Welcome toConnecting California: A Free Virtual Conference!

This engaging conference will provide participants an opportunity to connect to the Statewide System of Support (SSOS), learn about how educational initiatives and projects in California are integrating for impact at the local level, and access to a wide variety of tools and resources to use in their unique school communities. Don’t miss out! Register today!

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What is the Statewide System of Support (SSOS)?

Established on the foundation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in 2013, this system revolutionized how California approaches public school accountability. Through the framework of the System of Support, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) in collaboration with the California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (SBE), promotes principles of continuous improvement to increase equity and access.

This comprehensive system leverages coordination, collaboration, and integration with various educational entities, including County Offices of Education (COEs), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), and charter schools. The ultimate goal of the SSOS is to provide coordinated, needs-based, and differentiated resources and supports to LEAs that lead to improved services for all students evidenced by the closing of opportunity gaps and improved student outcomes.

Agenda

Interpretation is available using the Closed Captioning and Spanish interpretation embedded features for this event.

Agenda

time icon11/18/2026 09:05 am to
09:25 am

Opening Keynote

time icon11/18/2026 09:25 am to
09:30 am

Transition to Breakout Rooms

time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
10:20 am

Breakout Session 1 - Making Career Exploration Real: Middle School CTE Practices that Work

speaker headshot Heather Galyen
Feaster Charter School
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
10:20 am

Breakout Session 2 - A Diploma for Every Learner: Designing Inclusive Coursework and Assessment Pathways

speaker headshot Stephanie Coleman
Sacramento COE
speaker headshot Zach Smith
WestEd
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
10:20 am

Breakout Session 3 - Family Engagement for High-Quality Early Learning Experiences

speaker headshot Janine Marcoux
21CSLA
speaker headshot Tawny Laskar
21CSLA
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
10:20 am

Breakout Session 4 - When Teachers Thrive, Students Thrive: How Collaborative Staffing Models Address Educator Retention and Student Equity

speaker headshot Nicole Assisi
Thrive
speaker headshot Courtney Ochi
Thrive
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
10:20 am

Breakout Session 5 - Reading Lights the Way: Aligning People, Practices, and Data to Build Solid Literacy Foundations

speaker headshot Abby Petropulos
Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
speaker headshot Dr. Angie Reynosa
Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
speaker headshot Dr. Heather Gomez
Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
speaker headshot Dr. Latisha Pitts
Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
10:20 am

Breakout Session 6 - Partnering with Families: Practical Strategies for Meaningful Participation Using the High Quality IEP Toolkit for Parents

speaker headshot Heather DiFede
High Quality IEPs
speaker headshot Jennifer Yales
High Quality IEPs High Quality IEPs
speaker headshot Hinda Nadif
High Quality IEPs
speaker headshot Noreen Rodriguez Lippincott
High Quality IEPs
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 7 - Blending, Braiding and Layering Funds: A Creative Approach to California's Universal Preschool Program

Please note this is a 110-min session

speaker headshot Shanna Birkholz-Vasquez
CDE Lancaster SD Partnership for Children and Youth
speaker headshot Jen Taylor
CDE Lancaster SD Partnership for Children and Youth
speaker headshot Dr. Kelly Fountain
CDE Lancaster SD Partnership for Children and Youth
speaker headshot Monik Vega
CDE Lancaster SD Partnership for Children and Youth
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 8 - A Structured Approach to Community School Systems

Please note this is a 110-min session

speaker headshot Luke Anderson
PBIS Placer COE
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 9 - From Compliance to Coherence: SIP’s Blueprint for Advancing Inclusive Systems in California

Please note this is a 110-min session


speaker headshot Kevin Schafer
SIP
speaker headshot Dr. Carmen Hopkins
SIP
speaker headshot Janelle Mercado
SIP
time icon11/18/2026 10:20 am to
10:30 am

Transition to Breakout Rooms

time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 10 - Designing for Inclusion: Evidence-Based Tools for Students with Extensive Support Needs

speaker headshot Cherylin Lew
LACOE
speaker headshot Diana Nestico-Arnold
LACOE
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 11 - Literacy Professional Development Programs: Criteria, Guidance, and List

speaker headshot Eve Fabiaschi
CDE
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 12 - From Evidence to Action: Advancing Learning Acceleration Across California

speaker headshot Elizabeth Gandhi
CCEE Education Northwest
speaker headshot Stacey Wedin
CCEE Education Northwest
speaker headshot Belinda Gasper
CCEE Education Northwest
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 13 - Excellence. Reimagined. The WASC Self-Study: New Processes, Tools, and Guidance for Schools

speaker headshot Dr. Malia Pulido-Dahal
WASC
speaker headshot Nancy Brownwell
LEA Reps
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 14 - Choose Your Own Adventure: Navigating Three Pathways to Inclusive Early Childhood Special Education

speaker headshot Melanie Hertig
CalECSE
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 15 - Building Bright Beginnings: Count Play Explore Across California

speaker headshot Naomi Nock-Salgado
Count Play Explore
speaker headshot Jon Dueck
Count Play Explore
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 16 - Students at the Center: Redesigning IEP Processes for Lasting Student Impact

speaker headshot Beverley Jenkins
SIL
speaker headshot Kristin Hatton
Clovis Unified School District
time icon11/18/2026 10:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 17 - SSOS Overview + Impact

speaker headshot Mindy Fattig
CCEE
speaker headshot Wendy Little
CDE
speaker headshot Anissa Sonnenburg
CDE
time icon11/18/2026 11:20 am to
11:30 am

Transition to Round Tables

time icon11/18/2026 11:30 am to
12:30 pm

Lunch-Round Tables

time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
12:30 pm

Transition to Breakout Rooms

time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 18 - Tier 1 by Design: Inclusive Expectations with PBIS and UDL

speaker headshot Leah Padilla
Open Access
speaker headshot Patricia Schetter
Open Access
speaker headshot Laurie Balsano Wright
Open Access
time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 19 - Inside the RAISE Improvement Network: 23 California Districts Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Together

speaker headshot Ben Sanoff
HTH GSE - RAISE
speaker headshot Dr. Christine Olmstead
Secondary Redesign
time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 20 - Impacts of Job-embedded PL in Literacy Acceleration

speaker headshot Dr. Michanne Hoctor
SDCOE
speaker headshot Jennifer Upham
SDCOE
time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 21 - From Statewide Learning to Local Impact: Fairfield-Suisun USD’s Assessment Coherence Journey

speaker headshot Sujie Shin
CCEE
speaker headshot Dr Sheila McCabe
Fairfield-Suisun SD
time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 22

time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 23 - An Early Education Strategy Multi-Tiered System of Support Leveraging Community Based Organizations

Please note this is a 110-min session


speaker headshot Carla Bryant
SFUSD
speaker headshot Crystal Hawkins
Head Start
speaker headshot Payne Hayin Kimmer
University of Washington
speaker headshot Jerry Yang
Community Schools Exchange
time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 24 - Street Data, Storytelling, and Community Schools in Action

Please note this is a 110-min session

speaker headshot Lauren La Plante
RTAC - Santa Clara COE
speaker headshot Jessica Progulske
RTAC - Santa Clara COE
speaker headshot Dr. Rachel Cobb
Community School - Alameda COE
time icon11/18/2026 12:30 pm to
01:20 pm

Breakout Session 25 - Attendance Recovery and Expanded Learning: A Profitable Partnership

Please note this is a 110-min session


speaker headshot Katie Brackenridge
Partnership for Children & Youth
speaker headshot Jessica Gunderson
Partnership for Children & Youth
time icon11/18/2026 09:30 am to
11:20 am

Breakout Session 26 - From Initiative to Impact: Scaling Coherent Systems Through CA MTSS Partnerships

Please note this is a 110-min session

speaker headshot Dr. Jami Parsons
MTSS
speaker headshot Luke Anderson
PBIS
speaker headshot Rindi DeVoll
RuralEd Network
time icon11/18/2026 01:20 pm to
01:30 pm

Transition to Breakout Rooms

time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 27

time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 28

speaker headshot Alison Yoshimoto-Towery
UCLA
time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 29

time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 30

speaker headshot Steven Sterling-Mitchell
CEI
speaker headshot Sabrina Jackson
Natomas Unified School District
time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 31 - From Rights to Relationships: Empowering Families Through Procedural Safeguards

speaker headshot Noreen Rodriguez Lippincott
High Quality IEPs
speaker headshot Heather DiFede
High Quality IEPs
speaker headshot Stacy Alvey
Pathways to Partnership
speaker headshot Aubrie Fulk
Pathways to Partnership
time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 32 - High-Impact Tutoring in California

speaker headshot Bonnie Garcia
CDE Stanford
speaker headshot Daniela Solley
CDE Stanford
speaker headshot Kathy Bendheim
CDE Stanford
time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 33 - The Evolution of The Improvement and Implementation Playbook (Version 1.5)

speaker headshot Jeremy Sawtelle
Shasta COE
speaker headshot Nick Syrrist
Shasta COE
time icon11/18/2026 01:30 pm to
02:20 pm

Breakout Session 34

speaker headshot Emily Ingram
GEMS
time icon11/18/2026 02:20 pm to
02:30 pm

Transition to Closing Keynote

time icon11/18/2026 02:30 pm to
03:00 pm

Closing Key and Survey

FAQFrequently Asked Questions


Yes, you’ll need to fill out our registration form to gain access to the event. Please fill in the registration form with some basic information to get started.
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Yes, this event is completely free to attend. We encourage you to login and have a look around at your convenience.
The event will be on demand indefinitely, however we may make updates and changes to the platform periodically. Make sure to keep checking back in to see our newest features in action!
Educators, students, families, and community partners interested in learning about free resources and supports available in the California Statewide System of Support.
info@systemofsupport.org