2025 GOCSD Innovation Summit

Empower your school district with a compelling Portrait of a Graduate. This presentation explores how defining shared aspirations for student success fuels meaningful community engagement. Discover how collaborative development of a Portrait unites stakeholders, fostering ownership and investment in transforming education. We'll delve into success beyond standardized tests, showcasing how a Portrait prioritizes essential skills important to your community. Learn how this framework transforms schools, aligning curriculum and instruction with real-world outcomes, and ultimately, preparing students for thriving lives.

This presentation will explore the power of collaboration in the classroom through co-teaching, focusing on how effective partnerships between educators can enhance Tier 1 instruction. Attendees will learn practical strategies for integrating co-teaching models that promote inclusive, differentiated instruction, ensuring all students thrive. We will discuss the benefits of shared responsibility, continuous assessment, and fostering a positive classroom environment where every student’s needs are met. This session offers actionable insights to strengthen teaching practices and improve student engagement and achievement in diverse classroom settings.

Join us for a dynamic workshop on enhancing vocabulary instruction. We’ll explore key research on vocabulary development (LETRS, Vocabulary Playbook by Fisher & Frey, IMSE Morphology+, Shifting the Balance by Burkins, Cunningham, & Yates), focusing on how it impacts reading comprehension and academic achievement. Key Topics: Vocabulary Research: Understand the importance of both depth and breadth in word knowledge. What Words to Teach: Learn to prioritize high-impact words from Tier 1, 2, and 3. Best Instructional Practices: Discover evidence-based strategies like explicit teaching, word mapping, and interactive activities. Continued Practice: Explore ways to reinforce vocabulary retention through regular review and student-led practice. Leave with practical strategies to boost your students' vocabulary skills and improve their overall academic success.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, students need more than just academic knowledge; they must be equipped with the skills to navigate and succeed in a digital society. This session will focus on strategies and lesson sequencing to teach students the core principles of digital literacy and 21st-century skills in a meaningful, engaging way. Attendees will leave with practical tools, real-world examples, and ready-to-use lesson plans that can be integrated into various grade levels, from middle school to high school. Educators will have a clear plan for scaffolding these skills in the classroom while supporting a variety of learning standards.