Gulf Regional Innovative Teaching Conference

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

arrow_back View All Dates

8:00am CDT

i-Ready for Leaders: Keeping the Momentum with i‑Ready: What’s New for Back‑to‑School (Admin and Coaches)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 8:00am - 10:00am CDT

Leaders reflect on successes and challenges in their i‑Ready implementation while learning about new Back‑to‑School enhancements. Participants explore key data tools and planning resources to strengthen implementation and inform next steps.
Session outcomes include: reflect on i‑Ready implementation successes and challenges, learn what’s new in i‑Ready for Back‑to‑School, and build an action plan to strengthen implementation.

Presenters

Tracy Varnadore

Curriculum Associates/i-Ready Professional Learning Specialist, Curriculum Associates/i-Ready

Tuesday July 14, 2026 8:00am - 10:00am CDT
Room 243

Assessment Data Math

Level Administrators

8:00am CDT

ACT AIM Reading Training (Pre-Registered Participants ONLY)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 8:00am - 3:30pm CDT

Room G - 9th Grade Academy

ACT AIM Reading Training (2 days- Pre-Registered Participants ONLY)

Presenters

Dorothy LeBlanc

ACT AIM Facilitator, Mastery Prep

Dorothy LeBlanc is an educator with more than 20 years of experience as a middle school and high school teacher, instructional coach, and professional learning facilitator. She has taught English Language Arts, Mathematics, Business, and Social Studies while supporting teachers in... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 8:00am - 3:30pm CDT
Room G - 9th Grade Academy

Assessment

Level Administrators, Middle Teachers, High Teachers, Career Tech Teachers, Special Education

9:00am CDT

Practical AI for Educators: Enhancing Instruction, Feedback, and Efficiency Without Losing the Human Touch

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 206

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming education, but many educators remain unsure how to use AI tools ethically, effectively, and confidently in their daily practice. This session provides a practical, educator‑centered introduction to using AI as a support—not a replacement—for teaching and learning.
Participants will explore real classroom examples of how AI tools such as generative text assistants can be used to streamline lesson planning, personalize feedback, differentiate instruction, and support student engagement while maintaining academic integrity. The session also addresses common concerns, including ethical use, bias, transparency, and appropriate classroom boundaries.
Designed for educators at any experience level with AI, this session emphasizes hands‑on strategies that can be implemented immediately. Attendees will leave with concrete prompts, workflow ideas, and guidance for introducing AI responsibly to students.

Presenters

Roland Weldon

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 206

Assessment Chromebook CTE Data Digital Citizenship ELA Google Professionalism Safety Science Social Studies Technology

Level All Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Special Education

9:00am CDT

Pear Deck as Your Assessment Powerhouse: Real-Time Insights into Student Learning

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 5

Explore how Pear Deck transforms formative assessment by giving you immediate visibility into student thinking and understanding. Learn to design interactive slides that reveal misconceptions, track progress in real time, and make data-informed instructional decisions on the spot. Discover practical strategies for using Pear Deck's assessment features to close learning gaps and accelerate student growth.

Presenters

Jenny McAllister

Ed Tech, Central Office Staff

Hello! My name is Jenny McAllister. I'm a fifteen-year veteran middle school science teacher who recently left the classroom to join Ed Tech. I'm the point of contact for Pear Deck, BrainPOP, and Magic School (secondary). This fall, I will be leading the STEAM cohort for BCBE and... Read More →

Mason Fahy

Teacher, Robertsdale Elementary

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 5

Assessment Differentiation

Level All Teachers

9:00am CDT

Getting Started with Progress Learning

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 202

This will be an introductory session to learn how to create and manage your classes, assessments, and assignments. We’ll give you a tour of our mature secondary student dashboard. You’ll also learn about our variety of reports to monitor student progress and maximize student achievement.

Presenters

Becca Baker

Training Manager, Progress Learning

Becca was an elementary teacher for 10 years before joining Progress Learning. She taught 4th and 5th-grade math and science in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area. She joined Progress Learning in 2021 as a Program Trainer and has led the team since 2023.

Gabriella Unanue

Program Trainer, Progress Learning

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 202

Assessment Math Reading Science Social Studies Technology

Level Middle Teachers, Special Education

9:00am CDT

Creating Assessments with DnA Item Bank and Flexible Assessments

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Room 268

Learn the basics of creating a DnA assessment by pulling items from an item bank and using filters such as Standards and Depth of Knowledge, as well as learn the basics of creating a DnA assessment using an existing assessment.

Presenters

Fabiola Doria

Field Consultant II, Renaissance

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 268

Assessment Technology

Level Administrators, All Teachers

9:00am CDT

You Can't Teach a Nervous System That's on Fire: Understanding Student Dysregulation in the Age of Social Media

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Cafeteria/Auditorium

Something has shifted in our classrooms. Educators across grade levels and subject areas are reporting the same thing: students who cannot focus, cannot regulate, cannot tolerate uncertainty, and cannot connect the way they once could. And most professional development has responded by adding more — more curriculum, more programs, more policy, more things for already-exhausted educators to implement.

This session takes a different approach entirely.

You Can't Teach a Nervous System That's On Fire is a deep, honest, and surprisingly hopeful look at what is actually happening to the students sitting in our classrooms — through the lens of neuroscience, social media research, and the realities of growing up in an era of unprecedented collective overwhelm.

Participants will leave with:

A clear, accessible understanding of how chronic social media consumption is affecting the adolescent nervous system

The ability to recognize and reframe specific student behaviors through a neurological lens — transforming how they see and respond to their most challenging students

Practical, evidence-informed strategies to support student regulation that require no new budget and no additional programs

Language and tools to share with parents navigating these same challenges at home

This is not a session about blaming phones, diagnosing students, or adding to anyone's workload. It is a session about understanding — because when you truly understand what you are looking at, everything about how you show up changes.

And that changes what is possible in the room.

Presenters

Kristi Bush

Keynote Speaker, Social Media Safety Educator, KNB Communications

Kristi Bush serves as a national education consultant and social media safety advocate. She is a licensed social worker with greater than 20 years of clinical practice and health care experience. She attended Troy and Auburn University where she studied social work and counseling... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Cafeteria/Auditorium

10:00am CDT

Creating Assessments with DnA Item Bank and Flexible Assessments

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Room 268

Presenters

Fabiola Doria

Field Consultant II, Renaissance

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 268

Assessment Technology

Level Administrators, All Teachers

10:00am CDT

i-Ready for Leaders: Keeping the Momentum with i‑Ready: What’s New for Back‑to‑School (Admin and Coaches)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:00am - 12:00pm CDT

Room 243

Presenters

Tracy Varnadore

Curriculum Associates/i-Ready Professional Learning Specialist, Curriculum Associates/i-Ready

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Room 243

Assessment Data Math

Level Administrators

11:00am CDT

Practical AI for Educators: Enhancing Instruction, Feedback, and Efficiency Without Losing the Human Touch

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 206

Presenters

Roland Weldon

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 206

Assessment Chromebook CTE Data Digital Citizenship ELA Google Professionalism Safety Science Social Studies Technology

Level All Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Special Education

11:00am CDT

ACAP Bootcamp: Mastery in Motion

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 252

In this session, participants will explore an ACAP Bootcamp model in which students are strategically grouped across classrooms and rotate through a series of focused instructional stations led by multiple teachers. Each data-driven station is designed to address a specific ACAP-aligned standard or skill, allowing students to engage in concentrated practice through varied instructional approaches that directly address student needs and support improved performance on the ACAP assessment.

Presenters

Tyler Barber

Teacher-Math, Daphne Middle School

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 252

Assessment Community Building Data Differentiation ELA Math PLCs Science Social Studies

Level Middle Teachers

11:00am CDT

Build an AI-Proof Classroom to Promote Academic Integrity

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 254

Generative AI is here—make it work FOR you to protect authentic learning. In this AI deep-dive session, secondary teachers will preview and build five practical strategies to AI-proof instruction and assessment while keeping humans squarely in the loop.

In this interactive training, you will discover or create:

AI literacy lessons and awareness activities
Classroom-ready usage policies and syllabus language
AI citation requirements and source disclosure protocols
Modified assignments that focus on visible thinking and process
Assessment rubrics that value human reasoning over AI outputs

Protecting academic integrity is possible with an intentional approach and an AI toolkit that empowers teachers with customizable and premade resources that will be ready for school year 2026-2027!

Presenters

Angela Clark

Regional Technology Specialist, Alabama Technology in Motion, Region 7

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 254

Assessment Digital Citizenship ELA Professionalism Technology

Level Middle Teachers, High Teachers, Career Tech Teachers, Librarians

11:00am CDT

Targeted ACAP Prep

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Room 202

Build a roadmap to ACAP success with Progress Learning. Learn how to construct standards-aligned common assessments that mirror state rigor and utilize premium subject-area content. Once the data is in, we’ll show you how to instantly pivot to remediation.

Presenters

Becca Baker

Training Manager, Progress Learning

Gabriella Unanue

Program Trainer, Progress Learning

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room 202

Assessment ELA Math Reading Science Social Studies

Level Middle Teachers

12:00pm CDT

Taking the Mystery Out of Executive Function

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT

Room 267

Learn to identify specific executive function skills and how they influence academic, behavioral, and social development in children and young adults. Leave with practical activities you can implement in the classroom to bolster students’ executive function skills!

Presenters

Chaelah Jenkins

Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Advanced Behavioral and Educational Consulting, LLC

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
Room 267

Assessment Behavior

Level Special Education

12:00pm CDT

The Discussion Revolution: Building Student Agency, One Round Table at a Time with Parlay Ideas

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT

Room 206

Transform your classroom from a teacher-led lecture into a vibrant, student-driven community with Parlay Ideas. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore the Parlay Universe to find ready-made prompts that spark critical thinking and dive into the Written Round Table to see how anonymous peer feedback empowers even your quietest students. You’ll experience a Live Round Table firsthand to see how real-time data and discussion mapping can facilitate civil discourse and provide instant engagement analytics. Join us to learn how to step back as a lecturer and step up as a coach, using Parlay to make every student’s voice visible and every discussion measurable.

Presenters

Nikki Minoso

Teacher, ELA, Spanish Fort High

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
Room 206

Assessment Differentiation Digital Citizenship ELA Professionalism Reading Social Studies

Level Middle Teachers, High Teachers

12:00pm CDT

Diving into the Data

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT

Room 202

In this session, you’ll get an overview of the different reports available in Progress Learning, learn which reports to bring to a parent/teacher conference or PLC meeting, pull small groups, and more.

Presenters

Becca Baker

Training Manager, Progress Learning

Gabriella Unanue

Program Trainer, Progress Learning

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
Room 202

Assessment ELA Math PLCs Reading Science Social Studies

Level Middle Teachers

1:00pm CDT

Crack the ACT Code with NoRedInk

Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Room 207

In this session, you’ll learn how to intentionally use NoRedInk to strengthen the specific skills assessed on the ACT. We’ll explore the Standards & Tests page, review high-impact reading and writing activities, and ground our work in what actually shows up on the test. You’ll have time to build and leave with an assignment you can implement right away.

Presenters

Taylirre Andre

Professional Learning Specialist, NoRedInk

Nikki Korte

Professional Development Consultant, NoRedInk

Beyond my role as a passionate ELA educator for over 15 years, I’ve served as an Academic Writing Coach and English Department Head, leading professional development, mentoring teachers, and driving schoolwide improvements. In these roles, my primary goal was to make teaching more... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Room 207

Assessment Data ELA ELL

Level High Teachers

1:00pm CDT

Creating Assessments with DnA Item Bank and Flexible Assessments

Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Room 268

Presenters

Fabiola Doria

Field Consultant II, Renaissance

Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Room 268

Assessment Technology

Level Administrators, All Teachers

1:00pm CDT

i-Ready for Leaders: Building a Strong Data Culture with i‑Ready (Admin & Coaches)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT

Room 243

Leaders explore strategies for strengthening a data‑driven culture while using i‑Ready to support both instructional decision‑making and student ownership of learning. Participants develop an action plan to help students track their progress and growth toward goals.
Session outcomes include strengthen a data culture using i‑Ready, increase student engagement through data tracking, and create a plan to support student monitoring and growth.

Presenters