Kimicia Byrd

My role as part of the DPE literacy team is to help K-5 teachers develop challenging, interesting curriculum that is critical for students to graduate college and be career ready.

My responsibilities specifically included helping teachers and administrators to:

• Implement best practices in English Language Arts instruction
• Design flexible assessment systems
  Integrate reading and writing across content areas
• Align instruction with the BEST Standards
• Meet the needs of children learning English and students with disabilities
• Present information about evidence-based practices in literacy
• Provide coaching support for teachers in using evidence-based practices in literacy
• Design and implement support for response to intervention initiatives
• Train and coach for small-group foundational skills instruction
• Train and coach for genre-based writing instruction
• Train and coach for knowledge-building read alouds
• Facilitate PLC meetings discussing best practices
• Support for principals observing and providing feedback about literacy instruction
• Support for implementation of reading and writing evidence-based curriculum based on the science of reading
• Design and support for professional book studies.

• Responsible for planning and implementing educational lessons for children with learning differences, writing Individual Academic Plans for each student, tracking student progress, and communicating needs with parents and all stakeholders
• Working daily with colleagues and staff members to address the learning, behavioral, attentional, and social emotional needs of students, as well as contributing to the modification and and development of the School's program.
• Studying and maintaining knowledge of current trends and best practices in education with a specialization in children with learning differences special learning needs.
• Established strong parent-teacher relationships to ensure open lines of communication regarding student progress and needs.
• Created lesson plans to correlate with state curriculum standards and devised educational programs to meet educational objectives.
• Collaborated with teachers and therapists to develop individualized educational plans for each student, ensuring optimal progress.
• Strengthened communication skills among students through collaborative projects and presentations.
• Promoted a positive learning environment by implementing effective classroom management strategies and maintaining consistent expectations.

• Responsible for implementing effective teaching strategies and meaningful lessons to meet all third grade Common Core and Core Knowledge standards and goals.
• Established and communicated clear learning objectives to foster student progress and academic performance.
• Cultivated classroom environment focused on inclusion and growth, fostering both social and academic development.
• Designed and presented lesson plans in one or more academic subjects using variety of teaching techniques to appeal to various learning styles within assigned grade level.
• Directed class discussions to spark conversation about key concepts, complex problems and overarching themes.
• Adapted and created the third grade ELA curriculum to reflect abstract concepts more concretely to students, incorporating all modalities of learning as well as differentiation of content for individual students, small groups, and whole groups.
• Third grade team leader for the ELA department.
• Responsible for leading professional development with peers through the use of professional texts and discussions of best practices

• Instructed students individually and in groups using varied teaching methods.
• Attended in-service training and professional development courses to stay on top of policy and education changes.
• Maintained positive classroom environments by reinforcing rules for behavior and relationship-building actions.
• Met with parents to communicate students' progress, achievements and classroom issues.
• Met with parents to review Individualized Education Plans for at-risk students.
• Developed strong relationships with parents through consistent communication, leading to increased parental involvement in their child''s education.
• Enhanced learning experiences by incorporating specialized tools and resources tailored to the needs of special education students.
• Differentiated instruction to meet the unique learning needs of each student, ensuring all students were able to access the curriculum successfully.