At NorthStar Educational Advocates, we empower families through comprehensive support, from unraveling the complexities of their child's struggles in school to tirelessly championing their rights, ensuring they receive the tailored support they deserve.

Observe students; assess, evaluate, analyze, diagnose, and write psychological reports.Review student records, organize information and determine appropriate assessment battery.Assess students’ cognitive ability, social-emotional development, adaptive behavior, language development, academic achievement, and both academic and social/emotional needs.Participate in the decision-making process regarding special placement of students.Provide diagnostic services, counseling, and recommendations for pupils with special needs.Participate in Individual Education Program meetings with students and parents as needed.

Facilitate social work groups and provide individual counseling minutes for a caseload of 40-50 studentsAssemble and lead multi-disciplinary evaluation teams to complete 80+ initial and re-evaluationsDevelop and implement SEL curriculum for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in the transitional education programDevelop collaborative relationships with private providers to enhance student outcomes Partner with counselors, educators, and gen ed social workers to create, implement, and evaluate tier 2 interventionsGuide Pupil Support Services Teams in knowing when to initiate case study evaluationsProvide crisis and emergency services to students, families, and staffSupport educators in IEP development, data collection and analysis, and creation of BIPs

Created evaluation procedures that improved the network’s evaluation completion rate from 68% to 100% & the percentage of on time evaluations from 50% to 93% Authored several SPED brochures for families that make the SPED process more approachable Manage a caseload of 1,600+ culturally and linguistically diverse students across 3 campuses on the Southside of Chicago Team Leader for 3 evaluation teams responsible for creating evaluation calendars, improving legal compliance, facilitating referral and eligibility meetings, and ensuring all paperwork is completed correctly and on time Restructured the network’s MTSS process to include research based programs, regularly scheduled progress monitoring, and network-wide data meetings to ensure data-based decision making Trusted to train new specialists on best practices for SPED evaluations and using evaluation results to write data-driven IEPs

Lead Psychologist for the District’s Comprehensive Needs Program supporting students across the district with the most severe/multiple disabilitiesServed on the District’s SPED Leadership Committee that created and implemented districtwide SPED procedures including the transition to the RtI model for diagnosing Specific Learning Disabilities Appointed Team Leader at McKenzie Elementary School all 5 years of employment where I was responsible for building level SPED decisions, facilitating contentious meetings, and mentoring new staffMember of the District’s Behavior Intervention Team for 4 years that supported students across the district with the most severe behavioral challengesAsked by Superintendent to serve on the District’s RtI Committee to ensure procedures created adhered to guidelines for diagnosing Specific Learning Disabilities

Maximized research-based interventions to help students achieve IEP goalsGuided grade level problem-solving team meetingsTrusted to independently lead IEP meetings Initiated and implemented individual and group interventions Developed a strength-based approach to counseling and evaluating studentsActed as integral part of crisis team and delivered crisis counseling

Co-led weekly theater based social skills group for students with AutismGuided weekly counseling group for students returning from hospitalizationExplored impact of social, cultural, socioeconomic, gender, and linguistic factors on student performance and achievement

Delivered research-based reading interventions and tracked student progress Engaged in data-based decision making to provide reading interventions

Supported students with comprehensive needs in a self-contained Kindergarten classroom Strengthened skills in functional behavioral assessments and behavior intervention plans