Courtney Kozelski

Compassionate special education teacher adept at addressing unique student needs and creating tailored lesson plans. Provides personalized instruction, fosters an inclusive environment, and develops comprehensive, individualized education plans for students with disabilities and learning differences.

A Multiple-Case Study: Motivating Students With Disabilities in Personalized Literacy Instruction -
Adolescents often experience a decline in motivation, yet support for basic psychological needs can prevent such a decline. Individuals with disabilities face particularly high motivational obstacles, placing them at the center of this action research study. This study took place within a special education classroom during one school year. The intervention unfolded over the course of the year, using personalized learning to support students’ basic psychological needs and provide sources of self-efficacy. The findings lend support to previous studies, indicating literacy motivation can be promoted through implementation of a needs-supportive personalized learning intervention that builds upon both self-efficacy and self-determination theories.

https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7122

• Teacher Leadership Institute, 10/2020 - 05/2021
• Montessori Educational Programs International (MEPI) Conference, 03/01/2019
• Dyslexia: An Introduction to the Orton-Gillingham Approach, 06/12/2018, Subscriber course - completed
• OnGoing Assessment Project (OGAP) Fraction Cohort, 06/2017
• Google Summit, 06/2016 and 06/2017
• Race to the Top - District (RTT-D) Professional Development with Reinventing Schools Coalition, 08/2013 - 06/2016
• OnGoing Assessment Project (OGAP) Multiplicative Cohort, 02/2016
• Charleston Educator Symposium, 06/2014 and 06/2015
• South Carolina ASCD Annual Spring Conference, Educating the Whole Child: Common Core State Standards and Teacher Effectiveness, 03/07/2014
• Office of School Transformation Priority Schools Data Team Seminar, Decision Making for Results, 08/29/2013 - 08/30/2013
• Harvard Graduate School of Education, New Tools for School Success: Three-Day Learning Lab for School Improvement Teams, 04/24/2013 - 04/26/2013
• Reggio-Emilia Collaborative Study Abroad in Carpi, Italy, 05/2009

• Graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Citadel (2014)
• Scored in top 15th percentile on Principles of Learning and Teaching, K-6 (2014)
• Teacher of the Year Nominee (2013-2014)
• Graduated Cum Laude from College of Charleston (2009)

• Starting Small, "Nurturing the Writer Within" - Collaborated with a group of educators to write a chapter in a book for educators; book is in preproduction as of August 2024
• AdvancED School Quality Factors Evaluation, 06/18 - 07/18, Collaborated with school administrator to write essays explaining the school's ratings on AdvancED criteria using the school's stakeholder input
• Cracking the Code, 11/17, District-wide professional development for teachers on the benefits of coding for students
• Blended Learning, 08/17, District-wide professional development for teachers on blended learning models
• Curriculum Writers Project, 09/14 - 07/16, Invited by district curriculum leadership to unpack standards, curate aligned instructional materials, and organize materials into online management system
• Make a Splash with Personalized Learning: Related Arts, 06/15, Professional development at Charleston Educator Symposium to teach strategies relevant to areas outside of the general education classroom
• Capacity Matrices, 03/15, Department-level professional development for fellow instructional coaches on creating a personalized learning plan
• Unpacking Proficiency Scales, 03/15, District-wide professional development for teachers on creating academic and social rating scales
• Tools to Structure Student-Centered Climate and Culture, 11/14, District-wide professional development for teachers on classroom management tools to foster student independence in a student-centered classroom

• Gifted and Talented Endorsement
• Read to Succeed Literacy Teacher Certification and Endorsement
• Read to Succeed Literacy Coach Certification and Endorsement
• Special Education Teacher: Learning Disabilities (PK-12) Certification
• Special Education Teacher: Emotional Disabilities (PK-12) Certification