanding of how to create meaningful and standards-aligned math assessments using the WSD Assessment Framework. This session will guide you through each step of the framework, showing how assessment design can be integrated into the unit planning process, how to ensure every assessment aligns with learning goals, and how to use assessment data as feedback for students. You’ll leave with practical tools and resources, and will have dedicated work time to begin designing an assessment for your own math classroom.
Session #MATH6: Useful Unit Planning for Mighty Learning
Room #: 523
Presenter: Tami Rich
Description: Join us for an engaging and mighty professional development session that is focused on simplifying unit planning for any subject. This session is designed to equip educators with practical strategies and user-friendly tools to streamline the unit planning process, making it more efficient and effective. Participants will simplify their unit planning by making their units that will have all their resources in one place. By the end of the session, teachers will have the confidence and skills to organize their units, for any subject, for daily/weekly/monthly planning.
Session #MATH7: Digits & Devices: Making Math Click for Every Student
Room #: 525
Presenter: Cathy Wall
Description: Find ways to enhance learning and understanding with these basic, yet powerful digital tools. Even if you are familiar with them, we will go over many different ways to use them with your students to help strengthen their understanding and build stronger foundations. You will leave with ready to use ideas, concepts, and items to implement immediately in your own classroom.