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Colonial SD teachers report takeaways from national and regional conferences; sessions to inform next year’s instruction
Summary
Teacher leaders presented highlights from professional conferences — NCTE, teacher literacy labs, structured literacy, math pedagogy and gifted education networks — and described classroom practices the district plans to expand next year.
Several teacher leaders and specialists presented summaries of conferences and professional learning at the Colonial School District Curriculum Committee meeting on May 12, describing classroom practices they plan to scale next year.
Presentations covered reading and writing instruction (NCTE), structured literacy and phonics routines, multiple representations in math, and regional gifted-educator networks. "Our path to the NCTE also stemmed from professional development we received through the district," one presenter said, describing classroom work on independent reading conferences informed by Penny Kittle's learning labs. Presenters described strategies to build background knowledge before reading, vocabulary instruction, and ways to incorporate AI tools while preserving revision practice.
K–3 teachers described structured literacy routines such as continuous blending, blending lines, dictation and progress-monitoring tools to capture students' reading development. A presenter noted the district had distributed notes and sample assessment tools so teachers could trial them in classrooms.
A first-grade teacher who attended a math workshop at the intermediate unit described "multiple representations" for deeper student understanding — using base-10 blocks, hundred plates and pictorial models — and urged teachers not to let concrete manipulatives "collect dust on your shelf" but to use them to reach visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners.
The district's gifted-services team also used the share-out to summarize program practices (screening at second grade, a comprehensive eligibility rubric, and K–12 continuity). Gifted staff emphasized that eligibility is multi-factor and that identification and programming are a joint effort between curriculum and special services.
Presenters said conference experiences reinforced district priorities: structured literacy, vocabulary-building strategies, student choice and project-based learning, and continued focus on socioemotional supports for students. Many presenters thanked the board for funding professional learning and noted that selected practices will inform next year's planning and teacher support.
The committee did not take formal action on the presentations during the meeting; presenters asked the board to continue funding professional learning and to support rollout plans for classroom-level strategies.
