Presented online November 12, 2025
Breakout Sessions
- All
- Live Sessions
Overview of the California Statewide System of Support
Explore our resources, success stories, and initiatives to see how SSOS is making a positive impact across the state. Let’s make educational excellence a reality for every learner.
Leveraging the California English Learner Roadmap Across and Through the System of Support
Join us to explore how California’s English Learner Roadmap is being advanced across and through the Statewide System of Support. This session will spotlight the work of Regional English Learner Specialists (RELS) and the English Learner Roadmap Power in Collaboration Across CA (EPICC) initiative, highlighting strategies that strengthen coherence, build capacity, and foster equity for multilingual learners.
Participants will gain insights into how these efforts align to elevate outcomes for English learners and create sustainable, systemwide impact.
Expanded Learning in Action: Collaborating Across Initiatives to Support Whole Child Success
A foundational overview of Quality Expanded Learning Programs, including its funding structures, support system, and role in supporting student success.
Participants will understand the basic elements of Expanded Learning, participants will hear real-life examples from Local Educational Agency leaders that have aligned Expanded Learning and other statewide initiatives to support students and participants will learn what the System of Support for Expanded Learning is and their role in providing support to Expanded Learning Programs.
Innovation in Motion Moving from Concepts of Inclusion to Results
Creating innovative, inclusive, engaging, and equitable school environments requires more than isolated initiatives—it demands a cohesive, system-wide commitment to continuous improvement. This session explores Poway Unified School District’s journey to transform their system by centering equity and inclusion for all students, including Students with Disabilities.
Participants will examine how Poway USD’s system culture, policies, and practices shaped student experiences, and how equity-centered engagement strategies supported improved student outcomes. Using the Supporting Innovative Practices (SIP) Blueprint for Inclusion as a guiding framework, the session will unpack the essential elements of envisioning, building, implementing, scaling, and sustaining efforts that move beyond compliance—and into authentic meaningful inclusive schools. Participants will leave with practical tools and insights to elevate their LCAP from paper to action, and deepen your district or school’s commitment to meaningful, equity-driven student engagement.
Intentional Design of System Wide Inclusive Cultures, Policies, and Practices
This session highlights how three Technical Assistance Providers collaborated to support a County Office, SELPA, and LEAs in reimagining inclusion by co-designing educational systems through the lenses of culture, policy, and practice.
Presenters will share how they developed a tailored professional learning and coaching experience responsive to the unique needs of each geographic region and its County Office/SELPA and LEAs. They will also discuss the impact implementation of Universal Design for Learning has had on building inclusive systems and improving outcomes for students with disabilities.
In addition, representatives from the County Office/SELPA and LEA will share their journey and reflect on how the technical assistance contributed to meaningful changes in practice and student outcomes.
Building Brilliant Futures Math, Science, and Computer Science from Birth to Graduation
This session will highlight how two innovative initiatives are supporting math, science, and computer science learning from early childhood through high school. Participants will learn how these initiatives are designing and implementing professional learning, coaching, and family and community engagement in ways that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and connected across grade levels.
Through real-world examples, participants will see what cross-sector collaboration looks like in action—and hear key lessons learned in building systems that support continuous learning, strengthen educator practice, and deepen family and community partner involvement.
Fostering Collaborative IEPs Breaking Barriers and Building Stronger Teams
This session explores six common barriers to effective IEP collaboration and offers practical, systemic strategies to foster trust, shared understanding, and meaningful participation across teams. Grounded in real-world examples and co-developed resources, participants will reflect, discuss, and leave with actionable ideas to strengthen the IEP process in any role.
Breaking Silos, Building Brilliance Elevating Instruction through Collaborative Professional Growth
This session will showcase how collective expertise drives instructional practice, and methods for dismantling traditional educational silos to ensure all students are learning at a high level. Each of the panel members will share their perspective of their journey and their “why” for engaging in this challenging work. Participants will hear about collaborative leadership approaches that contribute to a positive school environment
Nurturing Seeds of Genius
Kings County Office of Education serves as co-leads on the statewide equity initiative known as The Genius Initiative. In this session, Kings County will share how their internal team will be providing strategic and intensive levels of support to juvenile court, community, continuation, and alternative settings. Expert Zara Sims will share the impact of her workshop: Roots to Re-Entry at the recent Transforming Lives Summit: Nurturing Seeds of Genius.
Breaking Barriers to Graduation: How Anaheim UHSD Drives Student Success
In 2023, seven California school districts came together to take on a shared challenge: to ensure students with disabilities graduate high school. With support from the California Department of Education and the System Improvement Leads project, these districts formed a learning network to test new ideas, share strategies, and support one another in making real change.
In this session, you will hear from Anaheim Union High School District, a network team, about how they broke down systemic barriers and created the conditions for more students to cross the graduation stage. Learn how they aligned teams, focused on what mattered most, and achieved a 16% increase in graduation rates for students with disabilities. You’ll leave with practical strategies and renewed energy to support every student’s path to graduation.
The Improvement and Implementation Playbook: Aligning Our Efforts for Impact.
The Improvement and Implementation Playbook: Aligning Our Compliance Efforts for Impact – This session will provide a clear, phased framework for merging Improvement Science and Implementation Science concepts. We’ll walk through how these two methodologies can systematically work together. All participants will receive a copy of the playbook as a practical resource to use for continuous improvement and/or compliance efforts.
Learning to Lead for Equity: Continuous Improvement through Professional Learning Lesson Study
Professional Learning Lesson Study (PLLS) is a continuous improvement (CI) approach implemented by the 21st Century School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) for expanding the capacity of regional leaders to improve professional leadership learning opportunities through equity-centered self-study. This session will (1) provide an overview of PLLS as a CI approach for improving equity-focused professional learning, (2) share the application of PLLS to professional learning through a community of practice model (the PLLS Collective), and (3) provide an opportunity to engage in a sample PLLS protocol/strategy/process that can be applied for equity-centered self-study in other professional learning contexts.
Community Engagement Initiative: A Systems Change Strategy
This session will explore how authentic community partnerships can drive systems change through trust-building, equity, and shared visioning. Participants will learn strategies to center community experiences, align policies and practices, and co-create solutions that interrupt inequitable system conditions. Through real examples from the Community Engagement Initiative, attendees will see how engagement transforms from one-way communication to collective action and measurable outcomes.
By the end of this session, participants will:
Understand key strategies for building authentic partnerships that foster trust, belonging, and equity.
Learn how to connect community experiences to policy, program design, and systemic change.
Leave with practical tools to co-create goals and change approaches with their educational partners.
Universal Supports that Bring UDL Principles to Life
How do we design learning environments where all students are seen, supported, and successful? In this session, we’ll explore universal supports from the CCIL website that anchor to the foundational principles of UDL and offer multiple entry points for creating spaces where every learner belongs and thrives. We’ll look at how these supports can be leveraged to spark change—whether reimagining CTE pathway programs or expanding inclusive opportunities for multilingual learners. Participants will leave with ready-to-use tools to drive learning, systems change, planning, and professional growth.
An Update on California's Comprehensive Literacy Policies and Resources
California’s Statewide Literacy Directors will present an update on the State’s comprehensive literacy policies and resources. Featured will be ongoing literacy initiatives and new statewide literacy investments. These include the California Literacy Roadmap, Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties, Preschool Through Third Grade Learning Progressions for Language and Literacy Development, funding for approved Professional Development programs, and more!














