Christopher Benisch
Lafayette,CO
Summary
The 10 years of experience as a special education teacher and 20+ years as a building administrator has provided the knowledge and tools to lead and coach other administrators. Experience with special needs programs, data analysis, community engagement, preventative interventions, restorative practices, change initiatives and instructional coaching has led to student, community and staff success. As a confidant to district leadership, my perspectives on current initiatives and systemic implementation has led to adjustments and improvements to the implementation plans at the district and building level.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Principal
Jefferson County School District
06.2014 - Current
- Researched and incorporated new educational trends and instructional strategies to optimize education effectiveness as district pilot site.
- Led on the Principal Advisory Committee to the superintendent and district leadership.
- Developed support plans for community impacted by school closures and recipient of these students.
- Provided support to school principals, staff and communities through School Closure Support Committee/Panel.
- Researched and wrote Great Outdoors Colorado grant for new playground and securing $180,000.00.
- Consistently achieved "Performance" ratings from CDE and Title I on our school SPF for my tenure at Lawrence Elementary.
- Allocated Title I budget to ensure excellent programming for at risks students.
- Credited for achieving CMAS growth for math at 85%tile MGP for 2022/2023 SY.
- Served on Data Dashboard Steering Committee to assist in creation of new district data platform.
- Created standard operating procedures (SOPs) for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly school building and district routines.
- Served as principal mentee.
- Served on aspiring principal mentor/mentee program.
Principal
Westminster Public Schools
03.2007 - 06.2014
- Appointed principal of Shaw Heights Middle School in July, 2010.
- Appointed principal of Harris Park Elementary school March 2007.
- Led collaborative work around creating a shared vision and mission for Harris Park and Shaw Heights.
- Established routines and structures that led to increased student performance.
- Trained teachers on effective teaching techniques, classroom management strategies and behavior modification.
- Cultivated positive relationships between community members, school students and teachers.
- Mentored newly hired educators and provided encouragement and feedback.
- Led transformation of traditional school structures to standards based education.
Assistant Principal
Westminster Public Schools
06.2003 - 03.2007
- Led transformation from traditional grades and grading practices to Standards Based Education Model.
- Moved school out of "Priority Improvement" to "Improvement" status in 2 years time.
- Allocated and deployed Title I school funds to ensure excellent programming for our at risk students.
Teacher Special Education Severe Needs Affective
Boulder Valley School District
01.1999 - 06.2003
- Created and managed IEPs to define student learning objectives and educational strategies, in addition to applying instructional knowledge and methods to support goals.
- Cultivated connections and strong student rapport to foster classroom engagement, in addition to recording student progress to inform parents and school administration.
- Taught students across multiple classifications and degrees of special needs.
- Modified general education curriculum for special-needs students using various instructional techniques and technologies.
Teacher Special Education Severe Needs Affective
Tennyson Center/Cleo Wallace Psychiatric Hospital
11.1995 - 12.1998
- Supported students, families and staff while provided least restrictive learning environment to meet individual needs of students in crisis.
- Have vast knowledge in understanding level of support for student needs regarding
- least restrictive to most restrictive learning environment.
- Created behavior support plans for students, parents, staff and community.
Education
Some College (No Degree) - Administrative Licensing Program Type D
University of Colorado Denver
DenverMaster of Arts - Special Education K-12 Endorsed
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO06.1998
Skills
- Leading Change
- Instructional Leadership
- Student Achievement
- Standards of Excellence
- Data-Driven Instruction
- School Community Relations
- Curriculum Change Needs
- Employee Performance Evaluations
- Curriculum Development
- Student and parent relations
- Training and mentoring
- Special education
Accomplishments
- Served on the Dashboard Committee to create a new district data tool.
- Served on the Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools to establish the hiring process during school closures.
- Strategic planning that led to improved student CMAS testing scores to attain district, state and federal standards setting a district record of 85 MGP in math.
- Consistently earned a "Performance" rating from CDE on our school performance framework for my entire tenure at Lawrence.
- Highest performing Title I school in Jeffco.
- Sought out to lead and pilot implementation of new curricular resources for reading, writing and math to assist in guiding the district with a systemic roll out.
- Served on the Principal's Advisory Committee to the Superintendent.
- Successfully mentored aspiring principals for the past four years in the Pathways to Principal Cohort who have attained and maintained principal roles.
- Credited for achieving CMAS growth for math at 85%tile MGP. Showcased on Channel 4 news.
Certification
- CDE Read Act Trained (45 hour course) - April 2022
- Orton Gillingham Trained
Timeline
Principal
Jefferson County School District
06.2014 - Current
Principal
Westminster Public Schools
03.2007 - 06.2014
Assistant Principal
Westminster Public Schools
06.2003 - 03.2007
Teacher Special Education Severe Needs Affective
Boulder Valley School District
01.1999 - 06.2003
Teacher Special Education Severe Needs Affective
Tennyson Center/Cleo Wallace Psychiatric Hospital
11.1995 - 12.1998
Some College (No Degree) - Administrative Licensing Program Type D
University of Colorado Denver
Master of Arts - Special Education K-12 Endorsed
University of Northern Colorado
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