APS Rising Educator Summit 2026

Under the premise that when our Spanish students create, culture comes alive, this interactive workshop for SLA teachers presents dynamic and effective strategies, tested in SLA2, that place the student at the center of learning. By comparing two musical genres created or transformed by Hispanic communities in the United States, the workshop proposes an approach in which students research, analyze, and present content collaboratively. The session demonstrates how music can serve as a tool to explore identity, culture, and the experience of the Hispanic diaspora, while promoting critical thinking, oral communication, and cultural connection. Participants will gain practical and adaptable resources to design meaningful learning experiences that integrate cultural analysis and student production in their classrooms.

This session introduces the Multiliteracy Dialogic Notetaker, a pedagogical tool designed to deepen language and literacy development while centering translanguaging and border literacies in bilingual and multilingual classrooms. Used in an AP Bilingual U.S. History classroom, this approach reframes note-taking as meaning-making rather than simple transcription. Students engage their full linguistic repertoires, moving across languages, modalities, and cultural references, to process complex academic ideas and texts. Grounded in translanguaging theory and multiliteracies frameworks, the notetaker encourages the use of multiple languages, visuals, diagrams, quotations, reflections, and conceptual mapping. Bi-multilingual students use this tool to synthesize historical analysis, organize and connect historical schema, and develop academic classroom practices while discovering their voice across languages.

In an era of data-driven instruction, the bridge between daily classroom activity and official reporting must be seamless. This training focuses on mastering the Standards-Based Progress Report (SBPR) integration within your grade book. By aligning assignment entry with reporting templates, educators can eliminate the "end-of-term crunch" and provide stakeholders with a crystal-clear view of student mastery.

This session will guide participants in considering key concepts students need instructionally for decoding, reading fluency and writing. Additionally, participants will be provided with exemplar goals that align to students’ needs. Participants will be given time to explore current IEP goals of students they serve and will be able to collaboratively plan on the instruction and progress monitoring that will support these goals.

Genius Hour has become a powerful entry point for student voice and choice in the classroom, but how do we move beyond passion projects to rigorous, standards-aligned learning experiences? This interactive 50-minute session will guide educators in transforming traditional Genius Hour into high-impact project-based learning. Participants will explore practical strategies to scaffold student inquiry, increase academic depth, and align projects with meaningful learning goals. Through hands-on activities and real classroom examples, attendees will leave equipped to design and implement enriched Genius Hour experiences that foster critical thinking, creativity, and sustained engagement.

The Activate Learning has partnered with OpenSciEd to create an exciting digital learning platform where students can benefit from an interactive, engaging online experience when using the OSE curriculum. Participants will experience first-hand our intuitive digital platform, which features enhancements for the OSE curriculum that make science teaching and learning more accessible.

Blackout poetry is a well-known and widely used activity in ELA classrooms. Yet, its full possibilities as a literacy practice attuned to reading and writing have not been adequately explored. It is typically used as a creative writing activity geared towards artistic expression, but it can also be used to read and write texts in nearly any context, including AP English, history, and even science classes. The overwriting of a text allows for an increased attunement to differences not between texts, but between the student and the text directly and can serve as an act of discovery and critique. This session will explore how and why blackout poetry serve as a critical tool beyond its creative aspects and possibly be integrated into a variety of classrooms to increase engagement and critical acuity in students. The world is filled with a variety of texts asking us (and our students) to buy a certain product, think or feel a certain way, and vote for a particular candidate. Part of our jobs as educators is to help students read and analyze these texts, to make sense of them, and to act accordingly. Blackout poetry, an engaging activity typically used in ELA classes as a fun and creative assignment, I believe can also be used as a tool of analysis and critique for our students across disciplines. This session will be an opportunity to explore this claim with me, through an overview of the activity, an explanation of its possible pedagogical and theoretical use as a critical tool for students, and a hands on opportunity to make blackout poems ourselves.

The Activate Learning has partnered with OpenSciEd to create an exciting digital learning platform where students can benefit from an interactive, engaging online experience when using the OSE curriculum. Participants will experience first-hand our intuitive digital platform, which features enhancements for the OSE curriculum that make science teaching and learning more accessible.

Dig into hands-on learning that brings agriculture to life in any classroom—no garden required! In this interactive session, participants will experience the “Garden in a Glove" activity, explore simple hydroponic systems, and discover ready-to-use agricultural literacy resources that connect science, reading, and real-world applications. Teachers will learn how to engage students through inquiry-based activities, spark curiosity about where food comes from, and build understanding of plant growth and sustainability. Walk away with practical, low-cost strategies and lessons that make agriculture meaningful, accessible, and fun for all learners. We will be giving away 25 small classroom hydroponic systems to some lucky teachers in this session.

Experience a standards-aligned kindergarten literacy block grounded in UFLI and the APS Professional Development Framework. This session demonstrates a 60-minute structure that integrates Tier 1 whole group instruction with differentiated Tier 2 and Tier 3 small-group rotations. Participants will explore a practical rotation model that includes explicit phonics instruction, targeted intervention, and strategic integration of 30 minutes of Amira Reading per student each week. The session also highlights how to embed efficient weekly progress monitoring during small group instruction to support data-driven decisions. Through modeling, hands-on participation, and collaborative planning, educators will learn inclusive practices that support multilingual learners and diverse academic needs. Participants will leave with ready-to-use systems and tools that can be implemented immediately.

The Activate Learning has partnered with OpenSciEd to create an exciting digital learning platform where students can benefit from an interactive, engaging online experience when using the OSE curriculum. Participants will experience first-hand our intuitive digital platform, which features enhancements for the OSE curriculum that make science teaching and learning more accessible.

Educators will expand upon their knowledge of myWorld Interactive’s flexible instructional model by reviewing program resources and developing instructional routines to help facilitate evidence-based literacy instruction in their classrooms.

Transform your math instruction from routine to remarkable. This session track delivers actionable, engaging strategies to boost math confidence across all grade levels. From leveraging local New Mexico culture and history to teach special education math, to implementing active, movement-based centers that reinforce daily standards, to using play and patterns for multiplication mastery, you will leave equipped to build a more inclusive, energetic, and effective math classroom. Join us in La Sala (lower West Side) for a dynamic and interactive series of poster sessions designed to spark innovation and provide practical solutions for today’s educators. These sessions offer a unique opportunity to engage directly with experts, explore visual data, and take away actionable strategies in a concise, high-impact format.


Ethnomathematics in Special Education: "How Far From Chaco Canyon?": This poster session highlights an ethnomathematics project designed for 8th grade small-group special education math classrooms that integrates scientific notation with the rich cultural and astronomical history of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Participants will explore how students investigate large numbers related to astronomical alignments, architecture, and distances within the Chacoan world while practicing scientific notation and mathematical reasoning. The project combines culturally responsive teaching, Universal Design for Learning supports, and visual thinking strategies to make abstract mathematical concepts accessible and meaningful. Attendees will gallery walk through student work samples, lesson visuals, and scaffolded supports used to increase engagement and conceptual understanding. Participants will leave with ideas for connecting mathematics to local culture while supporting diverse learners. Greg Hyzy

Math That Moves: structures to foster math engagement, independence, and standards mastery: Are you looking for ways to boost math understanding WITHOUT boring your class to death? Would you like to refine your use of centers in the math classroom? During this session, you will take a peek into how one APS multi-age elementary classroom has adapted readily-available resources to keep students learning and engaged.
Specific points include:
1) Strategies to get your students up and moving while still using iReady lessons,
2) How math stations (or centers) can be utilized to reinforce standards-mastery,
3) How to introduce a math stations routine to students to ensure success,
4) Suggestions for using pacing guides and Common Core standards to plan activities for math stations,
5) Maintaining high behavior expectations during math station time. Christi Trail

Fun and Effective Ways to Teach Multiplication Facts: Many students struggle to memorize multiplication facts, which are essential for success in math. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn a few fun and effective strategies to help students remember multiplication facts. Attendees will practice activities such as games, patterns, and interactive exercises that can be immediately used in their classrooms. This session is designed to be engaging and practical, allowing teachers to leave with ready-to-use strategies to help students master multiplication in a fun and memorable way. Miyoung Lee

The Activate Learning has partnered with OpenSciEd to create an exciting digital learning platform where students can benefit from an interactive, engaging online experience when using the OSE curriculum. Participants will experience first-hand our intuitive digital platform, which features enhancements for the OSE curriculum that make science teaching and learning more accessible.

Teachers will unpack the Math Talk Rubric through a collaborative card sort, reflect on their own practice using a self-assessment, and apply the rubric to analyze a classroom video. The session concludes with identifying actionable next steps to strengthen mathematical discourse and move instruction up the rubric.

Step into the future of agriculture and discover how technology is transforming the way we grow food! In this interactive session, participants will explore precision agriculture tools, investigate soil health, and experience the engaging, simulation-based Journey 2050 program. Educators will learn how to integrate agriculture into the standards they already teach while bringing real-world problem-solving into their classrooms by analyzing data and making decisions like modern farmers. Through hands-on, engaging activities and ready-to-use resources, teachers will gain practical strategies to connect STEM, technology, and agricultural literacy in meaningful ways. Designed to spark curiosity and participation, this session will provide approaches that engage all learners—including those who are often the hardest to reach.

With a shared vision for student success, let’s examine the pathways to get there with myView Literacy. Together we’ll explore how core routines and connected tasks are scaffolded by design. We’ll unpack assessment data to refine our instruction and differentiate student learning while maintaining grade-level rigor. We’ll explore strategies to scaffold learning effectively, promote student independence, and align instruction with assessment insights to drive literacy growth.

This session will guide participants in considering key concepts students need instructionally for decoding, reading fluency and writing. Additionally, participants will be provided with exemplar goals that align to students’ needs. Participants will be given time to explore current IEP goals of students they serve and will be able to collaboratively plan on the instruction and progress monitoring that will support these goals.

Join us to transform how your school learns, collaborates, and celebrates together. Join us in La Sala (lower West Side) for a dynamic and interactive series of poster sessions designed to spark innovation and provide practical solutions for today’s educators. These sessions offer a unique opportunity to engage directly with experts, explore visual data, and take away actionable strategies in a concise, high-impact format.

Math Made Beautiful: Reimagining Fluency, Confidence, and Engagement: In this interactive workshop, attendees will rotate through three hands-on stations that model joyful, high-impact math routines for real classrooms. Participants will explore daily warm-ups that build number sense and fact fluency, structures that promote student ownership through creative problem-solving, and activities that support whole-class engagement and mathematical discourse through play. Aaron Johnston, Patrick Iverson

Math in Every Language: Building Understanding Through Visual Thinking: In many bilingual classrooms, students are learning mathematics and language at the same time. This session shares how one school, Christine Duncan Heritage Academy, strengthened engagement and understanding by centering visual thinking through Tile Farm.
Using a simple, consistent daily routine, students began to participate more fully, take risks, and communicate their ideas with confidence. Visual, low-floor, high-ceiling tasks allowed all learners to access mathematics immediately, while supporting the development of academic language over time.
Participants will experience the routine as learners, hear classroom stories from CDHA, and explore practical ways to build inclusive, discussion-rich math environments where all students can think and communicate in math, in any language. Elia Maria Romero, Louis Romero

Esports (Gaming in the Classroom): How to show and grow your ESPORTS ELECTIVE and after hours program. Learn what ESPORTS is all about at DNHS. Websites, 3D printing, Youtube Videos, Graphic Design. Learn what ESPORTS at you school and how to grow your program. Learn about funding opportunities. Marta Anderson

Take learning beyond classroom walls by leveraging the outdoors as a dynamic space for equitable STEAM education. This session explores responsive teaching strategies that center students’ place-based knowledge—their community, culture, and environment—as powerful assets for learning. Participants will engage in hands-on, place-based activities designed to build science capital by connecting scientific concepts/standards to real-world, local contexts. Emphasis will be placed on increasing access to meaningful environmental education experiences. Leave with practical, ready-to-use activities that foster curiosity, deepen engagement, and empower students to see themselves as capable contributors to their communities and the scientific world.