Friday, May 15, 2026
-
Instrucción estructurada de la LECTOESCRITURA en español
Sponsored by Werling Nexus (Diamond) Sponsored SessionsAlejandra Benitez Lead
May 15, 9:40am – 10:50am70 minMesquite (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)Show details
Descubre cómo enseñar la lectoescritura en español de forma explícita, sistemática y efectiva. A través de una secuencia progresiva de habilidades —conciencia fonológica, fonética, fluidez, vocabulario, comprensión y escritura— aprenderás a apoyar a los estudiantes desde las etapas iniciales de alfabetización hasta estudiantes mayores con retos en lectoescritura. Los participantes aprenderán a usar evaluaciones y datos para guiar la instrucción y brindar intervenciones efectivas en aulas bilingües. Saldrás con herramientas prácticas que impulsarán la biliteracidad, la confianza académica y un ambiente inclusivo y motivador para todos tus estudiantes. -
EC
Beyond the hype: AI Empowers Campeones del Lenguaje to Rise
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsElmer Castro Lead
May 15, 9:45am – 10:40am55 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in classrooms, yet many bilingual and ESL educators are unsure how to use it in ways that meaningfully support language development and accountability measures such as TELPAS. This session focuses on everyday uses of AI tools (e.g., NotebookLM) to strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing in bilingual, dual language, and ESL settings.
Grounded in translanguaging and culturally sustaining practices, the session demonstrates how AI can function as a language scaffold, not a shortcut, supporting academic language growth. Participants will analyze classroom-ready examples that align to TELPAS proficiency descriptors and preserve instructional rigor and assessment integrity.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies for using AI to amplify student voice, increase access to grade-level content, and center lenguaje, cultura, y comunidad as students continue to rise as campeones de lenguaje. -
ME
Bridging Language and Science in Dual Language Classroom
Effective Instructional Practices in Elementary DLBE ClassroomsMagda Esparza Lead with Nidia Martinez
May 15, 9:45am – 10:40am55 minLa Salle (Level: 1st Floor, Cap 40)Show details
Rigorous science instruction in dual language classrooms requires intentional and systematic language development. This session introduces a research-informed framework for implementing language bridging practices that advance both scientific inquiry and bilingual proficiency from Pre-K through middle school. Drawing on Cummins’ BICS/CALP distinction and the Interdependence Hypothesis, participants will analyze classroom-tested strategies including structured academic discourse routines, bilingual word walls, sentence stems, and purposeful translanguaging practices. Attendees will leave with concrete implementation tools and scalable models to center language, culture, and community as essential drivers of multilingual student achievement. -
ED
From Insight to Impact: Aligning Data, Funding, and Equity
Sponsored by Summit K-12 (Diamond) Sponsored SessionsEricka Avila Dillon Lead
May 15, 9:45am – 10:40am55 minLaurel (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)Show details
Equitable instruction for Emergent Bilingual (EB) students requires more than just good intentions—it requires a data-backed blueprint. In this session, we dive into the "how" of supporting district-wide EB initiatives. We will audit multi-year data trends, map evidence-based resources to specific funding streams, and bridge the gap between financial planning and instructional achievement. Attendees will walk away with a ready-to-use implementation framework that equips them to advocate for EB students and lead their districts toward a more equitable and inclusive future. -
AI + ELPS: Streamlining Instructional Planning for EBs
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsDelia Reveles Gauna Lead
May 15, 10:55am – 12:05pm70 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
This session will demonstrate how to use AI to streamline planning and design instruction that support emergent bilinguals’ language development. By pairing practical AI workflows with explicit ELPS alignment, teachers can produce clear objectives, scaffolded lesson steps, and quick formative checks that elevate instruction and support students’ growth. -
Rising with the Bridge: Becoming Campeones of Cross-Linguistic Transfer
Effective Instructional Practices in Elementary DLBE ClassroomsAdriana Navarrete Lead
May 15, 10:55am – 12:05pm70 minLa Salle (Level: 1st Floor, Cap 40)Show details
Unlock the power of the 'Bridge' in the bilingual classroom through a comprehensive exploration of the Dynamics of Cross-Linguistic Instruction, based on the foundational work of Silvia Dorta-Duque de Reyes. This session provides educators with a clear, research-based framework for planning standards-based transfer lessons. We will examine steps of the planning process essential for the lesson framework to be a success: standards, recognizing language subsystems, and transference relationships. Participants will gain insight into designing a strategic lesson sequence using the Gradual Release of Language. Attendees will leave with a structured approach to fostering deep linguistic connections for their students. -
Building Bilingual Teacher Pipelines Through Leadership
Administrator/ AdvocacyDr. Lorena Claeys Lead with Dr. Karina Villa, Ms. Christina King, M.a., Mrs. Renee Tondre-garza, Lpc Dr. Claudia Garcia-treviño, M.a. Sr. Alejandra Treviño, Fma, M. Ed
May 15, 10:55am – 11:50am55 minLaurel (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)Show details
This session examines how educational leaders can expand bilingual teacher pipelines through advocacy, policy-informed decision-making, and strategic partnerships. Participants will explore the Culturally Efficacious Signature Teacher Residency (CESTR) model developed by the Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center at UT San Antonio and how the model supports paraprofessionals and community members in becoming certified bilingual educators.
The session highlights leadership practices that support Grow‑Your‑Own programs, including mentorship structures, district‑university collaboration, and policy strategies that remove barriers and expand access to bilingual programs for aspiring teachers. Presenters will also discuss culturally sustaining leadership approaches that value multilingualism and cultural identity as essential assets.
Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for building sustainable Grow Your Own pathways, cultivating community-rooted educators, and rising together as champions of language, culture, and community. -
The Transformative Power of Bilingual and Higher Education
Featured SessionsDr. Jose Luis Zelaya Lead
May 15, 10:55am – 12:05pm70 minMesquite (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)Show details
This session provides an interactive and engaging learning experience focused on the transformative power of bilingualism in the lives of newcomer and emergent bilingual students. Participants will explore how bilingualism strengthens cognitive development, academic success, perseverance, and long-term aspirations, while also serving as a foundation for belonging and empowerment in schools. Together, we will examine common challenges educators face when supporting bilingual learners, including limited instructional time, pressures to accelerate English acquisition, and systems that unintentionally devalue students’ home language. Using a strengths-based and research-informed approach, participants will reflect on how to shift classroom practices toward affirming language, culture, and student voice. Educators will leave with practical strategies and tools that can be implemented strategically, including methods to increase academic discourse, elevate multilingual engagement, and create safe learning environments where students’ native language and cultural assets are embraced as essential resources. This session will inspire participants to reimagine English language acquisition as a powerful pathway to leadership, opportunity, and generational success. -
Where Language and Disability Meet: What Districts Must Do Differently
Featured SessionsLizdelia Piñón Lead
May 15, 10:55am – 12:05pm70 minPine (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 40)Show details
Where Language and Disability Meet explores how schools can better serve multilingual students with disabilities by rethinking systems that often separate language development from special education. This session challenges deficit-based approaches and highlights how they contribute to misidentification, limited access, and inequitable outcomes for emergent bilingual learners.
Participants will examine how policy, instruction, and collaboration can work together to create more inclusive, asset-based environments that honor students’ linguistic and cultural strengths. The presentation offers practical strategies for equitable identification, bilingual and culturally sustaining instruction, stronger collaboration between multilingual and special education teams, and authentic family partnership.
Grounded in research and real-world district examples, this session empowers educators, leaders, and advocates to move beyond compliance and toward transformative practices. Attendees will leave with concrete tools and a renewed vision for creating classrooms and systems where multilingual students with disabilities are fully included, supported, and positioned to thrive. -
LV
Voices Unlocked: Creating Digital Escape Rooms for Bilingual Classrooms
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsLinda Esmeralda Villareal Lead
May 15, 1:45pm – 2:40pm55 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
This interactive session demonstrates how to design escape rooms that combine digital platforms such as Google tools, Flippity, and Genially with hands on paper puzzles placed around the classroom to create engaging content review experiences for bilingual, dual language, and ESL classrooms.
Participants will first experience an escape room from the student perspective. The second portion of the session will guide educators step-by-step through the design process, equipping them with practical tools and templates to immediately implement escape rooms in their own classrooms. Aligned with the theme “Still We Rise: Campeones de lenguaje, la cultura, y la comunidad,” this session demonstrates how collaborative learning empowers students to rise as champions of their languages. -
Storytelling, Creativity, and Emotional Learning in Dual-Language Classrooms
Effective Instructional Practices in Elementary DLBE ClassroomsMahiette Tarrago Lead
May 15, 1:45pm – 2:40pm55 minLa Salle (Level: 1st Floor, Cap 40)Show details
Discover how storytelling, creative play, and social-emotional learning can boost language development and cultural connection in bilingual and dual-language classrooms. This interactive session shares hands-on strategies, character-based narratives, and play-based activities that engage students while fostering confidence, cultural pride, and community. Grounded in research showing the benefits of storytelling for multilingual learners, educators will leave with practical ideas to make language learning inclusive, creative, and empowering. -
JR
Beyond Handwriting: Recognizing Dysgraphia in Emergent Bilingual Students
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsJulissa Romero Lead with Lucia Cintron
May 15, 2:55pm – 3:50pm55 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
Dysgraphia is far more than messy handwriting, and for emergent bilingual students, it can be even harder to see. This session explores how motor coordination challenges, spelling difficulties, disorganized written expression, and the complexities of second language acquisition can combine to obscure a very real learning difference. This presentation equips educators with the knowledge and tools to identify dysgraphia through a culturally and linguistically informed lens, ensuring that no student's struggles are dismissed as simply part of 'learning the language.' -
MJ
Translanguaging with Purpose: Research to Classroom Practice
Effective Instructional Practices in Elementary DLBE ClassroomsMariana Jimenez Lead
May 15, 2:55pm – 3:50pm55 minLa Salle (Level: 1st Floor, Cap 40)Show details
This hands-on workshop bridges research and classroom practice by guiding educators through the intentional design of translanguaging routines for bilingual, dual language, and ESL classrooms. After a concise overview of key research (García & Wei, 2014; Cummins, 2000) to clarify common misconceptions, participants will actively engage in designing cross-linguistic vocabulary bridges, contrastive writing scaffolds, and structured discussion protocols that promote biliteracy and academic language development.
Through collaborative planning and real classroom scenarios, attendees will create practical tools that leverage students’ full linguistic repertoires as assets while maintaining rigorous target language expectations. Participants will leave with ready-to-implement strategies and a clear framework for honoring language, culture, and community in alignment with Still We Rise: Campeones de lenguaje, la cultura, y la comunidad. -
The Fab 4: Four Non-Negotiable Scaffolds to Support EBs
Administrator/ AdvocacySonya Monreal Lead with Elizabell Garcia
May 15, 2:55pm – 3:50pm55 minLaurel (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)Show details
This hands-on session will showcase how our department operationalized four required daily scaffolds (The Fab 4) to ensure consistent language support for emergent bilingual students across all content areas. Rather than positioning scaffolds as optional strategies, our district embedded them into curriculum design, instructional expectations, and professional learning structures so that every teacher shares responsibility for language development.
Participants will examine real classroom examples and before-and-after lesson slide decks to see how intentional scaffold integration strengthens rigor while increasing access. -
Cultivating Bilingual Teacher Leaders in Community
Administrator/ AdvocacyDr. Karina Villa Lead with Dr. Lorena Claeys, Mpa, Ms. Christina King, M.a., Mrs. Renee Tondre-garza, M.a., Lpc Dr. Claudia Garcia-treviño, M.a. Sr. Alejandra Treviño, Fma, M.ed
May 15, 2:55pm – 4:05pm70 minMesquite (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)Show details
This session invites participants to rise together as champions of language, culture, and community by exploring the Culturally Efficacious Signature Teacher Residency (CESTR) pathway developed through the Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center at UT San Antonio. Participants will learn how the pathway creates accessible routes for paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, and community members to become bilingual certified educators through residency-based clinical experiences, mentorship, and culturally sustaining pedagogies.
Presenters will share practical resources and tools that support aspiring bilingual teachers, including TExES preparation strategies, career transition guidance, and mentorship supports that strengthen educator readiness and confidence. The session will also highlight how Grow-Your-Own partnerships between universities, schools, and communities fortify bilingual teacher pipelines while affirming the linguistic and cultural assets emergent bilingual students bring to the classroom.
Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for designing culturally sustaining teacher pathways that empower educators to champion language, culture, and community in their schools. -
TB
Accelerate Learning with Footsteps2Brilliance & Foster Calm Learning with Friendzy!
Sponsored by Teaching Counts! (Silver) Sponsored SessionsTerri Balderrama Booker Lead
May 15, 2:55pm – 4:05pm70 minPine (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 40)Show details
Discover how to accelerate literacy and support emotional wellness for Emergent Bilingual students through engaging, research-based strategies and resources. This session combines innovative bilingual language and literacy tools with practical approaches to help students thrive academically and socially. Learn how to bridge school and home learning with culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate English and Spanish resources that promote Kindergarten readiness and 3rd grade reading proficiency. Explore how the brain responds to stress and how language and culture influence behavior, while gaining strategies from the Regulate–Respond–Relate framework to create calm, focused classrooms. Walk away with ready-to-use bilingual tools—including visual supports, sentence stems, and routines—that empower students, strengthen connections, and eliminate learning gaps. Attendees will receive access to free resources, including a trial opportunity and materials to immediately implement in their classrooms