1st Annual IDETEP Driver Education Conference
Schedule
Fri, 27 Feb, 2026 at 08:00 am
UTC-06:00Location
Naperville North High School | Naperville, IL
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Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. We also wish all the best in the coming semester at your schools. We want to announce that IDETEP will be hosting our 1st Annual Driver Education Conference on Friday, February 27th at Naperville North HS. We have a great line up. Here is our line up: Keynote Address- Derek Germann of Fulton HS -Riverbends High School- Keynote Speaker
Title: What's Our Why?
Description: "What is our Why?", "What difference do we make?", "If not you, then who?". These questions consider our core purpose and motivation for working with our students within the Driver's Education discipline. How can we effectively reach the learners of TODAY so that we can adequately prepare the drivers of TOMORROW?
2A Mike Franzese - Downers Grove North HS
Title:Driver Education for Students with Disabilities
Description: "Essential information for all educators providing instruction, services, and support for special populations enrolled in a driver education program. Information covered include; legalities, eligibility requirements and the importance of collaboration"
2B Lisa Bergoff - Highland Park HS
Title: Driver Education Technology Tools & AI in Driver Ed
Description: 30 Minute Lesson Overhaul Using AI- Join this interactive session to learn practical uses of AI, featuring Brisk, to maximize student engagement, personalize learning, and cut down on planning time. Get hands-on ideas you can implement tomorrow!
2C Doug Bozych - Andrew HS & Christina Douglas - Stagg HS
Title: Success Criteria for Safe Driving: Making Learning Relevant with Single-Point Rubrics
Description: In this session, we’ll use Teacher Clarity concepts to take your curriculum work a step further. Together, we’ll explore how clear success criteria help students take ownership of their learning and become more confident, assessment-capable learners. You’ll learn practical ways to co-construct success criteria with your students, see how it encourages metacognitive thinking, and discover how it leads to more meaningful and effective feedback.
3A Emily Johnson Andrew HS
Title: Shift Gears on Learning: Engagement for the Driver's Ed Classroom.
Description: This session provides practical, immediate strategies to shift your classroom from passive lectures to active, engaging learning. I will share concrete examples and activities for assignments and lessons that boost student participation, understanding, and retention of critical driving skills.
3B Bryn Nottoli Antioch HS
Title: Project-Based Learning in DEC
Description: In this session, I will share how project-based learning can transform engagement and mastery in the driver’s education classroom. I’ll highlight several PBL units aligned to the new state standards and demonstrate how we implement them each semester to build real-world skills and a deeper understanding. All featured projects will be available for attendees to access and adapt for their own schools’ curriculum.
3C Dan Kleinfeldt & Buster Torrez OPRF HS
Title: Special Ed DE- Classroom & BTW Strategies
Description:
4A - Chris Wingate- Neuqua Valley HS
Title: Tech Toolbox and Strategies for Creative Classroom and Program Use
Description: Get access to a toolbox for creating classroom resources, see examples of resources that have been created using the toolbox, hear about utilization strategies for different resources, grow your program’s visibility and influence in your school and community.
4B Amander Melgar & Christina Douglas Stagg HS
Title: ESL in DE
Description: This presentation highlights a collaborative initiative between Driver Education and the English Learner (EL) Coordinator to improve instructional clarity and support teachers. By aligning Learning Intentions, Success Criteria, and EL “Can Do” Descriptors, the goal is to create a more accessible and equitable learning experience for all students.
A key part of this work is using language proficiency levels (Entering, Emerging, Developing, Expanding, Bridging, Reaching) to differentiate instruction. By identifying the language demands of Driver Education tasks, teachers can provide the right level of support, such as visuals, sentence frames, structured talk, or extended writing, so that every student can access the content and demonstrate learning successfully.
4CLynn Hatzikonstantis & Jamie Shroat Highland Park HS
Title: Getting the Back Seat Driver Involved
Description: This session, we’ll explore how the Behind-the-Wheel (BTW) booklet has been implemented to support student learning, accountability, and consistency across our driver education program. We’ll share how we’ve used the booklet to structure lessons, track progress, reinforce classroom content, and provide meaningful feedback during driving sessions.
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Where is it happening?
Naperville North High School, Naperville, Illinois, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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