The Methods and Madness of Room 56
Rafe Esquith, conference keynoter, is an award winning fith grade teacher who is living proof that patience, understanding, love and imagination can work miracles.  In this seminar, participants will learn about classroom management, problem solving, music, and the use of film and economics, as actual tools to use in classrooms.  The highlight will be a performance by the Hobart Shakespeareans, students from Mr. Esquith’s fifth grade class at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles.

Cost: $75

Monitoring Student Progress
Monitoring progress of student knowledge, skills and enthusiasm has proven elusive, yet is essential to any school improvement plan. Learn what type of individual, classroom and school-wide data to collect, how to unobtrusively collect it and how to build teamwork in the process. This type of data gives everyone from the students through the administrators the information they need to evaluate interventions and make the necessary adjustments throughout the year.

Cost: $75

A Comprehensive Balanced Assessment System:  The Role of Assessment in Supporting Continuous Improvement
This workshop will focus on balancing effective assessment practices from the state, district, school, classroom teacher, and student perspectives and on how educators can create and use a balanced assessment system to inform instruction and improve student learning.

The workshop will focus on and include:

• An overview of a balanced assessment system and all of its elements and a rationale as to why each plays an important role in a comprehensive system
• A review of the purposes of summative assessment at the state, district, school, and classroom levels;
• A conceptual and operational view of formative assessment as a means of gathering on-going evidence of student learning and using this evidence to make timely decisions to adapt instruction to improve student learning; and
• An illustration of how the creation and use of a balanced assessment system ultimately supports learning and continuous school improvement.

Cost: $125
(lunch on your own)

Accelerating Student Performance and School Effectiveness Through Breakthrough School Improvement
In this fast-paced atmosphere of high expectations and accountability, schools are faced with increasing demands to produce student achievement results under challenging timelines.  Based on research, “breakthrough school improvement” is a process that focuses on analyzing and using data to produce greater and faster gains in both student performance and school effectiveness.  This session will describe the four key elements of the process (vision, profile, plan, results) and how they contribute to a systemic and sustainable cycle for improvement.  Each participant will receive a copy of the NSSE publication Breakthrough School Improvement: An Action Guide for Greater and Faster Results along with other resources and handouts.

Cost: $150 (includes Breakthrough School Improvement book)
(lunch on your own)

• Assessing, building evidence and documenting compliance with standards for quality systems,
• Providing direction and support to districts and schools for their improvement efforts, and
• Preparing for the Quality Assurance Review visit.

The workshop will be interactive, providing participants with many details of the district accreditation process, opportunities to engage in dialogue, share ideas and learn collaboratively.  Individuals will leave with ideas and skills to successfully lead their systems through the process.

Cost: $125
(lunch on your own)

This workshop is relevant to public and nonpublic teachers and administrators who are looking to redesign their teacher evaluation, professional development and compensation systems.  In this session, participants will learn about the Randolph School Resonance Program, which was developed by teachers and administrators at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama, over a four-year period.  The program was designed to attract and retain the most qualified teachers for the Randolph School culture.  To accomplish this objective, the program created an evaluative process that integrates perspectives from administrators, peers, parents, and students to create a comprehensive portrait of teachers’ effectiveness.  Key innovative features of the program are:

• A collaborative peer and administrative survey development process that reflects the cultural values of the school
• A process for the identification of relevant individuals to conduct peer evaluations
• Student and parent surveys, K-12
• A process designed to collaborative analyze evaluative feedback to be applied to a strengths-based objective-writing methodology for professional growth
• A custom-designed software program to collect and analyze evaluative data
• A model career compensation ladder incorporating evaluative feedback

Cost: $125
(lunch on your own)

District Accreditation Symposium
Interest Level:  School systems currently pursuing District Accreditation
Attendees will receive customized assistance on the District Accreditation framework and collaborate with other systems pursuing District Accreditation.  There will be a panel discussion followed by open-ended table assistance moderated by those who have been in the District Accreditation process for several years.

Cost: No fee -- Registration is required.

Leadership and Learning:  Closing the Implementation Gap
Dr. Douglas Reeves, The Leadership and Learning Center, Englewood, CO
In this seminar, Dr. Douglas Reeves will address the central issue facing teachers and educational leaders today.   Based on new research findings from hundreds of thousands of students, Dr. Reeves has identified critical factors for closing the implementation gap.   Highlights of his presentation include a focus on these essential questions:

• Who are the essential change agents in your system?  How can you identify, nurture, and encourage them?
• What are the conditions for effective change?  How can teachers and leaders lay the groundwork to optimize the value of every change?
• Where is the greatest leadership leverage?  What specific actions can teacher-leaders and administrative leaders take that yield the greatest impact on student achievement and educational equity?
• When do we know that change efforts are successful?  When do we modify or abandon change efforts? 
• How do I give my colleagues the tools they need to become effective leaders and implementers of change?
• Why are changes in organization, professional practice, and culture essential for every successful system?

School Improvement Assistance Clinic
In this hands-on setting, NCA CASI ambassadors provide participants with one-on-one assistance in their improvement efforts.   Bring questions, share your continuous improvement plan, get advice on challenges facing you, and leave with answers you can implement immediately.

Cost: No fee -- Registration is recommended.