2024 Virtual MTSS Summit

Join us in December for two days packed with engaging sessions, insightful keynotes, and discussion about the most impactful practices in MTSS.

The Virtual MTSS Summit is Branching Minds' signature annual conference, featuring keynotes from renowned MTSS experts, dozens of sessions presented by districts across the U.S., and opportunities to network with over 1,000 education leaders. The Summit provides an opportunity for attendees to join a national community of practice, share resources and insights with other education leaders, and build inspiration and knowledge to take back to their teams and communities. New to the Summit? Check out our 2023 and 2022 events.

A Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework is about more than checking the boxes and complying with mandates. At its core, MTSS transforms the way we do education — how we approach and solve root problems and support the adult practices that lead to real change.

Why “Fidelity”? Because MTSS can be challenging to implement in the real-world conditions of our schools, where time, staff, and resources may be limited, and student needs may feel overwhelming.

Why “Intention”? Because with careful, data-informed decisions and deliberate actions, MTSS can be implemented with fidelity and student outcomes can improve. We see it every day!

Join us to learn from educational leaders, researchers, and practitioners how MTSS fidelity with intention can become a driving force in improving our schools and changing the lives of our students. ⬇️

A Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework is about more than checking the boxes and complying with mandates. At its core, MTSS transforms the way we do education — how we approach and solve root problems and support the adult practices that lead to real change.

Why “Fidelity”? Because MTSS can be challenging to implement in the real-world conditions of our schools, where time, staff, and resources may be limited, and student needs may feel overwhelming.

Why “Intention”? Because with careful, data-informed decisions and deliberate actions, MTSS can be implemented with fidelity and student outcomes can improve. We see it every day!

Join us to learn from educational leaders, researchers, and practitioners how MTSS fidelity with intention can become a driving force in improving our schools and changing the lives of our students. ⬇️

Nate von der Embse

Karen Hamilton

Hiral Vakaria

Rudy Keeth Matheny

Dr. Nathaniel von der Embse

Dr. Nate von der Embse is a professor of school psychology at the University of South Florida, and Co-Executive Director of the School Mental Health Collaborative.

Karen Hamilton

Karen Hamilton is a retired Assistant Superintendent with Wake County Public Schools. She has 40 years of experience including as a teacher, principal, and Director of Student Support Services.

Hiral Vekaria

Hiral Vekaria, EdS, NCSP, is a school psychologist in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. She was honored with the National Association of School Psychologist (NASP) Presidential Award in 2019.

R. Keeth Matheny

R. Keeth Matheny, AKA “Coach Rudy,” is a national award-winning teacher, author, and speaker. Keeth is the founder of SEL Launchpad, an organization that supports schools with social, emotional, and academic development programs.

Agenda

Tuesday, June 20, 2023
[Virtual]

Time	Session
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM ET	*Poolside Chat - "Will This Be Graded?* A Shift From Compliance-Driven Reporting to Reflective Continuous Improvement Through Self-Assessments of MTSS Practices"** José Castillo, PhD, NCSP, Associate Professor of School Psychology and Director of the Institute for School Reform, University of South Florida Brittany Shurley, Director of Professional Services, Branching Minds Teachers frequently encounter a question from students when assigning tasks, projects, or assignments: "Will this be graded?" But why do students ask this question? Would their approach or performance change if a grade were involved? A focus on scores and compliance can divert our attention from the true objective: continuous improvement. As countless schools nationwide engage in self-assessment of their Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) practices, the fear of feeling graded or haste to just get the assignment done can overshadow our sound judgment; it may also hinder leaders from embracing growth and continuous improvement opportunities. So how do we recognize and address these challenges to foster a culture of ongoing development in our educational institutions? Join Dr. Jose Castillo and Brittany Shurley as they dispel the fear of the score from the MTSS self-assessment and discuss the benefits of data-driven reflection on school-wide systems.
11:45 AM - 12:00 PM ET	Break
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM ET	Workshop - "Data in the Driver's Seat: Iterate MTSS Practices and Engage in Continuous Improvement Using Data" Meagan Gillcrist, Educational Consultant, Branching Minds Angela Plugge, Director of Learning (Curriculum), Waverly School District 145 Melissa Shotts, Account Executive, Branching Minds In this 90-minute workshop, attendees will: ➡️ Identify key metrics and their purpose in order to drive MTSS practice ➡️ Understand how to evaluate your current MTSS practice utilizing the implementation drivers of leadership, competency, organization ➡️ Use the continuous improvement cycle to make and apply data-driven decisions to iterate and improve your practice
1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET	Break
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM ET	BRM MTSS Platform Session - "Dive Into Your Data: Using EOY Data for Reflection and Planning in Branching Minds" Emily-Rose Barry, VP of Product, Branching Minds Lauren Van Gomple, Sr. Account Executive, Branching Minds At EOY, school and district administrators can use Branching Minds to help review relevant data with a systems lens. This includes: ➡️ Evaluating the effectiveness of your entire MTSS practice ➡️ Planning for success in the coming year In this rebroadcast of our most popular product webinar, we will review the Branching Minds MTSS platform’s reporting functionality to help those overseeing MTSS better understand the fidelity of their practice and the impact they have had on student outcomes.

👉 Access the recordings, slides, and related resources 👈

Meet the Presenters

	José Castillo, PhD, NCSP Associate Professor of School Psychology and Director of the Institute for School Reform, University of South Florida Dr. José Castillo, PhD, NCSP, graduated with a PhD in School Psychology from the University of South Florida (USF) in 2009. After graduating, he worked as a program evaluator for the Institute for School Reform at USF and as a school psychologist in the Pasco County School District in Florida. Currently, he serves as an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at USF and as Director of the Institute for School Reform. Dr. Castillo facilitates training, technical assistance and support to school districts to help build capacity for their MTSS. His research interests include evaluating multi-tiered system of supports implementation through a systems change lens, and professional and practice issues in school psychology.
	Brittany Shurley Director of Professional Services, Branching Minds Brittany has served students, educators, and leaders in various roles throughout her career, including as a classroom teacher, learning disabilities specialist, school-based leader, and district level administrator. Brittany has extensive experience in facilitating the implementation of MTSS at the district and school levels. She is passionate about ensuring teachers have the tools to promote safe, healthy, and engaging learning environments where students are experiencing success.
	Meagan Gillcrist Educational Consultant, Branching Minds Having graduated with her B.A. (Old Dominion University) and M.A.Ed. (The College of William and Mary) degrees in the area of special education, Meagan has been a devoted advocate and secondary public school educator for 12+ years. Her work as an instructional coach and special education program director have allotted her the opportunity to understand the holistic needs of both students and teachers at a deeper systematic level. This knowledge has given Meagan extensive experience in seeking a more collaborative, equitable, and inclusive process at the school and district level through the implementation of MTSS. Her passion for this work is rooted in keeping great educators in education to support student growth and achievement far beyond the classroom walls. Meagan is based in Denver, CO.
	Angela Plugge, EdD Director of Learning, Waverly School District 145 Bio coming soon!
	Melissa Shotts Account Executive, Branching Minds Prior to Branching Minds, Melissa was a teacher for 10 years including at an international school in Kunming, China. She served on her MTSS implementation district-wide leadership team for multiple years. At her school, she created and led a school-wide SEL program. Melissa is passionate about providing equitable educational opportunities for all students.
	Emily-Rose Barry VP of Product, Branching Minds Emily-Rose has worked in Education Technology in roles overseeing Product and Customer Success for the past ten years. Before joining the world of agile software development, she taught reading and writing at every level from early childhood to college, administered special programs for an adult literacy nonprofit, and published short fiction and poetry as a freelance writer. She is a co-founder of ProductTank Buffalo, a local community for networking and professional development.
	Lauren Van Gomple Sr. Account Executive, Branching Minds Lauren's work focuses on building new partnerships to support districts as they seek to make MTSS efficient, equitable and collaborative for ALL students. Lauren holds two master's degrees in Special Education and Educational Psychology (school psychology specialist). As a former special education teacher and MTSS consultant, she has over 10 years of experience building systems for growth, training and coaching new teachers, and developing pathways for system-level change. Additionally, Lauren continues to support educators through her work as a University lecturer and supervisor for new teachers at St. Thomas and Bethel Universities. Lauren is passionate about supporting educators and districts as they focus on systematic change within Multi-Tier Systems of Supports.