Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Cara Biggane

New York,NY

Summary

I have eighteen years of experience as an educator in the New York City public school system. I believe the most fundamental responsibility of primary educators is teaching students to read. My roles as a literacy coach and primary classroom teacher have given me a unique perspective on both the challenges and effective strategies involved in implementing high-quality literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Literacy Coach, IB Coordinator

PS 242
Manhattan
08.2022 - Current
  • Provided instructional coaching and co-planning support to teachers during the rollout of Wit & Wisdom and PYP IB inquiry units, aligning structured literacy practices with transdisciplinary, inquiry-based learning.
  • Created and managed schoolwide assessment calendar for staff including pacing of modules by grade band, end of module assessments and benchmark screener administration dates.
  • Analyzed i-Ready diagnostic data to inform groupings, set goals, and track student growth across grade levels.
  • Organized quarterly schoolwide reading challenges to promote independent reading and engagement with fiction and nonfiction texts.

01.2020 - Current
  • Instructional Leadership Team Member (2020–Present): Monitor CEP progress and implement schoolwide action steps.
  • Mentor for Teachers College student teachers and literacy interns (2010–2019)
  • School Leadership Team Member (2017–2019)
  • Co-Facilitator of schoolwide PD series on RULER Social Emotional Curriculum (2018)
  • Nominated for the Big Apple Teaching Award (Five consecutive years by families and colleagues)

Universal Literacy Reading Coach

PS 133 and PS 242
Manhattan
01.2019 - 01.2022
  • Participated in coaching cycles grounded in content, pedagogy, and assessment, with a focus on systematic, explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness.
  • Conducted Fundations learning walks with the administrative team to identify promising practices and align on a shared vision for literacy professional development.
  • Introduced the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum to K/1 teachers through modeled lessons, co-teaching, side-by-side instruction, reflective debriefs, and collaborative planning.
  • Analyzed Acadience benchmark data with grade-level teams to identify students in need of Tier II intervention and support targeted instructional planning.
  • Led family engagement through in-person workshops, asynchronous video resources, and newsletters, promoting consistent use of online platforms like i-Ready to track student progress.

Teacher, First Grade ICT, Second Grade ICT

PS 452
New York, NY
09.2013 - 06.2019
  • Served on the RULER Social Emotional Learning Committee, promoting recognition, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating of emotions.
  • Supported diverse learners by differentiating instruction, delivering Tier II interventions, and collaborating closely with service providers to meet students’ needs.

Teacher, Second Grade ICT, Second Grade General Education, First Grade General Education

PS 277
Bronx, NY
09.2006 - 06.2013
  • Collaborated with a co-teacher to develop comprehensive Behavior Intervention Plans, outlining behavior functions, definitions, positive supports, contingencies, and consequences.
  • Evaluated performance assessments, whole book assessments, and running records to set targeted goals for small group instruction.
  • Served as a lab classroom site for two years, delivering lessons focused on enhancing language acquisition during choice time.
  • Administered spelling inventories triennially to accurately group students according to their spelling stage.

Education

Masters of Arts Degree - Elementary Childhood Education

Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, NY
05.2006

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Sociology, Psychology

Fordham University
Bronx, NY
05.2004

Skills

  • Literacy assessment
  • Curriculum development
  • Student data analysis
  • Instructional coaching
  • Lesson modeling
  • Data-driven instruction

Certification

  • IB PYP Training (2023–2025) – PYP Happens, Exhibition (St. Petersburg), Inquiry (Atlanta)
  • Wit & Wisdom – Understanding Curriculum Design (2024)
  • NYC Reads – HMH Into Reading, Phase 1 Schools Training (2023–Current)
  • LETRS Training – Language Essentials in Teaching Reading and Spelling (2021–2022)
  • S.P.I.R.E. Reading Intervention Program (2023)
  • Fundations Coaches Training Series (2021–2022)
  • Acadience Data Interpretation Workshop (2022)
  • I-Ready Diagnostic Training & New Visions Academic Screener (2022)
  • Universal Literacy Summer Institute – Foundational Skills, DIBELS, Coaching Cycle (2019)
  • Nancy Hennessy Comprehension Blueprint Book Club (2022–Current)
  • Elena Aguilar’s The Art of Coaching Teams – Internal Book Club (2021–Present)
  • Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training – Manhattan Field Support (2018)
  • Yale EI Institute – Anchors of Emotional Intelligence (2018)
  • Wilson Fundations Training – K–1 Workshop (2013)
  • Selected for TeachBoost Pilot – Coaching Documentation & Technology Training (2022)

Timeline

Literacy Coach, IB Coordinator

PS 242
08.2022 - Current

01.2020 - Current

Universal Literacy Reading Coach

PS 133 and PS 242
01.2019 - 01.2022

Teacher, First Grade ICT, Second Grade ICT

PS 452
09.2013 - 06.2019

Teacher, Second Grade ICT, Second Grade General Education, First Grade General Education

PS 277
09.2006 - 06.2013

Masters of Arts Degree - Elementary Childhood Education

Teachers College, Columbia University

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Sociology, Psychology

Fordham University

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE