Laura Dickenson
Summary
Confident, creative and capable Special Education Teacher with 25 years of experience working with students with various disabilities. Skilled at working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Learning Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)
San Jacinto Unified School District
08.2023 - Current
- Support district teachers by developing and presenting a variety of trainings and materials to facilitate knowledge of their role as educators and of their students' abilities.
- Created an Assessment Binder for all Mild/Moderate Education Specialists in order to obtain relevant data in the areas of Reading Fluency, Reading Decoding, Reading Comprehension and Written Expression.
- Presented at various school sites during site rotations in the areas of Co-teaching, Autism, IEP Basics and Intentional Student Interaction.
- Developed and co-presented with other district TOSAs to further develop collaborative relationships among General Education and Special Education staff.
- Created and co-presented at a an IEP Compliance Training for all district Education Specialists.
- Co-created an IEP Bootcamp experience for new teachers where we meet monthly to provide IEP support covering all areas of IEP writing and case management.
- Schedule conferences as needed with teachers to support their classroom and case management needs.
- Support Special Education Coordinators and Director as needed and requested.
Education Specialist
San Jacinto Unified School District
08.2018 - Current
- Monitored progress and IEP implementation for students with disabilities
- Provided instruction to students with mild/moderate disabilities in various classroom settings.
- Collaborated with both general and special educators to provide educational opportunities.
- Communicated regularly with parents to provide updates on academic progress, while facilitating positive relationships.
- Implemented supports in Co-taught Advanced Placement English class for students with disabilities.
- Engaged in co-teaching environments for English 1 and English 3 classroom setting.
- Worked with students to support educational success, learning and achievement.
- Conducted IEPs with parents and students to review goals, update progress and adjust academic plans.
- Assessed individual student needs to create lesson plans addressing academic strengths, while fostering development and growth.
Instructional Assistant Professor
Illinois State University
08.2013 - 05.2021
- Instructor of record for SED 101: The Exceptional Learner. This is a required introductory course for education majors
- Developed and implemented instructional lessons, activities and lectures for up to 120 undergraduate students
- Selected and organized guest speakers directly related to course content
- Maximized student learning by assigning research-based projects and assignments related to best-practices in special education
Education Specialist
McLean County Unit 5
08.1999 - 05.2018
- Instructed students with mild/moderate disabilities in various classroom environments.
- Instructed in several co-taught classrooms across curricular areas such as English, History and Science.
- Engaged in on-going collaboration with both general and special education teachers to plan coursework, materials, accommodation and supports for individuals with disabilities.
- Developed Consumer Math curriculum which was adopted for fulfillment of our state's required Consumer Education credit.
- Co-developed a course specifically designed to meet the unique needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- Developed Communications course for students with Intellectual Disabilities.
- Taught Autism Summer Camp program which incorporated community and socialization activities.
Education
Master of Science - Special Education
Illinois State University
Normal, IL05.2004
Bachelor of Science - Special Education
Illinois State University
Normal, IL05.1999
Skills
- 25 years of teaching experience
- LBS 1 Certification
- Strong collaborator
- Experience with instructional design
- Positive learning environment
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Expertise in Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Creative lesson design
- Critical thinking skills
- Effective time management
- Articulate communicator
Timeline
Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)
San Jacinto Unified School District
08.2023 - Current
Education Specialist
San Jacinto Unified School District
08.2018 - Current
Instructional Assistant Professor
Illinois State University
08.2013 - 05.2021
Education Specialist
McLean County Unit 5
08.1999 - 05.2018
Master of Science - Special Education
Illinois State University
Bachelor of Science - Special Education
Illinois State University
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