Quick look: Set for July 22–24 at the Anaheim Convention Center, the 2025 California MTSS Professional Learning Institute will bring educators together to share strategies for supporting every student. Here’s what attendees can expect from this year’s statewide event.
In less than three weeks, educators from across California will gather for the eighth annual California Multi-Tiered System of Support Professional Learning Institute, a statewide conference focused on advancing access, collaboration and a whole-child approach to education.
Hosted by the Orange County Department of Education in partnership with the Butte County Office of Education, this event brings together teachers, administrators and educational leaders to explore strategies for supporting every student’s academic, behavioral and social-emotional growth.
Whether you’re a returning participant or considering attending for the first time, here are some key details to know about the upcoming California MTSS PLI:
What is California MTSS?
For those who are unfamiliar, MTSS stands for Multi-Tiered System of Support. It’s essentially a comprehensive framework that helps schools deliver proactive and effective supports for students based on their individual needs.
This system is categorized into three tiers — universal, supplemental and intensive — to deliver instruction and interventions. The universal tier provides services for all students, such as high-quality instruction and schoolwide behavioral expectations. The supplemental tier offers targeted, evidence-based support for students who may need additional help. Lastly, the intensive tier tailors individualized support for students with more significant needs.
By combining these tiers into one coordinated system, the MTSS framework allows schools and educators to take a structured and evidence-based approach to ensure each student’s success academically, behaviorally and socially.
Check out this video produced by OCDE’s Media Services team to learn more about the MTSS framework.
Conference dates and location
The 2025 California MTSS Professional Learning Institute will take place July 22-24 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The three-day event will include keynote presentations, deep-dive sessions, workshops and opportunities to network with educators and leaders from across the state.
Who should attend?
This conference is designed for education professionals, including classroom teachers, school and district administrators, school counselors, psychologists, school-based mental health providers, county office of education leaders, higher education faculty, and representatives from community-based organizations.
The Professional Learning Institute aims to offer valuable insights and tools whether you’re new to MTSS or have years of experience implementing it.
Speakers and sessions
This year’s event will feature more than 260 education experts leading sessions on a wide variety of topics from strengthening school-family partnerships, supporting student mental health through physical education, and targeting interventions that boost academic outcomes.
The keynote speakers include Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard University lecturer and founder of the Happiness Studies Academy, who will share research and strategies from his popular course on positive psychology to help students build resilience and emotional well-being. He’ll be joined by fellow keynote speaker Anthony Trucks, a former NFL player and motivational speaker, who will discuss his journey overcoming adversity and offer strategies to help students do the same.
The event will also feature a panel of educational leaders who will provide real-world examples of MTSS in action.
The 2025 theme is “Unite, Empower, Impact,” which reflects the conference’s goal to unite educators, empower school communities and make a lasting impact on academic excellence for students.
Registration details
Registration for the 2025 California MTSS PLI is currently open. To sign up and explore additional details about the conference, visit the official event webpage.
Pricing for the pre-conference is $99 and the general conference is $499. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.
For any questions about how to register, contact Melissa Alvarado at malvarado@ocde.us.