PreConvention Session (Add-On Registration)

From Framework to Fidelity: Systemic Integration of Gifted & MTSS (Preregistration Required)

Thursday, November 13, 2025

8:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET

Location: Convention Center, 304/305

Grade Level: Pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Postsecondary, Professionals
Content Level: Introduction to the Topic
Target Audience: Administrators, Classroom Teachers, Gifted Coordinators

Sheyanne S. Smith

High Ability Learning Specialist
Nebraska Department of Education
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
WB

Wendy A. Behrens, MA Ed (she/her/hers)

Gifted and Talented Education Consultant/State Director
Minnesota Department of Education
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Susan Corwith, PhD (she/her/hers)

Director
Northwestern University, Center for Talent Development
Evanston, Illinois, United States

As Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) become the standard for meeting diverse student needs, the integration of gifted education within this framework is both a challenge and an opportunity. Gifted learners need more than one-size-fits-all solutions—and MTSS offers a powerful framework to meet their needs when implemented with intention. This interactive, solutions-focused pre-convention session brings together voices from research, policy, and practice to explore how MTSS can be used to equitably identify and serve gifted students at all levels of support. (Advanced registration of $150 required; continental breakfast provided to registered attendees.)

Learning Objectives:

Examine how Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) principles align with evidence-based practices in gifted education identification and services.
Evaluate the necessary shifts in curriculum, assessment, identification, and policy required for effective MTSS implementation that serves gifted learners.
Develop concrete action steps for implementing or enhancing MTSS frameworks that appropriately serve gifted learners in participants' own educational contexts.