Nikki Lawrence Zahirniak
Phone: (817) 874-5171
Email: Lawrencen856@aol.com or nikki.zahirniak@fwisd.org
Online Professional Portfolio: http://nikkizahirniak.wordpress.com
EDUCATION
Standard Teaching Certificate, Content Area: 4 – 8 Mathematics/Science
Bachelor of Science in Education, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 2003-2007
Major: Education, Math/Science 4-8
Masters in Educational Administration, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX Graduation:
5/2011
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Leonard 6th Grade Center………….…………..Fort Worth ISD………………………8/2009 to 6/2011
Math Lead Content Teacher, Math Coach and Math Department Head
 Prepared and implemented remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
 Planned and utilized annual departmental budget for instructional equipment and
materials.
 Supervised a seven-member math department. Guided common planning meetings
every day to analyze data, create lessons and study the TEKS.
 Conducted pre and post conferences with teachers for observations.
 Created an enhanced math class and curriculum for regular education students in
addition to their connected math class.
 Provided coaching to other math teachers. Monitored the quality of instruction and
identified areas of strengths and weaknesses in order to improve the math instruction.
 In charge of creating a plan to tutor 180 students through pull out math tutorials during
the school day.
 Created common assessments in order to track the students’ progress and see where
holes might exist.
 Created smart goals to guide our spiraling of instruction. Identified our three lowest
SE’s and incorporated them into warm-ups and homework. Students would see each
SE on the assessment and would continue to cover those three SE’s until the school as
a whole had reached 80% mastery.
 Conducted a professional development on data folders with the math department.
Students can track their progress on student expectations throughout the year to get a
clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses.
 Member of the Instructional Leadership Team for 2010-2011.
 Designed a booth and activity for the FWISD Math and Science Fall Festival.
 Hired two tutors for pull out TAKS tutoring.
Mathematics Teacher
 Managed classroom coverage of 6th grade inclusion mathematics classes and 6th
grade honors mathematics classes.
 Collaborated with colleagues to design curriculum.
 Incorporated various technologies into the classroom to enhance student learning.
 Communicated with students and parents regarding student achievement.
 Taught Saturday school as well as a small group tutorial to help prepare students for
the TAKS test
Vivian Field Middle School………….Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD………….8/2007 to 06/2009
Mathematics Teacher
 Managed classroom coverage of 7th grade and 7th grade Pre-AP mathematics
classes.
 Collaborated with colleagues to develop and implement lesson plans directly aligned
to the TEKS and district curriculum.
 Incorporated various technologies into the classroom to enhance student learning.
 Implemented campus-wide S.M.A.R.T. goals as well as departmental S.M.A.R.T. goals
to increase student achievement in a variety of areas.
 Created formative and summative assessments aligned to the TEKS for use by all
teachers.
 Continuously analyzed and tracked individual student progress.
 Established individualized tutorial plans for students for TAKS preparation.
 Communicated with students and parents regarding student achievement.
 Coached UIL Mathematics for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.
 Taught Saturday school as well as a small group tutorial to help prepare students for
the TAKS test.
 Taught summer school to prepare 8th grade students for the third administration of the
TAKS test.
 SIOP/Glad Teacher – classroom site for other teachers to observe ELL strategies.
LEADERSHIP ROLES AND SKILLS
Lead Content Teacher (2010, 2011)
Math Department Head (2010, 2011)
Self-directed
Enthusiastic educator
Experience in creating innovative lesson plans in mathematics geared towards a variety of
learning styles.
Analytical skills
Strong work ethic
Curriculum development and improvement
Leadership and team building
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS
STELLAR – Strategies for Teachers of English Language Learners Achieving Results (2008, 2009)
GLAD- Guided Language Acquisition Design Training (2008)
Laying the Foundations (2008)
Gifted/Talented Endorsement (2007-2010)
International Baccalaureate (IB)Training (2009-2010)
Connected Mathematics Training (2007, 2008, 2009)
Classroom Performance System Training (2007)
Texas Adolescent Literacy Academy (2008)
Differentiated Instruction (2010)
Technology in the Classroom (2009-2010)
Kilgo Data Driven Decisions Training (2009-2010)
Kilgo Assessment Conference (2010)
Kagan Cooperative Learning Training (2010)