Breakout A: Concept-Based Curriculum: A How-To Session Presenter: Todd Hodgkinson, PhD. Location: Marion Room
By organizing learning around the exploration of “big ideas” and “big questions”, concept-based instruction challenges students to think beyond factual levels of knowledge and increases the rigor of student learning by promoting higher order thinking (e.g., application, evaluation, creation). The purpose of this session is to introduce concept-based curriculum and how this approach to teaching and learning can support the unique cognitive needs of gifted learners. Participants will also begin designing concept-based curriculum to increase rigor and relevance in participants' classrooms in a workshop style setting. 

Breakout A: Creating Space for Academic and Social/Emotional Goal Setting for Gifted High School Students Presenters: Chelsie Murphy, Johanna Mackenzie, Karen Sissel. Location: Clayton Room
A strong individualized goal-setting program benefits gifted learners when paired with a school’s MTSS model and SEL framework. Our model will showcase best practices in how to build relationships, especially with students of special populations including 2e, LGBTQ+ and our marginalized gifted learners. Overcoming challenges with motivation, executive functioning, and perfectionism through collaborative conversations with students will be highlighted.

Breakout A: P.E.T.S Curriculum in Third Grade Presenter: Angie Christensen. Location: Webster Room
Primary Education Thinking Skills (P.E.T.S) 3 can be a rich component of third grade TAG services. Get the teacher’s experienced perspective of using the P.E.T.S. 3 thinking skills program and related extension activities for small group instruction. Participants will leave the session with some easy- to- prepare activities and resources to use with students. Time for sharing extensions and ideas will also be provided.

Breakout A: Come Learn With Us: Professional Learning Through the Belin-Blank Center Presenter: Randolph Lange, PhD, and Jolene Teske, EdD. Location: Shelby Room
The Belin-Blank Center started by offering a professional learning experience for practicing teachers over four decades ago. By building the capacity within teachers to meet the needs of advanced learners, the Center can be a catalyst of positive change. Because of COVID, the rising cost of tuition, and a staffing change, we have decided to put forth a concerted effort to better understand the current landscape of professional learning in Iowa. This session will be a chance to interact with us and provide feedback regarding professional learning.

Breakout A: Essential Tips for Teachers of Twice-Exceptional Students Presenters: Katherine Schabilion, PhD, and Christopher Smith, PhD. Location: Hancock Room
High ability learners with disabilities (“twice-exceptional” students) have unique needs that impact their learning all day, every day. They require support and services that go beyond the “traditional” approaches for supporting talented and gifted students. Attendees will gain increased familiarity with the unique learning and social-emotional needs of 2e students, discuss how these needs have manifested in their teaching experiences, and walk away with “use-it-tomorrow” strategies for supporting 2e students in any classroom environment.

Breakout A: Micro:bit Makers: How to Embed Coding and Technology Into Your Classroom Presenter: Jolie Pelds. Location: Dallas Room
Join the Science Center of Iowa to learn about coding with Micro:bits. Participants will experience a shortened version of our Micro:bit Makers workshop. Discussions of pedagogy and application to standards will be included.

Breakout A: Building Your Gifted Toolkit 2.0 Presenter: Felicia Murillo. Location: Polk Room
I'm baaaaack! Another year, another round of resources to share. What does a day in the life of a GT teacher look like? In this session attendees will get an overview of resources used in the GT classroom as well as ones shared with classroom teachers to help differentiate instruction. Resources shared will revolve around warmups, math, reading, project ideas, writing, STEM and other great thinking games. We will save time at the end for you to share your favorites, so come with your ideas. Oh and don't forget - we will be raffling off prizes from some of the companies whose resources I am sharing.

Breakout B: Welcoming Our Robot Overlords: Embracing the Ever Evolving world of AI Presenter: Brian Housand, PhD. Location: Convention Center
Gifted Education has long championed creative productivity and critical thinking, but what happens when our devices begin to think and create on their own? Rather than shying away from AI, let’s examine how to boldly embrace its power and potential to leverage new possibilities and pathways with this collection of lessons incorporating ethical decision making, collaboration, design, and knowledge construction.

Breakout B: Research to Practice for Twice Exceptional Learners Presenter: Megan Foley-Nicpon, PhD. Location: Marion Room
Knowledge about twice-exceptional learners is rapidly growing outside the advanced education field. Yet not everything published on this topic is grounded in research, nor is the research conducted always accessible. In this presentation, I will summarize findings from five recent studies about twice-exceptionality, focusing on how the results can guide identification and intervention in schools. I also will review the research limitations and contextual factors that need to be considered when designing interventions for this talented and diverse group of students.

Breakout B: Stop, Collaborate, and Listen Presenters: Kate Varner, Stephanie Zielke, Lyndee Heemstra. Location: Clayton Room
Stop, Collaborate, and Listen! Use this time to connect with other gifted education professionals in an informal and collaborative session. Participants can either choose from a list of topics or bring their own ideas to the table! Share your favorite ideas, discuss identification, ask questions, and use our greatest resource- each other! We`re in this together!

Breakout B: Enhancing Science Content Courses Presenters: Christopher Like, Molly McConnell. Location: Webster Room
Enhancing a science offering to push students to their fullest potential can be a difficult endeavor. Come learn about various strategies that Iowa teachers are using to engage every student.

Breakout B: Executive Function Unlocked: Building Key Life Skills Presenter: Kristine Milburn, EdD. Location: Polk Room
In this session, you will hear about how to advocate for students in your community and hear from the voices of teachers, parents, administrators and gifted students what has worked and how you can replicate this in your community. Exchange ideas with your colleagues and be ready to take away ideas that can become actions.

Breakout B: Using Future Problem Solving (FPS) Components to Meet the Needs of Your Gifted Students Presenter: Linda Zillig. Location: Shelby Room
In 1974, E. Paul Torrance created Future Problem Solving as a tool for students to engage in creative problem-solving while addressing complex community issues and futuristic topics. At the beginning, Global Issues was the only component. Now there are additional options to meet the needs of your students—Community Projects, Creative Writing, and Storytelling! Some options are for teams and individuals both, and some options are for individuals only. All options use creative and critical thinking skills and address the future! 

Breakout B: Leadership Challenge: Identification and Curriculum for Student Leadership Presenter: Eric Lauer. Location: Hancock Room
The Student Leadership Practices Inventory (Student LPI) is a comprehensive leadership development tool designed to help young people measure their leadership behaviors and take action to improve their effectiveness as a leader. It is grounded in the same extensive research as the classic Leadership Practices Inventory, which is used in leadership training, executive development, and graduate-level programs around the world.

Breakout C: From A Certain Point of View: The Power of Perspective Presenter: Brian Housand, PhD. Location: Convention Center
Embark on a thought-provoking adventure and challenge your preconceived notions as you delve into the fascinating dynamics of perspectives. In a series of engaging experiments, we will begin to unravel some of the complexities of what we think we know and explore how our viewpoints can influence what we are seeing. These activities are designed to enhance critical thinking, foster empathy, and facilitate personal growth.

Breakout C: Overcoming Roadblocks to More Inclusive Identification and Programming Presenter: Brian Adams. Location: Marion Room
Current research in gifted education recommends providing highly individualized and precise interventions to a wider talent pool of students. While this sounds great in theory, what about in practice? How can we get around some of the perceived roadblocks to a more inclusive future? And how can we include more students without increasing our available resources and without decreasing services for others? This presentation will address these questions and more, with specific examples of how one local district is pushing forward into a more equitable future.

Breakout C: Anxious and Overexcitable Presenter: Bradi Darrah, PhD. Location: Clayton Room
John Haidt's book The Anxious Generation quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller and has generated significant discussion among parents and educators. But what does Haidt's message mean for gifted students? This session will offer an overview of Haidt's findings and claims, and explore how they relate to key texts in the gifted field: Living with Intensity by Michael Piechowski and Susan Daniels, and The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children by Maureen Neihart. No need to have read any of these texts to join!

Breakout C: Elementary Art Identification: Meeting the Needs of Gifted Elementary Art Students Presenters: Sarah Backstrom-Baker, Andrew Wirtz. Location: Webster Room
Des Moines Public Schools offers unique opportunities for gifted art students. Come learn about the portfolio review process, programming, and how to best modify it to meet the needs of your students and connect with the community you serve.

Breakout C: Gifted and High Achieving in High School: Supporting and Scaffolding the Secondary Learner in an ELA Classroom Presenters: Molly Pettit, Michelle Hendricks. Location: Shelby Room
High school-gifted kids don't need support in challenging classes- just give them independent study and get out of their way, right? WRONG! In this session, we will share our experiences from 7 years of a collaborative push-in model that provides compacted subject accelerated curriculum while supporting/nagging/loving all the quirks that come with working with gifted teenagers (yes, even freshmen boys)! We will give real-world experiences and participants will walk away with strategies that address scaffolding rigorous formative/summative assessments, helping students with their executive function gaps, and providing a classroom environment that allows students to thrive and want to continue to take advanced classes.

Breakout C: What Does It Mean to Be Rural and Gifted? Presenter: Denise Roth. Location: Hancock Room

Rural students are unique; rural gifted learners are a special group. From their farm upbringing, they exhibit skills and talents that may not be exhibited on standardized tests. This session strives to help educators understand rural gifted students better through qualitative data, and support these learners using their backgrounds and interests.

Breakout C: 7th Generation White Eagle Presentation. Location: Dallas Room
Join us to celebrate and be informed how the White Eagle 7th Gen Multicultural Pow Wow works and brings like-minded people together to celebrate diversity and support each other community-wide.

Breakout C: MTSS: Serving Advanced Learners All Day, Every Day Presenter: Kristine Milburn, EdD. Location: Polk Room
MTSS is a “way of doing business,” requiring high quality evidence-based instruction, intervention, and assessment practices to ensure that every student receives the appropriate level of support to be successful. So how do we ensure advanced and gifted learners are included in MTSS plans? How do we ensure these learners receive complex and appropriately paced instruction to meet their needs? We will explore how we can leverage and align MTSS within our systems to help teachers collaborate and organize resources to enable every child to successfully reach his/her fullest potential.

Breakout D: Engage with ITAG: Become a More Active Participant in YOUR Professional Organization Presenter: Michelle Anderson. Location: Marion Room
Interested in becoming more involved in ITAG and perhaps even becoming a board of director?Do you use our website as a resource? Learn about how you can become more engaged as a member in your professional organization. 

Breakout D: In the Name of Equity: Understanding Your GT Program Demographics Presenter: Kyra Wilcox-Conley. Location: Clayton Room
In order for gifted students to be served all day, every day, we first have to find them, and then design services to maximize their learning. Do you need access to your district’s demographic data, both in the general population AND in your gifted and talented program? Knowledge is power, and this session aims to provide districts with demographic information upon which they can begin to have systems level conversations about equity in program identification.

Breakout D: That’s Genius! Genius Hour with Talented and Gifted Students Presenter: Jenny Clabaugh. Location: Webster Room
Learn about the genius of Genius Hour and learn how to implement it with your students! Ideal for upper elementary levels and beyond, this session explores the Genius Hour framework, highlighting its benefits for talented and gifted students. You`ll see examples of student work from each of the six steps adapted from Genius Hour in the Classroom by Andi McNair, and participate in a condensed version of the first three steps. Walk away with practical strategies and tools to inspire student-driven learning and creativity in your classroom.

Breakout D: Take Action Through Advocacy Presenters: Kathy Paul, Valerie Thacker. Location: Hancock Room
Now, more than ever, it is vital to educate others regarding the need for gifted education. How can teachers, parents, and others be proactive in making the needs of our children understood by those who are making decisions? Let’s explore strategies that have been successful in the past and those that are working right now. For example: Parent groups are often non-existent, but there is power in numbers. How do we ensure all staff see the value of differentiation and appropriate programming? What are some positive actions you can take to ensure that our advanced learners thrive? In this session, you will hear from the voices of teachers, parents, administrators and gifted students what has worked and how you can replicate this in your community. Exchange ideas with your colleagues and be ready to take away ideas that can become actions.

Breakout D: Gifted Grown Ups: Empowering Gifted Children and Youth to Navigate Adult Life Presenter: Sally Beisser, PhD. Location: Shelby Room
There is alarmingly limited research on gifted adults while there is much research on identification and needs of gifted children. This session will summarize three classic longitudinal studies on gifted grownups. Participants will receive a handout of 41 traits of gifted adults, learn about long term support needed by gifted grown-ups, and discover knowledge and skills to empower gifted children to navigate adult life.

Breakout D: Iowa STEM as a Resources for Your Classroom Presenters: Felicia Murillo and Sarah Derry, PhD. Location: Convention Center
Did you know Iowa STEM has a program to help educators meet learner’s STEM needs in engaging and flexible settings? Come learn about this STEM resource: the Scale up Program available to educators in Iowa and see how these resources could be used in your GT classroom. We will show some examples of last year's materials that were awarded and see how they are being used to challenge students' thinking.  The Scale Up awards, for free, hands-on STEM materials and training, revolves around developing real-world curriculum with Iowa industry partners, summer teacher externships and more.  In this session, participants will have time to explore samples of hands-on STEM materials and leave with strategies to tap into the Iowa STEM menu of programs.  Iowa STEM programs are available to TAG educators, classroom educators, librarians, out-of-school providers, teacher librarians, public librarians, and more, so that STEM engagement and differentiation is available to learners anywhere.

Breakout D: Rock The CASA! Review of the Gifted and Talented Plan Submissions Through the Consolidated Accountability Support Platform Presenter: Molly McConnell. Location: Polk Room
This session focuses on district talented and gifted program plan submissions. This session will review Iowa`s requirements for gifted and talented programs and share the updated guidelines for submitting program plans using the Consolidated Accountability Support Application (CASA).

Session E: Covered Dish: The Gifted Lesson Exchange Presenter: Brian Housand, PhD. Location: Convention Center
Are you looking for some new lesson ideas to “spice” up your students’ learning? In this dynamic and fast paced session, each speaker has up to 6 minutes to “dish” a favorite ready-to-serve lesson. Get ready to fill your plate and your brains with a menu of brand new ideas that you can use when you get back to the classroom tomorrow!

Breakout F: Curiouser & Curiouser: A Few New Adventures in Wonderland Presenter: Brian Housand, PhD. Location: Convention Center
Gifted kids are often very curious creatures. However, many lose sight of this playful nature and instead go in search of the one right answer. In this adventurous session, we will go down the rabbit hole and explore a wonderland of inquiry infused and teacher tested lessons designed to reconnect you and your students with a playful sense of wonder. To paraphrase Socrates, “wonder is the beginning of wisdom”, and it is this wonder that can be a driver for creativity and innovation.

Breakout F: Gifted Program Review Using Gifted Self-Audit and Planner Tool Presenters: Kyra Wilcox-Conley, Kate Boonstra. Location: Marion Room
Review of gifted and talented programs is something we all know we should do, but may not know how to do. Using a Google Sheets-based set of rubrics, we will walk you through how the Gifted Self-Audit and planner can be used to assess the current state of your program and prioritize next steps for continuous improvement. 

Breakout F: Learning From the Belin-Blank Center Recognition Award Winners Presenters: Randolph Lange, PhD, and Mike Keller-Wilson. Location: Polk Room
Help recognize and learn from the awardees of the Belin-Blank Center`s Recognition Award as they discuss what led them to apply, their award-winning projects, and how their innovative efforts are expanding the field of talent development and impacting students. Additionally, presenters will share trends and takeaways from the full field of applications to illustrate the current state of talent development efforts in the state and offer insights for potential future applicants.

Breakout F: Take Action Through Advocacy Presenters: Kathy Paul, Valerie Thacker. Location: Clayton Room
Now, more than ever, it is vital to educate others regarding the need for gifted education. How can teachers, parents, and others be proactive in making the needs of our children understood by those who are making decisions? Let’s explore strategies that have been successful in the past and those that are working right now. For example: Parent groups are often non-existent, but there is power in numbers. How do we ensure all staff see the value of differentiation and appropriate programming? What are some positive actions you can take to ensure that our advanced learners thrive? In this session, you will hear from the voices of teachers, parents, administrators and gifted students what has worked and how you can replicate this in your community. Exchange ideas with your colleagues and be ready to take away ideas that can become actions.

Breakout F: Gifted in the Arts: Recommendations for Implementation Presenter: Andrew Wirtz. Location: Webster Room
Based on recent research done in Iowa, this presentation examines how school districts in Iowa can implement the identification of, and programming for, students who may demonstrate gifts and talents in the visual and/or performing arts. We will discuss why this work is important, how to get over barriers to implementation, and practical steps for the inclusion of the visual and performing arts in gifted programming.

Breakout F: Gifted and High Achieving in High School: Supporting and Scaffolding the Secondary Learner in an ELA Classroom Presenters: Molly Pettit, Michelle Hendricks. Location: Hancock 
High school-gifted kids don't need support in challenging classes- just give them independent study and get out of their way, right? WRONG! In this session, we will share our experiences from 7 years of a collaborative push-in model that provides compacted subject accelerated curriculum while supporting/nagging/loving all the quirks that come with working with gifted teenagers (yes, even freshmen boys)! We will give real-world experiences and participants will walk away with strategies that address scaffolding rigorous formative/summative assessments, helping students with their executive function gaps, and providing a classroom environment that allows students to thrive and want to continue to take advanced classes.

Breakout F: Awesome Advanced Activities for Mentoring Mathematical Minds Presenter: Felicia Murillo. Location: Dallas Room
Who are the mathematically gifted and how do we service these neurodivergent learners in a general education and GT classroom? If you are looking for a new and engaging math curriculum - this is it! This is also a great supplement for those GT teachers who are collaborating in the regular classroom. Project A3 is a supplementary math curriculum full of engaging tasks designed to help teachers navigate the complexities of math enrichment and get kids thinking. The activities encourage students to go beyond basic standards as they reason, question, justify, create, discuss, and write about their thinking. We will discuss successful strategies that allow teachers to offer enrichment tasks to all students (regular classroom and GT class) which provides opportunities for talent development and talent discovery. This session will highlight lessons from grades 3-6 with hands-on interaction of various activities from the books.

Breakout G: Supporting General Education Teachers: Presenting Effective Professional Development Presenter: Denise Roth. Location: Marion Room
This session strives to provide take-away professional development TAG teachers can use in their own districts to work with gen ed teachers and support their own TAG students. Effective professional development throughout the year is crucial, and TAG teachers play a role in helping gen ed teachers understand and support TAG students in gen ed classrooms, especially when there isn't always a set time for a TAG teacher to meet with their students. 

Breakout G: Defining and Designing a Role for a TAG Coordinator at the High School Level Presenter: Danielle Reagle. Location: Clayton Room
Gifted students are gifted all day, everyday. With this knowledge, it is imperative to advocate for the best outcomes for our students, especially as they grow into adulthood. By providing students with appropriate college and career readiness opportunities and aptly helping them navigate their own needs, we are continuing to serve our unique population. Just because our students are often not exhibiting problems and are quite apt at navigating most things, doesn`t mean they don`t need unique support to be successful.

Breakout G: The Power of Puzzles: Inspiring Mathematical Creativity and Confidence Presenter: Alyssa Hanna. Location: Webster Room
Discover new ways to challenge students and facilitate their problem solving, critical thinking, and creative reasoning! In this hands-on session, explore strategies for going deeper into elementary math topics, and try solving some engaging puzzles to use with your students! Beast Academy accelerates depth and complexity in non-routine problems – a research-based approach that shows improved math performance, increased confidence, and excitement about mathematics, for students from all backgrounds. Participants will walk away with new resources to use with students.

Breakout G: National History Day: Rights and Responsibilities Presenter: Hanna Howard. Location: Hancock Room
Get to know your new favorite project-based learning framework, National History Day! This session will highlight Iowa's NHD program and explore the 2025 theme, "Rights and Responsibilities in History," in depth. Attendees will walk away with resources to help jump-start NHD at their schools and an adaptable classroom activity that's perfect for teaching topics in social studies, including Iowa history, politics, and civics.

Breakout G: Evidence-Based Curriculum and Best Practices for Gifted and Talented Students Presenter: Kate Boonstra. Location: Dallas Room
Be advised: this session will not be a sit-and-get! In this interactive session, you’ll participate in a model lesson from a student’s perspective. Experience evidence-based curriculum specifically designed for gifted students, and leave with ideas to foster growth in both your teaching practice and your students’ learning.

Breakout G: Taylor Swift, A Supermarket, & The Saguaro Cactus OR 13 Lessons About Talent Development Presenter: Brian Housand, PhD. Location: Polk Room
Yes, you read that right! Taylor Swift, a Supermarket, and the Saguaro Cactus! At first glance, this may seem like a random collection of nouns in a game of Mad Libs, but this person, place, and thing have a great deal to teach us about developing talent in our gifted learners. We will analyze the unique characteristics of each and discover some practical strategies to incorporate in your learning environment.

Breakout H: Using Strength-Based Ability Data to Ensure Equitable Identification and Guide Instruction For All Students Presenter: Christina Jordan. Location: Marion Room
Riverside Insights: By applying a strengths-based ability approach, educators are empowered to meet the educational needs of all students, including those who are gifted, emergent bilingual newcomers, and those in special and general education. This approach supports academic growth and leads to more meaningful and effective educational outcomes. Using a strengths-based method allows educators to determine individualized placements and educational plans that consider students` skills, such as complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning. This data-driven approach enhances equity in program placements and tiered instruction. Utilizing ability data supports instructional strategies that build on students` strengths while addressing areas for growth.

Breakout H: What "The Anxious Generation" Means for Gifted Education Presenter: Bradi Darrah, PhD. Location: Clayton Room
John Haidt's book The Anxious Generation quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller and has generated significant discussion among parents and educators. But what does Haidt's message mean for gifted students? This session will offer an overview of Haidt's findings and claims, and explore how they relate to key texts in the gifted field: Living with Intensity by Michael Piechowski and Susan Daniels, and The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children by Maureen Neihart. No need to have read any of these texts to join!

Breakout H: Teaching Kids How to Think, Not What to Think, With the Help of Effective Problem-Solving Skills Presenter: Linda Zillig. Location: Webster Room
E. Paul Torrance developed Future Problem Solving (FPS) for students to practice creative problem-solving strategies that address complex community problems and futuristic topics. These creative problem-solving strategies are part of a process that students of all ages can use today (and tomorrow) to be more proactive and problem solve challenges of today and the future for a positive change. The goals of this session are to empower you (and your students) to actively use this six-step problem-solving process and to find ways you can apply this process as a part of the curriculum you already teach! Laughter and stories are also included!

Breakout H: Bright Vs. Gifted:  What Can We Take into the Future? Presenter: Laurie Croft, PhD. Location: Shelby Room
In 1989, Challenge Magazine published two columns of descriptors; the editor labeled one column “gifted” and the other “bright.”  The author hadn’t provided the labels, nor had she done research to suggest that either list was more or less descriptive of gifted students.  Nevertheless, the list has become very popular, and teachers sometimes admit they don’t really want those kids who are “just” bright in their gifted programs.  The words in the columns don’t distinguish between “truly” gifted students; they seem correlated to personality types.  This presentation will explain why our language from the past can confuse our programmatic goals. “Bright vs Gifted” hurts advanced learners, especially those who are well-adjusted and more autonomous, often girls.  This presentation will consider better ways of understanding differences among gifted learners, as well as supporting their academic and socio-emotional development.

Breakout H: Javits Grants at the Belin-Blank Center: Linking Talents with Career Options Presenters: Megan Foley-Nicpon, PhD; Susan Assouline, PhD; Saba Ali, PhD; Duhita Mahatmya, PhD; Emily Ladendorf; Katie Schabilion, PhD. Location: Polk Room
With the support of Jacob K. Javits funding, the Belin-Blank Center has developed a talent discovery and career exploration program for students typically underrepresented in advanced education programs. In this presentation, we will discuss some results from the first grant that ended in 2023 as well as details of the current grant, which has a focus on twice-exceptional learners.

Breakout H: Building Your Gifted Toolkit, 2.0 Presenter: Felicia Murillo. Location: Dallas Room
I'm baaaaack! Another year, another round of resources to share. What does a day in the life of a GT teacher look like? In this session attendees will get an overview of resources used in the GT classroom as well as ones shared with classroom teachers to help differentiate instruction. Resources shared will revolve around warmups, math, reading, project ideas, writing, STEM and other great thinking games. We will save time at the end for you to share your favorites, so come with your ideas. Oh and don't forget - we will be raffling off prizes from some of the companies whose resources I am sharing.

Breakout H: High School Elective for Gifted and High-Achieving Students - Make It Work! Presenter: Michelle Hendricks. Location: Hancock Room
Are you looking for a way to provide real gifted services to your gifted high school students? Advanced courses and optional meetings are not enough-consider adding a TAG elective course that focuses on high-quality independent study projects! Learn how you can easily align with an NAGC standard, create a routine that supports many types of learning, and see real examples of practice and performance (or formative and summative) assignments.

Breakout I: Academic Decathlon: Best Decision Ever! Presenter: Kerrie Michael, Matt Tracy. Location: Marion Room
This is the program you and your students don’t even know you need. We will introduce you to Academic Decathlon and provide information and strategies for you to take back to your school districts and administrators to begin your own successful program. The benefits for students (and teachers) go far beyond the competitions themselves. Academic Decathlon isn’t just for those who have mastered the game of school, it is for everyone - even those hard-to-reach underachieving gifted students and complex twice-exceptional students. Come and see what it’s all about - your students will thank you for years to come.

Breakout I: CRISPA: A Framework for Promoting Artistic Ways of Knowing with Talented and Gifted Learners Presenter: Todd Hodgkinson, PhD. Location: Clayton Room
C.R.I.S.P.A is a research-based framework (Urmacher, McConnell, Conrad, 2022) that integrates the themes of Connections, Risk-Taking, Imagination, Sensory Experience, Perceptivity, and Active Engagement into teaching and learning with the intention of promoting artistic ways of knowing and doing. The purpose of this session is to introduce participants to this framework and illustrate how it can benefit talented and gifted learners.

Breakout I: Empowering Educators: Partnering With Parents to Support Gifted Students Presenters: Jenny Clabaugh, Jordan Edgerly. Location: Webster Room
This breakout session will equip K-12 educators with the knowledge and strategies to effectively communicate and collaborate with parents of talented and gifted (TAG) students. Participants will engage in interactive discussions to understand what parents want and need to know about their TAG children, explore best practices for parent communication, and develop practical tools to support students` unique educational needs both at school and at home. By the end of the session, educators will gain insights into parental perspectives, learn effective communication techniques, and create a comprehensive `resource file` to educate and empower parents of TAG students.

Breakout I: ITAG Board of Directors: Hot Seat, AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) Presenters: Michelle Hendricks, Denise Roth, Kristine Milburn, EdD, Brittany Schofield, Nicole Holman Lankelma Location: Shelby Room
We have assembled a panel of ITAG Board of Director members with a range of experiences and backgrounds in the field.  Audience members are welcome to bring their challenges, questions, and goals to present as questions - sharing from the audience is welcome, too!

Breakout I: Empowering Gifted Minds: The Power of Cross-Age Mentorship Presenters: Michelle Anderson, Erin Hoffman. Location: Hancock Room
We will explore relationships where older gifted students guide younger gifted peers to foster learning, social skills, and personal growth for both mentors and mentees.

Breakout I: Lore From Gifted Land: Part 1 Presenters: Kate Boonstra, Molly McConnell, Kyra Wilcox-Conley. Location: Polk Room
lore, (noun): a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth. Have you ever heard a piece of information about gifted education and wondered if it's really right, or it's just lore being handed down? Molly, Kyra, and Kate will help you set the record straight with common examples and the research-backed truth.

Breakout J: Hands-On, Hands-In Presenters: Varied. Location: Convention Center
Still interested in exploring how technology and hands-on activities can be integrated into your G/T program? The presenters will be available for you to try out the tools and technology they use in their programs. Turing Tumblers, Micro Bits, Dash and Dots, OzoBots, assorted visual-spatial puzzles and games will be available to test out.

Breakout J: Graduate Credit Session Presenters: Todd Hodgkinson, PhD & Jolene Teske, EdD. Location: Marion Room
Missed Monday’s session about receiving graduate credits for the ITAG annual conference?  Stop by and get information and registration information from Drake University Professor Dr. Hodgkinson or University of Iowa Professor Jolene Teske, EdD. More info found here.

Breakout J: Mentors/Mentees. Presenters: Consultation format. Location: Clayton Room
Mentors will connect with you to discuss potential next steps following your recent learning experiences. They will schedule virtual meetings, answer any questions, and provide personalized support tailored to your individual needs.

Breakout J: Lore From Gifted Land: Part 2…The One Where They Have Q & A Presenters: Molly McConnell, Kyra Wilcox-Conley, Kate Boonstra. Location: Polk Room
You’ve heard the Lore, now the floor will be open for audience questions.