Teach Reach Inspire: Elevating Literacy Instruction: Full Schedule

Seating Limited - Pre-Registration for the event takes place through the ESC-20 Connect20 System (Session #109301).

8:30am CDT

Keynote: Student-Focused Coaching (An Overview)

Wednesday July 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am CDT

Successful coaching requires a great deal of planning, communicating, building relationships, working with all types of adults, and remaining positive even when facing inevitable challenges. Student-Focused Coaching (SFC) is designed to be flexible, versatile, and focused on meeting students’ needs to improve academic outcomes. Although the day-to-day responsibilities may vary for the SFC coach, based on the needs and demands of a particular setting, the focus of the work remains the same—to guide and support the planning and implementation of effective practices to support optimal student progress.

Speakers

Daryl Michel

Founder and Author, Be A Change, LLC

Daryl Michel, PhD, consults with organizations nationally and internationally in areas such as instructional coaching, teacher education, disciplinary literacy, learning and lesson study, and curriculum design. He is the founder of Be A Change, LLC, and coauthor of Student-Focused... Read More →

Wednesday July 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor

K-12

10:00am CDT

Demystifying Specially Designed Instruction: Understanding, Planning, and Implementing SDI in the General Education Classroom

Wednesday July 30, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Zavala - 1st Floor

The objective of this breakout session is to offer a comprehensive overview of specially designed instruction (SDI). Participants will explore essential instructional terminology, key components of SDI, and strategies for effective collaboration and lesson planning. The session will also highlight valuable resources to support educators in implementing SDI in classrooms that cater to students with disabilities. This session is appropriate for all grade bands and focuses with a focus on classrooms that support students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). By the end of the session, coaches will be equipped with practical knowledge and tools to enhance their support for educators in delivering tailored special education services.

Speakers

Kelly-Anne Carroll

Consultant, Inclusive Practices, Education Service Center, Region 20

Kelly-Anne Carroll is a Consultant, Inclusive Practices at ESC Region 20. She has worked in the field for 20 years in various settings including resource, co-teaching, content mastery, redirection, behavior, self-contained classes and district-wide consulting. Kelly-Anne provides... Read More →

Ravin Masker

Consultant, Inclusive Practices, Education Service Center, Region 20

Wednesday July 30, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Zavala - 1st Floor

K-12

10:00am CDT

Keynote Breakout: Leading Differentiated, Sustained Professional Learning: A Focus on Literacy

Wednesday July 30, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Bexar - 1st Floor

Learning about and implementing a new skill or strategy in the complex context of a classroom takes time. Joyce and Showers (1982) suggested that it would take approximately 20-30 hours to study theory, 15-20 demonstrations or more, 10-15 times to practice with colleagues or small groups or teachers, and ongoing support if the goal is to build the highest level of skill in teachers and long-term use. Most people don’t learn simply by being told what to do, so it’s important to plan for sustained professional learning that equips teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance student learning.

Speakers

Daryl Michel

Founder and Author, Be A Change, LLC

Wednesday July 30, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor

Keynote Breakout

11:00am CDT

HQIM Unit and Lesson Internalization

Wednesday July 30, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Zavala - 1st Floor

Join us for a deep dive in a product agnostic HQIM unit and lesson internalization overview. We will discuss key practices to make internalization successful for teachers, challenges such as pacing and differentiation, and ways to continue to support teachers as they navigating adopting new curriculum.

Speakers

Rhonda Leon

CLSD Grant Manager, Texas Education Agency

Rhonda Leon, M.S. is a native Texan and has a passion for education, supporting teachers and chocolate. Over the past 32 years, Rhonda’s educational adventures have taken her to Ecuador, Guatemala, Russia, Mexico, Brasil and the Dominican Republic. She has taught 2 year olds through... Read More →

Lisa Casas

HQIM Adoption: Content Lead, Texas Education Agency

Wednesday July 30, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Zavala - 1st Floor

K-12

11:00am CDT

Keynote Breakout: Leading Differentiated, Sustained Professional Learning: a Focus on Literacy

Wednesday July 30, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Bexar - 1st Floor

Speakers

Daryl Michel

Founder and Author, Be A Change, LLC

Wednesday July 30, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor

Keynote Breakout

12:00pm CDT

Lunch and Learn Sponsored by MindPlay

Wednesday July 30, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm CDT

Bexar - 1st Floor

Come learn with us during lunch with MindPlay! MindPlay is an intervention reading software districts use to ensure every student is on a path toward reading proficiency and growth. With a focus on reading intervention, MindPlay's Reading Studio is designed to identify and address areas of opportunity in foundational reading skills. Whether students need support in decoding, fluency, or higher-order comprehension, MindPlay for Intervention includes a unified system to screen, coach, provide focused practice, and progress monitor.

MindPlay will be sponsoring boxed luncheons provided by our local favorite, WD Deli. A vegetarian option will be availableupon request.

Wednesday July 30, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor

K-12

1:30pm CDT

Intro to the See It, Name It, Do It Coaching Model

Wednesday July 30, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT

Bexar - 1st Floor

This session is intended for any campus leader or instructional coach who wants to improve ways in which they provide feedback to teachers regarding deliver of instruction or classroom management. Participants will learn the key characteristics of a quality teacher action steps. Participants will also be introduced to the See It, Name It, Do It Coaching Model identified by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo in his book titled, “Leverage Leadership”. The end goal for this brief session is to add another coaching method to the instructional coach’s tool set that can be utilized to help teacher’s improve their craft.

Speakers

Shannon Allen

Coordinator III – School Support Services and Leadership Development, Education Service Center, Region 20

Shannon has over 20 years of experience as an educator in the state of Texas. A majority of her experience has been as a campus leader at all instructional levels. She has 14 years experience as a high school vice principal, elementary school principal, and middle school principal... Read More →

Wednesday July 30, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor

K-12

1:30pm CDT

Scientifically Based Literacy Practices and Approaches

Wednesday July 30, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT

Zavala - 1st Floor

Join us as we discuss scientifically based reading and writing approaches and practices that can be implemented to enhance teaching, learning, and student literacy success. This session will cover approaches for the following:
Oral Language and Vocabulary
Phonological Awareness
Alphabet Knowledge
and much more!

Speakers

Eduardo Perez

Consultant, Reading Academies Cohort Leader, Education Service Center, Region 20

Eduardo Perez has over 20 years of education experience in private, charter, and public schools across Texas and Chicago/Midwest Region. Eduardo has specialized in second language acquisition in one-way, two-way, ESL classrooms across Texas and Chicago. Eduardo is currently serving... Read More →

Katherine Sickle

Consultant, Reading Academies Cohort Leader, Education Service Center, Region 20

Katherine Sickle is an experienced educator with over 20 years in the field of elementary education. After dedicating her early career to inspiring students as an elementary school teacher, she recognized the need for innovative solutions in the classroom. As a consultant, Katherine... Read More →

Wednesday July 30, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Zavala - 1st Floor

K-5

2:30pm CDT

Writing in the Age of AI

Wednesday July 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT

Bexar - 1st Floor

In this session we'll review the impact of AI in our classrooms. What are concrete steps we can take to ensure effective writing instruction? If our district allows AI use, how can we teach effective use to students? Do AI detectors work? Come prepared for a fast-paced introduction to key factors to consider regarding Writing in the Age of AI.

Speakers

Susan F. Reeves

Consultant, Education Service Center, Region 20

Susan is a consultant for Digital Age Learning for Education Service Center, Region 20 in San Antonio and K-8 Facilitator for Code.org. She is also serving as the CS Pipeline Project Director for ESC-20. Prior to ESC-20 she was a teacher and instructional technology specialist in... Read More →

Wednesday July 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor

6-12

2:30pm CDT

Enhancing Emergent Bilinguals' Literacy Through the Lotta Lara Strategy

Wednesday July 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT

Zavala - 1st Floor

This session will explore the Lotta Lara instructional strategy, a powerful tool designed to support emergent bilinguals in developing their reading fluency, comprehension, and language skills (oracy). The session will provide a deep dive into the components and benefits of the Lotta Lara method. Through modeling, practical examples, and time for practice educators will be equipped with the tools and techniques needed to effectively implement Lotta Lara in their classrooms, helping emergent bilinguals become confident, proficient readers.

Speakers

Esther Ortega

Consultant, Reading Academies Cohort Leader, Education Service Center, Region 20

Esther Ortega has served emergent bilingual students for over 14 years. She was formerly a dual-language teacher, instructional literacy coach, and bilingual specialist. She is currently a consultant for Education Service Center Region 20. Her focus is building bilingual teachers... Read More →

Wednesday July 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT
Zavala - 1st Floor

Emergent Bilingual Focus

3:30pm CDT

Closing Debrief and Door Prizes

Wednesday July 30, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm CDT

Bexar - 1st Floor

Wednesday July 30, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm CDT
Bexar - 1st Floor