Sara Pepkin Dataram

Project Coordinator for an IES-funded supplemental reading instruction intervention

• Hired and trained undergraduate and graduate data collectors on data input procedures and administration of the following assessments: Woodcock Reading Mastery Test (WRMT-III), Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-IV Cog), FastBridge Curriculum Based Measurement-Reading (CBM-R), and FastBridge aReading
• Recruited teachers and school staff for participation
• Developed and distributed consent forms and surveys (e.g., Tier 2 Instructional Logs, Elementary Social and Behavioral Assessment, Tier 1 Instruction Questionnaire) to ensure compliance and effective data collection from participating teachers and school staff
• Created and submitted IRB amendments
• Collaborated on annual reports
• Coordinated instructional observations and data collection logistics, facilitating meetings between project staff and teachers across 20+ schools to enhance project collaboration
• Primary contact for any teacher or school leader concerns
• Conducted monthly fidelity observations for Reading Mastery teachers
• Attended biweekly progress meetings with Reading Mastery coach
• Managed purchase orders, contracts, and teacher/liaison honoraria, ensuring timely processing and adherence to project budgets

Instructor for undergraduate course: Foundations of Special Education: Inclusive Practices (Fall 2026) and undergraduate/graduate course: Assessment in Special Education (Fall 2025)

Project: Impact of Data-Based Decision Making on Reading Proficiency

• Conducted comprehensive searches of academic databases to collect relevant literature for the project.
• Applied specific inclusion and exclusion criteria to systematically code literature for analysis.
• Determined reliability of initial coding by performing statistical analyses on coded data.

Project: The Use of Response to Intervention with English Language Learners

• Conducted thorough risk of bias assessments and drafted the corresponding section in the research paper.
• Assisted in compiling and organizing detailed characteristics and outcomes of the intervention into a comprehensive table.

Project: Effect of Tutoring on Children’s Reading Fluency and Comprehension

• Entered and systematically organized tutor and tutee data to facilitate subsequent analysis.
• Provided training to Project RISE students on effective data input techniques and procedures.

Instructor for the following courses:

• Undergraduate Course: Special Topics in Education: Teaching Academically, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Secondary Education (Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022)
• Undergraduate Course: Reading Assessment for Intervention (Spring 2023, Spring 2024)
• Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Special Education (Fall 2023)
• Guest Lecturer: Introduction to Special Education (Fall 2024), Principles and Practices in Positive Behavior Interventions and Classroom Supports (Fall 2024), EDSP Doctoral Research Seminar (Fall 2024)

• Head teacher in an integrated preschool classroom
• Collaborated with teaching assistants to deliver literacy, science, vocabulary, and mathematics instruction
• Attended and contributed to student IEP meetings
• Delivered virtual instruction as per COVID-19 guidelines

• Assisted lead teacher in classroom management and student engagement in an integrated fifth-grade classroom (student teaching placement)
• Led small-group literacy and math instruction to support diverse learners at, above, and below grade-level standards
• Implemented and analyzed data on research-based interventions to enhance student academic and behavioral outcomes through Direct Instruction, peer tutoring, and self-monitoring checklists

• Teaching assistant in a self-contained preschool classroom (student teaching placement)
• Provided 1:1 and small-group instruction to enhance academic and behavioral skills
• Executed and analyzed data on research-based interventions to strengthen student academic and behavioral outcomes (Direct Instruction, personal hygiene routines)

• Awarded Faculty-Student Research Award
• Awarded Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration (SPARC) grant
• Relevant Coursework: Intervention Research in Special Education, Social Development, Policy Issues Affecting Individuals with Disabilities, & Behavior Management in Special Education
• Dissertation: Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions for Autistic and Neurotypical Children

Relevant Coursework: Applied Behavior Analysis, Curricular and Pedagogical Foundations for Teaching

Students, Recordkeeping in ABA, Ethics in ABA, & Working with Families of Children with Autism

• Macaulay Honors College Scholarship Recipient
• Relevant Coursework: · Developmental Psychology of Infancy and Childhood, Developmental Psychology of Adolescence, Advanced Experimental Psychology: Learning, & Advanced Practicum: Intervention for Children with Autism
• Extracurricular Activities: Peer Counseling