As we progress through the TOSS ALI event schedule, we are proud to announce our first in-person event for 2024/2025. We know that for leaders, it is often hard to fully understand what is needed by our graduates unless we can see the “World of Work” first-hand. On November 15, 2024, you will have the opportunity to travel to Jamestown, Tennessee, and visit with the York Agricultural Institute Team. We will come together to define the skills needed to be successful in a rural college and career program in Tennessee, while meeting the needs of all students and the school community.

"Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute is a strong model for rural education. Utilizing the Innovative School Models grant, state support, local and state partnerships, and collaboration across county schools, York has expanded academic opportunities for its 500 students in Jamestown, TN in ways that rival much larger schools. During this visit, York will share their improvement journey to include its Middle College, SPED Inclusion Strategies (100% inclusion and 100% CTE enrollment), Honors and AP courses, COGNIA STEM certification, and strong CTE programming. Your tour of this 400-acre campus will feature a working farm (1,000+ animals, 15 species) where students will share their experiences artificially inseminating heifers, conducting livestock pregnancy checks in the Heifer Development Program, row cropping, and Meat Science program where students process chicken, turkeys, and rabbits. You will experience how York incorporates the Engineering Design Process across subject areas and STEM is integrated into the curriculum for all students."

After meeting and defining the work, we will be taken on a complete tour of the facility, and return to the meeting space to work collaboratively with middle Tennessee educators to discuss the planning process to allow students to be both college and career ready in STEM programs. After this tour and discussion, we will share a light lunch and table-top activities, then we will exchange thoughts about where we are in your systems, where we want to be, and what we need to create an environment in grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 to enable our learners to excel in this environment.

Make plans now to join us on November 15, 2024, for this 7-hour TASL training on-site at the York Agricultural Institute. Superintendents, Supervisors, Principals, and Assistant Principals are all welcome to register and attend. We will have lunch on site and please dress with the facilities tour in mind.

***7 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

In 2024, women may not need other women to help them get a job in educational leadership, but they certainly can use the coaching and mentorship of their colleagues to prepare for and to perform in those jobs. Several years ago, the TOSS ALI agenda added a Women in Educational Leadership event to our schedule each year. From those one-day events, we evolved into a three-part annual series of events that we call the Three Cs of Leadership. I am happy to introduce part one of our three-part series: Women and Leadership Cohort 2023-2024: Coaching, Creating, and Coping. All TOSS ALI members and SLI members are invited to join us as we learn more about coaching others, mentoring for success, and leading to support learning in Tennessee’s schools. This event was requested from our members who use these events to fill the need they have as they move from the ‘TASL Academy” cohort for new leaders to the long, lonely years where training may be powerfully presented, but cohort connections may be desired.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This event is planned for and by Principals who know what they need to improve learning in their schools. By request, this event will feature school and system leaders who want to inspire confidence, create change, and support their leaders by modeling their use of data to coach the underperforming teacher and leader in our state’s schools, use data such as TVAAS reports to monitor growth over time, and to support the lead learner who may be less familiar with TVAAS than their peers or their teachers. When we change grade levels, begin to look at cohort data over grade spans, we often need support from leaders who have already made this data real to their staff members. This event is presented by three leaders who received nomination from their superintendents or who were honored during the Principal or Supervisor of the year program. They are leaders who are willing to both share their work and to embrace data as a tool for student and teacher success. Join us as we learn from Dr. Chris George from Murfreesboro City Schools, Dr. Leneda Laing from Cleveland City Schools, and Dr. Sheryl Sensing Theil from Dickson County Schools. They all come with the highest recommendations from their Superintendents.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This event is planned for ALI members and their invited guests. These guests might include alternative school supervisors, discipline committee team members, counselors, and virtual school leaders. The goal of this training is to highlight best practices in the high schools in Tennessee, to see and hear from leaders who have created an alternative placement program that supports student learning and success, and to learn from fellow educational leaders who have developed or implemented programs that support time in and time on task in our high school age student’s classrooms. This event is a follow-up of our opening day on October 29, 2024, and allows us to look closely at two schools, three systems, and a variety of discipline and placement strategies, including targeted placement in academic and CTE areas of study, discipline plans within the school, and building relationships that foster community and engagement for ALL students.

You will also hear briefly from TOSS platinum partner, Edmentum!

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Knowing how and when to offer our students and their parents an alternative placement choice is vital to our continued success. Our state’s educators want to support teaching and learning in our classrooms. They also want to create options to support the student’s ability to behave in a way that is conducive to learning. This may involve selecting a virtual school, a virtual environment, or intervening with alternative placements or behavior plans until the student is better able to cope in their classrooms. We will bring together three system and school leaders who will share the work they do each day to support students and their families in a virtual environment or with behavioral support and intervention strategies. This event is created by request from our planning team this spring and TOSS ALI will offer a series of events around this topic in 2024/2025. So much has changed in Tennessee since 2020, we need more tools in our toolbox to support the classroom teacher and the parents of a child who struggles to participate in class with their peers. Our attendees will develop a plan and gain additional knowledge that can be used to support student behavioral challenges and their learning environments in their systems or schools. We are taking this time together to consider how our public schools can offer alternative placements that support all students and their families. 

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Since TOSS ALI began its work in 2016, our subscribers “speaker of choice” for education law has been Chuck Cagle, and once again he has scheduled three stand-alone events with us in October.

October 10 – Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Implementation and Policy 2024 

October 15 –Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Discipline/504/SPED/Search and Seizure

October 17: Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Personnel, Human Resources, Licensure 

Chuck will discuss implementation of rules, laws, education policy, employment law, SPED, Title IX, and many current legal issues as they relate to leading learning in your schools and systems. If you know Chuck, you know these topics will be only a guide, because he welcomes your questions and encourages you to ask about issues you care deeply about. If you have questions that you specifically want Chuck to address, email them to Dr. Wanda Shelton (wanda@tosstn.com), and she will get them in Chuck’s hands prior to the event so he can be ready for your most urgent needs!

School principals, assistant principals, system level supervisors, school system attorneys, and directors of school may attend any or all these events. Attendees that complete any one of these days will earn 4 hours of TASL credits. Leaders who complete all three days will earn 12 hours of TASL credit.

Don’t miss any of these three important events...Chuck Cagle, Leaders and the Law 2024!

***4 TASL CREDITS FOR EACH EVENT APPROVED***

Since TOSS ALI began its work in 2016, our subscribers “speaker of choice” for education law has been Chuck Cagle, and once again he has scheduled three stand-alone events with us in October.

October 10 – Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Implementation and Policy 2024 

October 15 –Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Discipline/504/SPED/Search and Seizure

October 17: Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Personnel, Human Resources, Licensure 

Chuck will discuss implementation of rules, laws, education policy, employment law, SPED, Title IX, and many current legal issues as they relate to leading learning in your schools and systems. If you know Chuck, you know these topics will be only a guide, because he welcomes your questions and encourages you to ask about issues you care deeply about. If you have questions that you specifically want Chuck to address, email them to Dr. Wanda Shelton (wanda@tosstn.com), and she will get them in Chuck’s hands prior to the event so he can be ready for your most urgent needs!

School principals, assistant principals, system level supervisors, school system attorneys, and directors of school may attend any or all these events. Attendees that complete any one of these days will earn 4 hours of TASL credits. Leaders who complete all three days will earn 12 hours of TASL credit.

Don’t miss any of these three important events...Chuck Cagle, Leaders and the Law 2024!

***4 TASL CREDITS FOR EACH EVENT APPROVED***

Since TOSS ALI began its work in 2016, our subscribers “speaker of choice” for education law has been Chuck Cagle, and once again he has scheduled three stand-alone events with us in October.

October 10 – Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Implementation and Policy 2024 

October 15 –Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Discipline/504/SPED/Search and Seizure

October 17: Leaders and the Law with Chuck Cagle: Personnel, Human Resources, Licensure 

Chuck will discuss implementation of rules, laws, education policy, employment law, SPED, Title IX, and many current legal issues as they relate to leading learning in your schools and systems. If you know Chuck, you know these topics will be only a guide, because he welcomes your questions and encourages you to ask about issues you care deeply about. If you have questions that you specifically want Chuck to address, email them to Dr. Wanda Shelton (wanda@tosstn.com), and she will get them in Chuck’s hands prior to the event so he can be ready for your most urgent needs!

School principals, assistant principals, system level supervisors, school system attorneys, and directors of school may attend any or all these events. Attendees that complete any one of these days will earn 4 hours of TASL credits. Leaders who complete all three days will earn 12 hours of TASL credit.

Don’t miss any of these three important events...Chuck Cagle, Leaders and the Law 2024!

***4 TASL CREDITS FOR EACH EVENT APPROVED***

Join this session to learn about how Zearn mathematics helps accelerate learning for middle grades school students. We’ll dive into middle grades digital lesson on Zearn to explore how the platform scaffolds mathematics problems with real world context and visual representations to help all students make sense of middle school mathematics and access grade level content. We will also address how new learning in real-world contexts and visual representations remove barriers to grade-level mathematics. The presenter will show the attendees how to implement daily math instruction that addresses unfinished learning while still moving students forward in new grade-level learning. This session will explore how coherent intervention—with a learning acceleration approach that anchors new learning in real-world contexts and visual representations—helps students build the understanding they need to unlock grade-level work. Participants will examine new research that mathematics learning acceleration works at scale and will explore strategies for implementing this approach to instructional design with a math coach from a Tennessee school district. 

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This event is planned for supervisors who need and want to work more closely with their system’s principals throughout the year to create strong instructional programs. These supervisors clearly know what they need to improve learning in their schools, but they also clearly benefit from seeing best practices in action across our state. By request, this first Supervisor’s Cohort event for the 2024/2025 school year will focus on three clearly defined ‘areas of need’ in our state’s schools, “How can we most effectively utilize classroom feedback, formative assessment, and common planning to support student success in the classroom. We will talk about best practices to support the real work in the classroom as teachers seek to teach standards to mastery, promote strong skills-based instruction in reading and mathematics, get students ‘learning ready’ in the content areas, and promote teaching for engaged learning for all students. This event will feature keynote presentations by three principals and supervisor teams who have had success in creating strong programs over time to engage and track student learning. We will begin the discussion with instructional programming and HQIM, move to PLCs and Formative data reviews, and end with student success goals for all students. This is an opportunity for all supervisors of teaching and learning, instructional programming, and assessment to join together to share and discuss best practices.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This event is planned for and by Principals who know what they need to improve learning in their schools. By request, this first Principal’s Cohort event for the 2024/2025 school year will focus on three clearly defined ‘areas of need’ in our state’s schools. We will talk about best practices to support student discipline, alternative placement, and positive behavioral supports that leave time for real teaching and learning for all students. This event will feature keynote presentations by three current or former principals and supervisors who have had success in managing student behavior for effective, engaged learning. We will begin the discussion with Discipline, move to Alternative Schools and Alternative Placements, and end with best practices in PBIS.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Intended Audience:

School Counselors, Principals, School Social Workers, CTE Teachers, Career Coaches, Graduation Coaches

Description of Content:

This presentation introduces educators to materials designed to engage students in exploring the dynamic and growing field of behavioral health. Attendees will learn about the critical role behavioral health professionals play in schools and communities, the diverse career opportunities available, and how to inspire students to consider these rewarding paths. The session will highlight ready-to-use resources, hands-on activities, and strategies for integrating behavioral health career exploration into school programs.

***THIS IS A NON-TASL EVENT***

Join this session to learn about how Zearn mathematics helps accelerate learning for elementary school students. We’ll dive into a 5th grade digital lesson on Zearn to explore how the platform anchors new learning in real-world contexts and visual representations to remove barriers to grade-level mathematics. The presenter will show the attendees how to implement daily math instruction that addresses unfinished learning while still moving students forward in new grade-level learning. This session will explore how coherent intervention—with a learning acceleration approach that anchors new learning in real-world contexts and visual representations—helps students build the understanding they need to unlock grade-level work. Participants will examine new research that mathematics learning acceleration works at scale and will explore strategies for implementing this approach to instructional design with a math coach from a Tennessee school district. 

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This event is planned for and by Assistant Principals who know what they need to improve learning in their schools. The entire day is a look at how the principal in a school can promote both academic success and the learning environment by building a community of school safety experts for 'their' schools. The presenters will share how they create a safe atmosphere, a strong principal, SRO, Principal and Assistant Principal triad, and a collaborative, supportive environment for all leaders and learners. The event is planned to support the struggles that Assistant Principals have as they attempt to do it all-Manage from the middle, Connect, and Inspire. The focus on our work on this day we be around how 'inspecting the little things can stop the bigger things from happening in crisis' and how to improve communication to inspire and improve learning, conducting walk-throughs that build relationships, and creating a community/school team to support student learning. This day is to support the assistant principal’s role as it exists in their individual school, and the role that all assistant principals may fill in any given year.

*** 4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Are you new to your leadership role, new to your school or grade level, or do you just need innovative ideas around building community, engaging all learners, and school safety? Do you need more information on stakeholder involvement? Can creating a PLC, tutoring, and intervention strategic plan improve your student’s performance over time? Do you need help as you build a safety team? Are you doing everything you can to support those under your care? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is the event for you.

This event is planned around 10 traits that you will need to use to build a strong leadership team. We will focus on traits that you may have that helped you get the job you are currently doing, and traits that you may need to improve to excel. These traits include communicator, envisioner, culture builder, and contributor.

For this first New Leaders Cohort event for 2024 we will look at leadership and learning from three quite different windows. Our goal will be to improve student performance, create a safe, positive learning environment, and to foster strong CTE and Community ties. We will discuss community, team building, and strategic planning. Then we will hear from speakers who have created strong of PLC’s, intervention programs, goal setting processes, and student data analysis to change school cultures.

We will discuss facility safety, outline ways that you can make your school feel safer and be safer for all of those under your care, and we will guide you through a safe facilities walk-through so you can ‘own’ your leadership role.

Do not miss this event if you are interested in learning from others in your role as they think about building community, helping students move toward college and career readiness, and finding that ‘safe place’ on your campus for you, your staff, and your students. Whether you are new to the role or just want to feel that old spark of enthusiasm, join us on August 29, 2024, as we dive more deeply into our work around student learning, community, and safe/positive school cultures.

*** 4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Join us on August 28, 2024 as our TOSS ALI subscribers come together to review the new requirements, laws, and rule changes for Tennessee educators. As our school and system leaders settle in to the 2024-2025 school year, TOSS ALI felt it was the right time to share information on new and not so new school safety guidelines, procedures, and the importance of implementing new legal mandates with fidelity. We all know that failure to comply comes with challenges, and we hope that your attendance at this session will help you avoid the pitfalls of noncompliance on all levels.

Our presenters will host an in-depth discussion of the most recent legislative session, the special session on school safety held last fall, and other compliance areas that you all feel need additional clarification. The event will feature several presentations that relate directly to school safety, one of TOSS ALI’s top five strands of work for 2024/2025 and academic programming/assessment topics as well. The program will feature a rotation of speakers who will guide our discussions on these topics. Presentations will also feature a discussion of materials, topics, and new legislation and their impact on the schools and school systems in our state. As always, our focus in on what Best for ALL students and on how we can support learning in all schools in Tennessee.

You will not just be ‘given information’ but you will see how this information can and will impact your work, and we encourage you to come to this session ready to be ‘on camera’ and involved in our discussions. We ask that you arrange to have access to a working camera and microphone to fully participate in this program of study.

*** 4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This event is planned for ALI members and their invited guests. These guests might include Athletic Directors, Counselors, Coaches, SROs, or Facility Managers. This event will outline the parts of a strong safety plan to prevent misconduct, partner with families, and create safe bystander environments. Our goal is to prevent misconduct and support academic success in your schools by enabling leaders and their teams as they set behavior expectations, create a culture of growth and well-being in their students as they build winners, teach and encourage interventions, create supportive and emotionally safe environments, respect the physical needs of students so families understand how things like hydration must happen in and out of school.

We will discuss modeling and communicating, tracing milestones for students and parents, responding to misconduct early (no matter the consequences), and we will share ideas to support your students as they struggle to excel on and off the field. We will also address the need to help parents understand the plan and ways that they can support your work.

We will help the attendees as they seek to create a strong working relationship between parents, teachers, and coaches. These discussions will support leaders as they seek to build a positive parent-coach relationship by building parent understanding, communication lines, engagement, team rules, good sportsmanship, and respect for the process as well as the goals for the entire team. The event is planned to help leaders create an environment where Bystander Intervention means choosing to act when you see something harmful whether you are a student, parent, or coach, We will use scenarios to model direct intervention, distraction skills, and delegation.

This event might be appropriate for counselors as your guests because we will also discuss how coaches and leaders can work together to strengthen children’s sense of safety in athletic relationships, develop a positive sense of self and self-esteem, set boundaries and respect other’s boundaries, create empathy with teammates, help students both trust heir gut instincts AND understand when someone needs to be informed, and model what you want to happen in a crisis. We will outline how all sports should plan together to help prevent and address misconduct by defining prohibited behaviors, limiting one-to-one contact with athletes, defining, and creating safe social media rules or spaces, creating policy for cyber bullying and reporting, and sharing safe reporting practices and encouraging them across team and school boundaries. If time allows, we will dig more deeply into the key aspects of an abuse prevention policy program so that your plan includes a code of conduct that explicitly prohibits misconduct that is physical, sexual, and emotional. We will have attendees define the types of misconduct and outline behavior that violates the policy so that ALL those involved fulling understand your ‘why,’ and we will discuss how many times and places you must clearly outline the consequences for policy violations to ensure compliance. In this discussion, we will focus on the ‘trusted adult’ responsibilities in your threat assessment plan, with social media use agreements, and how AI may contribute to your threat assessment in 2024 and beyond.

*** 4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Registration is now open for Assistant Superintendents, Supervisors, and School Leaders: Strategic Planning for 2024/2025 - May 10th, 2024 (8:30AM - 12:30PM CST). This is now a VIRTUAL ZOOM Event.

Assistant Superintendent’s, Supervisors, and School Leaders will hear from Cathy Beck, and Stacy Brinkley from Cheatham County, Monica Farner and her team from Central Technologies, enjoy a  presentation on building a budget with TISA by Maryanne Durski, and we will conclude with Casey Kelly on team building and strategic planning. This is a 4-hour TASL event.

ALI members who serve as Assistant Superintendents, Supervisors, or School Leaders may register. It is now open for all SLI and ALI members.  We want you to carve out this time to think about leadership, planning, finance, and technology for 2024/2025.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Nothing may be more important to a school and a school system in 2024 than the communication to its constituents.  This event will bring together three communications directors and they will share work with each of you. We will look at the role of a dedicated communication director around their focus on communication and community. So much has changed in Tennessee since 2020, and each day it seems there are more people hearing more things about our schools that confuse them, dismay them, or even frustrate them. This event will help you develop a communications plan that you can use to create a flow of information to and from your staff, parents, community, and business leaders. This training will focus on how school leaders need to process information in house, how to disseminate information to all stakeholders, and how to create a community of well-informed parents, businesses, and citizens.

 ***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This is a day to support Assistant Principals who know what they need to improve safety and learning in their schools.  The entire day is a look at how the assistant principal in a school can promote both academic success and the learning environment by building a community of school safety experts for 'their' schools.  The presenters will share how they create a safe atmosphere, a strong principal, SRO, AP triad, and a collaborative, supportive environment for all leaders and learners.  The event is planned to support the struggles that AP's deal with as they strive to lead from the middle. We will all focus our work on this day around how 'inspecting the little things can stop the bigger things from happening in crisis' and how to improve communication to inspire and improve learning.

We will also hear from TOSS Platinum Partner, Capturing Kids' Hearts and TOSS Gold Partner, CENTEGIX.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

On April 25, 2024,TOSS ALI is hosting an event that will be live and in-person. The event will be a look at how leaders can truly personalize learning for all lead learners with the right books. This event is called ‘Book Study Speed Dating” because we want each attendee to leave with at least six book studies, fully developed and modeled, to take back home and implement in their schools and systems. The goal is not just to read a book, but to let us use a book to establish common ground, work better together, and especially to understand our student and community needs over time. Join us for Book Study Speed Date and you will indeed gain a ‘wealth’ of knowledge to take home to your educators. This event is book focused, but it is also learning centered, whole group involvement oriented, and will be engaging in this in-person format.

We are also excited to announce that Nancy Smith from TOSS Platinum Partner, Imagine Learning will be joining us to share.

AGENDA

***7 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

In 2024, we all need and want to learn from each other and from those leaders who have experience in the world of leading learning. The Women in Leadership Cohort 2023-2024: Coaching, Coping, and Creating series will end on April 23, 2024 with featured presenters ALL ALI and SLI members will want to learn from and grow with. All TOSS ALI members and SLI members are invited to join us as we learn more about creating a strong, cohesive team, and leading to support our work in Tennessee’s schools. This is the final event in our three-part series and will focus on Creating in Leadership: Creating a Cohesive Team in 2024. 

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Registration is now open for “The Educational Leader and Cybersecurity 2024” on April 18, 2024. The event is sponsored by ENA by Zayo and is planned to support the work of all TOSS ALI members. If you are a school leader, a leadership team member, a system supervisor, or a superintendent, you need this training. Cybersecurity is one of the topics that we all know we need to be vigilant about, but that can fall off our radar unless we clearly try to remain current. Long time TOSS platinum partners, and long-time technology leaders in our state, this team will help you know what you need to know about a topic outside your regular scope of work. It matters to learners and to lead learners. Join ENA by Zayo and their team members as we investigate the Cybersecurity needs in our state’s school and districts. When we can have the ENA team available, you want to make sure you sign up to be with us on April 18, 2024. After their presentation, we will continue the day with small group sessions facilitated by Beverly Miller around our most pressing ‘problems of practice’. 

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

The Science of Reading refers to the extensive and ever-evolving body of research that indicates how to successfully teach children to read. Our friends at the Reading League say that instruction based on the Science of Reading “will elevate and transform every community, every nation, through the power of literacy.” In this session, we will explore how to effectively implement evidence-based reading practices through long-term change management. So many of you have requested training on the transition from early literacy to ‘highly effective’ readers, that we held our “first step” on November 1, 2023. We allowed the attendees to tell us exactly what “step two” should be, and without exception, you asked us to bring Dr. Karen Scoggins back and to discuss the impact building knowledge had on reading success. Karen Scoggins clearly understands that “Knowledge is Power! The more you and your teachers and students know, the faster they will learn. Attendees in this session will explore what the research tells us about “why” we must be building knowledge to aid in better reading comprehension, engagement, increased outcomes in other subjects, and equity. Understanding where these opportunities lie in our high-quality instructional materials and how best leverage them for better student outcomes will allow you to support your teachers, school programming, and student success.

*** 4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This session is designed for educational leaders seeking out ways to strengthen their support through High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) and evidence-based instructional strategies. In this session, leaders will reflect upon how they are supporting others to intentionally make connections between their adopted materials and what we know as great instruction. Leaders will analyze NIET’s Teaching and Learning Rubric descriptors carefully and apply this learning to practice scenarios. As a result of engaging in this learning, leaders will create a plan for supporting teachers within their district moving forward. The day will include deep discussion around how the attendees can lead their schools to improve the connections between evidence-based practices and HQIM, how we can best support teachers by connecting evidence-based practices to HQIM, how school leaders and their staffs can engage in the process of improving learning over time, and how we can best reflect on support that propels teachers forward. You will be able to review the work you have done with these presenters, and you will be renewed as you plan to improve the work you are doing in 2024/2025.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This session is designed for educational leaders seeking out ways to strengthen the policy and procedures in their schools to support student learning in the college and career preparation program to encourage more students to prepare for their high school summative assessment, the ACT. The program is designed to allow our lead learners to see how two different school systems have approached the process, enhanced learning, and supported both students and staff in the work required to allow all students to perform their best on this assessment. Not only will we look at the assessment process, but we will share ways to strategically plan for ACT readiness by focusing on learning in grades 6-8. This is not a “What teachers should do with students?” event, but a “What should leaders do with their staff” event. ACT staff members Nivia Serrano Atwood and Schwann Logan will be present to provide additional insight into the ACT assessment process in Tennessee.

***4 TASL CREDITS PENDING APPROVAL***

The implementation and monitoring of a successful RTI program takes place in a collaborative environment.  This event will allow you to learn from a variety of presenters to see how you can collect data, implement interventions, and make a very prescriptive process work best in your world of work. This is not a ‘RTI Manual’ overview, but a day for school leaders to come together to learn and share around the topic. You will discuss data, schedules, and interventionist, but also vertical alignment, teaming, and implementation strategies. You will hear about the pitfalls of RTI that can be avoided with five simple steps, and you will hear about how RTI can be used effectively with all groups of students in your school.

Charles Farmer is in his 6th year as principal at Freedom Middle School. Prior to FMS, Dr. Farmer was the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools for Williamson County Schools. He has also served as a high school principal in Williamson County and rural Alabama. Charles and his educational support staff believe student interventions and academic supports are paramount to the learning process. In order to ensure the integrity of RTI at FMS, he and his team have implemented a practical approach to fidelity checks. Their hope is to give your administrative team ideas on how to monitor RTI in your school.

***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

Pearson will present a synopsis for the upcoming Spring 2024 TCAP administration for ACH, EOC, and ALT, as well as the ELA Stand-Alone Field Test and the Grade 3 Retake assessment. Additionally, an overview will be given about the Summer program with a focus on the assessments that are available in Schoolnet.  

Attendees may register team members as their guests.

***THIS IS A NON-TASL TRAINING***

When school leaders and administrators work together collaboratively to incorporate the arts into the lives of their students, both the students and the community benefit. This event will focus on how school and system leaders can better understand the role the arts play in academic achievement for their students over time. When we start to use assessment data to lead our discussions about student learning, it is often challenging to make time for all the things we want our children to have in their school day. We want strong programming in ELA, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, and STEM programs. As leaders, we must remember that a well-rounded education also includes knowledge, appreciation of, and involvement in the arts.  Join us on March 28, 2024, as we explore this topic in a session titled "Leading Learning for the Whole Child: How the Arts Can Improve and Enhance Learning”. 

As it becomes increasingly important for students to experience a well-rounded education, fully understanding what role the arts play is vital to leaders working with community, student development and discipline plans, and student attendance. This program will look at elements of a thriving arts program in several school systems and share how the neuroscience research has shown that the arts in our schools allow us to support not only student learning, but also students thriving in school and as adults in the communities we serve. 

Our Presenters:

Our first presenters join us from Knox County Schools, Bartlett City Schools, and The University of Tennessee. Dr. Heather Casteel serves as the Humanities Supervisor and Visual Arts Content Specialist in Knox County, Dr. Bradley Foust is the Fine Arts Supervisor in Bartlett City Schools, and Dr. Amanda Galbraith is a Post-Doctoral Research associate in art education at the University of Tennessee. They will be followed by a team from Tullahoma City Schools. Dr. Catherine Stephens, this year’s Tennessee Art Education Association’s Administrator of the Year and Atticus Hensley, Band Director at Tullahoma City Schools will highlight their work in middle Tennessee supporting the arts in the education of the whole child. This event is planned for leaders who manage schools and systems and will support your ability as you create, manage, and expand the arts programs for your students.

 ***4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***

This past summer, the Safe and Sound Schools organization hosted an event on safe schools in Gatlinburg. At that event, the attendees saw the importance of creating community as we build safety plans. As we continue our event planning for safety in 2023/2024, we wanted this event to look at community and its importance in the planning process. As we continue that strand of work, we want to focus on the principal-school resource officer partnership. That partnership has two important aspects that we will explore in detail on March 22, 2024. First, we will look at the SRO-Principal team and the law, and to help us understand how that impacts our schools we will feature Chuck Cagle, our TOSS Legal Counsel and attorney with Lewis Thomason in Nashville. We will then transition to a principal-school resource office team from Johnson City schools. From Dr. Holly English and Sergeant Jeff Jenkins, you will see how this partnership can develop and flourish over time, build capacity, and create a cohesive team. The presenter team will have about one hour to give you ideas around how your plan can support your school, your system, or your community, then we will share and learn together in facilitated small group discussions.

*** 4 TASL CREDITS APPROVED***