2025 Kansas MTSS & Alignment Symposium

In this interactive session, district and building leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers will explore the critical difference between student compliance and authentic engagement. Are students simply following directions, or are they truly invested in their learning experiences? Together, we’ll examine how to recognize the signs of true engagement and move beyond surface-level participation.  Participants will engage in collaborative activities, reflective discussions, and practical planning to identify strategies that foster deeper learning and ownership. Whether you are leading classrooms, coaching educators, or shaping school and district practices, you’ll leave with clear, actionable ideas to strengthen engagement at every level.

The USD 241 district leadership team will present how we strategically designed and implemented a comprehensive, system-wide Reading MTSS framework across K-12. We will share how we adopted and implemented a new, evidence-based reading curriculum, refined our data practices to drive more precise and responsive instruction compared to previous years, and introduced a building-wide vocabulary initiative at the secondary level to enhance academic language development. Additionally, we will outline how we structured WIN (What I Need) time across all grade levels to provide targeted intervention and enrichment opportunities, ensuring every student's needs are met within the MTSS framework.

Using assessments to improve student learning involves more than simply administering “formative” assessments. It requires teachers to make well-designed classroom assessments an integral part of the instructional process. This presentation describes how teachers can develop clear learning targets, gather useful information on students’ performance, offer effective feedback to guide improvements in teaching and learning, and then accurately document students’ learning progress. Participants will learn how to use classroom assessments as effective learning tools, how to integrate performance assessments with more traditional assessment methods, how to align assessment procedures with important learning goals, and how these procedures will allow them to better meet the needs of diverse learners.

Guskey, T. R. (Ed.) (2025). The Teacher as Assessment Leader (2nd ed.).Solution Tree.
Guskey, T. R. (2023). Implementing Mastery Learning (3rd ed.). Corwin.
Guskey, T. R., & Jung, L. A. (2013). Answers to Essential Questions about Standards, Assessments, Grading, and Reporting. Corwin.
Guskey, T. R. (Ed.) (2009). The Principal as Assessment Leader. Solution Tree.
Guskey, T. R. (2026). Evaluating Professional Learning (2nd ed.). Corwin.
Guskey, T. R., Roy, P., & Von Frank, V. (2014). Reaching the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Data. Corwin & Learning Forward.

School leaders struggle with problems in their efforts to reform grading and reporting that could have been anticipated and avoided. This presentation describes three crucial prerequisites, supported by research evidence, that eliminate those problems and help bring honesty and integrity to the grading process. These steps provide the necessary foundation for implementing grading policies and practices that prioritize students’ best interests, facilitate communication between school and home, and make grades honest, accurate, meaningful, and equitable.

Guskey, T. R. (2024). Engaging Parents’ and Families in Grading Reforms. Corwin Press.
Guskey, T. R., Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2024). Grading with Integrity. Corwin Press.
Guskey, T. R. (2020). Get Set, Go! Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems. Solution Tree.
Guskey, T. R., & Brookhart, S. M. (Eds.) (2019). What We Know About Grading: What Works,
What Doesn’t, and What’s Next? ASCD.
Guskey, T. R. (2015). On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting.
Solution Tree.

Professional learning leaders today must show what they do makes a difference. Stakeholders at all levels want to know if investments in professional learning truly result in improvement in the practices of educators and, ultimately, in the performance of students. This presentation explores factors that contribute to the effectiveness of professional learning and outlines the vital levels of professional learning evaluation. The use and appropriate application of these levels are described, along with procedures for establishing reliable indicators of success during professional learning planning. Participants will learn how to apply research findings to design and implement more effective professional learning activities, how to gather quantitative and qualitative evidence on effects, and how to present that evidence in meaningful ways.

Guskey, T. R. (2026). Evaluating Professional Learning (2nd ed.). Corwin.
Guskey, T. R., Roy, P., & Von Frank, V. (2014). Reaching the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Data. Corwin & Learning Forward.

Using assessments to improve student learning involves more than simply administering “formative” assessments. It requires teachers to make well-designed classroom assessments an integral part of the instructional process. This presentation describes how teachers can develop clear learning targets, gather useful information on students’ performance, offer effective feedback to guide improvements in teaching and learning, and then accurately document students’ learning progress. Participants will learn how to use classroom assessments as effective learning tools, how to integrate performance assessments with more traditional assessment methods, how to align assessment procedures with important learning goals, and how these procedures will allow them to better meet the needs of diverse learners.

Guskey, T. R. (Ed.) (2025). The Teacher as Assessment Leader (2nd ed.).Solution Tree.
Guskey, T. R. (2023). Implementing Mastery Learning (3rd ed.). Corwin.
Guskey, T. R., & Jung, L. A. (2013). Answers to Essential Questions about Standards, Assessments, Grading, and Reporting. Corwin.
Guskey, T. R. (Ed.) (2009). The Principal as Assessment Leader. Solution Tree.
Guskey, T. R. (2026). Evaluating Professional Learning (2nd ed.). Corwin.
Guskey, T. R., Roy, P., & Von Frank, V. (2014). Reaching the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Data. Corwin & Learning Forward.

School leaders struggle with problems in their efforts to reform grading and reporting that could have been anticipated and avoided. This presentation describes three crucial prerequisites, supported by research evidence, that eliminate those problems and help bring honesty and integrity to the grading process. These steps provide the necessary foundation for implementing grading policies and practices that prioritize students’ best interests, facilitate communication between school and home, and make grades honest, accurate, meaningful, and equitable.

Guskey, T. R. (2024). Engaging Parents’ and Families in Grading Reforms. Corwin Press.
Guskey, T. R., Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2024). Grading with Integrity. Corwin Press.
Guskey, T. R. (2020). Get Set, Go! Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems. Solution Tree.
Guskey, T. R., & Brookhart, S. M. (Eds.) (2019). What We Know About Grading: What Works,
What Doesn’t, and What’s Next? ASCD.
Guskey, T. R. (2015). On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting.
Solution Tree.

This is an opportunity to ask your questions in an informal Q & A session.

Launched in 2024 through a joint collaboration with KSDE, Kansas MTSS & Alignment, Dr. Sarah Powell, and Dr. Bradley Witzel, the Kansas Math Project (KMP) has reached 1100+ participants from across Kansas. The project aims to deepen teachers’ understanding of math content and expand their knowledge of evidence-based teaching strategies via both in-person and asynchronously through the Moodle learning platform. Attend this session to receive an overview of the project, receive information about how to get started, learn how districts have scaled the work, and get answers to your questions!

Professional learning leaders today must show what they do makes a difference. Stakeholders at all levels want to know if investments in professional learning truly result in improvement in the practices of educators and, ultimately, in the performance of students. This presentation explores factors that contribute to the effectiveness of professional learning and outlines the vital levels of professional learning evaluation. The use and appropriate application of these levels are described, along with procedures for establishing reliable indicators of success during professional learning planning. Participants will learn how to apply research findings to design and implement more effective professional learning activities, how to gather quantitative and qualitative evidence on effects, and how to present that evidence in meaningful ways.

Guskey, T. R. (2026). Evaluating Professional Learning (2nd ed.). Corwin.
Guskey, T. R., Roy, P., & Von Frank, V. (2014). Reaching the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Data. Corwin & Learning Forward.