Laura Waggoner
Fairfax,VA
Summary
- Reading Specialist, Literacy Coach, and School Testing Coordinator with a strong understanding of lesson planning and individualized literacy strategies.
- Offers extensive experience in curriculum, interventions, and assessments to address learning needs and student engagement.
- Educator looking to bring further success to a school district by working with teams to use data to drive instructional decision making.
- Dedicated to enhancing student literacy and fostering a love for reading through innovative teaching techniques and collaborative efforts.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Reading Specialist & School Testing Coordinator
Jamestown Elementary School, APS
08.2016 - Current
- Built positive and productive relationships with teachers to drive improvements to reading programs.
- Provided ongoing coaching support, mentoring, and professional development to classroom teachers and specialists.
- Used data to tailor instruction for acceleration, intervention, remediation, and flexible level groupings.
- Worked within a co-teaching model with classroom teachers and specialists.
- Facilitated weekly planning meetings with grade level teams to monitor student progress and target interventions.
- Cultivated connections and strong student rapport to foster classroom engagement, in addition to recording student progress to inform parents and school administration.
- Served as a resource for educators by providing professional development workshops on best practices in literacy instruction.
- Met with administrators weekly and county department team members quarterly to work on curriculum planning and assessment methods.
- Implemented research-based instructional practices to improve overall reading proficiency among students.
- Cultivated a supportive learning environment that encouraged students to take risks and develop confidence in their reading abilities.
- Analyzed data trends to identify areas of need and inform instructional decision-making processes related to reading interventions.
Special Education Teacher
Mason Crest Elementary, FCPS
08.2012 - 06.2015
- Delivered effective and differentiated classroom instruction to a range of students.
- Created and managed IEPs to define student learning objectives and educational strategies, in addition to applying instructional knowledge and methods to support goals.
- Taught students in variety of settings, including co-taught, general education, self-contained and resource environments.
- Designed and implemented behavior plans to encourage positive behavior.
- Delivered instruction in language arts encompassing reading, grammar, composition and literature,
- Co-taught with teachers in all subjects to integrate skills across curriculum.
Special Education Teacher, Math Resource Teacher
Braddock Elementary, FCPS
08.2002 - 06.2012
- Created and managed IEPs to define student learning objectives and educational strategies, in addition to applying instructional knowledge and methods to support goals.
- Cooperating Teacher : Marymount University
- Taught students in variety of settings including co-taught, self-contained and resource environments.
- Diversified teaching techniques and learning tools to help students with differing ability levels and varied learning modalities.
- Coordinated special education students and teacher assistant schedules with master schedule.
- Directed after-school tutoring and mentoring program
Special Education Teacher
Randolph Elementary, APS
10.2000 - 06.2002
- Created learning and content strategies to meet needs of students.
- Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Facilitated IEP meetings for students and families.
- Collaborated with parents to increase comprehensive and long-term success.
- Worked cooperatively with other teachers, administrators, and parents to help students reach learning objectives.
Education
Graduate Certificate/Reading Endorsement - undefined
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA.2016
Masters - Education, Learning Disabilities
Marymount University
Arlington, VA.2002
Bachelor of Science - Family and Child Development
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA.1997
Skills
- Individual and team coaching
- Canvas Learning Management System
- Structured Literacy
- Strong Understanding of the Science of Reading
- Literacy Coaching
- Parent-teacher collaboration
- Responsive Classroom
- Orton Gillingham Certified
- Professional Learning Community (PLC) Trained
- Cognitive Coaching
Accomplishments
- Member of Instructional Leadership Team (2016-Present)
- Social Emotional Learning Lead (2022-Present)
- School Testing Coordinator (STC) (2022- Present)
- Presenter to Staff: Social Emotional Learning (2023 & 2024 Pre-Service Week)
- Presenter to Staff with Leadership Team: Distance Learning (August 2020)
- Professional Development: Teaching Equity and Justice (2020)
Timeline
Reading Specialist & School Testing Coordinator
Jamestown Elementary School, APS
08.2016 - Current
Special Education Teacher
Mason Crest Elementary, FCPS
08.2012 - 06.2015
Special Education Teacher, Math Resource Teacher
Braddock Elementary, FCPS
08.2002 - 06.2012
Special Education Teacher
Randolph Elementary, APS
10.2000 - 06.2002
Graduate Certificate/Reading Endorsement - undefined
George Mason University
Masters - Education, Learning Disabilities
Marymount University
Bachelor of Science - Family and Child Development
Virginia Tech
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