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District outlines MTSS expansion, STAR rollout and SABERS gains as school year begins
Summary
San Luis Coastal Unified outlined expansion of its multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS), new universal screening with STAR across elementary sites, DIBBLES rollout for K–2, and improvements in behavioral screening where high‑risk SABERS counts fell from 121 to 69 over the school year.
District leaders presented a multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS) update showing program expansion, screening changes and measurable student progress.
Miss Shepard and colleagues described tiered supports: universal Tier‑1 instruction for all students, targeted Tier‑2 small‑group interventions (S‑cubes and AITs) and intensive Tier‑3 supports. "We hit about 14.8% average Tier‑2 pullout across sites last year," a presenter said, and staff highlighted variability driven by differing site staffing and DLI program needs.
Assessment changes: the district will standardize elementary screening by using STAR across all sites and will administer DIBBLES for K–2 students in late October through early November. Staff said the shift to STAR enables teacher‑facing reports and a CASP predictor that FastBridge lacked; the district is also piloting the STAR math screener at middle school to begin building consistent longitudinal measures.
Behavior and counseling: Janet Gould, executive director of student support services, summarized SABERS screening results: 121 students scored high risk in fall 2024 and that number fell to 69 by spring 2025. Gould described expansion of counseling services, schoolwide behavioral systems and the Parseek counseling dashboard that will integrate counseling, attendance and academic indicators to guide interventions.
Secondary approaches: Dan Nef presented examples of secondary Tier‑2 supports (co‑taught classes, AVID, study skills, tutorial programs) and shared FastBridge/STAR growth data showing an 18 percentage‑point gain in co‑taught ELA classes versus a 7 percentage‑point gain for non‑co‑taught sections.
Board questions focused on cohort comparability when changing screeners, how secondary students are referred to Tier‑2/Tier‑3 supports, and the timeline for SWIS‑Parseek integration. Staff described calibration and site‑level thresholding; Parseek integration will roll in stages as site data are cleaned and sites calibrate referral thresholds.
What happens next: the district will expand STAR and DIBBLES screenings, increase caseload expectations for S‑cubes, roll out the STAR math screener at secondary sites, and continue coaching and county office partnerships for behavior interventions. Staff asked the board to approve follow‑on reporting as data come in.
