Best Practices Conference
July 20 & 21 in Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez Convention Center | 8:30-6:00 Tuesday | 8:30-3:30 Wednesday

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Session Detail

10:45 Concurrent Sessions:

JBHM Training: Not My Job! SPED 101 - What to Look For (Offered Twice)
Audience: JBHM Consultants Only
Presented by: Debbie Patterson and Pam Zeringue
Overview: Let's take a bird’s eye view of ways to guarantee an essential curriculum and manage academic learning time for students with disabilities. Leave with the tools that provide a focus on key issues to “look for” in special education and inclusive classrooms.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
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True Instructional Leadership (GEC)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Dr. Cherie Labat (Bay Waveland School District, MS) with Diane Grimm
Overview: What is “instructional leadership”? Come join us for a practical session to include detailed strategies for authentic instructional leadership. The group will discuss academic school culture, vision and goals, decision making, teacher evaluation, and curriculum breakdown.
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Work Station “Tune Up” (MALT)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Joan Bass and Martha Curlee with Monica Bolton (Hattiesburg School District, MS)
Overview: Join us as we share ideas for implementing learning stations in the classroom that will maximize academic learning and meet the diverse needs of all students. We will share the “nuts and bolts” of effective learning stations: gathering tools for setting up stations, managing stations, and keeping stations running smoothly.
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Giving Young Minds a Compass (MSA)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Linda Coleman and Drue Sutherland
Overview: Students don’t have behaviors; they use behaviors. Travel with us from prevention to intervention as we become the compass students deserve. Come explore effective directional skills that will guide students to destinations of higher student achievement, social acceptance, and to be contributing members of society.
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In the Trenches with JBHM: Using Academic Coaches to Facilitate Systemic Change (All)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Javana McCall and Pam Townsend (Lafayette County School District, AR) with Davis Hendricks
Overview: Academic coaches can be effective change agents in the process of school improvement. Discover how well this process is working in the Lafayette County School District.

Solving the Mystery of Motivation (PCCCL)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Ben Davis and Vicky King
Overview: Are you looking for strategies proven to work with unmotivated students, applicable to any age student? There is always a chance that one of those non-motivated “thorns in the flesh” may show up for the session. Presenters may have more to deal with than they bargained for in this session.
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Download handout (pdf)

Different Strokes for Different Folks (GEC)
Audience: Teachers
Presented by: Christy Moorehead with Tunja Smith and Michelle Turner (Wilkinson County, MS)
Overview: We all struggle to find methods to teach the needs of different students in our classrooms. This session will present practical, teacher-friendly methods that have been implemented in real classrooms and will help teachers begin to successfully differentiate instruction.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (Offered Twice) (PCCCL)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Pamela Castor and Pam Chipman (Manilla School District, AR) with Vicki Kornfuhrer
Overview: A key to increasing teacher capacity is creating a safe environment for the teachers. Join our team in a session discussing how to develop an environment in which teachers have clear expectations, readily available support, and accountability.

Implementing Effective Practices (All)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Glen Carlisle (Durant Public School District, MS) with Kermit Harness
Overview: Just what does it mean to use best practice instructional strategies? Leave this session with a burning desire to implement effective practices throughout your classrooms, schools, and district.

1:00 Concurrent Sessions:

Bullying in the Technology Age: What’s a District to Do? (PLLLC)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Jim Keith, Esq. with Reuben Dilworth
Overview: Learn about the new anti-bullying law and the attention it has generated since it passed in the Legislature. Mr. Keith will discuss districts’ responsibility to ensure that students and employees know what to do if they have been the subject of bullying and harassment. The session will also cover how these issues are affected by electronic technology and communication.

Developing and Supporting Teacher Capacity through Embedded Professional Development (PPP)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Bill Bowers, Judy Broughton, and Catricia Carter (North Little Rock School District, AR) with Beverly Ruthven
Overview: We all know that research proves job-embedded training is best, but how do you make it happen? Leave this discussion with guidance on how embedded professional development builds teacher capacity in lesson planning and data analysis, resulting in increased student achievement.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

Moving Teachers to Effective Planning Districtwide (GEC)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Roma France (Camdenton School District, MO) with Frank Croskey
Overview: Do you find yourself asking how to develop and implement districtwide comprehensive lesson plans aligned to the content and rigor of state standards? Learn how one district uses the completed lesson plans for professional learning community discussions, classroom walk-throughs and observation data, and teacher evaluation.
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First You Make a Roux - Administrative Support for Proficiency (GEC, MSA, PPP)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Jeremaine Brown and Betty Peltier
Overview: Have you ever wanted a recipe for school improvement? Supporting instructional leadership, like making a good gumbo, requires that all the ingredients are in place. Leave with the ingredients to strengthen your role as instructional leader.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout 1 (pdf)
Download handout 2 (pdf)
Download handout 3 (pdf)

Cultivating a Climate for Change (PPP, PCCCL, GEC)
Audience: Administration
Presented by: James Bounds, Betty Culberson, and Angie Ledbetter (Quitman Municipal School District, MS) with Kaye Rendfrey
Overview: Discover the steps to successfully implement change in your school. Learn about the timeline for change and how to get your staff on board with the changes, focusing on effective leadership, teacher empowerment, and ways to create a school climate that supports academic success.

Practical Ideas: Strategies to Improve Student Performance and School Climate (PCCCL)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Cathy Broadway, Leslie Leyser and Melissa Mannion (Pass Christian School District, MS) with Lynn Bishop
Overview: Just what does a positive school climate look like, and how do you get it? Learn how one school has created an environment where academic excellence is expected, nurtured, and celebrated through programs of reinforcement, recognition, and reward.

School Leaders as Change Agents (PCCCL, MALT)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Nicole Zordan (Ouachita Parish Schools) with Deborah Elmore and Ellie Jo Rich
Overview: School administrators must act as change agents in restructuring and for school improvement addressing effective communication, school culture and climate, maximizing academic learning time, and monitoring best practices. Participants will leave the session with tools, strategies, and processes for beginning and maintaining change initiatives.
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Download handout (pdf)

Let’s Get Engaged! (MALT)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Charlotte Johnson and Julie Wade with Jenny Seymour (Hancock County School District, MS)
Overview: Are you familiar with instructional strategies that support and accelerate students’ cognitive engagement? How does your current campus/classroom practice compare with research-based strategies? Join us and find out through modeling and practice opportunities.
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Systemic Change: What We Have Learned in Avoyelles (All)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Randy Littleton and Susan Welch (Avoyelles Parish School District, LA) with Delores Hopkins
Overview: Avoyelles Parish went “hog wild” - we mean “district wild” - with JBHM. Join in our discussion on how our entire parish systemically implemented ILeRT™ tools for the diagnostic evaluation of teachers and then supported these diagnoses with JBHM’s professional development to improve teacher quality and effectiveness.

2:45 Concurrent Sessions:

JBHM Training: Resource Guides - A Roadmap to Student Achievement (Offered Twice)
Audience: JBHM Consultants Only
Presented by: Sylvia Adcock and John Patrick
Overview: Join us as we share the latest version of the JBHM Resource Guides and discuss ways to use them effectively as a roadmap for planning, teaching, and assessing to higher levels of achievement for all students. You will receive a sample and instructions for downloading more materials.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

Superintendents Panel (Part I)
Audience: Administrators
Moderated by: Malcolm Duplantis with Mark Keith, Lafayette County, AR; Anne Butcher, Ft. Smith, AR; Dr. Joann Matthews, Lafourche Parish, LA; Loretta Blankenstein, Concordia Parish, LA; Sheila Jackson, Grant Parish, LA; Dr. Suzanne Hawley, Quitman Municipal, MS; Beth John, Pass Christian, MS
Overview: How can the district superintendent best support district-wide reform efforts? Superintendents from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi who have uncovered the need for district-wide improvement and embraced the process in various ways will share the challenges and benefits of making the tough decisions that bring about systemic change - from their office to the classroom.

Bumps Along the Road in Building Leadership Teams (GEC)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Vicky King and Judy Manning
Overview: How can schools/districts ensure improvement in all schools? How do you know if resources and tools to initiate and sustain change and target high student performance are in place? Gain insight and information on the process used to help plan the journey to academic improvement.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

Time Will Pass, Will You? (Offered Twice) (MALT)
Audience: Teachers
Presented by: Neelie Dobbins and Pam Warrick
Overview: The academic frameworks of our states force us to make use of every minute of time in the classroom. Discover some targeted, innovative uses of technology (the medium students love) and understand the use of a timer to keep classes on track when moving from one teaching strategy to another. Planning is the key!
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

How Are the Children? (MSA)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Geneva Harris (Blytheville School District, MS) with Linda Coleman and Drue Sutherland
Overview: Come and see what you can do with a long wall, cards, colored dots, paper, and numbers. Let us guide you through construction of a Data Wall that allows teachers to view the progress of their classes at a glance and provides an opportunity for collaborative dialogue.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout 1 (pdf)
Download handout 2 (pdf)

The Tale of Two Classes (MALT)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: John Prewitt and Joann Wynn
Overview: Inclusive practices will Maximize Academic Learning Time and Promote Professional Practice for struggling learners. Learn how to walk through important steps that must be addressed for inclusive practices to be successful.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

Do I Really Have to Teach the Test? Planning, Teaching, and Assessing for Proficiency Plus (GEC)
Audience: Teachers
Presented by: Kimberly Reedy and Trina Sapen with Pam Kirk (Brookhaven School District, MS)
Overview: Tired of the last-minute panic in preparing students for state assessments? Join us for a time of understanding how to plan yearlong, rigorous instruction that increases student success. Learn how to guarantee an essential curriculum (GEC) by using state-released sample items to effectively plan, instruct, and assess for optimal growth.
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Download handout (pdf)

Response to Intervention: The Basics (Offered Twice) (All)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Susan Deen (Covington County School District, MS) with Diana Rotenberry
Overview: Principals, do you ever wonder exactly what role you play in basic instructional intervention? Join this discussion of the critical role of the principal in ensuring interventions meet integrity standards. Learn the importance of a focused use of data to develop appropriate interventions and monitor progress.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (Offered Twice) (PCCCL)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Pamela Castor and Pam Chipman (Manila School District, AR) with Vicki Kornfuhrer
Overview: A key to increasing teacher capacity is creating a safe environment for the teachers. Join our team in a session discussing how to develop an environment in which teachers have clear expectations, readily available support, and accountability.

Why’s Everybody Always Pickin’ on Me? (PCCCL)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Roy Balentine with David Rainey
Overview: Don’t let your students become the victim of a bully! Take action - not only is it the law; it improves academic achievement. This session will provide participants with ways to identify potential bullies and those who may be the victims of a bully, along with practical steps for intervention.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

4:00 Concurrent Sessions:

JBHM Training: Effective Use of ILeRT™ (Offered Twice)
Audience: JBHM Consultants Only
Presented by: Leroy Callahan and Dana Lyle
Overview: Join us for a hands-on interactive session that will guide participants through a process designed to develop and enhance instructional leadership. We will identify the appropriate ILeRTTM tool for gathering classroom data and improve instructional practices.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout 1 (pdf)
Download handout 2 (pdf)

Superintendents Panel (Part II)
Audience: Administrators
Moderated by: Malcolm Duplantis with Mark Keith, Lafayette County, AR; Anne Butcher, Ft. Smith, AR; Dr. Joann Matthews, Lafourche Parish, LA; Loretta Blankenstein, Concordia Parish, LA; Sheila Jackson, Grant Parish, LA; Dr. Suzanne Hawley, Quitman Municipal, MS; Beth John, Pass Christian, MS
Overview: How can the district superintendent best support district-wide reform efforts? Superintendents from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi who have uncovered the need for district-wide improvement and embraced the process in various ways will share the challenges and benefits of making the tough decisions that bring about systemic change - from their office to the classroom.

Raise Your IQ! (MSA, MALT)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Pat Ours (Avoyelles Parish School District, LA) with Delores Hopkins
Overview: This interactive discussion will include the latest research-based questioning strategies to improve student achievement. Both those who teach and those who observe questioning strategies in the classroom will leave with an easy, common sense understanding of intelligent questioning (IQ).

Time Will Pass, Will You? (Offered Twice) (MALT)
Audience: Teachers
Presented by: Neelie Dobbins and Pam Warrick
Overview: The academic frameworks of our states force us to make use of every minute of time in the classroom. Discover some targeted, innovative uses of technology (the medium students love) and understand the use of a timer to keep classes on track when moving from one teaching strategy to another. Planning is the key!
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

Rescue, Revive, and Recharge (MSA)
Audience: Teachers
Presented by: Gigi Dunaway (Marion County School District, MS) and Tonsa Vaughn (Hattiesburg Public Schools, MS) with Katie Bridges and Jeanne Finch
Overview: As your instructional staff and administration complete the delivery of instruction at the end of the school year, does your school put the “icing on the cake” as state assessment approaches? Join us in our session for assessment review culmination strategies.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

When 2 = 1: The Power of Co-Teaching (GEC, MSA)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Jodie Duran and Olivia Manning (Louisville Public Schools, MS) with Joann Wynn
Overview: Co-teaching works only when both teachers work together on a cohesive plan. Observe a best practice model for co-teaching delivery and co-planning and gain points on how to monitor implementation for effective results.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

Scaffolding: What Teachers Can Do When Kids Are on Different Learning Levels (MALT)
Audience: Teachers
Presented by: Kimberly Reedy and Trina Sapen
Overview: How do I grow all of my students to the mastery level when they haven’t shown evidence of knowing the basics? Come practice planning strategies, such as pretesting and skill-building, that will allow you to maximize learning time for all students.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

Reading Growth in Middle and High School: It’s About Time (MALT, GEC)
Audience: Administrators and Teachers
Presented by: Carol Anderson and Amber Groom (Wilkinson County School District, MS) with Lois Sandusky and Deborah Elmore, Introductions by Julie Wade
Overview: Two consultants, two classroom teachers, and an assistant principal bring you ways to (1) change your schedule to allow time for students to grow as readers in middle and high school, (2) make the schedule you have bring effective support of reading growth, and (3) sneak reading support into nooks and crannies of school time for the good of students.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout 1 (pdf)
Download handout 2 (pdf)
Download handout 3 (pdf)

Embedded Professional Development: Professional Learning Communities (PPP)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Jack Linton (Petal School District, MS) with Christy Moorehead
Overview: Embedded professional development is not just for the classroom. This overview of the structure of the embedded professional development design in the Petal School District includes important facets of scheduling and documentation, while focusing on the content designed around “four essential questions.”

Living the Nightmare - AYP for IEPs (Offered Twice) (MSA)
Audience: Administrators
Presented by: Debra Bertucci and Pamela Zeringue
Overview: The achievement gap between students with disabilities and their peers continues to grow. Every school district is faced with the challenge of bridging that gap so that the IEP subgroup will meet AYP.
Download PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
Download handout (pdf)

 

 

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