Conferences
Conferences provide educators with a variety of sessions to attend. CMSE hosts or co-hosts conferences each year at the University of Mississippi. Our Professional Learning Staff are also active in professional organizations. Learn more about the conferences we host as well as our upcoming presentations at state, regional, and national conferences.
Annual Mathematics Specialist Conference

NASA Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Annual Teachers Conference

The purpose of this conference is to provide opportunities for educators who serve their schools or districts as mathematics specialist to come together to engage with one another and learn from experts in the field of mathematics education.
This conference is designed for middle school math and science teachers with opportunities to engage in mathematics and science professional development sessions and activities.
Mississippi Forge Forward Summit:
Workforce Development and Education for the MS Defense Industry
Workforce Development and Education for the MS Defense Industry
The MS Forge Forward summit aims to bring together representatives from the defense industry, manufacturing, government, and education for a unique collaborative opportunity. This one-day summit will engage industry and education partners in critical conversations around preparing the Mississippi workforce to meet the needs of the 21st Century defense industry.
Conference Presentations by CMSE Staff & Students
Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators
February 2-4, 2023, New Orleans, LA
LaValley, B., James, J. & Steimle, A. (accepted). Supporting collaboration between mathematics and special education teachers [Conference Session]. Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference
January 6-7, 2023, Oxford, MS
Gillentine, E. P. (2023, January 6-7). Desmos part I: Exploring teacher dashboard on Desmos [Conference session].
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference, Oxford, MS.
Gillentine, E. P. (2023, January 6-7). Desmos part II: Using Desmos to provide instant feedback [Conference session].
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference, Oxford, MS.
James, J. (2023, January 6-7). Get to your safe place! [Conference session].
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference, Oxford, MS.
LaValley, B. (2023, January 6-7). Doing mathematics: Using logic puzzles to support reasoning and proof [Conference session].
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference, Oxford, MS.
Watson, S. A. & Clark, C. A. (2023, January 6-7). The best kept secret in Mississippi [Conference session].
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference, Oxford, MS.
National Council for Social Studies
December 2, 2022, Philadelphia, PA
Watson. S. A. & James. J. (2022, December 2). STEPS: Science teaching with embodied primary sources [Poster session].
Annual TPS knowledge Exchange at National Council For Social Studies Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Mid-South Educational Research Association
November 9-11, 2022, Little Rock, AR
LaValley, B. (2022, November 9-11). Motivations for cohesive co-teaching collaboration between general education mathematics teachers and special education teachers in the middle school [Research in progress session]. The Mid-South Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Little Rock, AR.
LaValley, B., James, J. & Steimle, A. (2022, November 9-11). Building elementary mathematics and special education co-teaching partnerships through content- and collaboration-focused shared professional learning [Conference Session]. The Mid-South Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Little Rock, AR.
Mississippi Science Teachers Association
October 23-25, 2022, Biloxi, MS
Watson, S.A. (2022, October 23-25). Science teaching with embedded primary sources [Conference session]. Mississippi Science Teachers Association Annual Conference, Biloxi, MS.
Watson, S.A. (2022, October 23-25). Leveraging students’ math skills to teach chemistry concepts [Conference session]. Mississippi Science Teachers Association Annual Conference, Biloxi, MS.
Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics
October 21-22, 2022, Flowood, MS
James, J. (2022, October 21-22). Is it “true”? Is it “false”? Or is it “or”?: Reflecting on clarity of assessment items [Conference session]. The Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Flowood, MS.
LaValley, B. (2022, October 21-22). The math they teach down the hall: Connecting secondary math and science [Conference session]. The Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Flowood, MS.
LaValley, B. (2022, October 21-22). Playing the odds: Probability games for the middle grades [Conference session]. The Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Flowood, MS.
LaValley, B. & James, J. (2022, October 21-22). A-B-C, it’s as easy as memorizing your facts! Or is it? [Conference session]. The Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Flowood, MS.
Steimle, A. (2022, October 21-22). Progressing through the K-5 math standards using manipulatives [Conference session]. The Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Flowood, MS.
Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education
October 7-8, 2022, Gulf Shores, AL
Watson, S.A. (2022, October 7-8). Using Q methodology to describe science teachers’ sociopolitical consciousness [Conference presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Science Teacher Educators, Gulf Shores, AL.
Making Connections Conference
June 8-10, 2022, Biloxi, MS
James, J. (2022, June 8-10). Preparing teachers for the middle school mathematics classroom [Conference session]. Making Connections Conference, Biloxi, MS
LaValley, B.F. (2022, June 8-10). Ditch the drill, support the strategy: Taking a low-stakes approach to multiplication fact fluency [Conference session]. Making Connections Conference, Biloxi, MS.
MSTA Goes North
April 23, 2022, Oxford, MS
Moore. N. (2022, April 23). Educators as working memory managers expanded [Conference session]. MSTA Goes North Conference, Oxford, MS
Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics
April 8-9, 2022, Perkinston, MS
James, J. (2022, April 8-9). Middle math institutes: Deepening your content knowledge for grades 6-8 [Conference session]. MCTM Annual Conference, Perkinston, MS.
Kelly, K. (2022, April 8-9). Developing conceptual understanding of number lines in the early grades [Conference session]. MCTM Annual Conference, Perkinston, MS.
LaValley, B.F. (2022, April 8-9). Hands-on statistics and probability in the middle grades [Conference session]. MCTM Annual Conference, Perkinston, MS.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference & Exposition
March 16-18, 2022, Indianapolis, IN
LaValley, B.F. & James. J. (2022, March 16-18). The proof is in the details: Using random sampling to connect big ideas in statistics & probability [Conference session]. NCTM Regional Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN.
James, J., Steimle, A., & Kelly, K. (Accepted). Jesse’s train: Exploring fractional relationships through collaborative problem solving [Conference session]. NCTM Regional Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN. (Cancelled).
International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education
March 12, 2022, Virtual
Steimle, A., James, J., LaValley, B.F. & Watson, S.A. (2022, March 12). Influences of COVID-19 on early-career teachers’ self-efficacy [Conference session]. International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education, Virtual Conference.
Watson, S.A., Jackson, W., James, J., & Steimle, A. (2022, March 12). Using Primary sources to build science content knowledge [Conference session]. International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education, Virtual Conference.
Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators
February 10-12, 2022, Henderson, NV
James. J., Steimle, A., Priest, S.E., & LaValley, B. (2022, February 10-12). Creating an alternative pathway for middle-level mathematics endorsement [Conference session]. AMTE Annual Conference, Henderson, NV.
LaValley, B., James, J., Steimle, A., & Priest, S.E. (2022, February 10-12). Mathematics mentoring academy for teachers of exceptional students: Bridging mathematics education and special education [Poster presentation]. AMTE Conference, Henderson, NV.
Association for Science Teacher Education
January 5-8, 2022, Greenville, SC
Watson, S.A. & Jackson, W. (2022, January 5-8). Weaving history and content throughout science instruction. A poster presentation for the 2022 Association for Science Teacher Education Annual Conference, Greenville, SC, United States.
Mathematics Specialist Conference
October 29, 2021, Oxford, MS
James, J. (2021, October 29). Building on students’ strengths to meet their mathematical learning needs [Conference session]. Mathematics Specialist Conference, Oxford, MS.
Kelly, K, & Moore, N. (2021, October 29). Integrating force and motion with math concepts across grade levels in the elementary classroom [Conference session]. Mathematics Specialist Conference, Oxford, MS.
Steimle, A. & James, J. (2021, October 29). Sharing our collective knowledge [Plenary session]. Mathematics Specialist Conference, Oxford, MS.
Watson, S.A. & LaValley, B.F. (2021, October 29). Finding the balance: Incorporating mathematical skills in secondary physical sciences [Conference session]. Mathematics Specialist Conference, Oxford, MS.
School Science and Mathematics Association
October 28-30, 2021, Virtual
Steimle, A. & LaValley, B. (2021, October 28-30). STEM explorations: The evolution of a teacher’s field trip request [On-demand conference session]. School Science and Mathematics Association 2021 Annual Convention, Virtual Conference.
Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education
October 16, 2021, Safety Harbor, FL
Watson, S.A. & Jackson, W. (2021, October 16). Science teaching with embedded primary sources: Using Library of Congress materials with in-service teachers. A poster presentation for the 2021 Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education Annual Conference, Safety Harbor, FL.
Mississippi Science Teachers Association
October 2, 2021, Ridgeland, MS
Watson, S.A. & Jackson, W. (2021, October). Mini misconceptions [Conference session]. Mississippi Science Teachers Association Annual Conference, Ridgeland, MS.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting & Exposition
September 22-25, 2021, Atlanta, GA
James, J. & LaValley, B. (Accepted). Means, Medians, and Marbles: Laying a Foundation for Statistical Thinking [Conference session.] National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting and Exposition, Atlanta, GA, United States. (Cancelled).
Making Connections Conference
June 9-11, 2021, Biloxi, MS
Priest, S.E. & Steimle, A. (2021, June). Creating a safe mathematics classroom [Conference session]. Making Connections Conference, Biloxi, MS.
LaValley, B.F. (2021, June). Using random sampling to make sense of statistical variability [Conference session]. Making Connections Conference, Biloxi, MS.
James, J. (2021, June). Building coherence across grade levels using mathematics content progressions [Conference session]. Making Connections Conference, Biloxi, MS.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
April 21 – May 1, 2021, Virtual
Bellman, A., LaValley, B., Ryan, H., & James, V. (2021, April 22). Create a pathway for student success using clear goals and continuous evidence of student thinking [On-demand conference session]. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting.
International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education
March 20, 2021, Virtual
James, J., LaValley, B.F., & Priest, S.E. (2021, March 20). Teachers’ Beliefs about the Impact of COVID-19 [Conference session]. International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education, Virtual Conference.
NASA MSSGC Annual Teachers Conference
January 8-9, 2021, Virtual
Gillentine, E.P. & Kelly, K. (2021, January 8-9). Exploring Google Classroom [Conference session]. NASA MSSGC Annual Teacher Conference, Virtual Conference.
James, J. (2021, January 8-9). “What’s going on in this graph?”: Using real-world data to develop statistical reasoning [Conference session]. NASA MSSGC Annual Teacher Conference, Virtual Conference.
LaValley, B.F. & Priest, S.E. (2021, January 8-9). Tackling “Rules That Expire”: Moving from fast answers to deep understanding [Conference session]. NASA MSSGC Annual Teacher Conference, Virtual Conference.
Watson, S.A. & Comstock, N.K. (2021, January 8-9). Citizen science initiatives for inquiry and discussion [Conference session]. NASA MSSGC Annual Teacher Conference, Virtual Conference.
Comstock, N., Kelly, K., LaValley, B.F., Priest, S.E., & Watson, S.A. (2021, January 8-9). Making STEM Connections [Conference session]. NASA MSSGC Annual Teacher Conference, Virtual Conference.
Mississippi Association of Middle Level Education
December 2, 2020, Virtual
LaValley, B.F. & Comstock, N.K. (2020, December 2). Working together to build statistical understanding in math and science: The ABCs of the SMPs and SEPs [Conference session]. MAMLE Annual Fall Conference, Virtual Conference.
Priest, S.E. (2020, December 2). Egg drop challenge: Integrating STEM in the math classroom [Conference session]. MAMLE Annual Fall Conference, Virtual Conference.
Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education
October 3, 2020, Virtual
Watson, S.A., Huang, Y., Singh, H., Ozen-Tasdemir, H., Worth, E., McNeil, L., McCann, S., Tran, H. H., Luft, J. A., Whitworth, B. A. (2020, October 3). A model of district science coordinator knowledge. Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Educators, Virtual Conference.
Association of Mathematics Teacher Education
February 2-4, 2023, New Orleans, LA
LaValley, B., James, J., & Steimle, A. (Accepted) Supporting collaboration between mathematics and special education teachers [Conference session]. Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.