ENGAGE 2026 Professional Learning Conference: Full Schedule

Lunch Options or Bring Lunch for Game Show theme Party happening in the Student Union!

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8:30am CDT

Getting Students to Write with Clarity and Strength 3-12 in ALL Contents

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT

This session, curriculum and instruction thought leader, Dr. Donyall D. Dickey, is designed todeepen participants’ knowledge of the critical components of high-quality, standards-informed writing instruction across grade levels and content areas. Through a blend of research-based theory and practical application, the session will address essential instructional elements that shape students into competent and confident writers.
Throughout the session, participants will gain insight to actionable strategies to support the planning, delivery, and evaluation of writing instruction. Emphasis will be placed on ensuring alignment with state standards and curricular expectations across all content areas, not limited to English language arts. Educators will leave the session equipped to lead writing instruction that is rigorous, relevant, and developmentally appropriate—empowering students to express knowledge effectively and meet academic benchmarks with confidence.

Presenters

Donyall Dickey

CEO and Lead Consultant, Educational Epiphany

Donyall D. Dickey, Ed.D. is a nationally recognized authority on curriculum, instruction, organizational
development, and district improvement. Unparalleled levels of student achievement and school improvement
distinguish Dr. Dickey's 20+ year career as an educational leader. Dr. D... Read More →

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT
Rm. 1109 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Instruction, All Contents

Audience Secondary
TOPIC Content Literacy

8:30am CDT

Score a Touchdown with Authentic Text Interaction! - Secondary

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT

Rm. 806 - Northwest High School

Come engage with the critical thinking of our comprehension & response TEKS as we intentionally interact with texts. Leave with resources, ideas, and strategies to use with any text!

Presenters

Tosh McGaughy

Educational Consultant, Tosh McGaughy LLC

(say it Mc-GOY)
I am a certified English teacher who enjoys learning & sharing about literacy, leadership, assessment, curriculum design, & school improvement. I share free TEKS-based resources on my website: www.tinyurl.com/ToshShares

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT
Rm. 806 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Instruction, ELA

Audience Secondary
TOPIC Content Literacy

8:30am CDT

Hands-On ADI Exploration: Unveiling 6th Grade Science Labs!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT

Rm. 801 - Northwest High School

Experience 6th grade curriculum-embedded ADI labs firsthand during this interactive session. Gain insights into your students' perspectives as you participate in the labs, helping you better understand their needs and plan dynamic learning experiences.

Presenters

Helen Wright

Instructional Coach, Northwest ISD

Courtney Toht

Secondary Science Instructional Coach

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 10:00am CDT
Rm. 801 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Planning, Science | Instruction, Science

Audience Secondary
TOPIC Content Literacy

8:30am CDT

Game Plan for Great Collections

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 11:45am CDT

Rm. 1115 - Northwest High School

Step onto the field with a winning strategy for building and maintaining a dynamic, student-centered library collection. In this session, school librarians will develop a clear “game plan” for collection development by examining current data, identifying gaps, and aligning selections with student interests, curriculum needs, and district priorities.Participants will explore practical strategies for evaluating and weeding collections, diversifying titles, and staying responsive to evolving student needs. Using real-world scenarios and collaborative discussion, librarians will learn how to balance budgets, prioritize purchases, and ensure their collections remain relevant, inclusive, and engaging for all learners.Leave with actionable plays you can implement immediately—so your library collection is not just in the game, but winning it.

Presenters

Jamie Eikenberry

Secondary Librarian, Northwest ISD

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 11:45am CDT
Rm. 1115 - Northwest High School 2301 Texan Dr, Justin, TX 76247, USA

Planning, Library

Audience All Levels
TOPIC Content Literacy

10:15am CDT

Revising Skills for the Win!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:45am CDT

Rm. 806 - Northwest High School

Come explore the skills tested from the Writing Process TEKS in the STAAR Revising passages. Leave with ideas, lessons, and resources to use in any unit to engage students in thinking like writers!

Presenters

Tosh McGaughy

Educational Consultant, Tosh McGaughy LLC

Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:45am CDT
Rm. 806 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Instruction, ELA

Audience Elementary
TOPIC Content Literacy

10:15am CDT

Hands-On ADI Exploration: Unveiling 7th Grade Science Labs!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:45am CDT

Rm. 801 - Northwest High School

Experience 7th grade curriculum-embedded ADI labs firsthand during this interactive session. Gain insights into your students' perspectives as you participate in the labs, helping you better understand their needs and plan dynamic learning experiences.

Presenters

Helen Wright

Instructional Coach, Northwest ISD

Courtney Toht

Secondary Science Instructional Coach

Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:45am CDT
Rm. 801 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Planning, Science | Instruction, Science

Audience Secondary
TOPIC Content Literacy

1:00pm CDT

DAEP All the Things!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Rm. 1106 - Northwest High School

An update of last year's session that was well attended and well received: A session for any elementary or secondary staff who want to know more about what we do at DAEP. We are a support campus and our mission is to teach in all aspects. We will discuss our routines and procedures of course. But more importantly, we will discuss how we try to have our classrooms mirror those of the home campus, through restorative practices, our behavior framework, and through alignment with the district scope and sequence.

Presenters

Diana Foster

Principal, Northwest ISD

Rhett King

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Rm. 1106 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Instruction, All Contents

Audience All Levels
TOPIC Content Literacy

1:00pm CDT

Read It Like a Scientist: Teaching Students to Break Down Complex Text

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Rm. 1115 - Northwest High School

In this interactive session, teachers will step into the role of students to experience what it truly means to “read like a scientist.” Participants will engage in hands-on strategies that break down complex science texts into manageable, meaningful chunks. Through modeling, guided practice, and collaborative discussion, teachers will learn how to help students annotate with purpose, identify key information, and make sense of challenging vocabulary and diagrams. Teachers will actively practice annotation strategies, analyze sample student responses, and transform traditional reading tasks into engaging, standards-aligned learning experiences. By the end of the session, participants will walk away with ready-to-use tools, sentence stems, and classroom strategies that support comprehension, critical thinking, and success on rigorous assessments like STAAR.

Presenters

Jenna Winter

Valerie Sims

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Rm. 1115 - Northwest High School 2301 Texan Dr, Justin, TX 76247, USA

Instruction, Science

Audience All Levels
TOPIC Content Literacy

1:00pm CDT

Score a Touchdown with Authentic Text Interaction! - Elementary

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Rm. 806 - Northwest High School

Come engage with the critical thinking of our comprehension & response TEKS as we intentionally interact with texts. Leave with resources, ideas, and strategies to use with any text!

Presenters

Tosh McGaughy

Educational Consultant, Tosh McGaughy LLC

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Rm. 806 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Instruction, ELA

Audience Elementary
TOPIC Content Literacy

1:00pm CDT

Hands-On ADI Exploration: Unveiling 8th Grade Science Labs!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Rm. 801 - Northwest High School

Experience 8th grade curriculum-embedded ADI labs firsthand during this interactive session. Gain insights into your students' perspectives as you participate in the labs, helping you better understand their needs and plan dynamic learning experiences.

Presenters

Helen Wright

Instructional Coach, Northwest ISD

Courtney Toht

Secondary Science Instructional Coach

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Rm. 801 - Northwest High School Northwest High School, 2301 Texan Drive, Justin, TX 76247

Planning, Science | Instruction, Science

Audience Secondary
TOPIC Content Literacy

1:00pm CDT

Summer Garage Library: No Offseason for Reading!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Rm. 1121 - Northwest High School

As advertised: a library...in a garage...during the summer. The Summer Garage Library is our family's way of building a community of readers in our neighborhood for the past 8 years. Learn about our innovative approach to encourage and support reading during the summer. Includes a book tasting of the 2026-27 Texas Bluebonnet book selections, so you can be ready to share and book talk these texts with your students.

Presenters

Brian Droege

4th Grade Teacher, Kay Granger Elementary School

Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Rm. 1121 - Northwest High School 2301 Texan Dr, Justin, TX 76247, USA

Professional Practices & Responsibilities, ELA

Audience Elementary
TOPIC Content Literacy

2:45pm CDT

Hit the Bench- Relaxation and Resetting the Mind Through Art

Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT

Rm. ART 711 -Northwest High School

We will focus on meditation, mindfulness, and well-being with a "Black Out Poetry" session where we will recycle book pages to create a poetic work of art with inks and watercolors. All materials will be supplied. Cross Curricular Visual Art with Language Arts.

Presenters

Adriane Lovern

HS Art, Northwest ISD

Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT
Rm. ART 711 -Northwest High School 2301 Texan Dr, Justin, TX 76247, USA

Instruction, All Contents

Audience All Levels
TOPIC Content Literacy

2:45pm CDT

Hands-On ADI Exploration: Unveiling Biology and Chemistry Science Labs!

Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT

Rm. 801 - Northwest High School

Experience Biology curriculum-embedded ADI labs firsthand during this interactive session. Gain insights into your students' perspectives as you participate in the labs, helping you better understand their needs and plan dynamic learning experiences.

Presenters