Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Lucretia Cooper

Hayti,Missouri

Summary

Compassionate and results-driven Special Needs Educator with 24 years of experience designing and implementing inclusive curricula for grades 6-8. Specializes in differentiated instruction and fostering a positive learning environment for diverse student populations, including those with learning disabilities and language barriers. Proven ability to enhance student achievement through tailored lesson plans, effective parent communication, and collaboration with interdisciplinary teams. Recognized for cultivating a classroom atmosphere that supports academic growth, emotional development, and self-esteem in students with special needs. Adept at developing curriculum and fostering student success through innovative teaching methods. Demonstrates the ability to manage classroom dynamics and utilize effective communication skills to enhance student learning. Diligent Exceptional Needs Educator with an educational background and a proven ability to create engaging learning environments.

Overview

24
24
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

6th–8th Grade English Language Arts Educator, Resource Educator

Chickasaw Preparatory Academy / Blytheville Middle School
01.2018 - Current
  • Develop and deliver differentiated lesson plans for diverse learners, fostering the academic success of students with a range of learning disabilities and language proficiencies.
  • Enhance student engagement by incorporating technology (interactive learning platforms, apps, and online resources) into the curriculum, leading to an increase in student participation in class activities.
  • Design and implement individualized learning strategies that resulted in improvement in literacy and writing scores for students with special needs.
  • Cultivate a growth mindset culture, encouraging students to take academic risks and celebrate achievements, leading to a significant boost in self-esteem and academic resilience.
  • Foster strong relationships with parents and guardians, hosting monthly updates on student progress, resulting in increased parent participation in conferences.
  • Build relationships and communicated with parents to provide best learning environment for children.
  • Collaborate with colleagues to develop and revise curriculum, enhancing learning experience.

Tenaris Afterschool Reading Interventionist UFLI

Blytheville Primary School
08.2003 - Current
  • Support foundational reading skills by utilizing the UFLI Foundations Program, focusing on phonemic awareness, decoding, and reading comprehension for students requiring additional reading support.
  • Facilitate phoneme blending and segmentation practice, enhancing students' ability to manipulate sounds in words.
  • Improve students' accuracy and automaticity in grapheme-phoneme correspondences, helping them decode words with increasing speed and precision.
  • Foster decoding automaticity by reinforcing previously learned word patterns and concepts, enabling students to read with greater fluency.
  • Explicitly introduce new reading concepts and skills, ensuring that students understand and apply new phonics and word knowledge effectively.
  • Tailor decoding and encoding practice to individual student needs, addressing specific challenges to strengthen reading and spelling skills.
  • Assist students in reading and spelling irregular words, building their capacity to recognize and correctly use words that don’t follow typical phonetic patterns.
  • Promote reading fluency and comprehension through connected text exercises, helping students read more smoothly and understand what they read.

Resource Special Education Educator

Primitivo Garcia Elementary School
01.2017 - 01.2018
  • Conducted comprehensive assessments of student needs, utilizing IEPs and collaborating with specialists to create personalized, actionable learning plans for students with disabilities.
  • Introduced targeted interventions that increased student performance in both reading and math, contributing to an improvement in state assessment scores for special education students.
  • Led IEP meetings and facilitated discussions between parents, teachers, and support staff to ensure consistent progress toward individual learning goals.
  • Provided staff training on best practices for working with students with special needs, improving overall school-wide understanding of inclusion practices.

Resource Special Education Educator

Tar River Academy
01.2013 - 01.2014
  • Developed a comprehensive program of study, tailored to meet the needs of students with special needs, using a blend of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic teaching methods.
  • Worked closely with interdisciplinary teams to develop and implement strategies to help students with specific learning disabilities, resulting in increased student engagement and improved academic performance.
  • Created and maintained a structured classroom environment that was conducive to learning, incorporating positive behavioral supports to manage challenging behaviors effectively.

Resource Special Education Educator

JW Parker Middle School
01.2001 - 01.2013
  • Facilitated the inclusion of students with special needs into mainstream classrooms, ensuring that instructional modifications and accommodations were consistently applied.
  • Actively participated in curriculum development, adjusting materials and teaching methods to support a wide range of learning abilities.
  • Monitored and tracked progress through data collection, regularly adjusting instruction based on real-time assessment results.
  • Collaborated with general education teachers to ensure that students with learning disabilities received the necessary support and accommodations to succeed academically.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Sociology

Lincoln University
Jefferson City, Missouri
01.1987

Graduate Work - School Counseling

Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia
01.2010

Skills

  • Differentiated Instruction
  • Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Classroom Management & Behavior Support
  • Data-Driven Instruction & Progress Monitoring
  • Parent & Community Engagement
  • Leadership & Staff Development
  • Assistive Technology Integration
  • Student Advocacy & Support
  • Communication: Skilled in writing reports, presenting at meetings, and providing clear verbal communication with students, parents, and staff
  • Data Analysis: Comfortable with using assessment tools to track student progress and tailor instruction accordingly
  • Conflict Resolution: Adept at managing classroom behavior and resolving conflicts among students with a calm and strategic approach
  • Mentoring: Experience in mentoring both students and colleagues, supporting professional development and enhancing school culture
  • Classroom management

Certification

2024-2025 School Year

  • Curriculum Alignment – 18 hours
  • Collaboration/Unit Planning – 8.5 hours
  • SPED IDEA-Discipline Requirements, Manifestation Determination, and Behavior Intervention Plans – 2 hours
  • McKinney-Vento Training – 2 hours

Timeline

6th–8th Grade English Language Arts Educator, Resource Educator

Chickasaw Preparatory Academy / Blytheville Middle School
01.2018 - Current

Resource Special Education Educator

Primitivo Garcia Elementary School
01.2017 - 01.2018

Resource Special Education Educator

Tar River Academy
01.2013 - 01.2014

Tenaris Afterschool Reading Interventionist UFLI

Blytheville Primary School
08.2003 - Current

Resource Special Education Educator

JW Parker Middle School
01.2001 - 01.2013

Graduate Work - School Counseling

Liberty University

Bachelor of Science - Sociology

Lincoln University

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
Lucretia Cooper