5. ACCOUNTABILITY
Each Vermont educator carries out professional responsibilities ethically. Each educator
demonstrates professional growth over time in each of the Five Standards for Vermont
Educators and in the competencies for his/her endorsement(s). This growth is
documented through a professional portfolio that includes evidence of rigorous
professional development, reflective practice, and adaptation of practice to improve
student learning. In addition, a portion of each educator’s IPDP and professional
portfolio is connected to his/her school’s initiatives for improving student learning.
Principle #14 The educator grows professionally, through a variety of
approaches, to improve professional practice and student learning.
Quality is indicated when an educator: Develops and implements an
Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) that addresses each of The
Five Standards for Vermont Educators, the knowledge and performance
standards required for his/her endorsement(s), and the school’s action plan.
IPDP goal: I will use best practice strategies in individualized assessment
and instruction to improve student performance.
Action Plan connection: The work shown in this portfolio connects to the
school’s action plan because staff members are expected to participate in
high quality and ongoing professional development. All of my opportunities
have had a focus on instruction and assessment.
Activity or artifact (attached): My artifact for ACCOUNTABILITY is my
professional portfolio.
Reflection: I feel that my LEARNING, PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE,
COLLEAGUESHIP, and ADVOCACY examples just touch the surface of what
I have been able to learn and work at over the past seven years. Everything
I have discussed and shown as artifacts in my portfolio are things that I am
still working with or toward in my professional practice today: Math
Recovery, Inclusive practices (Circle of Courage), Vermont Alternate
Assessment Portfolio, COACH, and MAPS. I found it very difficult to
choose the specific artifacts for my portfolio. When I actually sat down and
looked at all the professional development I have been involved in, I realized
that it all fit somewhere in the reflection of the Five Standards for
Vermont Educators and my IPDP goals.
I feel like I have grown as a professional exponentially in the past 7 years
and I look forward to continuing that growth. I feel that I have been able
to take advantage of excellent learning opportunities through the St.
Johnsbury School. I finished the work for my Master’s Degree in Special
Education through UVM in December 2007. The focus of my Master’s was
Intensive Special Education. For most of my classes, I worked with a small
group of other special educators from across the state of Vermont in
courses taught mostly by I-Team members who are in the field daily working
with students and school teams.
I have been very involved in the school community in many different
capacities, worked in every house in our building, and take pride in knowing
the names of everyone in the building. I have students on my caseload from
Pre-Kindergarten up through age 21. I case manage students within our
building and at alternative locations such as LEARN, Cornerstone, and Easter
Seals of NH. My responsibilities also require me to consult with teams
throughout the building and provide support and services to our students
with the most significant disabilities. Currently I have been involved at
some level with at least 7-10 students in our building in addition to those on
my caseload. I have also had the opportunity to consult with teams and
students in our local preschool classrooms at Dipper Doodles, Lincoln Street,
and New Beginnings. I enjoy this aspect of my job as I am able to get out
into the community and work with colleagues from our school as well as
community members to support students who will be entering our school at
age 4.
I have been Co-Chair of the St. Johnsbury School Local Standards Board
since the 2005-2006 school year, have been a member of the St. Johnsbury
Education Association Executive Board from 2008-2010, a member of three
paraeducator and two teacher negotiating committees, a member of the
committee that helped devise the VTAAP in 2009-2010 with the VT DOE,
and a scorer at the alternate assessment portfolio institute for 5 years for
the VT DOE, serving as a Table Leader for three years.
The past seven years, my first cycle on a level II Special Educator license,
has been one of great learning. I added Intensive Needs Special Educator
to my level II license just last year and have proceeded to keep my focus in
this area. Those practices that are best for students with significant
disabilities tend to be best practice for all students. I know that working
closely with classroom teachers and other professionals truly has a great
impact on students. In my professional development, I have learned that
Formative Assessment really “is” special education in many ways. When
working with students on IEPs, I am essentially assessing them moment to
moment and because I am mostly involved in 1:1 instruction right now, I can
make instructional decisions to meet the student’s needs as I see fit.
In the next seven years, I see myself continuing my work with alternate
assessment. I hope to be able to work more closely with colleagues (special
educators, classroom teachers, SLPs, OTs, VT DOE, and the VT I-Team) to
support inclusive programs at the extent possible for students with
intensive needs. Through this, I hope to continue to become more familiar
with classroom curriculum and supporting teachers to include students with
intensive needs. I also see myself working on my integration of technology
into my day-to-day programming with students and continuing to work on
assessment strategies to address individualized programming for students
on IEPs.