More than 3,000 educators from throughout California are gathering this week for a conference aimed at sharing practices that support the academic, behavioral and social-emotional success of all students.
“All our students have potential,” State Superintendent Tony Thurmond told attendees on Monday during the third annual California Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Professional Learning Institute (PLI).
“It’s up to all of you to bring out that potential. It’s up to all of you to know their names, faces and stories,” Thurmond said.
The three-day conference at the Long Beach Convention Center is hosted by the Orange County Department of Education, the Butte County Office of Education and the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. It includes teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers and other educators interested in learning how the MTSS framework creates equity for all students.
As the state superintendent mentioned, this year’s theme is “All Means All: Know My Name, Face and Story.”
In 2016, OCDE was tapped by the state to be the lead agency on an initiative to scale up California’s Multi-Tiered System of Support framework, which aligns new and existing strategies to meet each student’s academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs.
The comprehensive, data-driven approach of MTSS builds on the strengths of each school and provides a foundation of core supports for all students, additional assistance for some and targeted interventions for those with the greatest needs.
“All Means All” has emerged as the official motto for California MTSS, and the annual institute has become a major draw for educators and community members committed to creating inclusive and equitable school conditions for students and families.
“We have a momentum that’s starting to form,” Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the state Board of Education, said during Monday’s keynote address. “We’re building a system designed around student learning, one that reaches beyond the classroom.”
The conference also includes dozens of workshops where stakeholders are invited to learn — and share — promising practices that emphasize excellence, equity and access for all learners.