MONICA CULWELL
CLEBURNE,TX
Summary
Results-oriented professional with over 15 years of experience in educational environments, specializing in career services, employer relations, and transitional planning for students with special needs. Proven expertise in developing strategic recruitment initiatives, coordinating events, and fostering employer partnerships to enhance student career opportunities. Currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education with a focus on Executive Education Leadership. Insightful professional in the field of educational and career guidance, known for high productivity and efficiency in task completion. Possesses specialized skills in student counseling, development of career education programs, and vocational assessment techniques. Excels through empathetic listening, effective communication, and problem-solving abilities, ensuring optimal support and guidance for individuals seeking educational and career advice.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Transition Specialist/ Coordinator
Cleburne High School, Wide, CTE
Cleburne, ISD
01.2021 - 07.2024
- Assist students receiving services through special education, 504, or RTI services to transition from one educational level or setting to another
- In kindergarten through 12 years of age, developed vertical alignment of transition skills and support
- Students receiving services through and IEP, beginning at the age of 13 began focusing on post-secondary education, vocational training, employment, and independent living
- These duties included:
- Individualized Planning:
- Work closely with students to assess their strengths, needs, interests, and goals
- Develop individualized transition plans that outline steps and activities to achieve post-school goals
- Assessment
- Administer transition and vocational assessments for education and vocational planning
- Evaluate and understand educational, academic, medical, and psychological assessments and review data analysis for implementation and application for individualized education accommodations
- Collaboration:
- Collaborate with educators, parents, counselors, and community organizations to coordinate resources and support for students
- Facilitate communication and cooperation between various stakeholders involved in the transition process
- Advocacy:
- Advocate for students with disabilities, ensuring they have access to appropriate accommodations, services, and resources
- Work with school staff and administrators to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment
- Career Exploration and Guidance:
- Provide guidance on career options and help students explore potential vocational paths
- Assist in developing job-related skills, such as resume writing, job searching, and interviewing
- Skill Development:
- Help students develop essential life skills, including financial literacy, time management, and problem-solving
- Provide training in self-advocacy, decision-making, and interpersonal skills
- Transition Workshops:
- Conduct workshops/training sessions for students, parents, and educators on transition-related topics
- Offer information and resources related to post-secondary education, employment, and community services
- Monitoring and Evaluation:
- Monitor the progress of students in achieving their transition goals
- Evaluate the effectiveness of transition plans and make adjustments as needed
- Evaluated the effectiveness of matching personal graduation plans to, /transition courses
- Resource Coordination:
- Identify and connect students with community resources, agencies, and programs that can support their transition goals
- Assist in navigating the application processes for relevant services and benefits
- Documentation:
- Maintain accurate records of student progress and transition plans
- Generate reports and documentation required for compliance with district, state, and federal compliance
- Professional Development:
- Participated in over 20 hours of professional development in to remain informed about current trends, research, and best practices in the field of transition services
- Attend workshops and conferences to enhance knowledge and skills
- Grant Writing
- Identify and write for educational grants to support transitional programs such as work-based learning, training for employability skills, and staff development to meet the needs of students.
Special Education Case Manager-Inclusion Teacher
Cleburne High School
Cleburne, ISD
08.2020 - 08.2021
- Monitor student progress with the general and special education teachers, including progress reporting every 6 weeks, to develop the PLAAFP and Annual Goals
- Distribute IEP documents to school personnel who are directly involved with special education students, including coordinating collaboration between general education staff and special education staff
- Communicate with parent/guardian’s student progress, send draft IEPs, gather parental information for the development of IEPs, and ensure accurate accommodations
- Coordinate and schedule required meetings with Diagnosticians
- Coordinate communication between Diagnosticians and Counselors to address student needs regarding progress, behavior, regression, and parent, or teacher concerns
- Arrange with senior and junior students transition planning follow-up after ARD meetings.
Bridges Teacher
Cleburne High School
Cleburne, ISD
08.2019 - 08.2020
- Implemented the district’s self-contained and inclusion-specialized behavior intervention program at Cleburne High School
- Collaborated with general education teachers to provide positive behavior support and training to maintain student participation in the classroom with minimal disruptions
- Collected data through observations and collaborations with teachers for IEP goals and behavior intervention plans
- Provided instruction in multiple general education areas for student success
- During remote learning, 100% of my students participated in online learning and completed the majority of their work
- Established relationships with students, campus staff, administration, and parents to ensure student success in behavior and academic goals.
Special Education Program Specialist/Assistive Technology Team
Keller ISD
08.2017 - 07.2019
- Implemented and rolled out the specialized alternative curriculum to all self-contained Special Education Preschool through Adult Transition classrooms
- Developed and provided training to campus administration, teachers, para-professionals, and students on integration of specialized curriculum in the classroom to follow the scope and sequence, gather and analyze data gathered through the program, use the data to support or develop IEP goals that link the needs of the students to the TEKS, and us the data to meet the requirements of indicator 13 for transition planning and implementation
- Led research and collaborated with district and campus administration to procure funding to outfit 41 classrooms with new technology needed to access the curriculum
- Assisted the special education teacher in developing and implement lesson plans that fulfill the requirement of the curriculum and assist the teachers to supplement with additional peer-reviewed resources
- Collaboratively developed and executed an Autism Identification (ID) pilot initiative in partnership with the Fort Worth Police Department and Fort Worth City Council
- This 12-week program offers tailored instruction to enhance participants' ability to identify both emergency and non-emergency situations, along with guiding interaction with police officers across diverse situations and environments
- The curriculum covers topics such as disclosure practices, proper utilization of 911 and non-emergency contact numbers, effective use of identification when interacting with law enforcement and other safety personnel, and fostering positive relationships between campus officers and individuals with Autism
- Initiated and spearheaded a pilot initiative introducing Read & Write Texthelp to 250 identified special education students within the general education setting
- Formulated and conducted comprehensive training sessions for parents, administrators, teachers, and students to familiarize them with the program and its application both in the classroom and for homework
- Following the pilot's success, I facilitated the expansion of the program from a pilot to a district-wide implementation, extending its benefits to all students
- Read & Write Texthelp proves beneficial not only for special education but also for Gifted and Talented (GT), English Language Learners (ELL/ESL), students with dyslexia, those under 504 plans, and struggling readers and writers
- Additionally, developed supplementary training for administrators and all teachers, extending the offer to all districts within Regional XI
- Participated in and helped implement the district behavior intervention curriculum developed by Dr
- Diana Browning-Wright
- The curriculum included PBIS for tier 1 through tier 3 implementation
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Trainer (CPI) for preschool through transition classrooms
- Provided initial and refresher training, held campus crisis prevention meetings, and led de-escalation training programs
- Provided CPI support in the classrooms with students at risk
- Led feeder-pattern collaborative meetings to review CPI practices and review of incidents to provide positive behavior support and feedback.
Vocational Trainer/ Job Placement Specialist
Engage Employment Solutions
08.2016 - 07.2019
- Work within Texas Workforce Vocation and Rehabilitation Services to provide job placement service and job etiquette training to consumers
- Job responsibilities include providing pre-employment including meeting with prospective clients, matching job requirements to prospective consumers, conducting extensive research based on the consumer’s needs, providing pre-employment support such as resume job search, resume writing, verifying references, and providing eligibility checks
- Providing job placement services to include resume writing, verifying references, helping set up interviews, arranging for technical training, assisting with follow-up with interviews, post-interview etiquette, providing training opportunities as required, and giving detailed guidance to prospective employees regarding potential benefits and job responsibilities
- Maintain detailed records of interactions with employers and prospective employees, and document consumer progress to the Texas Workforce Vocation and Rehabilitation Services
- Additional requirements include establishing and maintaining relationships with hiring managers to stay abreast of current and future hiring and business needs.
Pathology Assistant/Assistive Technology
Keller ISD
08.2011 - 07.2014
Speech Language-Pathology Assistant
Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD, S
09.2008 - 06.2010
Education
Doctoral of Education - Executive Education Leadership
Houston Christian University
Houston, TX01.2025
Master of Education - Special Education
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio08.2016
B.S. - Communication Sciences and Disorders
Texas Woman’s University
Denton, TX08.2008
Certification in Assistive Technology - Job Coach, Job Placement, Supported Employment, Director
University of North Texas
Denton, TXSkills
- Organizational development
- Technical acumen
- Change request tracking
- Influencing skills
- Organizational realignment
- Customer focus
- Vocational guidance
- Training and coaching
- Career advising
- Decision-making
- Student performance evaluations
- Student motivation
- Financial aid guidance
- Teach courses
- Critical thinking
- Community outreach
- Diverse student populations
- Resume writing
- Transcript review
- Course counseling
- Confidential services
- Individual counseling
- Team collaboration
- Professional development
Certification
- TEA Teaching Certification in Special Education EC-12
- Certified Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Trainer - CPI
- Transition Educational Designee
Professional References
- Dr. Kyle Heath, Superintendent, Cleburne ISD, 405-642-5236, kheath36@yahoo.com
- Emilie Harmond, Special Education Director, Erath Co-Op, 817-357-6616, eharmon@gecsec.us
- Shelly Hopps, Special Education Diagnostician, Cleburne, 817-659-9782, shopps@gecsec.us
- Gena Koster, Asst. Superintendent, OKC Public Schools, 918-639-9640, gkoster@okcps.org
- Richard Sullivan, Assistive Technology Specialist, Keller ISD, 817-247-6905, rsulli1@att.net
Timeline
Transition Specialist/ Coordinator
Cleburne High School, Wide, CTE
01.2021 - 07.2024
Special Education Case Manager-Inclusion Teacher
Cleburne High School
08.2020 - 08.2021
Bridges Teacher
Cleburne High School
08.2019 - 08.2020
Special Education Program Specialist/Assistive Technology Team
Keller ISD
08.2017 - 07.2019
Vocational Trainer/ Job Placement Specialist
Engage Employment Solutions
08.2016 - 07.2019
Pathology Assistant/Assistive Technology
Keller ISD
08.2011 - 07.2014
Speech Language-Pathology Assistant
Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD, S
09.2008 - 06.2010
- TEA Teaching Certification in Special Education EC-12
- Certified Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Trainer - CPI
- Transition Educational Designee
Doctoral of Education - Executive Education Leadership
Houston Christian University
Master of Education - Special Education
Bowling Green State University
B.S. - Communication Sciences and Disorders
Texas Woman’s University
Certification in Assistive Technology - Job Coach, Job Placement, Supported Employment, Director
University of North Texas
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