Carolyn Staffieri

3 Glen Meadow Court, Quakertown, PA, 18951 215-529-9354 (home) 267-254-3111 (cell) cstaffieri@qcsd.org

Summary
Masters level teacher with seven years of classroom teaching experience in an approved private school serving students with emotional
disturbance and autism as well as six years of teaching experience in a public school setting also working with students with emotional
disturbance. Certified as an Instructional Level II instructor in Elementary Education and Special Education. Completed 22 additional credits in
Educational Leadership. Worked with Life Skills students aged 11 through 21 and Elementary aged students from Kindergarten to 5 th grade.
Skilled in using positive reinforcement to shape behavior, using direct instruction and active engagement strategies, planning for diverse learner
needs, and maintaining a pro-active, structured classroom environment. Clear understanding and demonstrated competence related to:
Positive Behavior Support Development of standards-based IEPs
Research-based instructional strategies Development of individualized PBSPs
Daily lesson and unit planning Development of RRs
Determining content scope and sequence Frequent parent communication
Differentiated Instruction Administering alternate state assessment
Multiple forms of assessment Integrating technology into the classroom
Social Skills instruction Collecting progress monitoring data
Managing low-level/serious misbehavior Problem solving approach to misbehavior
Administrative internship experience Coordinating services with alternative placements
Leading contentious and litigious meetings Allocating resources while working within a budget
Coordinating state compliance structures Organizing district-wide IEP services (ESY)

Education
Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
Masters of Education in Special Education, May 2006 (GPA: 3.97)
Completed 18 credits in Educational Leadership, July 2007 May 2010 (GPA: 3.88)
Completed 4 credits for the Supervisor of Special Education Internship Program, May 2017 (GPA: 4.0)

Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA

Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Human Development, May 2002
Graduated Cum Laude (GPA: 3.8)

PA State Certifications

Elementary Education K-6 (Instructional Level II)

Special Education N-12 (Instructional Level II)
Anticipated Supervisor of Special Education

Teaching and Administrative Experience

Quakertown Community School District, Quakertown, PA 2011-present

Teacher on Special Assignment for Special Education November 2015 - present

Served as an administrative intern with the Supervisor of Special Education and Director of Pupil Services. Assisted the elementary
administrative team with behavioral interventions for elementary students as well as children in crisis. Problem solved crisis situations by
making recommendations about programming changes. Worked with building teams and special education teachers at various buildings to
develop Positive Behavior Support Plans (PBSP) to address inappropriate and unsafe behaviors. Consulted with IEP teams to determine data
collection systems and the analyzation of data as well as how to revise IEPs and PBSPs using behavioral data. Coordinated student supports
for students placed in IU classrooms and out-of-district placements.

Coached and modeled behavior prevention and proactive classroom management strategies
Mentored the emotional support teachers at Pfaff Elementary in regards to data collection, paperwork completion, leading meetings,
providing individualized supports for children, and responding to inappropriate, unsafe or escalated behaviors
 Mentored new special education teachers across the district in regards to data collection, paperwork completion, leading meetings,
providing individualized supports for children, and responding to inappropriate, unsafe or escalated behaviors
Communicated with families in regards to attendance issues, disciplinary problems, placement decisions, and appropriate
programming
Conducted monthly professional development meetings and special education training sessions to large and small groups of special
education teachers
Served as a district trainer for the district approved verbal de-escalation and crisis response program.
Served on the school-wide positive behavior support program in each elementary school. Was responsible for building staff support,
planning and leading lessons as well as implementing the programs and planning the reward celebrations.
Attended administrative staff meetings within the district and across the county
Participated in the elementary principals professional learning community to explore changing roles for reading specialists,
instructional support teachers and school counselors
Collaborated with others to create and created instructional aide schedules and building support schedules for special activities,
testing sessions, state assessment days and to address the needs of all special education students
Coordinated services with out-of-district placements and IU classrooms, which included attending IEP meetings, arranging for the
provision of related services, and working with other supervisors
Arranged qualification and services for Extended School Year
Attended contentious and litigious meetings with parents to support IEP teams and placement recommendations
Facilitated the transition of students to specialized district classrooms, out-of-district placements and back to district classrooms
from out-of-district placements

Intermediate (Grades 3-5) Emotional Support Teacher, Richland and Pfaff Elementary 2011-2015
Served as a special education teacher in each elementary school working with students diagnosed with Emotional Disturbance, Other Health
Impairments and Specific Learning Disabilities. Responsibilities included writing and implementing Individualized Education Programs
(IEPs) as well as Positive Behavior Support Plans, collecting progress monitoring data, planning daily instruction across all content areas,
planning and collaborating with regular education teachers to lead an inclusive program for students in grades 3-5, as well as mentoring,
coaching and guiding instructional assistants in their daily interactions with students and teachers.
Collected daily behavioral data using point sheets. Analyzed data using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and used the data to report
progress toward IEP goals as well as write individualized goals based upon student needs.
Used frequent verbal and written feedback and direct instruction to shape student misbehavior as well as positively reinforce
appropriate social skills.
Communicated with parents and families daily using the point sheet as well as two to three times per month through phone calls and
emails. Created respectful and supportive family-school relationships.

Centennial School of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 2004-2011

Lead Teacher, Elementary Program 2007-2011

Served as a mentor teacher responsible for planning daily content area instruction and implementing a school-wide, class-wide and
individual system of positive behavior support, while collaborating and providing feedback and professional guidance to teachers
enrolled in a teacher-training program. Lead IEP meetings that coordinated the participation of parents and guardians as well as local
education agency representatives and related service providers. Developed and implemented IEPs and individualized PBSPs that
were revised following the mastery of goals or after teaching staff convened to discuss problem behaviors, the functions of those
behaviors, as well as antecedent strategies that would prevent those behaviors..
Planned daily reading and writing instruction using the Open Court reading curriculum, and daily math instruction using the
Houghton-Mifflin math series, for students with emotional disturbance or autism in grades ranging from 1 st to 5th. Most
students functioned one to three grade levels below their enrolled grade level.
Planned daily social skills instruction using the You Can Choose and Character Education curricula, along with teacher-
developed materials and content, which centered on appropriate social interactions, the use of anger management strategies in
response to classroom stimuli, and demonstrating appropriate behaviors in response to given expectations.
Implemented Smart Board technology and other hands-on, engaging materials to increase active participation, thereby
reducing problem behavior.

Lead Teacher, Life Skills Program 2006-2007

Served as a mentor teacher responsible for the duties listed above, as well as for planning daily functional and vocational instruction
and implementing student IEPs and behavioral protocols.
Worked collaboratively with five teachers to plan functional academic, independent living, vocational and social skills
activities for students with severe, multiple and low-incidence disabilities.
Coordinated the acquisition of post-secondary resources and facilitated the transition of a 20-year-old student to a post-
secondary work program.
 Planned community-based instruction that assisted in the acquisition of independent-living skills.

Teacher Associate, Life Skills Program 2004-2006

Gained instructional experience with students with severe, multiple and low-incidence disabilities.
Assisted in the functional behavioral analysis of a student exhibiting self-injurious behaviors. The data collected led to the
development of behavior protocols that were revised as needed in response to student performance.

Other Leadership/Committee Work

Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) Coordinator 2005 - 2011:

Enrolled students, provided training to teaching staff, distributed testing materials and kits, administered and supervised the
assessment, made assessment recordings, returned all testing materials to the state testing office. Asked by the state testing office to be
used in training materials used state-wide.

Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Trainer 2011 - present:

Work with buildings to provide refresher training for their crisis response teams as well as certify new teachers, staff and
administrators. Collaborate with other district trainers to build support for the NCI program, inform others about trainings and run the
program for the district (e.g., schedule trainings, order materials, support building needs). Organized and conducted parent trainings
using program materials.

Committee Participation:
PBS committee
Sunshine committee

Professional Development Experiences

Participated in over 400 hours of professional development training, including but not limited to:
Positive behavior support Data-based decision making
Functional behavioral assessment Indicator 13
Active engagement strategies Content area instructional strategies
Report writing Standards-based IEPs

Presented at state, national and international educator conferences, including those held by the Council for Exceptional Children and
the Council for Children with Behavior Disorders.

Attended the 2016 and 2017 PDE Conferences Making a Difference: Educational Practices that Work! And the 2016 Eastern
Pennsylvania Special Education Administrators Conference The New Layer of Diverse Learners.

Participated in the Leadership Development Fellowship offered by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit 22 from January until May
2017. District Superintendents nominated teachers and teacher leaders from across Bucks County to build leadership capacity and
enhance skills and expertise as aspiring leaders. This cohort helped participants create a common language for leadership, helped
participants practice evidence-based decision-making, and created a network of aspiring leaders through discussion activities,
presentations from Superintendents across Bucks County and framing leadership through professional readings and resources.

Professional Associations

Council for Exceptional Children, Council for Children with Behavior Disorders 2006-Present
Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children 2006-2011

Professional Conference Presentations

Staffieri, C.E., & Price, K. (2010, February). Reading rocks: A direct instruction approach to building fluency, vocabulary and
comprehension skills. Paper presented at the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders, Kansas City, MO.
Price, K., & Staffieri, C.E. (2010, February). Writing made easy: Teaching the stages of the writing process. Paper presented at the
Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders, Kansas City, MO.

Collier, R. & Staffieri, C. (2009, April). Creating a positive learning environment. Paper presented at the Lehigh Carbon Community
College Week of the Young Child Celebration, Schnecksville, PA.

Graber, C., Houck, K., Herczeg, K., and Staffieri, C. (2008, November). It worked in my classroom. Paper presented at the
Pennsylvania Council for Exceptional Children 49th Annual Convention, Hershey-Harrisburg, PA.

Staffieri, C.E., & Herczeg, K. (2008, April). Promoting healthy sexual development for students with developmental disabilities.
Poster session presented at the Annual Convention of the Council for Exceptional Children, Boston, MA.

Staffieri, C., & Graber, C. (2007, November). Strategies for implementing effective community-based instruction. Paper presented at
the Pennsylvania Council for Exceptional Children 48th Annual Convention, Hershey-Harrisburg, PA.

Fogt, J. B., & Staffieri, C. (2007, September). Teaching self-control skills to students with emotional disturbance. Paper presented at
the International Conference on Children and Youth with Behavior Disorders, Dallas, TX.

Collier, R., Staffieri, C.E., & Houck, K. E. (2006, November). Developing positive learning environments through point sheets. Paper
presented at the 30th Annual Conference of Teacher Educators for Children with Behavior Disorders, Tempe, AZ.

Staffieri, C., & Herczeg, K. (2006, November). Promoting healthy sexual development for students with disabilities. Paper presented
at the Pennsylvania Council for Exceptional Children 47th Annual Convention, Hershey-Harrisburg, PA.

Price, K., & Staffieri, C. (2006, November). Early literacy instructional strategies. Paper presented at the Pennsylvania Council for
Exceptional Children 47th Annual Convention, Hershey-Harrisburg, PA.

Staffieri, C.E. & Price, K. (2006, October). Supporting students with autism: Effective teaching practices in general and special
education classrooms. Presented at the International Child and Adolescent Conference, XIII, Minneapolis, MN.

Price, K., & Borkowski, C.E. (2005, November). Supporting students with autism: Effective teaching practices in general and special
education classrooms. Paper presented at the Pennsylvania Council for Exceptional Children 46th Annual Convention, Hershey-
Harrisburg, PA.