Back-to-School ConnectED Conference 2026: Full Schedule

9:30am EDT

Data at a Glance: Using Spreadsheets to Monitor ES Progress

Friday July 31, 2026 9:30am - 10:15am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

In this session teachers will learn how to use a spreadsheet that takes essential standard data and calculates progress automatically to develop a plan of action. Teachers will learn how to edit the spreadsheet and change it to meet the needs of their team. The spreadsheet tracks separate classroom progress as well as whole grade levels.

Speakers

Michael James

2nd Grade Teacher, West Pelzer Elementary School

Michael James is a fourth grade teacher in his 8th year of teaching upper elementary. Michael is passionate about developing systems that work for teachers. In his mind, data is a tool that can help all teachers define success for each of their students if used in an effective wa... Read More →

Friday July 31, 2026 9:30am - 10:15am EDT
409

Elementary (EC/ES)

Audience Early Childhood, Elementary
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

9:30am EDT

Extension in the Elementary Reading Classroom

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 9:30am - 10:15am EDT

404

Limited Capacity seats available

Turn “early finishers” into eager explorers. In this session, literacy coaches will share practical, high-impact extension activities that deepen comprehension, strengthen vocabulary, and spark independent thinking in elementary readers.

Speakers

Mary Beth Smith

Literacy Coach, Hunt Meadows Elementary School

Rebecca Ratcliffe

Literacy Coach, Wren Elementary School

Haley Mahon

Literacy Coach, West Pelzer Elementary School

Friday July 31, 2026 9:30am - 10:15am EDT
404

Elementary (EC/ES)

Audience Early Childhood, Elementary
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

9:30am EDT

Tracking Student Data

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 9:30am - 10:15am EDT

507

Limited Capacity seats available

This session is designed to share and present how to track student and teacher data using Learning Target Trackers and Google Sheets to share data. Utilizing this data allows teachers and student to be aware of where each class and student are in their mastery journey.

Speakers

Brittany Shepherd

9th grade biology teacher, Palmetto High School

Garland Cox

9th grade bio teacher, Palmetto High School

Friday July 31, 2026 9:30am - 10:15am EDT
507

Secondary (MS/HS)

Audience Middle, High, Special Education, New to District
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

10:30am EDT

Accommodations Made Easy

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

409

Limited Capacity seats available

This presentation provides a practical breakdown of commonly seen IEP accommodations, offering clear classroom examples to eliminate implementation confusion in core subjects. It equips educators with a universal checklist for quick reference and essential advice on communicating these supports to parents during assessments. Lastly, we provide the essential resources to implement accommodations effectively, ensuring all students receive their legally mandated support.

Speakers

Jill Walls

Resource Teacher, Hunt Meadows Elementary School

Cynthia Hembree

Special Education Teacher, Hunt Meadows Elementary School

Miranda Cubitt

Special Education Teacher, Hunt Meadows Elementary School

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
409

Elementary (EC/ES)

Audience Early Childhood, Elementary
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

10:30am EDT

Extension in the Elementary Reading Classroom

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

404

Limited Capacity seats available

Speakers

Mary Beth Smith

Literacy Coach, Hunt Meadows Elementary School

Rebecca Ratcliffe

Literacy Coach, Wren Elementary School

Haley Mahon

Literacy Coach, West Pelzer Elementary School

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
404

Elementary (EC/ES)

Audience Early Childhood, Elementary
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

10:30am EDT

Making Prevention Loop Work in the Early Childhood Classroom

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

403

Limited Capacity seats available

Taking a close look at how to organize and run ela and math prevention loops in the kindergarten class. Will provide a model of utilizing the UFLI curriculum, incorporating decodables/leveled readers, and getting the most bang for your buck to hit the most foundational skills in the allotted time period. Will also look at how to fine tune and ensure all students have access to and plenty of practice with Tier 1 content during the math prevention loop. Will dive into how the push in model with first grade works and how we provide students with ample hands on practice on grade level content.

Speakers

Chelsea Roberts

Kindergarten Teacher, West Pelzer Elementary School

Chelsea Roberts is an elementary teacher with 14 years of experience in kindergarten through 2nd grade. She loves creating engaging, hands-on lessons that build strong foundations in literacy and math. Chelsea is passionate about helping students grow as independent learners and enjoys... Read More →

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
403

Elementary (EC/ES)

Audience Early Childhood
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

10:30am EDT

Tier 2 by Design: Using Data to Group with Purpose

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

407

Limited Capacity seats available

This professional development session will help teachers use student data intentionally to create effective instructional groups that target specific learning needs. Participants will explore how to group and regroup students by essential standards, allowing for more focused instruction, flexible support, and responsive teaching that drives student growth.

Speakers

Candice Garrison

Literacy Coach, Concrete Elementary School

Candice Garrison is the Literacy Coach at Concrete Primary and has served in this role for 4 years. Prior to becoming the Literacy Coach, Candice taugh Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade. Candice has a passion for helping students learn to read and close gaps! She specializes in helping... Read More →

Nicole McGaha

Literacy Coach, Oak Hill Elementary School

Nicole McGaha is a veteran educator who truly "gets" the classroom. With over 18 years of experience under her belt, she spent over a decade teaching before stepping into her current role as the Literacy Coach at Powdersville Elementary. For the last five years, Nicole has focused... Read More →

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
407

Elementary (EC/ES)

Audience Elementary
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

10:30am EDT

Q-Matrix: Rigorous Questioning and Extension Activities

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

410

Limited Capacity seats available

This session will give teachers a simple tool to enhance student engagement and critical thinking through strategic questioning techniques. The Q-Matrix can be adapted for practically any grade level or subject area to ramp up the rigor in a lesson.

Speakers

Jessica Cansler

Gifted and Talented (Launch) Teacher, Spearman Elementary School

Sarah Coyle

GT, Wren Elementary School

Friday July 31, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
410

General Audience

Audience General Audience
Topic/Subject Intervention/Extension

12:45pm EDT

MTSS: Reaching Every Learner

LIMITED

Friday July 31, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

409

Limited Capacity seats available

Participants will explore the MTSS framework and how it provides a structured approach to supporting students’ academic and behavioral needs at every level. The session will highlight how Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports work together to ensure all students receive appropriate instruction and intervention.

Speakers