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Redwood Shores principal details MTSS work, cites heavy specialist caseloads and teacher‑level interventions
Summary
Kiara Herrera presented a school spotlight on Multi‑Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) at Redwood Shores, outlining a process of preliminary SSTs, MTSS student talk days, data tools and caseload numbers (reading specialist ~40 students; counselor ~52; SLP ~53; occupational therapy ~35). She said classroom teachers receive a $400 budget for interventions.
Kiara Herrera, speaking in the board’s school spotlight, described how Redwood Shores uses a Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to identify student needs and coordinate interventions. Herrera said MTSS is a broad framework that includes classroom‑level Tier 1 supports, more targeted Tier 2 interventions and intensive Tier 3 services, and emphasized the school’s reliance on specialist staff to implement interventions.
Herrera provided specific caseload numbers to illustrate workload: about 19 percent of the school’s students have an IEP or 504 plan; reading specialists typically serve about 40 students each (the figure changes with data and need); the counselor’s Tier 2/3 caseload was about 52 at the end of last year; elementary speech‑language pathologist caseload was about 53; occupational therapy served about 35 students. "Our specialists are at their maximum caseload," Herrera said, noting those numbers affect how quickly students move through the MTSS process.
She described concrete tools used to manage MTSS work: a district‑provided handbook, a preliminary SST form, MTSS Student Talk days for internal triage, and an interactive student data list that gives teachers immediate links to IEP summaries, language‑acquisition status and previous interventions. Herrera said teachers received autonomy and resources for classroom‑level supports — the community set a budget allowing each classroom teacher $400 to spend on interventions and enrichments.
Trustees praised the school’s approach and asked about sustainability. Herrera acknowledged the system is time‑consuming and that much of the initial data‑assembly was done by her over the summer with data tools; she said the school meets monthly with an MTSS team and welcomes additional specialist capacity to reduce staff strain. "We're never gonna say no to any of that support," she told trustees.
The spotlight concluded with board appreciation; several trustees called Redwood Shores’ MTSS work a potential model for other sites.
