Keira A. Short
Sun Prairie
Summary
Experienced English and Reading Teacher with strong skills in lesson planning and personalized literacy techniques. Seeking to enhance a school district's development through promoting student engagement in group and individual settings. Passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences that inspire academic success and personal growth. Committed to instilling a love for reading and language arts in students of diverse abilities.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
4
4
Certifications
Work History
Reading Interventionist
Sun Prairie West High School/Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
01.2018 - Current
- Co-teach English 9, English 10, and English 11 through a variety of collaboration models.
- Teach 9th grade Reading Techniques classes and 10th grade Strategic Reading classes for readers below 15th percentile in standardized universal screeners.
- Collaborate with social studies teachers to rewrite curriculum for AP African American Studies and African American Studies.
- Develop grade-appropriate curricular materials based on Common Core State Standards, Wisconsin Standards for English Language Arts, and best practices in literacy.
- Piloted Academic Resource Center, a daily combination of math, reading, and outreach services targeted for at-risk 9th graders.
- Analyze screening data to identify student needs.
- Record progress monitoring data to determine adequate growth.
- Participate in LLT house meetings to determine need for supplemental or intensive interventions.
- Differentiate content area texts for readers above, at, and below grade level.
- Co-teach and support English, World History, and Biology teachers in their implementation of literacy strategies.
- Cooperate with multi-lingual learner staff to best meet student needs.
- Proctor ACT Aspire, PreACT Secure, and ACT.
- Taught remotely using Zoom, Google Classroom, Jamboard, Padlet, Flipgrid, and other online applications.
- Actively contributed to School Administrators Institute for Transformational Leadership (SAIL) team.
- Participated in Guiding Coalition building leadership team.
- Support work of 4K-12 English Language Arts Steering Committee.
- Contribute to work of E-MLSS Steering Committee.
- Established and run a monthly extracurricular book club.
- Accompanied Solo and Ensemble vocalists on piano.
- Participated in Trauma Sensitive Schools pilot study.
- Assisted in organization of Grow Your Own Mentor program, matching 9th graders from diverse backgrounds with 4th and 5th graders at Creekside Elementary School.
Adjunct Professor
Edgewood College
01.2020 - 01.2024
- Teach graduate students in ED-672A Special Education Reading Literacy I, focusing on the administration of reading assessments such as Concepts of Print, Phonological Awareness and Reading Profile, running records, and their implications for instruction.
- Educate graduate students in ED-672B Special Education Reading Literacy II, focusing on strategies for the remediation of reading difficulties in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Instruct graduate students in ED-683B Language/Literacy Arts Methods II, focusing on literacy pedagogy in the regular education classroom using activities such as book talks, interactive read-alouds, literature circles, book clubs, text analysis, guided reading lessons, and minilessons within a workshop model.
- Plan and prepare diversified learning modules on Blackboard.
- Create engaging opportunities for future teachers to become competent and confident teachers of literacy.
- Transformed in-person course sections to online and hybrid models using WebEx.
- Collaborated with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and Edgewood faculty to create Wisconsin Foundations of Reading Tests Alternative Assessment within coursework, August 2020.
- Interacted with committee to revise language and literacy curriculum through an equity lens based on the work of Gholdy Muhammad and Zaretta Hammond.
Dean of Students
Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
01.2021 - 06.2021
- Monitored student conduct.
- Wrote social contracts with students to remediate behavior issue.
- Collaborated with building administrators on major behavior concerns.
- Guided staff Professional Learning Committees in Analyzing Student Learning.
- Assisted PLC teams in the development of common assessments.
- Led house meetings to determine action steps in supporting disengaged students.
- Actively participated in Guiding Coalition and Equity Team initiatives.
- Served on interview committees for Alternative Learning Environment Supervisor and Administrative Assistant.
Grade 5 Teacher
Glacial Drumlin/Cottage Grove Schools
01.2007 - 01.2018
- Taught 5th grade students language arts, social studies, science, and math.
- Set learning targets and formulate individualized plans for student success.
- Analyzed Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), AIMSweb, Dibels, Forward Exam, and Teachers College running records.
- Actively worked to meet needs of all students, including those with IEPs, 504 plans, and accelerated learning needs.
- Coordinated instruction and assessment with special education teacher, speech and language pathologist, reading specialist, and advanced learner teacher.
- Planned and shared daily lessons with education team on Common Curriculum using Learning by Design principles.
- Utilized online learning tools, including Google Classroom, Kahn Academy, Front Row, Schoology, Kahoot, Quizlet, and Newsela.
- Employed a wide array of PBIS-based behavior strategies, including behavior matrices, Student Support Plans, Check In/Check-Out, TAB, brain breaks, buddy rooms, responsibility cards, and many forms of positive reinforcement.
- Maintained active communication with families via monthly newsletters, Infinite Campus messages, emails, phone calls, and daily updating of my Weebly website.
- Served as head of communications for school-wide PBIS/RtI committee 2014-2016.
- Planned and led district-wide, half-day in-services to share strategies for better teaching the CCSS fraction standards, 2012-2013.
- Served as grade-level coordinator in charge of coordinating field trips and grade level in-services, maintaining and ordering from team budget, and representing team interests at school-wide coordinator meetings, 2007-2009.
- Served on interview committees for multiple teaching positions, middle level principal, and district superintendent.
Grade 8 Teacher
Winnequah Middle School
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Taught 8th grade students language arts and earth science.
Junior High English/Reading Teacher
Saint Gertrude School
01.2002 - 01.2006
- Taught 6th through 8th grade students reading, vocabulary, and language usage within novel-based project units utilizing the reading workshop approach.
- Taught 6th and 7th grade students grammar, writing process, and writing skills.
- Coached competitive Power of the Pen creative writing team.
- Led English test preparation classes for high school entrance exam.
Grade 2 Teacher
Our Lady of Lourdes School
01.2001 - 01.2002
- Taught students reading, writing, math, science, social studies, religion, computers, and art in self-contained classroom.
- Integrated art, music, and physical activity into academic lessons.
Grade 6 Teacher
Rochambeau Middle School
01.1999 - 01.2001
- Taught science and integrated language.
- Created and implemented language units based on district standards and core trade books.
Education
Master of Education - Reading Specialist
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH12.2004
Bachelor of Arts - Elementary Education, Language Arts, Music
Saint Mary’s University
Winona, MN05.1999
Skills
- Facilitating collaborative parent engagement
- Experienced export in high school and graduate-level college literacy instruction
- Proficient in Google Workspace for Education and related tools
- Effective communication within diverse team settings
Accomplishments
- Reduced achievement gaps by developing strategies that proactively scaffolded literacy skills for at-risk students.
Honors Volunteer Activities
- International Literacy Association member
- Golden Apple Award nominee
- Read Across America, Winona/Saint Mary’s University Coordinator
- Volunteer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region
Certification
- 5017, Reading Specialist (Early Childhood-Adolescence)
- 1316, Reading Teacher (Early Childhood-Adolescence)
- 1300, English (grades 4-12)
- 1088, Elementary/Middle Level Education (grades 1-6)
Professional Development
- Co-taught staff professional development courses on Creating Secondary Word Walls, Co-Teaching Tips and Tricks, AVID STAR Focused Notes, and Scaffolding in All Classrooms.
- Participated in a variety of AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination) workshops, 2018-2025.
- Trained in NextPath and EduClimber interactive data management systems.
- Trained in Aimsweb, FastBridge, and Dibels assessment and progress monitoring systems.
- Led staff development for chapters of Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, 2021.
- Cooperatively examined DuFour’s Learning by Doing, 2021.
- Attended Listening to Learn: Addressing Racism in Our Schools, 2020.
- Participation in week-long course, Teachers College Reading Institute, 2020.
- Trained in Tier 1 Restorative Justice Community Circles, 2020.
- Engaged in book studies on Hollie’s Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning and Ross’s Everyday Bias, 2019-2020.
- Attended Instructional Strategies for Improving Receptive and Expressive Language for English Language Learners, 2019-2020.
- Trained in Sonday Systems 1 and 2, 2018.
- Participated in week-long Wisconsin Statewide Mathematics Summer Institute, 2012.
- Attended Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners, 2012.
- Completed Data-Driven Instruction training for analyzing MAP scores and their implications for targeted literary and math instruction, 2007-2009.
- Attended Wisconsin State Reading Association convention, 2007.
- Participated actively in many in-services and trainings, including MEL-Con paragraph writing and identification and implementation of strategic content vocabulary.
Languages
Spanish
Elementary
German
Limited Working
Timeline
Dean of Students
Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
01.2021 - 06.2021
Adjunct Professor
Edgewood College
01.2020 - 01.2024
Reading Interventionist
Sun Prairie West High School/Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
01.2018 - Current
Grade 5 Teacher
Glacial Drumlin/Cottage Grove Schools
01.2007 - 01.2018
Grade 8 Teacher
Winnequah Middle School
01.2006 - 01.2007
Junior High English/Reading Teacher
Saint Gertrude School
01.2002 - 01.2006
Grade 2 Teacher
Our Lady of Lourdes School
01.2001 - 01.2002
Grade 6 Teacher
Rochambeau Middle School
01.1999 - 01.2001
Bachelor of Arts - Elementary Education, Language Arts, Music
Saint Mary’s University
Master of Education - Reading Specialist
Xavier University
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