2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to URSA 2026 at Southern Utah University! All sessions will be in buildings on the upper campus (east end). Here’s the Campus Map (PDF) if needed.

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11:10am MDT

Partnership Power: Expanding Classroom Horizons with Division of Arts & Museums

Friday July 17, 2026 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT

GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109

The Utah Division of Arts & Museums is your state agency dedicated to advancing Utahns’ quality of life through arts and museum experiences and cultural opportunities.

We offer a wide array of programs and resources to support schools and educators across the state. We can help provide arts learning opportunities that align with learning objectives and standards, support multilingual learners, integrate with STEM subjects and other courses across the curriculum, and contribute to growth and professional development for learners of all ages with unique opportunities for educators and school administrators.

Join us to learn more about opportunities like our Living Folk Arts Education Series which can bring hands-on art experiences from working artists directly to your students at no cost. Or our Teaching Artist Rosters which can connect you with skilled artists from almost any discipline that can work with your school to design exciting learning opportunities. Our Teacher-Initiated Projects program offers one-on-one arts training directly to teachers who just want to learn a new skill. And that’s just to name a few.

We are here to introduce these programs and help you find ways to put them to work in schools and communities like yours.

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

Reilly Jensen

Arts Education Program Manager, Utah Division of Arts and Museums

Reilly is an arts educator, teaching artist, and archaeologist with a focus on community and heritage collaboration. She holds an M.F.A. in Community-Based Arts Education from the University of Utah, an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies, and a B.S. in Anthropology. Her research explores... Read More →

Justin Ivie

Arts Education Coordinator, Utah Division of Arts & Museums

Justin Ivie is an accomplished theatre artist and a familiar face on Utah stages with hundreds of acting credits at companies all around the state. He is also a director, stage manager and theatrical designer.

Justin has been with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums since 2022 whe... Read More →

Friday July 17, 2026 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT
GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720

Other, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Session Format 1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation
Grade Level All Grade Levels
Audience All of the above
Subject Area Language Arts, Performing Arts / Visual Arts, Music, ESL, Social Studies, World Languages, STEM / STEAM, Special Education, Career and Technical Education, Adult Education, Health and Physical Education

11:10am MDT

Bridging the Gap to Grade-Level Text in the secondary classroom marks a critical shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" through evidence-based, equitable instruction.

Friday July 17, 2026 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT

CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)

Bridging the Gap to Grade-Level Text in the secondary classroom marks a critical shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" through evidence-based, equitable instruction. In a secondary setting, the Science of Reading transcends basic phonics to focus on disciplinary literacy, ensuring every student—regardless of their current reading level—has access to the complex, grade-level text they deserve. This approach moves beyond mere theory to provide a "boots on the ground" toolkit designed to maintain rigor across all content areas, including Science, Social Studies, Math, and ELA. By scaffolding up rather than differentiating down, educators ensure they are not simplifying the curriculum, but rather amplifying the support needed to meet high academic standards.Equity through access is the heartbeat of this instructional model, rooted in the belief that every student deserves to grapple with high-quality, grade-level text. A teacher’s expertise is the most powerful variable in the classroom; essentially, how well one teaches equals how well students learn. Inspired by research-based frameworks like Lexia Aspire®, Keys to Adolescent Literacy, LETRS, and The Writing Revolution, this method fosters an equitable environment where the teacher's skill drives literacy growth. The ultimate objective is immediate implementation through quick, explicit routines that take less than five minutes of class time yet yield massive results in comprehension.The first two pillars of the Secondary Literacy Toolkit focus on word-level mastery and the transition to meaning. The Multisyllabic "Attack" provides students with a "Longer Word Strategy" through word study and morphology. This involves explicit routines like "scooping" to chunk words by vowel sounds and investigating morphology—the prefixes, suffixes, and Latin/Greek roots that act as the "Lego bricks" of language. Building on this, Fluency acts as the bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Because learning is not a spectator sport, routines such as Choral, Cloze, Echo, and Dyad reading ensure that if one student is reading, everyone is reading, leveraging peer support to master the prosody of complex text.The third pillar emphasizes Explicit Vocabulary and Knowledge Building, moving far beyond "looking up definitions" toward deep ownership of Tier 2 and Tier 3 words. Educators learn to identify "load-bearing" words essential to a text's meaning. This process highlights the reciprocity of literacy—the idea that reading and writing are two sides of the same coin. By utilizing "The Writing Revolution" techniques, such as "Because, But, So" or Sentence Expansion, students immediately apply new vocabulary through writing to cement their understanding. This ensures that the cognitive load remains on the student, fostering active participation rather than passive observation.Finally, Scaffolding Complex Text ensures that rigor is maintained without compromising accessibility. Rather than simplifying the prose, teachers amplify the support through explicit vocabulary routines that move from basic definitions to deep conceptual understanding. By breaking down complex syntax and using sentence expansion, students can digest dense academic prose that might otherwise be out of reach. This strategic planning shifts the cognitive load toward the learner, adhering to the principle that if the teacher does all the talking, the teacher does all the learning. The goal is a classroom where instruction meets the demands of the text, ensuring all students are equipped to succeed.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these

Speakers

Amy Mahoney

PreK-12 Instructional Coach, NUES - Northeastern Utah Educational Services

As a NUES Region PreK-12 Instructional Coach, I am dedicated to the art of continuous learning and professional growth. I hold a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in ESL & ESOL. My professional credentials include endorsements in Reading, Coaching... Read More →

Friday July 17, 2026 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT
CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level) 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720

Utah Core Curriculum, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required. | Instructional Coaching, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.