March 16, 2015

Re: Megan Van Pelt

To Whom It May Concern:
I have known Megan Van Pelt for the past year as her professor in the specialization core
courses for the Mild to Moderate Licensure Program at the University of Utah. She has taken two
methods courses that I teach (i.e., Writing Instruction and Math Instruction) and successfully met the
requirements for both courses. She will be graduating with her Masters in Education degree at the end
of Spring 2015 semester.
Megan exemplifies the much needed skills and strengths required of a special education
teacher working with students with mild to moderate disabilities. She is extremely bright, competent,
well-organized, and deeply committed to our teaching profession. She is also reflective about her
teaching practice and looks for creative ways to design curriculum and develop lessons.
Megans performance in my courses has been exemplary. During her methods practica and
student teaching experiences, she has been exposed to a variety of service delivery models from pullout to co-teaching in the general education classroom. She is very knowledgeable when it comes to
special education rules and procedures, as well as implementing best assessment and instructional
practices. There are three things that set Megan apart from other mild/moderate student teachers: a)
she embeds social skills instruction throughout her academic lessons, b) she engages students in
critical thinking at their developmental level by providing opportunities for students to provide their
rationale and hypothesis to open-ended questions about math concepts and problem-solving, and c)
she creates a safe environment and scaffolds students learning so they can meet their individual
learning goals. She also understands the need to collaborate with school personnel in order to best
meet the learning needs of her students.
I am grateful to Megan for her dedication to her teaching practice and the high standards and
vision she has for all of her students. Megan will undoubtedly contribute in innovative and positive
ways, and I strongly recommend her for a full-time teaching position at your school.
Sincerely,

Sharlene A. Kiuhara, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor