Whether you have just purchased an approved intervention program or if you already have experience with one, learn how Dyslexia Learning Lab Schools bring programs to life through important structures and collaborative leadership.  Join Dr. Phyllis Faust, Principal of Magnolia Elementary School with Trussville City Schools, alongside Bonnie Short, former PreK through sixth grade principal and ARI Educational Administrator, to share of their experiences with the Dyslexia Learning Lab opportunity leading to the growth of their own schools, as well as the growth of their neighboring schools.  Take advantage of their missteps and their successes to better support the children you serve.

Sponsored by: Curriculum Associates

Continental Breakfast with Partners

Sponsored by: Amplify, Capturing Kids' Hearts, LeanStream Resource Partners and pss.co

Moving Forward in the New Normal: The Challenges of Deferred Development
Presenter: Edgar Finn

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered so many aspects of our lives, affecting the way we work, the way we socialize, and the way we learn.  While adults have experienced many stresses associated with COVID-19-related changes to our routines, children and youths have weathered similar stresses while also navigating their own journey of development.  In this presentation, we will explore some of the major challenges to normal development brought about by the pandemic and discuss adaptive and maladaptive patterns emerging in this population.  It is hoped that this presentation will provide mental health insight which will enable more effective engagement for professionals working with children and youths.

Sponsored by: Stride Learning Solutions

This session will focus on how STEAM into everything you do at school will be discussed, as well as how to become a COGNIA-STEM internationally recognized school.

Whether you have just purchased an approved intervention program or if you already have experience with one, learn how Dyslexia Learning Lab Schools bring programs to life through important structures and collaborative leadership.  Join Dr. Phyllis Faust, Principal of Magnolia Elementary School with Trussville City Schools, alongside Bonnie Short, former PreK through sixth grade principal and ARI Educational Administrator, to share of their experiences with the Dyslexia Learning Lab opportunity leading to the growth of their own schools, as well as the growth of their neighboring schools.  Take advantage of their missteps and their successes to better support the children you serve.

Hear the outcomes illustrating how the AMSTI Teacher-in-Residence pilot, along with a PLU for district leaders, led to impressive student growth in two rural elementary schools. The district's work with AMSTI provided guidance to school administrators, building-based math coaches, and teachers in advocating for the Math Teaching Practices and collaboratively developing a shared vision for mathematics teaching and learning while using high-leverage coaching practices to make instructional shifts that impact all students. 

This session will provide updates on the creation and implementation of the Multilingual Framework. Improving multilingual teaching and learning and increasing graduation rates.  The Alabama State Department of Education and the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education recently partnered with WIDA Early Years. This partnership provides support to multilingual children and their families. It includes access to resources, integration of WIDA standards with state standards, and best practices to teach and support multilingual learners.

Sponsored by: Curriculum Associates, Illuminate Education, Kloud-12, and Lexia Learning

This presentation will help you to know what it means to be a National Blue Ribbon School. The principals from two 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools will share their experiences as well as the application process. They will also share best practices from their prospective schools that have contributed to their schools’ success.

Munford Elementary School inspires creativity and self-directed learning through a variety of innovative approaches that include personalized learning opportunities, an interactive school environment with outdoor classrooms, STEM programs, project-based learning, and purposeful use of technology integration.  Learn how teachers at this National Green Ribbon and Cognia STEM Certified School are closing the achievement gap for students by providing opportunities for innovative learning strategies during school hours and beyond.

The Birth To 5 Preschool Development Grant (PDG B-5), also known as the First Class Foundations Program, seeks to inspire, support, and deliver a cohesive, comprehensive, mixed delivery system of high-quality education and care so that all Alabama children thrive and learn.  The PDG-% grant builds upon the successes of the nationally recognized First Class Pre-K, First Teacher Home Visiting, and Pre-K-3rd Grade Integrated to Early Learning (P-3) programs as well as promote Alabama’s Born Ready movement, to inspire and empower every parent and to ensure every child reaches their greatest potential. W. C. Handy Early  Childhood Development Center in Florence City Schools was selected as one of the first school systems to receive the PDG B-5 Grant.  Dr. South works with the Alabama department of Early Childhood Education and his school faculty and staff on implementing an Infant and Toddler program that builds upon the First Class Pre-K at his school.

District and school administrators play a crucial role in ensuring that their faculty and staff have a thorough understanding of Schoology and the impact it has on student learning. In this session, participants will: gain a foundational understanding of navigating your district’s powerful online learning platform (Schoology); understand the difference between Schoology Courses, Groups, and Resources; explore Schoology as a platform for school and district leaders; and strategize how to incorporate thoughtful practices across the organization using digital tools (Schoology).

Sponsored by: Reading Horizons

Sponsored by: Renaissance, Publishers' Warehouse, and Edmentum

Miss Sue's Lessons from The Blind Side

Miss Sue takes audiences behind-the-scenes of The Blind Side , telling the story from her perspective as an educator and learning specialist. A believer that any student can achieve academic success with the right blend of motivation and applied learning, Mitchell inspires students and teachers alike to explore new opportunities in teaching and learning. For educators, Miss Sue draws upon her work with Michael Oher and beyond, highlighting applied teaching techniques and lessons learned from four decades as an educator, from elementary school to college.

Sponsored by: Edgenuity

State Department Updates:  Unfinished Learning – Recovery Plan, Remediation, Transition, High-Quality Instruction and Professional Development, Using ESSR 2 and ARP ESSER Funds

Dr. Molly Killingsworth, Director of Federal Programs for State Department Presenters will discuss development and implementation of the LEA recovery plan, as well as leveraging federal funds to best meet the needs of students, focusing on those most vulnerable populations. The session will also include positive practices for addressing students’ learning loss, as well as various examples of innovative practices utilizing both ESSER 2 and ARP ESSER funds.

Sponsored by: Bill Miller Photographers and Classworks

State Department Updates:  New Alabama Teacher Observation Program (ATOP), Courses  of Study Updates, and High-Quality Instructional Materials, Impact of New Legislation, MTSS- Multi-Tier Systems of Support, Literacy Act Update, Updates on EL (Multilingual) Supports and Alabama’s Coaching Framework

Preparing for initial Implementation of ATOP in January 2022 and find out more about optional components of the program as you fully implement.  Team members from the Office of Student Learning will provide updates on the following ALSDE initiatives that have a direct or indirect impact on elementary educators: spring 2021 Legislative session laws passed that impact elementary schools; math textbooks adoption updates; other implications for future courses of study and textbook adoption cycles; Early Years assessments (grades K – 3 math and reading); AL-Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) rollout including pilot LEAs and general overview information; Alabama Literacy Act updates; and the ALSDE’s Road to Recovery Toolkit updates related to ESSER I, II, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP).  Participants will also have time to ask questions and network with ALSDE staff.  A resource document will be provided that will include hyperlinks to all the information provided during the general session so that participants can easily access and share the resources with their districts.

Lessons Learned in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Leaders play a pivotal role when laying the groundwork that influences the school/district culture, guiding the focus toward identifying and addressing opportunity gaps. What do leaders need to consider and do to create a culture focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion? Join us for an overview of the lessons learned from this informative book study and hear how one administrator is putting what he learned into practice at his school.  

Sponsored by: FluencyRev by LanguaMetrics, Lego Education, Edmentum, and Lathan Associates Architects

State Department Updates

The “C’s” of Recovery: Collaboration, Confidence, Competence and Caring

In his book, Good to Great , Jim Collins talks about facing brutal facts while remaining optimistic. As education leaders, we must hold those two tensions. We are keenly aware of the time that we've lost, and all of the challenges that we've had, and how hard it has been, and how hard it's going to be to get back on board. So, we're going to be honest about that, but we have to be perennially optimistic about our collaborative ability to get this problem solved for the sake of an entire generation of children.

Alabama Association of Elementary School Administrators

P. O. Box 428 | Montgomery, AL 36101

(800) 239-3616