564-805 Building Bridges Across Grades: Aligning Early Literacy and Mathematics

Schedule:

• October 23, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• November 20, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• December 7, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: In-person at CESA 2

Price: $750, lunch included. $700 per participant for groups of 3 or more. If registering large groups, reach out to events@cesa2.org

Content Questions: Nicole Aldworth (nicole.aldworth@cesa2.org), Matt Hayden (matt.hayden@cesa2.org)

Registration Questions: events@cesa2.org

About:  As schools work to ensure every child achieves literacy and mathematics success, educators are often challenged to balance high expectations with developmentally appropriate instruction. Without a shared understanding of how skills develop over time, it can be difficult to determine what is truly grade-level expected, how to respond when students are not yet meeting expectations, and how to build on prior learning in meaningful ways.

Join us for this three-day collaborative learning experience designed for classroom teachers, special educators, instructional coaches, and administrators. Together, we will explore how children's mathematical thinking and literacy skills develop across the early elementary years, from 4K through 2nd grade. Using research-based Math Learning Trajectories and early literacy progressions, participants will develop a deeper understanding of the developmental pathways that support successful learning and how these pathways connect across grade levels.

Through cross-grade collaboration, educators will gain clarity about what students should know and be able to do before entering their classroom, what they are responsible for teaching, and how their instruction lays the foundation for future success. This shared understanding will strengthen instructional decision-making, support intervention and acceleration efforts, and create greater coherence across classrooms and grade levels.

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Our Presenters:

Nicole Aldworth, M.A.Ed., is an Early Learning Consultant and CLASS Instructor for the Early Childhood Licensure Program at CESA 2, where she also supports educators through the Special Education Induction Grant and serves as the statewide literacy specialist for the Early Learning Technical Assistance and Implementation grant. With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education, Nicole has dedicated her career to working with young children and their families, while also collaborating with and empowering early educators in their practice.

Nicole holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. She is deeply committed to supporting educators in implementing developmentally appropriate, inclusive practices that ensure all children can access, engage in, and thrive within rich learning environments. Her work focuses on building educator capacity through instructional coaching, strengthening early literacy and mathematics instruction (3K–2nd), supporting social-emotional development, and aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment with early learning standards to meet the diverse needs of all learners, including those with IEPs.

Matt Hayden joins CESA 2 as a Math Consultant and Instructional Coach. For the past seven years, Matt has served the Monona Grove School District as a 4K-12 Math Instructional Coach, Math Curriculum Leader, Equity Team Leader, and Equity Team School Liaison. Prior to his work in Monona Grove, he served the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District as a math and science teacher at the middle school level. Matt brings extensive expertise in co-teaching, as well as the co-plan to co-serve model. He received his bachelor's degree in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a certificate in K-8 General Teaching with a Science Minor from Cardinal Stritch University, a certificate in K-8 Math from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Master of Arts in Education degree from Cardinal Stritch University. He firmly believes that co-planning to co-serve is a process that can transform education for all students.

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