Southwest Educational Development Center, or SEDC, provides services requested by our member schools in order to better serve the students in southwest Utah. Our specific services are described throughout this Web site.
Our Mission
The Mission of the Southwest Educational Development Center is to meet the needs of students and teachers, promote achievement, and provide for economy and efficiency in the cooperative delivery of educational services that are identified and requested by member schools.
The SEDC region is larger in area than West Virginia. With over 100 schools, nearly 3,000 educators and 50,000 students in the region, we work to provide economies of scale to benefit all of our rural partners. We have strong partnerships statewide as well.
Explore the areas on the right to learn more about what SEDC is and what we provide for our members.
Southwest Educational Center Partnerships Since its inception in 1969 the Southwest Educational Development Center's primary goal has been to establish,...
Our goal at SEDC is to help educators identify their needs and to assist in providing the avenues to meet those needs. Our team continually seeks out new knowledge, implementing best practices to deliver exceptional services and learning opportunities. The...
Spelling Bee Superstars Shine at 7th Annual Regional Spelling Bee!
Get ready to give a HUGE round of applause for the incredible young word wizards who competed in our 7th Annual Regional Spelling Bee yesterday! The Southwest Educational Development Center (SEDC) was thrilled to host this fantastic event, and let us tell you, the talent on display was absolutely inspiring!
We had bright and brilliant spellers from all across southwest Utah, representing Beaver, Iron, Kane, Millard, and Washington County School Districts, as well as the amazing students from Valley Academy Charter School. That’s right – 18 of the sharpest 3rd through 8th graders came together at Canyon View Middle School in Cedar City to put their vocabulary skills to the ultimate test!
A massive thank you to Canyon View Middle School and their wonderful principal, Jeralyn Shaw, for hosting us in their awesome auditorium! We also want to extend our sincere appreciation to Lance Hatch, Superintendent of Iron County School District, for his warm and welcoming words to all our participants and their families.
The competition was fierce, the tension was palpable (in a fun way, of course!), and the spelling was top-notch! After several exciting rounds, we are absolutely delighted to announce our champions:
🏆 First Place: The phenomenal Jenessi Sawyer from South Elementary in Iron School District! Jenessi spelled the word “tenacious” with confidence and grace to take home the gold! Way to go, Jenessi – you are a spelling superstar!
🥈 Runner-Up: The incredibly talented Hayes Holyoak from Delta Middle School in Millard School District! Hayes made it so close, only stumbling on the tricky word “pittance.” What an amazing effort, Hayes! We are so impressed with your skills!
🥉 Third Place: The fantastic Eileen Burrows, also from Delta Middle School in Millard School District! Eileen battled it out in a thrilling four-person spell-off and emerged victorious after correctly spelling “wherewithal“! Congratulations, Eileen!
We are so incredibly proud of all 18 spellers who participated! Each and every one of you demonstrated amazing dedication and a love for language. You all received a well-deserved medal and certificate to commemorate your hard work. And a special shout-out again to our top three who also took home some shiny trophies!
This annual Spelling Bee is a highlight for SEDC, and it’s truly inspiring to see such bright young minds in our region. It reinforces our commitment to supporting academic excellence and fostering a love of learning in southwest Utah.
Congratulations again to Jenessi, Hayes, Eileen, and all the amazing spellers who made our 7th Annual Regional Spelling Bee such a resounding success! Follow us on social media @sedck12 for more updates and highlights! #sedck12 #sedcspellingbee
EDPD 13792 Matter and Energy in Science – Spring ’25 Elementary Science Endorsement Course
What: Spring 2025 Elementary Science Course: Matter and Energy in Science for the Elementary Science Endorsement. This course builds on the previous systems course as participants apply matter & energy to interactions within physical & living things.
When: Course starts Wednesday, January 8 and runs through Thursday April 24, 2025
How: 2.5-hour Synchronous Zoom Meetings: January 8, February 11, March 19, April 8 (These meeting will be Q & A format, to support participants as they are working)
One In-person Meeting: Saturday, March 8th 10 am-4 pm at the Iron County School District Offices, 2077 West Royal Hunte Drive Cedar City, Utah 84720
Cost: Courses will be offered FREE to all Utah elementary teachers with support from the STEM Endorsement Incentive Grant. SEDC will pay the SUU tuition.
Instructor: Sara McAffee – Iron County School District Elementary STEM Specialist
So, you’re a teacher and you’re wondering about showing movies in class? It’s a great way to spark interest and bring lessons to life, but it’s important to do it the right way. Or maybe you just want something for indoor recess or as a class reward?
Here’s the scoop on copyright and streaming movies:
Copyright protects creative works. That means movies, TV shows, music, and more are owned by someone.
Most streaming services don’t allow public showings. This includes classrooms, even if it’s just for a short clip.
But don’t worry! There are several ways to access movies legally:
Fair Use: This is a tricky one, but it basically means you can use small portions of a copyrighted work for educational purposes. Click here for details on Fair Use.
Keep it short and sweet. Show only the parts that are directly related to your lesson.
Focus on learning. Make sure the movie clip is a tool to help students understand, not just entertainment.
Ask your school’s media specialist. They can give you specific advice on what’s allowed.
Where can I find materials to use with movies to increase engagement?
UEN PDTV Feature of Boulder Elementary and SEDC PD Team
In this episode of UEN’s PDTV Principals Edition, we meet Teacher Leader and Administrator Elizabeth Julian at Boulder Elementary. Elizabeth has transformed her school into a place of innovative learning with the support of incredible partners like the Utah Film Center, Utah Education Network, and SEDC. These partnerships have brought exciting and enriching experiences directly to her students and we’ll get a glance into just how.
Let’s join Samie Ott’s classroom at Bryce Valley Elementary and witness firsthand how Utah’s Computer Science standards are being integrated into the curriculum. In this episode of UEN’s PDTV, you’ll see Samie’s students showcase their learning journey as they demonstrate their mastery of computational thinking. Dig deeper about the educational technology standards addressed in Samie’s video, as well as past teacher spotlights on the UEN PDTV playlist page.
We hit the jackpot with a grant from the Utah STEM Action Center for a top-notch Digitalis Digitarium portable planetarium system! Brace yourselves for a mind-blowing journey through Earth, the Moon, our Solar System, and beyond – we’re talking zooming through the Milky Way Galaxy and into uncharted territories! This isn’t just a planetarium, it’s a whole classroom on wheels – get ready for out-of-this-world 360º virtual tours, full-dome videos, and endless adventures. Buckle up for an educational joyride to Infinity and Beyond! Learn more here.
Schools can reserve the the planetarium by contacting Clint. The planetarium will be delivered, picked up and facilitated by SEDC staff and/or trained personnel from districts. Use for classroom instruction, before and after school clubs and camps, computing, and STEM activities, Back to School Nights, school event kickoffs, end-of-year activities, fundraisers, community events, and much more!
Selene Corbridge is the Office Manager for Southwest Educational Development Center in Cedar City, UT. She is responsible for the daily operation and activities of the center. These responsibilities include; tracking of revenue, accounts payable and receivable, requisitions for purchase orders, preparing payroll, preparing invoices for assessments, and monitoring employee contracts. Selene prepares correspondence for SEDC’s Executive Board and keeps minutes for their monthly board meetings.
In addition, Selene is the Administrator for the Southwest Sterling Scholar program. This includes managing budgets, planning board meetings, scheduling and working to have everything run smoothly.
Lastly, Selene is a welcoming presence in the office. She answers phones, greets visitors and maintains a professional atmosphere for those who visit and work at SEDC.
Congratulations Selene! Well deserved. Thank you for ALL you do for us at SEDC!
Educators are increasingly expected to exhibit skills and knowledge of using technology to enhance student learning. On July 1, 2023, the traditional path for the Educational Technology Endorsement Program (ETEP) was replaced with a Competency-Based approach. You are now able to demonstrate your skills to earn the endorsement without any coursework!
However, if you are not quite at that level, you still have an anywhere, anytime course-based pathway to the endorsement. The SEDC & UEN ETEP is grounded in the these new USBE EdTech Competencies, as well as the Utah Effective Teaching Standards and will help you learn the fundamentals of technology integration, effective pedagogy, digital citizenship, media literacy and to expand your leadership horizons. The courses are all self-paced, and you can enroll and begin your journey anytime.
This endorsement program is designed by UEN and approved by the Utah State Board of Education. Participants who began the traditional endorsement before July 2023 can continue with that route or change to the new competency-based endorsement. All traditional requirements much be completed before June 30, 2025.
Already know you are interested in joining the new ETEP program with SEDC? Sign up here. If you are not sure, read on!
UEN has announced a new resource for Utah educators. It’s designed to be a perfect “Go To” for some just-in-time training or help. It is extremely easy to navigate, and can quickly get you to the perfect UEN resource right when you need it.
