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Rebecca Moore

Special Education Teacher (self-contained classroom for students with emotional disabilities),

Grades 7-8

East Noble Middle School

East Noble School Corporation

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I. EDUCATIONAL HISTORY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EDUCATION

Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis with emphasis on Autism (anticipated

graduation April 2013)

Ball State University, Muncie, IN

Bachelor of Science in Special Education; Emotional Impairment & Learning

Disabilities, Elementary Education April 2009

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

Associates of General Studies, April 2006

Glen Oaks Community College, Centreville, MI

Certification Areas:

Indiana Professional Educator’s License-Instructional: Initial Practitioner (Highly Qualified):

K-12 Mild Interventions; Elementary Generalist-Primary; Elementary Generalist-Intermediate

Michigan Provisional Certificate (Highly Qualified):

K-12 Special Education-Emotional Impairment and Learning Disabilities; K-5 All subjects (self-

contained classroom)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

East Noble Middle School, East Noble School Corporation, Kendallville, IN

Self-Contained Teacher (Emotional Disabilities) June 2010-Present 2010-2011 & 2011-2012 School Year: Teacher of record for all students in the middle school

with emotional disabilities ranging from self-contained to consultation in addition to students

with autism spectrum disorder who were among the general education population—maintained

all paperwork including IEP’s, behavior plans, and transition plans for these students.

Implemented a new level system, which allows students the ability to be integrated into the

general education setting as demonstrated by positive behavioral growth. Clear and consistent

expectations are established for students both behaviorally and academically through the

execution of the level system. Students in the self-contained classroom received similar

instruction being presented in the general education classrooms in all core academic subject

areas while receiving individualized instruction to focus on areas of weakness. This was done

through collaboration with general education teachers thus making the transition from self-

contained setting to general education setting smooth. Students were involved with integrating

technology in their learning and making real-world connections in order to solidify their

knowledge base allowing them to make learning a partnership. Positive relationships and social

skills were practiced and emphasized in the classroom, which were carried over through

unstructured situations in which behavior growth was made. Strong parent communication and

consistent implementation of expectations, between school and home, also aided in positive

behavioral gains.

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Resource Teacher September 2009-June 2010

2009-2010 School Year: Teacher of record for students with emotional disabilities and autism

spectrum disorder within the middle school providing support ranging from self-contained all

day in special education classes to consultative services to ensure they are making academic

progress in their general education classes. Instructed students with disabilities (emotional

disabilities, specific learning disabilities, mild cognitive disabilities, hearing impaired) who were

not successful in a general education setting due to lower academic achievement levels or

behaviorally impeding their level of progress, resulting in a need for accommodations and

modifications to the curriculum to be successful, academically. Through the use of differentiated

instruction that was deviated from the general education curriculum, students at different

achievement levels made individual gains which were measured through informal assessments

including classroom assignments and a portfolio of completed assignments as well as formal

assessments including Acuity and ISTEP. To promote a positive classroom environment, the

integration of Publishing Parties recognized student accomplishment in which students received

positive feedback from other faculty members within the school corporation including school

psychologists, teachers, principals, and the superintendent. Also arranged with a nearby

elementary school to set up reading buddies with lower elementary classrooms to promote self-

confidence and being a positive role model.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

Member of National Education Association since 2010

Indiana State Teachers Association since 2010

COMMITTEES:

East Noble School Corporation District RTI Team since 2011

East Noble Middle School RTI Team since 2011

National Junior Honor Society Advisor since 2010

EXTRACURRICULAR EVENTS:

Homebound teacher for a student with aggressive behaviors hindering his ability to attend

school 2011-2012

Athletic Worker – worked concession stand, scoreboard operator, ticket taker 2010-2012

Volunteer at Lutheran Hospital in the Childbirth Center in 2010

HONORS:

East Noble School Corporation Teacher of the Year 2012

East Noble Middle School Teacher of the Year 2012

East Noble Middle School Teacher of the Year Nominee 2011

All-Write Summer Institute Guest Speaker 2010

Intern Teacher Scholarship – Western Michigan University 2009

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II. PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

Growing up, getting a quality education, working hard, and making positive choices were

instilled in me from my strong family upbringing. When I graduated high school in 2005, I had

completed 22 college credits. I, then, went on to graduate from Glen Oaks Community College

the following year with all of my general credits completed. In 2006, I applied to the special

education program at Western Michigan University and was one of the youngest students

admitted into the program.

Still apprehensive about whether this was the profession I wanted to go into; I entered my

first semester of special education. In my first class, I was given my practicum assignment for

the semester. It was at the local Juvenile Home. I went in to this practicum with all the

preconceived notions that go along with juvenile facilities. What I really discovered was my love

for teaching. These students challenged me, pushed me to my limits, and showed me how

mentally strong I was. There was one student in particular that I worked with on a consistent

basis that really tested my patience. This student got in to some trouble and was sent to the lock-

down portion of the facility. He awaited his trial to find out what would happen. The judge ruled

for him to be sent away to a more intensive facility out of state. While he was waiting to be

transported, which was about 2-3 weeks, he began to read. He was excited about reading and was

eager for the chance to read some more. I wanted this to carry over into his time at the other

facility, so I went out and bought three books that he could take with him. Almost two years

later, I received an email from the mentor teacher I had when I was at the Juvenile home. She

told me that the student was back in town, had successfully graduated high school with his

diploma, was planning to begin college courses at the local community college, and to tell the

intern that gave him the books “thanks.” When I read the email, I felt a sense of accomplishment;

accomplishment for the student as well as myself. This accomplishment cannot be measured by

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grades, classes, or test scores. It is that moment I realized this is what I was meant to do. Despite

the many stressors involved in teaching, special moments like these are what make teaching

worthwhile.

Once I completed my undergraduate degree, I began teaching with East Noble School

Corporation. I have spent the past three years with East Noble where I have worked as a special

education teacher at the middle school level. My first year of teaching was in a resource room

setting with a range of disabilities present in my classroom from academic skill deficits to

behavioral/social deficits. To celebrate student accomplishment in writing (one of their most

difficult subjects), I implemented publishing parties where individuals from all over the district

(administrators, superintendent, school psychologist, teachers, writing specialists, etc.) would

come into the classroom allowing the students to share their writing with them. Upon completion

of my first year of teaching, I was invited to be a Break-Out session speaker at the All-Write

Summer Institute presenting a 70 minute session on teaching reluctant writers.

In my second and third years of teaching, I taught in a self-contained classroom for students

with emotional disabilities as well as other disabilities that prevented them from being successful

in a general education setting. During this time, I implemented a Level System to help students

manage their behaviors and self-regulate their emotions allowing them the ability to earn the

opportunity to participate in general education classes. While incorporating behavioral strategies

and coping skills to handle emotions, I instructed the students individually and in small groups in

all core academic areas. Many of these students were below grade level, so I took the curriculum

for each grade and subject and broke it down to a level of understanding that could ensure

success for all of the students on an individual level. Using data to drive my instruction, the

academic progress that was measured by my students was immense.

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III. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

I have been a National Junior Honor Society advisor for ENMS for the last two years.

Through NJHS, I have worked with the Chamber of Commerce in adopting families for the

Christmas Bureau. This year the students raised enough money with the Welcome Back Dance,

that was planned at the beginning of this year, to provide a family of four and a family of three

with Christmas gifts (toys, clothing, blankets, and hats/gloves) as well as household items

(laundry detergent, food, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies). I have also worked with the VFW

and the American Legion in honoring our Veterans at the ENMS Veteran’s Day program. In the

past two years, I have arranged with Veteran’s to participate in the program as well as be

honored and appreciated for all of their service and dedication. Veteran’s even participated in

the event. The first demonstration was of proper folding of the American flag while NJHS

students explained the meaning of each fold. Concluding the flag folding, a Veteran stood up and

played Taps. In a noisy gym filled with middle schoolers and teachers, the room was silent. You

could hear a pin drop. This year, I received the best comment of all by two veterans who were in

attendance. They told me that this was one of the best programs they had ever been to and it was

an honor to be in attendance.

In the summer time, I like to do volunteer work and stay connected to children because

that is my passion and my reason for going into teaching. I volunteered at Lutheran Children’s

Hospital in Fort Wayne. I spent the majority of my time in the child birth unit where I served

celebration dinners to new parents. Being in the child birth unit is one of the happiest areas in the

hospital. The atmosphere is pleasant, cheery, and filled with hope. When talking with the new

parents, they would gush about their new baby in a way that would light up their face with such

pride in the many hopes and dreams they had for their baby’s future.

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IV. PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING

For students to learn, they need to feel safe:

I believe it is important for all students to view school as a safe place. My students know and feel

their ideas and differences are embraced. Those differences are what shape the classroom

dynamics as being culturally, socially, and academically diverse. I create an open-inviting

atmosphere where students feel comfortable to come to me with concerns as well as celebrating

their accomplishments when they succeed.

Work hard, teach well, and watch them succeed:

Effective teaching begins with effective planning. I think it is important to build on the strengths

of my co-workers and use a team approach to planning effective lessons that will aid in student

success. Planning can be a long process when the needs of each individual student are taken into

consideration. By using a team approach in constructing lessons, varying factors or strategies

that I may not have thought about can make planning even more effective with the additional

perspective of another person.

Value student’s experiences – they can bring a lot to the classroom:

Many students will come in and out of my classroom with varying degrees of life experience.

Students, today, are exposed to far more difficult situations than I have ever had to deal with in

my life time. Taking these experiences and using them as learning opportunities is a way for the

students to understand and recognize their differences as events that have helped shape who they

are as a person. I believe each student brings a unique piece to the puzzle that makes up a

classroom. Without that missing piece, the puzzle is incomplete.

Have fun:

In a world where diving into a good book and exploring the events in history are in competition

with video games, the internet, and cell phones, I believe it is important to make learning fun,

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interactive, and meaningful. By using the standards as a guide, I strive to enhance the overall

quality of learning by making lessons engaging and related to real-world events the students can

relate to in their everyday lives.

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V. EDUCATION ISSUES AND TRENDS

I consider the adoption of the common core standards, the introduction of the new RISE

rubric as a tool for teacher evaluation, and budget cuts to be three of the most wide-spread

educational issues in our field. I am going to touch on the adoption of common core standards by

expressing the positives and negatives from the educational perspective of a teacher.

I see many positives involved with adopting the common core standards. These include

having a nation-wide set of guidelines and standards for grade levels of which correlate with

international standards of other countries. This will help states save money in the creation of

their own standardized tests allowing for more consistency and the ability to compare

achievement across states. In a time where many families move at least once during their

child(ren)’s educational careers, this will help in aiding the transition from one state to another

because the same set of standards for that student were also being implemented in the previous

city or state. These standards also change the way teachers teach. Emphasis is now being placed

on more of an individualized and independent approach that integrates higher order thinking

skills to better prepare students for post-secondary education. There will be an increase of rigor

and relevance within and across all subject areas. Students will also begin taking a more active

role in their education. They will know what they are learning and why it is important for them

in the future; thus giving learning a stronger sense of purpose.

There are also some areas of concern with the common core standards as well. When

comparing the standards side-by-side with the Indiana state standards, they are about two grade

levels higher. Implementation with students already in the educational system will result in holes

in their education and require an ease of transition to gradually intertwine them so that major

skill deficits are not present. Also, the common core standards are written in a formal manner.

By this I mean, they are not reader friendly to people unfamiliar with the educational field (i.e.

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parents). For example the 8th grade standard RI.8.8 reads: Delineate and evaluate the argument

and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is

relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced. In the area where I

teach, many parents have the equivalence of a high school diploma or lower. This terminology

does not aid in understanding, thus does not create an equal playing field for them in

understanding their child’s education. Being a teacher in special education, I am also concerned

with this higher level of instruction with students who are already struggling with the current

level in which instruction is being presented. School is difficult for them and I don’t want it to

become so aversive for them, when they reach high school, that they give up on education

completely and drop out.

Like anything, with the emersion of something new and different there is going to be

controversy and hesitation. There are going to be bumps in the road, modifications, and training

needed to fully implement this new system of standards with true fidelity, but with time and

experience, the implementation of the common core standards will flow smoothly.

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VI. THE TEACHING PROFESSION

As a teacher, I bring compassion, high expectations, and a love of lifelong learning. In

the changing world of education, it is important for me to stay focused on our overall goal

which is to do what’s best for our students. Test scores and improvement are important, but

that is not to be overshadowed by building strong bonds with students. My classroom is my

second home and each one of those students that walk into my classroom then become my

kids. I do what is best for them. Many of my students have been exposed to real-life

experiences that I have never had to undergo in my life – eviction, divorce, poverty. This is

not an aspect that I can change for them, but I can create a classroom environment that is safe

and loving where mistakes can be made, growth can be measured, and celebration of

achievements occur.

As a colleague, I bring new ideas and perspectives. I also bring leadership and a positive

attitude. I act as a role model for my co-workers and take on responsibilities including

training staff members on new concepts and programs as well as volunteer for extracurricular

activities. Being a new teacher to the field, I also seek out others for collaboration in

bettering myself and my students. I believe success of any one teacher is not measured by

what they have done by independently. I think success and strength of any one teacher is

measured by the impact they have made on the people around them. If a teacher is really

great, but does not collaborate or reach out to others, they are not reaching their overall

potential as a leader and positive role model to their colleagues. To improve the field of

education, great teachers need to share their successes to help others become great as well.

This approach to teaching is what I attribute to the overall success and reward of my

career. I believe teachers should be held accountable for the overall performance of their

students. It is my job to prepare the students in my classroom for the next grade. It is a

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cumulative effort as skills learned in previous grades provide the framework for future

grades. If holes are left unfilled then they grow into skill deficits and hinder students in later

years of their educational careers.

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VII. NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR

As the 2013 National Teacher of the Year, I would emphasize the change occurring all

across the nation. Modern teaching styles are requiring teachers to step out of the traditional

teaching bubble and comfort zones. This consists of implementing the new fundamentals of

teaching that are associated with the common core standards. As states continue to join the

common core standards initiative, it is important to embrace these changes. Change can be scary.

Change can cause stress and uneasiness. However, change can be good. Change can open up new

avenues of which have not been explored. Education is ever-changing and evolving with new

techniques, programs, and models. It’s important that one does not box themselves in to one

form of teaching where deviation from the original plan is impossible.

It is important to believe in yourself and your abilities. Whether you are a 1st year teacher

or a veteran teacher change is happening in education and we are all going through it together.

We are our best resources and can achieve greatness for every child who walks into our

classroom. Giving up is never an option for us. Perseverance and resilience are some of the

strongest assets instilled in every teacher in this country. Every teacher became a teacher because

they wanted to make a difference. As National Teacher of the Year, my message would be

simple, change is upon us. However, it’s important not to lose sight of the reason we all became

teachers in the first place. It is the difference that we make with each child that makes our job

worthwhile.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

News Article from hometown newspaper – Sturgis Journal

My presenter name tag from

the All-Write Summer Institute

(Youngest presenter in the

history of the conference and

in my first year of teaching.)

News article from the local

newspaper – Kendallville

News Sun

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONT.

Publishing Parties!

Book Buddies (with kindergarteners)

Making Learning Fun

and Interactive!

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VIII. LETTERS OF SUPPORT: see the pages 21-23 of the portfolio

• Mrs. Ann Linson – East Noble School Corporation Superintendent

• Ms. Michele Grimm – East Noble School Corporation Special Education Coordinator

• Mr. Travis Heavin – East Noble Middle School Principal

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IX. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS

Diagnosis of Student Needs:

The formal assessment that I use to drive my instruction is Acuity. I have found one of the

most useful data reports within Acuity to be the Item Analysis Classroom Matrix. By using the

results from the acuity matrix, I can break down the data into standards (both Indiana standards

and Common Core). It also gives me a visual representation indicating holes within the

curriculum that need to be addressed. Below is a snap shot of the acuity matrix and how I utilize

the information in my classroom to guide my instruction and meet the needs of my students

(green boxes indicate correct answers, white boxes indicate incorrect answers):

Based on the results from Acuity B (left matrix), the students struggled in the areas of

7.4.1, 7.4.2, and 7.5.1. By recognizing that skill deficit, I was able to guide my instruction to

address the holes and provide additional instruction in those areas. Looking at the results from

Acuity C (right matrix), the students demonstrated a better understanding of these skills. By

7th Grade Acuity B 7th Grade Acuity C

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mastering these concepts, they will be better prepared in the future in which these foundational

skills are needed to further their math education in 8th grade, high school, and beyond.

Differentiated Instruction:

The lists of students above have varying degrees of need. All of the students on my case

load and listed above are identified under Article 7 as having a disability. These disabilities

include emotional disabilities, specific learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder. Each

of the students learns in different ways and with different levels of support. It was important for

me to use their strengths and how they learn best to build their knowledge set. One of the

benefits of having a self-contained classroom for students with disabilities is the smaller class

size and individualization of their learning needs.

Within the self-contained setting, I had students working two and three grade levels

below, students working at grade level, and a student working above grade level. I did not

differentiate what was taught to the students because I think it is important for all students to be

exposed to the curriculum of their grade level. I did, however, differentiate my expectation for

each of the students in the level of mastery I expected them to reach. For example in standard

7.4.2, I expected my student who was working above grade level to not only understand the

various transformation, but to also create original works utilizing the various forms (translation,

dilation, etc.). With my students who were working two and three grade levels below, it was my

intent that the students identify the various transformations and use the vocabulary accurately

when breaking down the problems.

As a result of the final lesson, the students created paper quilt blocks indicating various

types of transformations resulting in a classroom quilt. Below are samples the students used in

creating their quilt squares for translation.

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Student Assessment Results and Analysis:

Through this unit, the students were able to strengthen their level of knowledge in a

classroom assessment. More importantly they were able to generalize this skill beyond one

classroom test. They were able to take and apply this concept when taking the Acuity Test. (See

results for Acuity C as compared to Acuity B listed above to see a side-by-side comparison of

the skill assessment.)

Reflection:

I find it incredibly valuable to breakdown student data and use that information to guide my

instruction. My students are the best indicator of how I am doing as a teacher and how well they

are grasping concepts. My method and presentation of information and new concepts are ever-

changing based on my students from year-to-year, week-to-week, and day-to-day.

When presenting the transformation lesson, I allowed the students’ time to plan, design,

and manipulate their designs. Also, as a class, we brainstormed ideas and created a whole class

quilt square so that we could troubleshoot areas the students didn’t understand and facilitating

student-guided discussion to help other students come up with resolutions and provide

clarification. One thing I would do differently is to create a mini-assessment using resources

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within Acuity to breakdown the standard more intensively looking at whether the students

grasped all of the different transformations individually within the standard.

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Rebecca Moore 269-625-5828

1472 E. Kammerer Rd.

Kendallville, IN 46755

rmoore@eastnoble.net 3

Special Education Self-Contained ED –7th & 8th 3

Travis Heavin 260-347-0100

East Noble Middle School

401 E. Diamond St.

Kendallville, IN 46755

Ann Linson 260-347-2502

East Noble School Corporation

126 W. Rush St.

Kendallville, IN 46755 Noble