Utah Teaching Writing Symposium

Check Back for 2026 Application

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) invites secondary ELA teachers from across the state of Utah to participate in an inquiry-based professional learning experience facilitated by teacher consultants from the Central Utah Writing Project (CUWP). Choose your area of focus for developing your writing instruction, engage in collaborative learning and action research, and receive personalized coaching to implement your plan in your classroom. 

We know that the best teachers of teachers are other teachers, and that teachers who are writers themselves are the most effective writing teachers. Our aim is for teachers to learn together and come away from the symposium and coached implementation cycle with a renewed excitement about and commitment to writing and the teaching of writing. 

2025 Teaching Writing Inquiry Cycle

This symposium is designed for Utah English Language Arts (ELA) educators who teach grades 6-12. The purpose is to support your implementation of effective and evidence-based writing instruction through professional learning that is centered on teacher agency, inquiry, coaching, and reflection. 

This model of professional learning, provided in collaboration between USBE and CUWP, is focused and comprehensive to ensure that your are supported throughout the learning and implementation process. Please read all of the details before applying. Teachers who participate in the two-day symposium and full implementation coaching cycle (May 2025 – January 2026) will earn 1.5 USBE credits.
 

2025 Symposium Dates

Part One: Two-Day Symposium

 
Dates: May 12 – 13, 2025
Times: 8:00 am – 3:30 pm 
Location: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Cost: Free! There is no cost for attending the symposium or receiving coaching during the implementation of your plan.
  • USBE will cover the cost of substitutes for all teacher participants for two days.
  • CUWP will cover the cost of a light breakfast and a lunch for both days.
  • If your school is 75+ miles from BYU, USBE will also cover your travel and lodging. 
 

Part Two: Coached Implementation Cycle

 
In addition to your attendance at the two days of the symposium, you will be expected to develop and implement a student-facing instructional plan and participate in a coaching cycle based on your symposium strand of focus, inquiry, and learning. You will work in collaboration with a CUWP coach to develop this plan in virtual one-on-one consultations. The dates of these consultations will be scheduled directly with your assigned coach. Dates and deadlines are listed below:

June 2025

  • June 1: Upload action research plan to Canvas
  • June 1-15: Coach Meeting #1 – Meet with your CUWP coach (virtually) to revise and refine your plan
  • June 20: Upload revised action research plan to Canvas

August/September 2025

  • Coach Meeting #2 – Meet with your CUWP coach before implementing your plan in your classroom and with your students
  • Implement your plan

October/November 2025

  • Coach Meeting #3 – Meet with your CUWP coach to discuss and reflect on your inquiry plan implementation and review any data you’ve collected

December 2025

  • Strand Meeting #1 – Meet (virtually) with your strand to discuss and plan how to share your findings, or “make your practice public.”

January 2026

  • Dates TBD – virtual celebration and sharing of discoveries and next steps 

How to Apply

Application Deadline: February 18, 2025

The application includes an online form with questions about current teaching writing practices and areas for inquiry and development. The Symposium Planning Team will review applications and be in touch with applicants by the end of Febuary with next steps.

Questions? Contact Naomi Watkins at USBE (naomi.watkins@schools.utah.gov)

Check Back for 2026 Application

Why Should I Participate?

  • DEVELOP COMMUNITY WITH OTHER TEACHERS whose experiences align with – and differ – from each other’s. This includes teachers from all over the state of Utah. We will learn and share together as we work to improve our teaching practice and engage as thoughtful inquirers into our own development as teachers and our students’ development as writers.
  • RECEIVE COACHING ON YOUR INQUIRY AND IMPLEMENTATION from a CUWP fellow. This teacher-leader is a teacher just like you who will help you frame and focus an inqiry question, develop an implementation plan, and think through and analyze your findings with you.
  • WRITE FOR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES as you re-invigorate your own writing identity. The professional development ends with a brief presentation about what you learned, giving you a chance to share your findings with other educators! 
  • PARTICIPATE IN A SMALL-GROUP INQUIRY STRAND to investigate questions we bring from our own teaching experiences. Each group will draw on published scholarship to explore and understand how to improve their own practice.
  • CURATE A COLLECTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED TEACHING PRACTICES to reach ALL of our students. 
  • EXPERIENCE WORKSHOPS from CUWP teacher leaders and other invited guests that center on what really works in our teaching of writing.
  • EARN 1.5 USBE CREDITS toward relicensure that reflect your renewed commitment to writing instruction.