Aledo ISD Empower 2026: Full Schedule

Welcome to Aledo ISD’s Summer Learning Academy!

2:45pm CDT

Better Together: The Art of the Teacher-Paraprofessional Partnership

Thursday May 28, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Go behind the scenes of a special education classroom to explore the exact policies, schedules, and daily routines that turn a teacher-para relationship into a powerhouse team. Learn how to align your duties and plans to create a seamless environment where both staff and students thrive.

Speakers

Kelli Gardner

Kaitlin Phillips

Resource and Co-Teach Special Education Teacher, Aledo ISD

Thursday May 28, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT
A107

Classroom Management

Audience Special Education Teachers
Subject Special Education
Credit 1.5hr., CPE, FLEX

2:45pm CDT

Master Your Alternative Curriculum

LIMITED

Thursday May 28, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT

A101

Limited Capacity seats available

Go beyond the basics in this hands-on workshop for teachers implementing an alternative curriculum. Learn to leverage data, customize lessons, and strategically use all available curriculum tools and supplemental resources.

Speakers

Chelsea Folts

Thursday May 28, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT
A101

Special Education

Audience Special Education Teachers
Subject Teach Town
Credit 1.5hr., CPE, FLEX

8:30am CDT

Building Collaborative Relationships with Parents for Successful IEP Meetings

LIMITED

Friday May 29, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT

A101

Limited Capacity seats available

Communicating effectively with challenging parents and ensuring their meaningful involvement in the preparation for their child’s upcoming IEP meeting.

Speakers

Terry Alexander

Friday May 29, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT
A101

Special Education

Audience Special Education Teachers, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th
Credit 1.5hr., CPE, FLEX

8:30am CDT

Using Technology in a SPED World

LIMITED

Friday May 29, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT

B107

Limited Capacity seats available

This session will focus on efficiency tools for special education teachers. It will discuss using tech-savvy strategies to streamline ARD preparation, data collection, progress monitoring, lesson planning, and overall organization.

Speakers

Tiffany Burris

Friday May 29, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT
B107

Special Education

Audience Special Education Teachers
Credit 1.5hr., CPE, FLEX

1:00pm CDT

PLAAFP Glow-Ups: From ‘It Works’ to ‘This Drives Instruction"

LIMITED

Friday May 29, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

B202

Limited Capacity seats available

Writing a compliant PLAAFP is one thing—writing a high-quality PLAAFP that truly drives instruction and strong IEPs is another. This session is designed to help special education teachers move beyond “acceptable” present levels and toward clear, meaningful, and instructionally aligned PLAAFPs.

Drawing on state-recognized practices, participants will examine what separates effective PLAAFPs from those that merely meet compliance. Through clear examples and nonexamples, educators will learn how to connect student data, strengths, and needs to instruction and goal development in a way that is both defensible and usable in the classroom.

Teachers will leave with practical tools, sentence structures, and models they can immediately apply to their own caseloads—making PLAAFP writing smarter, more efficient, and more impactful for both IEP teams and students.

Speakers

Valerie Whitehead

Special Education Collaborative Teacher

With 24 years of experience in education, I’ve has the opportunity to teach students from kindergarten through 8th grade in various roles, including kindergarten teacher, 4th grade departmentalized and self-contained, physical education coach, middle school math teacher for both... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
B202

Special Education

Audience Special Education Teachers
Credit 1.5hr., CPE, FLEX

2:45pm CDT

Special Programs Curriculum Resources: A Deep Dive into Lexia, TouchMath, Diffit, & More!

LIMITED

Friday May 29, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT

B104

Limited Capacity seats available

We will spend time reviewing all the curriculum resources that are provided to special programs teachers. We will look at resources for math, ELAR, social skills and behavior support, AI tools, and discover practical and useful ways to integrate these into your instruction.

Please bring a device for some hands-on activities.

Speakers

Vicki Boring

Professional Learning Facilitator, Lexia Learning

Katie Tonemah

Friday May 29, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT
B104

Special Education

Audience Special Education Teachers
Credit 1.5hr., CPE, FLEX

2:45pm CDT

2:45pm CDT

8:30am CDT

8:30am CDT

1:00pm CDT

2:45pm CDT

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