Muhlenberg Elementary School Sisout penn ove HON. 21 Str0ot Melissa LSenith totam ‘Allontown, PA 18104-4083 Priecipal ‘lertown, PR 18108 04708-4000 smn @allantomnad org 494-768-4000 PRK: 404-708-4078 March 10, 2016 To Whom It May Concern: 1 am writing this leter to recommend Ms. Brin Orth asa candidate for a teaching position. She completed her frst student teaching assignment in my classroom on March 10, 2016. This placement involved working kindergarten, firs, third, and fourth graders in a Learning Support program. Services are provided to students primarily in a pull-out model for reading and language arts, with push-in support for ‘math and frequent consultation with the regular class teachers. Our curriculum focuses mainly on the spelling, and mathematics through direct instruction methods In terms of her personal qualities, Ms. Orth has presented herself as an intelligent, confident, responsible, and personable budding professional. She is dependable and showed initiative and a good work ethic in taking on her student teaching responsibilities and in completing her course requirements. Ms. Orth demonstrated a calm, respectful, and patient manner with her students and showed a genui them, She established a positive rapport with the teachers, paraprofessionals, and other professionals and staff in our building. Ms. Orth clearly demonstrated her own academic strengths during this assignment. She always used clear, appropriate standard spoken and written English in preparing her plans and in delivering her instruction. Ms. Orth was proficient in all the content areas she instructed. Her lesson plans were effectively based on the PA Common Core standards, She was immersed in and became proficient in the delivery of direct instruction programs in reading, writing, spelling, and math, Ms. Orth rehearsed seripts ahead of time and improved in her delivery so that they were delivered fluently. Well planned and executed lessons reflect Ms. Orth's high level of instructional competence. Plans ‘were well written and always completed in advance of her lessons, Lessons reflected her understanding of students’ strengths and needs and included modifications that could be used if necessary, She grew in including formative assessment techniques in her daily lessons. Miss Orth was able to move to block planning before the end of this assignment. When designing her own lessons in math, she incorporated learning activities and the use of manipulatives that were suited to the students’ learning styles. She always reflected thoughtfully on how her lessons went, asked for and easily accepted constructive feedback, and implemented suggestions of her cooperating teacher and of her own to improve her instruction and management, Ms. Orth also administered several types of curriculum based assessments (DIBELs Next probes, Aimsweb probes, Monitoring Basie Skills Progress probes in math, Go Matht ‘Chapter tests, and benchmark assessments in math and science) for progress monitoring IEP goals and assessing progress in the regular education curriculum, ‘Through this, she became familiar how to deliver ‘assessment accommodations that were needed according to each student's 1EP.Muhlenberg ‘Allentown Elementary School Ms. Ont also grew in her caso management sil, Her calm patient manner set the stage for 8 supportive and respectful eviorment yet she coul be dietve when she needed tobe. Ms: Orth ‘enforce high expectation for atdent werk. She utlized schoolwide, claro Raed, and nda fehaiorl ystems In this assignment. Miss Oh became mere fami wth he paperwork involved in special education and i mecting with faniles. She wrote an IEP from an Evaluation Rept fora newly Menifed stent “Miss Oth sat non several IEP mestings participated in progress moitoring TEP goals for quarry Progress Reports and partpeed inal rt year perest conferences. Based on these professional and prin observations, Ms Onh would he an excelent candidate fora postin i apecal cation. Heriniativ, manner, ierpesnal skills, and Js o achieve and een ‘el help her grow ini a dedicated profesional. Profeainsty yous, “ree an po {caming Support Teacher “eal pparmy ple