Thursday, March 27th, 2025 Session Descriptions
Thursday, March 27th, 2025 Session Descriptions
Welcome Session 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. (All times are Eastern)
Jennifer Callison and Dr. Chandra Floyd
Jennifer Callison and Dr. Chandra Floyd welcome you to the 2025 National Curriculum Networking Conference
- Matoaka
Keynote Speaker 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Dr. Emily Mofield
Level Up: Moves to Elevate Learning and Unleash Talent
Are you ready to take your students to new heights in learning? This keynote will highlight ways to transform potential into realized talent through powerful thinking routines and instructional strategies. Explore guiding principles for differentiated instruction that allows students to know, show, and grow their gifts and talents. Walk away with concrete strategies to stretch student thinking to the next level.
- Matoaka
Coffee Break 10:00 - 10:20 a.m.
Coffee Break
- Matoaka
Breakout Sessions 1 10:20 - 11:20 a.m.
Elevating English Language Arts
- Dr. Emily Mofield
- This session will explore strategies to infuse depth, complexity, and abstract thinking to advanced ELA instruction. Discover practical models for developing tiered assignments and differentiated tasks that challenge advanced learners and elevate their engagement with language and literature.
- Dogwood A
- Katie Plum, M.A.Ed., NBCT, and Elizabeth Callan
- History students develop a new understanding of ancient civilizations through hands-on culinary experiences. In this project, students first study an ancient civilization in their general education classrooms, exploring government, architecture, and contributions. As an extension, students delve into the civilization's culinary traditions by preparing and tasting authentic dishes. This interdisciplinary approach fosters deeper cultural understanding, critical thinking, and collaboration, while making history tangible and delicious!
- Holly A
- Jamie Schefen and Heather Pinedo-Burns, Ed.D.
- Discover how Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) empower gifted and twice-exceptional students with tailored academic and social-emotional instruction across elementary and middle school. Explore real-world examples and participate in hands-on workshopping to learn how ILPs are created, implemented school-wide, and adapted to bring customized learning into your own school community.
- Holly B
Breakout Sessions 2 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Inclusion for Gifted and Twice Exceptional Students - Next Steps in the Evolution of Inclusion in the Province of New Brunswick
- Elizabeth Christie, M.Ed, and Derrick Grant, M.Ed., B.Ed., B.Sc.
- Since 2013, New Brunswick, Canada has worked within a provincial policy of inclusion that mandates a common learning environment. This presentation examines the evolution of inclusion in the province and our current work to build and administer policy and a Pyramid of Response for Gifted and 2e students, highlighting the challenges and opportunities therein. This session will be of interest to district coordinators and any educational leader interested in imagining possibilities and next steps in the evolution of inclusion in any jurisdiction.
- Dogwood A
Talent Development Opportunities for High-ability Secondary Students
- Dr. Mihyeon Kim
- Talent development assumes that giftedness is the outcome of interaction among multiple factors of abilities, educational opportunities, and psychosocial skills. Summer residential programs hosted by universities provide valuable learning experiences through diverse interactions among people and various access to campus resources. This session introduces several different kinds of residential summer programs for high-ability middle and high school students hosted by Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary. Information on components of the program, research showing successful implementation of the program, and how to access these enrichment educational opportunities is provided.
- Dogwood B
Smart Tools for Smart Teams: AI to Support Gifted and General Education Partnerships
- Katie Plum, M.A.Ed., NBCT, and Jennifer Miller
- Discover how ChatGPT can empower collaboration between gifted resource teachers and general education teachers. This session explores how AI sparks creative, innovative projects that teaching teams can customize to meet the unique needs of their students, saving time, enhancing engagement, and improving learning outcomes for all.
- Holly A
Scouting for Talent Among our Gifted English Language Learners
- Ann H. Colorado, Ed.D.
- According to recent research, English Learners (ELs) were the fastest growing student population in the United States. Despite large numbers of ELs in our public schools, they are the most underserved student population in gifted programs. Gifted ELs exist, we just must know how to find them! Learn how one Mid-Atlantic suburban school division trained EL Teachers to be Talent Scouts, along with the resources we used, and the data we are collecting to increase the identification of gifted ELs.
- Holly B
Lunch Break 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
- Matoaka
Breakout Sessions 3 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
A Mixed Blessing: Designing Services for Gifted Learners in A State without Mandates
- Dr. Chandra B. Floyd
- Imagine you lived in a state with no mandates (and no funding) for gifted education. How would you support gifted students in your district? This is the challenges we faced in Michigan. We knew the gifted children were there, and we are working to help a district find them. Hear how we are identifying gifted children and what we are doing to serve them. Come away with ideas on infusing greater equity and additional services into your gifted programming.
- Dogwood A
Gifted Coordinators Panel
- Ann H. Colorado, Ed.D., Dornswalo Wilkins-McCorey, Ed.D., Karla A. Stead, Ed.S., and Sarah Haywood
- Join four local gifted coordinators that will answer questions about the current hot topics in gifted education and talent development as well as questions from the audience.
- Dogwood B
Evaluating Your Gifted Program
- Stacy M. Ashworth, Ph.D.
- In this session, participants will learn how they can demonstrate the successes of their gifted program through program evaluation. The facilitator will guide participants through designing multi-faceted goals for their gifted programs, beyond just achievement, including comprehensive plans for measurement of these goals. The presenter will also support participants in identifying data already being collected in their districts and how these data sources can be utilized as part of the measures for their gifted program goals. By the end of this session, participants will have ideas for project goals and measures to demonstrate project success.
- Holly A
Breakout Sessions 4 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.
Reimagining Math Education for Gifted Learners: Implementing School-Wide Ability-Based Math Differentiation
- Jamie Schefen and Heather Pinedo-Burns, Ed.D.
- Discover how Acera School’s ability-based math block meets the unique academic and social-emotional needs of gifted learners. Explore practical structures, successes, and strategies to implement differentiated, inclusive math instruction in your school, and workshop ideas to adapt this model for your students. Transform math education to empower gifted learners to thrive!
- Dogwood A
The Struggle is Real! Empowering Learners through Productive Struggle
- Christan Martin and Dayna Walger
- If we want our students to become confident, capable, self-directed learners, we have to stop rescuing them at every sign of struggle. Perseverance is an essential element in learning. When students struggle but continue to try and make sense of a task, they are engaging in productive struggle. Meaningful struggle is part of learning and encourages students to develop grit, builds authentic engagement, and creates opportunities for deep learning. Come engage in some productive struggle and leave with low-prep, ready-to-implement ideas and activities!
- Dogwood B
Understanding Biliteracy and Giftedness
- Cynthia Geary, Ph.D.
- This presentation discusses assets of dual language and gifted learners. Demographics and impactful federal policies are discussed. Challenges to identifying dual language and gifted learners are incorporated. Proactive methods for culturally responsive identification of dual language and gifted learners such as professional development for teachers, preparation programs, Response to Intervention, and Task Forces are explored. Strategies to address the GATE Gap like culturally responsive teaching, and engagement of families are discussed.
- Holly A
Expanding Gifted Services: A Multi-Level Approach to Equity and Access
- Karla A. Stead, Ed.S., and Dr. Patricia Costis
- Gifted education should be inclusive, flexible, and accessible to all students - not just those formally identified. This session highlights the value of providing gifted services at some level to all learners, offering a spectrum of opportunities ranging from after school enrichment, push in critical thinking lessons, to acceleration and advanced academics. Participants will explore how an urban school district such as Norfolk Public Schools extends the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to provide layered services, improving access and equity in gifted education.
- Holly B
