2025 Utah Rural Schools Conference: Full Schedule

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Full URSA 2025 Session Schedule will be published here NO LATER than June 1. Please check back soon!

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9:45am MDT

Diffusing Defiance- Navigating Resistance Effectively

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT

Room #145

What to Do When All You Hear is, “No!”in this presentation, participants will discover effective behavioral strategies to navigate and transform resistance into cooperation. Attendees will learn a basic understanding in why this behavior occurs, how to reframe objections, use positive reinforcement, and build rapport to create a more collaborative environment. By the end, they will be equipped with practical tools to foster understanding and encourage positive outcomes in challenging interactions.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Not Applicable

Speakers

Katie Clark

BCBA, School Psychologist Intern, NUES - Northern Utah Educational Services

Educational Background: EdS- School Psychology BYU (August 2025) , MA Applied Behavior Analysis – Ball State University – Muncie, IN, BA Psychology – Flagler College – St. Augustine, FL Licensed BCBA for NUES Hobbies & Interests: Soccer, Skiing, Camping, Mtn. Biking, Cooking... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Room #145 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track School-based Mental & Behavioral Health
Subject Area Special Education, Mental/Behavioral Health
Audience All of the above
Grade Level All Grade Levels

9:45am MDT

How to Solve the AI Plagiarism Problem: Process over Product

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT

Room #233

ChatGPT spawned the massive issue of "AI plagiarism." Research shows 44% of secondary students are likely to use AI to do their schoolwork instead of doing it themselves. AI detectors fail to reliably catch this problem. What to do? Assess writing as a process, not just the paper! Scrible prevents AI plagiarism by making the entire writing process visible to teachers. It does for writing what we've always asked students to do in math - show your work. Come learn how this pedagogically sound approach - “process over product” - safeguards authentic learning and academic integrity.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Not Applicable

Speakers

Shilpa Duvoor

Head of Customer Success, Scrible

Shilpa has over 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, school leader, leadership coach, and a customer success leader in edtech startups. She has worked with innovative ed tech companies and districts all over the United States. She is the Head of Customer Success at Scrible... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Room #233 1759 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology, Leadership, Instructional Coaching, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs & PLNs), Digital Citizenship & Media Literacy
Subject Area Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Special Education
Audience All of the above
Grade Level Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

Adding in AI for Accessibility with Google Tools

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #131

This session explores how to leverage AI-powered features within Google tools to enhance accessibility for all students. Attendees will learn how to utilize tools MusicFX, Say What You See, Notebook LM, and Google Learn to create an inclusive classroom environment. The session will cover practical strategies such as voice typing for students with writing difficulties, AI-powered translation tools for multilingual learners, and accessibility features in NotebookLM to support all learners. Additionally, learners will see how to incorporate Google's AI experiments into everyday instruction to support all learners. Participants will leave with actionable tips on how to integrate these tools into daily classroom routines, ensuring every student can engage with learning materials effectively.

NOTE: This session repeats on Wednesday, July 9 at 2:50 pm in the Lecture Hall.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Emma Moss

DTL Specialist, Canyons SD

Emma's main role is as a Digital Teaching and Learning Specialist and AI Project Co-Lead in Canyons School District. Emma also currently serves as the Artificial Intelligence for K-12 Education Program Director. In addition to her current roles, Emma Moss founded the Utah AI Collaborative... Read More →

Kelli Cannon

Digital Learning Specialist, Jordan School District

Kelli Cannon has been an educator for twelve years, teaching upper elementary students prior to her current role as a Digital Learning Specialist. Kelli is a Utah Teacher Fellow and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology, as well as endorsements in Teaching English as... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #131 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Hands-On-Activities, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology
Subject Area Special Education, Media Literacy
Audience All of the above
Grade Level All Grade Levels

11:00am MDT

Adventure Awaits: Guiding Students with Disabilities to Postschool Success

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #135

Join us for an exciting session packed with valuable information and resources for educators, youth with disabilities, and families preparing for the transition to adulthood. Transitioning from in-school to post school settings can be a thrilling journey for students with disabilities. We'll dive into the positive predictors of postschool success and explore how these insights can pave the way for a bright future.
We'll break down the postsecondary transition process requirements as detailed in IDEA (2004) in a clear and engaging manner. One of the key steps in the IDEA process is connecting students to outside agencies. We'll highlight how transitioning to adulthood is a team effort, involving not just special educators but a whole community of support, along with a variety of community-based experiences to close gaps and provide robust services to prepare for further education, employment, and independent living.
Our discussion will also cover the specific skills students need to succeed in postschool settings, including education, employment, and independent living. We'll introduce a fantastic tool developed in collaboration with the Utah State Board of Education and local institutions of higher education, which identifies critical skills for success.
Finally, we'll share a treasure trove of resources to help stakeholders navigate the postsecondary transition process in productive and meaningful ways. Get ready to explore several padlets filled with local and national resources and Utah’s new postsecondary transition website designed to support educators and families alike.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Crystal Emery

SSIP and Secondary Transition Specialist for Students with Disabilities, Utah State Board of Education

Crystal Emery, PhD is a secondary transition professional with over 25 years of experience working with young children and adolescents. She is certified as an early intervention specialist, a Coach for Early Childhood Professionals, an Employment Specialist, and a Customized Employment... Read More →

Deanna Taylor

Postsecondary Transition Specialist, Utah State Board of Education

Deanna Taylor, M.S., M.Ed., is a Postsecondary Transition Specialist at the Utah State Board of Education. Her public education career has spanned more than 40 years as a music teacher, special education teacher, special education director and college instructor. Deanna has master’s... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #135 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Other
Subject Area Special Education, Other
Audience Teachers, Counselors or School-based Mental/Behavioral Health Professionals
Grade Level Elementary - grades K - 6, Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

11:00am MDT

HELP! My Students Can't Write...Advancing Thinking Through Writing K-5

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #137

Are your students struggling to write? We will look at the Science of Writing, LETRS strategies, and use a guide to advancing thinking through writing in all subjects and grades. You will leave with a pacing guide and hands on experience for explicitly teaching sentence skills and paragraph skills K-5. We will focus on carefully sequencing instruction, building from sentences to compositions. Using sentence builders, four square writing method, Dr. Anita Archer explicit instruction strategies, and The Writing Revolution you will leave with a clear understanding of how to intentionally plan writing across all subject areas. The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Not Applicable, Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop

Speakers

Amy Mahoney

Prek-12, NUES - Northeastern Utah Educational Services

Amy is a Learning Coach at Northeastern Utah Educational Services that supports PreK-12th grade. Amy provides on-going professional learning for teachers, paraprofessionals, building coaches, administrators and district directors. She engages in coaching cycles, PLCs, and science... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #137 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required., Intermediate - basic core competency; some prerequisite skills required.