Please use the contact form here to inquire about booking Sarah for speaking or professional development, and be sure to read her page here on equity.

2023:

• “Put Learners Out Front with Student-Led Assessment.” Colorado Council of the International Reading Association Annual Conference, Westminster, CO, February.
• “Invite Readers to Drive Their Own Meaning Making.” Colorado Council of the International Reading Association Annual Conference, Westminster, CO, February.
• “Some Thoughts about Grading.” Montrose School District Grading and Homework Committee, Montrose, CO, January.
• “Creating a Common Vision.” Afternoon with the Montrose High School English Department, Montrose, CO, January.

2022:

• “Some Thoughts about Grading.” Online for the Colorado Department of Education School Leader Cohort. December.
• “Humanizing the Gradebook: Assessment Practices that Liberate.” NCTE Annual Convention, Anaheim, California, November 19 with Asao Inoue, Cornelius Minor, and Julia Torres and roundtable leaders Sarah Beck, Juli-Anne Benjamimn, Gina Benz, Nicholas Emmanuele, Deanna Lough, Karis, Jones, Marisa Thompson, and Brett Vogelsinger.
• “Collective Dreaming: Lighting Each Others’ Lamps as a Means of Liberation.” NCTE Annual Convention, Anaheim, California, November 19 with Scott Bayer, Joel Garza, Jessyca Matthews, and LaMar Timmons-Long
• “Fire and Words: Igniting Equitable Writing Instruction.” NCTE Annual Convention, Anaheim, California, November 17 with Matthew Kay, Matthew Johnson, and Jennifer Fletcher.
• “Step Aside: Strategies for Student-Led Learning.” 4-session workshop. Online for the San Jose Area Writing Project, October-November.
• “Making Non-Traditional Grading Work.” Online for the San Jose Area Writing Project, August. 
• “Gradeless Teaching to Support De-Streaming.” Key Note Address. Online for the English Language Arts Network, Ontario, August.
• “Grading Considerations for AP Lit.” Online for Garden of English, July/August.
• Point-Less Book Study, Ottawa Catholic School Board, Nipean, Ontario, Online, January 18.
• “Assessing Writers: Focus on Feedback and Process.” Online workshop for the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium, January 20 and 28.
• “Grading Considerations.” Online for the Garden of English AP Literature Summer Workshops, July 13 and 27 and August 3.
• “Making Non-Traditional Grading Work by Putting Students Out Front.” Online for the San Jose Area Writing Project, August 9. More info here.
• “Gradeless Teaching to Support De-Streaming.” Keynote address, English Language Arts Network of Ontario, Online, August 16.
• “Step Aside: Instruction that Supports Student-Led Learning in the Secondary Language Arts Classroom.” Four-session Fall PLC for Secondary Teachers, San José Area Writing Project, Online, October and November.
• “Fire and Words: Igniting Equitable Writing Instruction” with Jennifer Fletcher, Matthew Johnson, and Matthew Kay. NCTE Annual Convention , Anaheim, CA, November 18.
• “Collective Dreaming: Lighting Each Others’ Lamps as a Means of Liberation” with Scott Bayer, Joel Garza, Laquisha Hall, Jessyca Mathews, and LaMar Timmons-Long. NCTE Annual Convention with, Anaheim, CA, November 20.
• “Humanizing the Gradebook: Assessment Practices that Liberate” with Asao Inoue, Cornelius Minor, and Julia Torres and roundtable leaders Sarah Beck, Juli-Anne Benjamin, Gina Benz, Aaron Blackwelder, Nicholas Emmanuele, Matthew Johnson, Karis Jones, Deanna Lough, Marisa Thompson, Brett Vogelsinger, and John Warner. NCTE Annual Convention, Anaheim, CA, November 20.

2021:

• Point-Less Book Study, Boulder Valley School District, January-February.
• “Assessing Readers and Writers: What’s the Point?” Online workshop for Heinemann, March 9.
• “Writing Instruction that Grows Writers Through a Focus on Feedback and Process,” Free online webinar for the International Literacy Association, June 16 (more info here, watch it here).
• Colorado Writing Project summer workshop online, July 12-August 6 (more info here).
• 2021 Hive Summit. “Rethinking Grading and our Relationship with Students,” August 1-14 (more info here).
• “What’s the Point? Designing a More Meaningful Path to Grades.” Featured speaker, Alberta Summer Literacy Institute, August 10 (more info here).
• “Assessing Readers and Writers: What’s the Point?” Online workshop for Heinemann, November 2.
• “Humanizing the Gradebook: Assessment Practices that Liberate.” Presentation at NCTE, Louisville, KY. UPCOMING in November 18-21. –> This WON’T be happening at NCTE 2021 due to the fully online format. Will resubmit the proposal for NCTE 2022.

2020:

• Colorado Writing Project summer workshop online. 
• An online conversation about Point-Less grading with Conestoga High School, Berwyn, PA, July.
• “Point-Less Grading for Writing.” Three-series webinar. Online for Killeen Independent School District in Killeen, TX, July 14, 16, 21. 
• “The Confluence: Best practices for the space where student work meets teacher response.” NCTE Annual Convention Online with Linda Cristensen, Renee Watson, Julia Torres, Andy Schoenborn, and Matt Johnson.
• “Point-Less Final Grades: Invite Students to Write Their Own Stories of Learning and Growth Instead.” NCTE Annual Convention (Accepted) with Cris Tovani, Monica Breed, Claire-Maria Broaddus, and Jaime Rodrigues.

2019:

• “Write More, Grade Less.” Little Preparatory Charter School, August 13 with Jay Stott.

2018:

• “Write More, Grade Less.” NCTE Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, November 18 with Jay Stott
• “Singing Your Own Song In the Classroom: Teaching Poetry as Writers and Musicians in a Writers Workshop Setting,” Colorado Language Arts Society Fall Conference, October 6 with Jay Stott.
• “Write More, Grade Less.” Colorado Language Arts Society Fall Conference, October 6 with Jay Stott.
• “Digital Tools to Support the Writer’s Workshop.” Colorado Writing Project, Adams 12 School District, Thornton, Colorado, July 24-25.

2017:

• “Right Now Literacy: Redefining Instruction with Secondary Readers-Writers Workshop,” CEL Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MIssouri, November 19 with Amy Rasmussen. 
• “Stop Grading: Empower Your Students to Evaluate Their Own Learning,” NCTE Annual Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, November 18 with Jay Stott and Tracy Brennan.
• “Singing Your Own Song In the Classroom: Teaching Poetry as Writers and Musicians in a Writers Workshop Setting,” NCTE Annual Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, November 17 with Jay Stott.
• “Stop Grading: Empower Your Students to Evaluate Their Own Learning,” Colorado Language Arts Society Fall Conference, October 7 with Jay Stott., 
• “Colorado Writing Project Two-Week Workshop for Teachers.” Boulder, Colorado, June 12-23.

2016:

• “Surviving Teaching: Advocating for a Healthy, Sustainable Life, Inside and Outside of the Classroom,” NCTE Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, November 19 with Tracy Brennan, Paul Bursiek, and Jay Stott. 
• “Stop Grading: Alternatives to Traditional Grading to Advocate for Your Students as Learners Instead of Point Collectors,” NCTE Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, November 18 with Claire-Maria Broaddus, Paul Bursiek, and Jay Stott.
• “Stop Grading: Alternatives to Traditional Grading to Reclaim Your Classroom as Space for Your Students as Learners Instead of Point Collectors,” Colorado Language Arts Society Fall Conference, Denver, Colorado, October 15 with Claire-Maria Broaddus, Paul Bursiek, and Jay Stott. 
• “Stop Grading: Alternatives to Traditional Grading to Reclaim Your Classroom as Space for Your Students as Learners Instead of Point Collectors,” Secondary Language Arts Professional Learning Day, October 10

2015:

• “Not Grading to Get Students to Think Like Writers.” JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention, Denver, Colorado, April 18.
• “Colorado Writing Project Two-Week Workshop for Teachers.” Boulder, Colorado, June 8-19.
• “Teacher as Writer, Writer as Teacher: Sharing Your Story to Engage Your Students as Writers.” National Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 22 with Paul Bursiek and Jay Stott. 
• “Teacher as Writer, Writer as Teacher: Sharing Your Story to Engage Your Students as Writers.” Colorado Language Arts Society fall conference, Golden, Colorado, October 11 with Paul Bursiek and Jay Stott.

2014:

• “Colorado Writing Project Two-Week Workshop for Teachers.” Boulder, Colorado, June 9-20.
• “Digital Tools to Support the Writer’s Workshop.” Colorado Writing Project, Boulder, Colorado, April 5/26 and June 24/25 with Jonathan Wright.
• “Teaching Like a Virus: Making Meaningful Change Contagious.” National Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference, November 24 with Christa Adkisson, Tracy Brennan, Paul Bursiek, Sarah Digiacomo, Jim Hensley, Angela Hunt, and Jay Stott.
• “Teaching Like a Virus: Making Meaningful Change Contagious.” Colorado Language Arts Society fall conference, Golden, Colorado, October 18 with Christa Adkisson, Tracy Brenna, Paul Bursiek, Sarah Digiacomo, Jim Hensley, Angela Hunt, and Jay Stott.

2013:

• “Colorado Writing Project Two-Week Workshop for Teachers.” Boulder, Colorado, June 10-21.

2012:

• “Critical Mass: Evolution of a Department Writing Pedagogy.” National Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference, November 16 with Jay Stott, Tim Hillmer, Paul Bursiek, and Tracy Brennan.
• “Critical Mass: Evolution of a Department Writing Pedagogy.” Colorado Language Arts Society fall conference, Golden, Colorado, October 13 with Jay Stott, Tim Hillmer, Paul Bursiek, and Tracy Brennan.

2011:

• “Engaging Students Through Literature: A Conversation about Teaching Literature in the 21^st Century.” National Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, November 20 with Jay Stott.
• “Engaging Students Through Literature.” Colorado Language Arts Society fall conference, Golden, Colorado, September 24 with Jay Stott.

2010:

• “Between Theory and Practice: Capturing the story of a teaching life in one high school literature classroom,” American Educational Research Association Conference, Denver, May 1. 

2006:

• “Novel Ideas: Literary Imagination and Literacy Research,” National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research Conference, Chicago with Bill McGinley, Krista Gauthier, Karla Scornavacco, and Mark A Lewis.

2004:

• “Facilitating Discussions in the English Classroom,” Conference for Illinois Teachers of English, Illinois State University.