March 22", 2016 To Whom It May Concern: It was my pleasure to have had the opportunity to mentor Jennifer Heieie as part of her field work experience for the EDS Administrative Licensure program through St, Mary's University. Jennifer spent several full days with me and was able to observe and discuss the différent areas of services that fall under the umbrella of special services in the Hastings School District. Some of those experiences and. discussions included; managing personnel issues, oversight of paraprofessionals and EL teachers, conducting evaluations on probationary/District-wide special education teachers, interviewing licensed teachers and paraprofessionals, planning extended school year, servicing non-public students, conducting child find/child study, coordinating the section 504 process, identifying homeless students in the District, and programming special education services at all levels. | postulate that through the discussions of these various topics, Jennifer was able to glean a solid understanding of the current job duties preformed by the Director and Assistant Director of Special Education for Hastings School District As | reflect on our conversations regarding the aforementioned topics, itis my belief that Jennifer is very knowledgeable about special education law, services and due process, Currently, Jennifer is in a position in which she is expected to draw on her special education knowledge to make critical decisions for a multitude of special education programs in the Twin Cities area. At times, this can be a daunting task. However, through intimate conversations with Jennifer, | believe a strength of hers is that she is able to be thoughtful, remain calm and confident, and provide stakeholders with accurate special education information. In addition, | believe Jennifer has great communication skills both written and oral. Effective and efficient communication is a crucial skill to have as a Director of Special Education. As continue to advance and enhance. Some areas of growth for Jennifer would be to have her continue to find opportunities to broaden her understanding of the additional areas of special services that are not necessarily special education related, Those areas might include; English Language Learners, Section 504, Homeless students, Early Childhood Special Education, and teacher evaluations Additionally, it will be important for Jennifer to continue building relationships with school business managers in order to develop more in depth knowledge of special education finance. ‘Again, it was a delight to have the opportunity to mentor Jennifer. | sincerely believe her knowledge of special education and her leadership skills will make Jennifer an exceptional Director of Special Education. Regerds, OAC Amy Berge Assistant Director of Special Services Hastings Public Schools 200