Learn how to effectively use the Indiana Department of Education’s instructional frameworks, item specifications, and performance level descriptors (PLDs) to guide instructional planning, classroom instruction, and assessment. This session will focus on understanding assessment expectations and using state resources to support rigorous, aligned instruction. Teachers will also have dedicated work time to apply these tools directly to their own planning and classroom practice.
Christina is a strategic instructional leader with extensive experience in classroom instruction, curriculum design, professional development, and instructional coaching. Now in her 30th year in public education, Christina spent 17 years as an English teacher at Carmel High School... Read More →
In this two-day session, elementary educators will engage in collaborative, inquiry-based Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Together, participants will explore what it truly means for students to learn mathematics at a deep and meaningful level, working toward shared clarity around the most essential learning within and across grade levels. This experience centers teacher expertise, dialogue, and collective sense-making as educators reflect on their current practices and consider how greater alignment can strengthen instruction and student outcomes. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how collaborative processes can support coherent, high-quality mathematics learning for all students.
Tim Davidson is an instructional specialist for the MSD of Pike Township. He has spent nearly 30 years as a mathematics specialist working with teachers across the district and state.
PLC Process: Foundations This introductory session, facilitated by Sarah Henry, provides new teachers with a foundational understanding of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) process. Participants will explore the core principles of PLC work, including the four critical questions, collaborative team structures, and how data-driven conversations support student learning and instructional growth.
Sarah Henry is a full-time Alignment & PLC Specialist as well as Education Consultant through her company Sarah D. Henry Consulting, LLC. and Rosebrock Consulting, INC. Sarah is the co-author of, "Arrows: A Systems-Based Approach to School Leadership". She served as the Secondary... Read More →
This session is focused on ensuring all students and families can access your digital content in alignment with the new DOJ requirements and WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. We will review the core "must-dos" for educators, including adding alt-text to images, utilizing proper heading structures, and ensuring high-contrast colors and fonts in your materials. During the session, we will provide live demonstrations on how to use the built-in Course Accessibility Tool to audit your Canvas pages and how to build ParentSquare templates that are fully accessible for all families. The remainder of the time is yours to apply these practices to your own digital resources with instructional technology specialists on hand to answer specific questions and provide personalized support. Please bring your laptop and a sample of your current digital materials to work on during this collaborative workshop.
District Technology Integrator, MSD of Pike Township
Audrey Cope is a District Technology Integrator in Pike Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. She taught Kindergarten and first grade for 14 years and spent 5 years as a Media Specialist at Central Elementary assisting teachers with technology training, inquiry project and developing... Read More →
Designed for anyone new to Pear Assessment, or those who want a refresher. This session provides users wtih comprehensive knowledge to effectively navigate and utilize Pear Assessment.
This session introduces teachers of all content areas to a three-phase critical reading framework designed to help all students, including struggling readers, engage with rigorous, complex texts. Participants will explore how to scaffold instruction across the Activate (planning and pre-reading), Engage (vocabulary and interaction), and Extend (application and analysis) phases. Through research-based practices and collaborative discussion, teachers will examine strategies for supporting students as they interact with complex texts and develop deeper comprehension skills.
Christina is a strategic instructional leader with extensive experience in classroom instruction, curriculum design, professional development, and instructional coaching. Now in her 30th year in public education, Christina spent 17 years as an English teacher at Carmel High School... Read More →
Unlock the full potential of your middle school math curriculum with this comprehensive resource deep dive. This session walks educators through a powerful toolkit designed to boost student engagement and academic growth. Using high-quality materials from McGraw Hill, we will explore how to effectively manage online and print assignments, customize assessments to meet class needs, and integrate Desmos for deeper conceptual understanding. Additionally, we will cover practical workflows for using Annotate.net with iPads and maximizing the impact of ALEKS for personalized learning.
Standards are the destination, but success criteria are the highly visible landmarks along the way. However, we tend to miss the actual cognitive demand that can be defined by determining how student success looks. In this interactive workshop, we will move from deconstructing state standards and start deconstructing our frameworks. You will learn how to identify exactly what students must say, write, or do to prove mastery. As a result, you will leave equipped to lead your home PLC in shifting the focus from what students are doing to what students are proving.
Professional Learning Specialist, Central Indiana Educational Service Center
Tanika Kinartail is an experienced educator with a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Indiana University–Bloomington. After seven years as a classroom teacher and eight years as an assistant principal, she developed deep expertise in instructional leadership. Currently a... Read More →
Discover how MagicSchool can support your exceptional learners with personalized accommodations and differentiated resources. In this hands-on session, one of Pike’s AI Ambassadors will guide you through practical strategies for creating inclusive learning experiences for students with diverse needs—from generating accessible content and differentiated assignments to developing accommodations for IEPs and 504 plans. Learn how to reduce barriers to learning, build student independence, and save time on resource creation. Whether you're supporting students with learning disabilities, English language learners, gifted students, or other exceptional needs, this session will show you concrete ways to make your classroom more equitable and responsive.
Hannah Stigter-Hinshaw is a fourth-year educator at New Augusta North Public Academy. Licensed in Mild to Moderate Intervention and English Language Learners, with a pending Reading Intervention license, she is passionate about creating accessible learning environments. She enjoys... Read More →
Creating an improvement plan that clearly identifies teacher needs and establishes targeted goals to support professional growth, instructional development, and continued improvement.
Practical strategies, routines, and frameworks to help teachers build positive, supportive classrooms where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn.
A guided experience for release, reflection, and realignment Staff are navigating constant demand, emotional labor, and cognitive overload. These sessions create intentional space to pause, reset, and return to their work with clarity and energy. Participants can expect guided reflection, creative expression (no artistic experience needed), and practical tools to support ongoing well-being beyond the session.
Instructional Assistants are essential partners in supporting high-quality ELA instruction. Working alongside teachers, they provide targeted support to students during reading and writing, helping to reinforce skills, clarify learning, and make instruction more accessible in real time. During this session, participants will explore a variety of ways Instructional Assistants can support small groups, respond to student thinking, and reinforce key literacy skills, which will ultimately help to deepen student understanding and maximize learning during ELA instruction.
Jessica is currently a Professional Learning Specialist with Keep Indiana Learning, a Department of CIESC, and supports teachers, schools, and districts in the areas of math and instructional coaching. Jessica has been in the field of education since 2008. She earned her Bachelor’s... Read More →
Professional Learning Specialist, Keep Indiana Learning, CIESC
Morgan Mason began teaching in 2015, serving grades 1, 3, and 4 before transitioning to instructional coaching. She supports teachers and schools with professional development in literacy practices, Science of Reading implementation, and early learning development. She earned her... Read More →
Align your practice with the latest state mandates by joining the district-wide initiative to achieve the Prevent Blindness Children’s Vision Screening Certification. This session prepares school nurses to implement the 2025 Indiana Vision Screening Guidelines, closing critical gaps in follow-up care for absent students, new enrollees, and those with special needs. By mastering these evidence-based, nationally recognized standards, you will ensure full compliance with IC 20-34-3-12 and provide a consistent, equitable screening process that identifies vision concerns early and improves every student’s readiness to learn.
This sessions focuses on the process of creating test items using the different question types (51 in all) and creating custum assessments. It also discusses how to share with others, assign to students, and different assessment settings.
This session focuses on using Checks for Understanding (CFUs) as intentional, planned opportunities to gather evidence of student thinking during instruction—not just at the end. Teachers will examine various CFU strategies to determine their effectiveness and learn to interpret student responses in real time making immediate instructional adjustments through four key moves: clarifying, scaffolding, reteaching differently, or extending learning. Through hands-on "if-then" planning, participants will design CFUs for upcoming lessons and prepare responsive next steps based on whether students fully understand, partially understand, or do not yet understand the content. This session emphasizes actionable, in-the-moment teaching decisions that ensure all students reach the learning target.
Christina is a strategic instructional leader with extensive experience in classroom instruction, curriculum design, professional development, and instructional coaching. Now in her 30th year in public education, Christina spent 17 years as an English teacher at Carmel High School... Read More →
Unlock the full potential of your middle school math curriculum with this comprehensive resource deep dive. This session walks educators through a powerful toolkit designed to boost student engagement and academic growth. Using high-quality materials from McGraw Hill, we will explore how to effectively manage online and print assignments, customize assessments to meet class needs, and integrate Desmos for deeper conceptual understanding. Additionally, we will cover practical workflows for using Annotate.net with iPads and maximizing the impact of ALEKS for personalized learning.
In this hands-on session, discover how AI-powered design tools can transform your classroom instruction. We'll explore Canva's AI features to help you create professional, visually engaging materials in minutes, not hours. You'll also learn how to build interactive content for your students (without knowing how to code) using Canva Code. Whether you're designing lesson materials, creating assessments, or building student-facing activities, this session will equip you with practical strategies to leverage both Canva AI and Canva Code to save time and inspire creativity. Perfect for educators at all tech levels!
As the Instructional Coach at the Pike Career Center, I have the incredible opportunity to share my teaching and technology experience with the CTE teachers. My professional journey started in the business world but quickly transitioned to education and has included writing curriculum... Read More →
Standards are the destination, but success criteria are the highly visible landmarks along the way. However, we tend to miss the actual cognitive demand that can be defined by determining how student success looks. In this interactive workshop, we will move from deconstructing state standards and start deconstructing our frameworks. You will learn how to identify exactly what students must say, write, or do to prove mastery. As a result, you will leave equipped to lead your home PLC in shifting the focus from what students are doing to what students are proving.
Professional Learning Specialist, Central Indiana Educational Service Center
Tanika Kinartail is an experienced educator with a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Indiana University–Bloomington. After seven years as a classroom teacher and eight years as an assistant principal, she developed deep expertise in instructional leadership. Currently a... Read More →
Equip yourself with the life-saving skills needed to identify and support students in crisis through the evidence-based QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) model. This essential one-hour session clarifies the educator's role as a "gatekeeper," teaching you how to recognize urgent warning signs, debunk common myths, and ask the "suicide question" directly and confidently. Through practical scenario practice, you will learn how to navigate difficult conversations without judgment, validate student feelings, and follow district-specific referral protocols to connect youth with critical school and community-based supports.
Creating an improvement plan that clearly identifies teacher needs and establishes targeted goals to support professional growth, instructional development, and continued improvement.
Practical strategies, routines, and frameworks to help teachers build positive, supportive classrooms where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn.
A guided experience for release, reflection, and realignment Staff are navigating constant demand, emotional labor, and cognitive overload. These sessions create intentional space to pause, reset, and return to their work with clarity and energy. Participants can expect guided reflection, creative expression (no artistic experience needed), and practical tools to support ongoing well-being beyond the session.
Instructional Assistants are essential partners in supporting high-quality ELA instruction. Working alongside teachers, they provide targeted support to students during reading and writing, helping to reinforce skills, clarify learning, and make instruction more accessible in real time. During this session, participants will explore a variety of ways Instructional Assistants can support small groups, respond to student thinking, and reinforce key literacy skills, which will ultimately help to deepen student understanding and maximize learning during ELA instruction.
Jessica is currently a Professional Learning Specialist with Keep Indiana Learning, a Department of CIESC, and supports teachers, schools, and districts in the areas of math and instructional coaching. Jessica has been in the field of education since 2008. She earned her Bachelor’s... Read More →
Professional Learning Specialist, Keep Indiana Learning, CIESC
Morgan Mason began teaching in 2015, serving grades 1, 3, and 4 before transitioning to instructional coaching. She supports teachers and schools with professional development in literacy practices, Science of Reading implementation, and early learning development. She earned her... Read More →
