Taught one year as a blended classroom teacher serving a 5-5-5 model of special education, at-risk, and typical students with one aide. I designed and implemented project based learning through Creative Curriculum, using Teaching Strategies GOLD to monitor progress and development. I facilitated IEP meetings, coordinated services with related service providers, wrote goals and maintained accurate data collection and records.Transitioned to position of Bridges Teacher for the next two years. In this position I was and continue to be a special education teacher for the entire program providing push-in and pull-out support for students depending on their level of need. I researched and assisted in the development of a new classroom to extend the continuum of services offered by District 28. The Structured Language and Learning Classroom opened this (18-19) school year. As the Bridges Teacher this year I have taken on more of an inclusion facilitator and coach type role, supporting blended classroom teachers as students from the self-contained classroom spend time in the general education setting, as well as supporting the transitions for these students, goal generalization and maintenance, and data collection across settings.

Acting as case manager for multiple students, I head eligibility, evaluation, and annual review IEP meetings and manage the corresponding paperwork including writing goals and updating their progress throughout the year. I coordinate a trans-disciplinary team, meeting weekly to communicate with specialists and service providers regarding individual students, their needs, and their progress. I provide push-in and pull-out special education service minutes including working on academic and functional goals. I have completed functional behavior assessments and written behavior intervention plans, sharing these tools with the team to ensure continuity of implementation across settings and adults. I create lessons to meet common core state standards while engaging students in meaningful experiences with the content of a variety of curricula.

Extended School Year

Co-teaching a blended classroom of 30 preschool students per session with the support of two classroom aides. As the special education teacher, I had 10 students in each session on my caseload. I held initial evaluation and eligibility meetings, wrote IEPs including goals, and followed through with instruction, data collection, and progress reports in the classroom. In this setting I used the creative curriculum framework to implement a project approach to learning in the classroom including student interest based units of study, active exploration, observational drawings, experts, field trips, and culminating events. For assessment we used teaching strategies gold and created portfolios for each individual student with artifacts and evidence for each learning objective.

Provide support to a family with two children who have autism. The brothers are currently 5 and 7 years old. I maintain daily routines, work on behavior management, engage the boys in stimulating and educational activities, and help with academic and personal decisions impacted by their disabilities.