Tara Conley
Alexander
Summary
With over 22 years of experience in the education field, I have honed my skills as a highly effective professional learning specialist, instructional coach, reading specialist, and classroom teacher. Throughout my career, I consistently demonstrate a passion for fostering student growth and success, as well as, supporting teachers in professional growth. My experience has granted me with opportunties to collaborate with district leaders, community partners, administrators, teachers, and families.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
District Title 1 Literacy Coach
Buncombe County Schools
08.2023 - Current
- Create and deliver professional development around literacy needs for schools, Title 1 Reading Specialists, and assistants across Buncombe County.
- Model structured literacy and best instructional strategies around the Science of Reading.
- LETRS local facilitator
- Collaborated with teachers, administrators and parents to determine how best to support student success.
- Build relationships with district Title 1 Reading Specialists.
- Observe and give actionable feedback to teachers.
- Facilitate/lead monthly reading specialist meetings.
- Facilitate/lead county wide monthly ESSA Birth-Kindergarten committee meetings.
- Evaluate Title 1 reading programs within district schools.
- Collaborate with district and school stakeholders to support reading instruction.
- Support Title 1 reading specialists across the district with priority plans and budgets.
- Work with leading literacy researchers/consultants to bring professional development to our district
- Assess literacy needs of school by reviewing student data and current curriculum.
Title I Reading Specialist-Barnardsville Elem.
Buncombe County School District
08.2022 - 08.2023
- Analyzing school-wide and student data to plan and differentiate reading instruction and interventions.
- Model lessons using best practices for literacy instruction.
- Collect evidence for Title I federal documentation and manage school Title I budget.
- Collaborate with administration and school improvement team to structure school priority plan.
- Order and organize literacy resources to support Science of Reading.
- Administer and monitor progress monitoring data for students.
- Facilitator of the Individual Student Problem Solving team for school.
- Co-lead monthly school-wide MTSS PLC meetings with instructional coach.
- Lead for organizing family and community events for school.
- Confer with teachers to discuss best literacy practice within core instruction.
- Wrote and delivered customized instruction to individual students and groups.
- Built positive and productive relationships with teachers to drive improvements to reading programs.
Kindergarten Teacher- W.W. Estes Elementary School
Buncombe County Schools
08.2020 - 06.2022
- Lead SIT committee
- Delivered lesson plans, implemented school curriculum and used data to create, monitor, and establish personalized learning plan for each student.
- Collaborated with other faculty and staff to promote rigorous learning opportunities, general well-being of school and collective interest of staff and student body.
- Exercised good classroom management focused on positive behavior support by clearly articulating fair and consistent expectations.
- Applied evidence-based practices for classroom management to enhance learning results.
- Created, managed, and participated in variety of learning environments and activities to support opportunities for students to develop full potential and achieve learning objectives.
District Elementary Literacy Coach (K-5)
Martin County School District
08.2019 - 06.2020
- Supported 3 Elementary schools with district literacy initiatives
- Designed and presented professional learning.
- Communicated with district department leaders and school site administrators.
- Supported beginning teachers with curriculum and instruction.
- Led school based MTSS meetings.
- Planned and supported implementation of interventions for Tier 2 & 3.
- Supported district wide implementation of Wilson Foundations program in Kindergarten through Second Grade.
- Analyzed district and school iReady data for instructional implications including interventions.
- Assessed literacy needs of school by reviewing student data and current curriculum.
- Conducted ongoing evaluations of literacy improvement action and communicated results to teachers and administrators.
Literacy Coach-Palm City Elementary
Martin County School District
01.2014 - 08.2019
- Planned & delivered Pre-K Foundations for Literacy for Martin County VPK teachers
- Created Planned & delivered district wide 2 day Early Foundational Skills for Literacy for district VPK-1st grade teachers
- Created Shared Reading course for Martin County School District within a digital platform
- Speaker/Presenter at Martin County Amazing Professional Practice Night, K-12
- Fundations support in grades K-2
- Incorporating Vocabulary, K-5
- Updated Marzano Protocol
- Training teachers on effective PLC/CLT
- Coaching Cycle with teachers based on district & school goals
- Collaboration with grade level PLC teams
- Organizing and facilitating grade level MTSS meetings
- Supporting interventions and progress monitoring
- Teach intervention group for Tier 3 students
- Leading Literacy School Improvement Committee
- Organizing Literacy Week for school
- Organizing and ordering all literacy resources, including book room and classroom libraries, K-5
- Analyze school wide and classroom iReady data to support instruction, K-5
- Communication with families on literacy and intervention topics
- Creating literacy units, lessons, and learning scales based off of district ELA frameworks
- Leadership role in school MTSS Core Team
- Analyze class and individual data to plan and implement interventions using best literacy practices
K-2 Classroom Teacher
Martin County School District
08.2002 - 01.2014
Education
Master of Educational Leadership -
American College of Education
03-2022
Master of Education - Elementary Reading and Literacy
Walden University
Minneapolis, Minnesota11-2009
Bachelor of Arts - Early Childhood Education
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island01.2002
Skills
- Mentoring and supporting educators
- Interpersonal Skills
- Facilitation Expertise
- Professional Development Design
- Understanding of Instructional Best Practices
- Data Analysis for Instructional Improvement
- Communication skills with a variety of stakeholders
Certification
- Professional Educator’s Certificate, School Administration, 08/22
- Professional Educator’s Certificate, Elementary K-6, Reading K-12, North Carolina Department of Education, 08/20
- Reading Endorsement for Professional Certificate, 05/13
- Professional Educator’s Certificate, Early Childhood Education (Grades Pre-K-3), State of Florida, Department of Education, 05/02
Recognition
Martin County Elementary Literacy Coach of the Year, 2018
LETRS Local Facilitator, current
Timeline
District Title 1 Literacy Coach
Buncombe County Schools
08.2023 - Current
Title I Reading Specialist-Barnardsville Elem.
Buncombe County School District
08.2022 - 08.2023
Kindergarten Teacher- W.W. Estes Elementary School
Buncombe County Schools
08.2020 - 06.2022
District Elementary Literacy Coach (K-5)
Martin County School District
08.2019 - 06.2020
Literacy Coach-Palm City Elementary
Martin County School District
01.2014 - 08.2019
K-2 Classroom Teacher
Martin County School District
08.2002 - 01.2014
Bachelor of Arts - Early Childhood Education
University of Rhode Island
Master of Educational Leadership -
American College of Education
Master of Education - Elementary Reading and Literacy
Walden University
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