The Learning-Focused National Conference

February 2-6, 2009
Cobb Galleria Centre
Atlanta, Georgia

Session Descriptions:

Tuesday, February 3rd:

Full Day Workshop Sessions

Leadership Academy: Administrators New to Learning-Focused 
Day: Monday, February 2nd and Tuesday, February 3rd      
Audience: Administrators   Grades: All
Presenter(s): Max Thompson, Cecilia Garcia, Jim Riedl, Allan Thrush 
Description: Learning-Focused Leadership Academies provide educational leaders with a focus on exceeding leadership expectations by thinking and performing beyond limits. Learning-Focused provides leaders with coaching and experiences that guide administrators to exemplary leadership. All Learning-Focused Leadership Academies include:

  • Personalized Collaboration
  • Benchmarks to Achievement
  • Prioritizing and Focusing on Difference Makers
  • Balancing What Works
  • Implementing Change Reflection and Support

During the two days of this Leadership Academy for Administrators New to Learning-Focused you will learn about:

  • Exemplary Leadership Practices
  • How to reach Balanced Achievement
  • Benchmarks to focus on
  • How to focus on the five exemplary practice categories
  • How to institute accountability with high support
  • High impact, rapid response strategies that make immediate advancements in learning
  • Starting continuous improvement models, Implementation, Scheduling, Real-world examples, and more!

Leadership Academy: Administrators with 12 + months Experience with Learning-Focused
Day: Monday, February 2nd and Tuesday, February 3rd      
Audience: Administrators   Grades: All
Presenter(s): Max Thompson, Cecilia Garcia, Jim Riedl, Allan Thrush 
Description: Learning-Focused Leadership Academies provide educational leaders with a focus on exceeding leadership expectations by thinking and performing beyond limits. Learning-Focused provides leaders with coaching and experiences that guide administrators to exemplary leadership. All Learning-Focused Leadership Academies include:

  • Personalized Collaboration
  • Benchmarks to Achievement
  • Prioritizing and Focusing on Difference Makers
  • Balancing What Works
  • Implementing Change Reflection and Support

During the two days of this Leadership Academy for Administrators with 12+ Months Experience with Learning-Focused you will learn about:

  • Sustaining Continuous Improvement
  • Leadership Coaching and Conferencing
  • Identifying Challenges and Creating Solutions
  • Advancing Monitoring
  • Data and Assessment Driven Decision Making
  • Moving Teachers Up or Moving Them Out
  • Increasing Professional Expectations and Ensuring a Culture of Learning
  • Succeeding with At-Risk Students, and more!

Learning-Focused Connecting Strategies (Version 7)
(Previously Known as Days 1 and 2 of Learning-Focused)
Day: Monday, February 2nd and Tuesday, February 3rd      
Audience: All   Grades: K-12
Presenter: Denise Burson
Description: This is part 1 of 3 for the Learning-Focused Instructional Strategies Model workshop for teachers. Administrators that have not attended should participate in order to monitor and provide support. Learn the framework for planning and delivering essential practices, skills, knowledge, and resources. This workshop includes: the big picture of Learning-Focused and the importance of connecting strategies, the EATS Acquisition lesson framework, and essential practice strategies.

Learning-Focused: Planning Learning Units (Version 7) prerequisite: Connecting Strategies
(Previously Known as Day 4 of Learning-Focused)
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd
Audience: All   Grades: K-12
Presenter: Barbara McSwain
Description: This is part 3 of 3 for the Learning-Focused Instructional Strategies Model workshop for teachers. Administrators that have not attended should participate in order to monitor and provide support. Learn the framework for planning Learning Units that connects assessments to the framework and introduces the full Unit framework and all unit development decisions. This is the workshop that “puts it all together!”

Learning-Focused Vocabulary Instruction
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd    
Audience: All    Grades: All
Presenter: Cindy Riedl
Description: One of the top five instructional components of exemplary learning, effective vocabulary instruction is a major factor in meeting school achievement goals. Exemplary vocabulary instruction is not what teachers learned just a few short years ago. This session leads teachers through using the latest research-based vocabulary strategies in their classrooms.

Scaffolding Learning with Technology
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd    
Audience: Special Ed, Resource, All    Grades: All
Presenter: Carolyn Boyles
Description: This solution presents easy-to-use technology-supported strategies for all learners. Multiple strategies are described and illustrated that address reading, pre-writing and writing, research, math, note-taking and graphic organizers. Examples, templates and instructions are modeled on how to scaffold learning with technology that gives students access to the curriculum through flexible methods of engagement, leveled reading options, auditory feedback and color coding.

Science Strategies
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd
Audience: All   Grades: 4-12
Presenter: Sarah Erwin
Description: Discover Learning-Focused strategies that impact science the most. Learn about exemplary science instruction and standards-based science assessments. Examples of science lessons and units are reviewed.

School-Based Coaches Training
Day: Monday, February 2nd and Tuesday, February 3rd    
Audience: Lead Teachers and Administrators   Grades: All
Presenter: Debbie Cargill
Description: School-Based Coaches focus on helping teachers to become more effective in the classroom. Even if a school does not have a full time person allocated to this position, it is important for sustaining continuous improvement goals that someone (a lead teacher, reading specialist, ILT, etc…) who is not in a supervisory role to become a School-Based Coach in each school. This session includes:  Research supporting School-Based Coaches, the 3 roles of a School-Based Coach, the Strategies and Skills to be an effective School-Based Coach, Planning for Success, and Development of a Learning-Focused Mentor.

Learning-Focused Math 6-12
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd   
Audience: Teachers      Grades: 6-12
Presenter: Laurian Phillips
Description: Designed for 6-12 math teachers that have participated in the Learning-Focused workshop, this workshop assists math teachers with implementing the model most effectively.  Learn about the interlocking pieces of our math model: comprehension, problem solving, skill building, and authentic use. Teachers walk through many lesson and unit examples, and learn the key elements of a Learning-Focused math lesson.

Reading Strategies for Assessments for All Teachers 2-8
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd    
Audience: Teachers      Grades: 2-8
Presenter: Carol Brewer
Description: Examine instructional practices critical for reducing the achievement gap in reading. Includes best practices for teaching the No Child Left Behind Testing Strands. This focused instruction satisfies State Standards and is the continuation of the Reading Comprehension and Reading Assignments solutions. It combines the reading comprehension strategies taught in isolation (“Teaching to the Strategies”) and makes the connection to the State Testing Strands/Domains (“Teaching to the Strands”). A “must have” solution to prevent cramming for tests!

Writing Assignments for All Teachers
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd   
Audience: Teachers     Grades: K-12
Presenter: Brenda Hill
Description: Learn the exemplary writing model that supplements and enhances the teaching and learning of your state and district communication skills curriculum and content area standards. Writing Assignments are for all teachers because it takes all teachers effectively teaching and assigning writing to make a difference. Using the book and flipchart, participants are provided appropriate strategies and graphic organizers needed for writing across the curriculum. Learn how to gather evidence of learning - using writing!

Reading Comprehension for Language Arts Teachers K-5
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd    
Audience: ELA Teachers      Grades: K-5
Presenter: Jennifer Partrick
Description: Teach to the Strategies! Participants receive modeling and instruction on how to create strategic readers. Teachers are provided with examples and tools to simplify the planning of quality instruction that is focused on learning. The workshop focuses on learning how to teach to the strategy, and will develop lessons for use in their classrooms.

Reading Comprehension for Language Arts Teachers 6-12
Day: Tuesday, February 3rd    
Audience: ELA Teachers      Grades: 6-12
Presenter:  TBD
Description: Provides teachers with a model for giving exemplary reading assignments in order to raise achievement. Learn to build reading comprehension to improve standards-based assessments in Language Arts. Participants receive modeling and instruction on how to create strategic readers.

Training of Trainers Sessions
Learning-Focused Instructional Strategies Model Training of Trainers (Version 7) 
This session is 5 Days (Monday, February 2nd - Friday, February 6th)     
Grades: All
Presenter: Jeanette Gann
Description: After you have attended a regular Learning-Focused workshop (prior to this institute) you are eligible to attend this Learning-Focused Training of Trainers Institute session. This session provides you with the materials (script, notes, presentation, and more) to be able to redeliver the 4-day Learning-Focused Model in your school or district for 24 months. This 5 day training is rigorous, incorporating practice in redelivering the content, evaluating lessons and units, and conferencing. Potential trainers should feel confident in their content knowledge prior to registering for this session.
This session has several prerequisites, qualifications, and additional purchases.
The Terms associated with this session can be found here.

Catching Kids Up with Acceleration Training of Trainers 
This session is 2 Days (Monday, February 2nd and Tuesday, February 3rd)     
Grades: All
Presenter: Carol Gardner
Description: The Catching Kids Up Acceleration Model includes specific practices that provide strategies, structures and planning to bring all students to grade level. This session includes both the regular workshop day and the Training of Trainer's day and therefore attending a regular Catching Kids Up workshop prior to this 2-day session is not required. This session provides you with the materials (script, notes, presentation, and more) to be able to redeliver the 1-day Catching Kids Up Model in your school or district for 24 months.
This session has several prerequisites, qualifications, and additional purchases.
The Terms associated with this session can be found here.

Scaffolding Learning Training of Trainers 
This session is 3 Days (Monday, February 2nd - Wednesday, February 4th)     
Grades: All
Presenter: Carolyn Boyles
Description: This Training of Trainers presents scaffolding strategies that are effective with diverse learners whose grade level achievement is below grade placement. This session includes the regular workshop days for Scaffolding Grade Level Learning, Scaffolding Learning with Technology, and the Training of Trainer's day. Therefore, attending a regular Scaffolding Learning workshop prior to this 2-day session is not required. This session provides you with the materials (script, notes, presentation, and more) to be able to redeliver the 1-day Scaffolding Learning workshop in your school or district for 24 months.
This session has several prerequisites, qualifications, and additional purchases.
The Terms associated with this session can be found here.

Differentiated Assignments Training of Trainers
This session is 2 Days (Tuesday, February 3rd and Wednesday, February 4th)
Presenter: Toni Enloe 
Description: Differentiating Assignments provides all students with equitable opportunities to learn. This model is practical for all teachers and allows differentiation to happen without wiping out teachers! Differentiated Assignments focuses on implementation, tiered activities, menu strategies, student choices, and maintaining connections to standards. This session includes both the regular workshop day and the Training of Trainer's day and therefore attending a regular Differentiated Assignments workshop prior to this 2-day session is not required. This session provides you with the materials (script, notes, presentation, and more) to be able to redeliver the 1-day Differentiated Assignments workshop in your school or district for 24 months.
This session has several prerequisites, qualifications, and additional purchases.
The Terms associated with this session can be found here.

Vocabulary Instruction Training of Trainers
This session is 3 Days (Monday, February 2nd - Wednesday, February 4th)  
Presenter: Cindy Riedl 
Description: Vocabulary Instruction leads teachers through using the latest research-based vocabulary strategies in their classrooms. This session includes the regular workshop days of Vocabulary and Vocabulary Development for Language Arts 2-12, and the Training of Trainer's day. Therefore, attending a regular Vocabulary Instruction workshop prior to this 2-day session is not required. This session provides you with the materials (script, notes, presentation, and more) to be able to redeliver the 1-day Vocabulary Instruction workshop in your school or district for 24 months.
This session has several prerequisites, qualifications, and additional purchases.
The Terms associated with this session can be found here.

Reading Assignments and Reading Comprehension Training of Trainers
This Session is 3 Days (Monday, February 2nd – Wednesday, February 4th)
Audience: Teachers      Grades: K-12
Presenter: Carol Brewer
Description: Reading Assignments and Reading Comprehension professional development solutions provide content area teachers and ELA teachers with the latest advancements in developing readers that understand and comprehend grade level text. This session includes the regular workshop days of Reading Assignments (K-5 or 6-12) AND Reading Comprehension for ELA Teachers (K-5 or 6-12) AND the Training of Trainer’s Day. Therefore, attending a regular Reading Assignments or Reading Comprehension workshop prior to this session is not required. This session provides you with the materials (script, notes, presentation, and more) to be able to redeliver the Reading Assignments workshop and the Reading Comprehension for ELA Teachers workshop in your school or district for 24 months.
This session has several prerequisites, qualifications, and additional purchases.
The Terms associated with this session can be found here.

Monday and Tuesday Afternoon SuperSessions
SuperSessions provide participants with quick, but detailed information, strategies, and tips. If you ever wanted to learn more about a topic but didn't have the time, these SuperSessions are perfect for you! SuperSessions are open to all conference attendee's and do not require you to choose a session in advance.

SuperSessions are offered at 3:45pm Monday and Tuesday!

The SuperSessions offered include:

  • Making Units Work
  • Learning-Focused Assessments
  • What Moves You Professional Development
  • Toolbox Tips
  • Preferred Schools and Networking
  • Reaching Balanced Achievement Overviews
  • and more!

Download Conference Registration Form (pdf)

Download Training of Trainers Sessions Registration Form (pdf)

Registration fee is $125.00 per day per participant until November 1, 2008. After November 1st, the registration fee will be $150. Fee includes all materials.

Payment method is required when registering. If using a Purchase Order, please send it with your registration.

More Information:
Please email Info@LearningFocused.com or
call 866-955-3276.