Kayla L.

Becker
becker.kayla@gmail.com

319.610.0249

EDUCATION
University of Northern Iowa
Advanced Studies Certificate: Masters of Arts in Education Principalship
Endorsements: PK-12 Principal; PK-12 Supervisor of Special Education
Cumulative GPA: 4.0 / 4.0
Masters of Arts in Education Literacy Education
Endorsements: Reading 5-12; Reading Specialist K-12
Cumulative GPA: 4.0 / 4.0

Cedar Falls, IA
May 2015

May 2013

Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Morningside College
Sioux City, IA
Continuing education credits through the Great Prairie AEA
May 2011
Writing instruction, teacher learning teams, formative assessments, and mentoring
Wartburg College
Bachelor of Arts English
Endorsement: Secondary Education 7-12, English 7-12
Cumulative GPA: 3.88 / 4.0 Summa Cum Laude

Waverly, IA
May 2008

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES
Aug. 2013Jan. 2015
Aligned with the Iowa Standards for School Leaders
1 Visionary leadership: Assisted in the creation of Expos School Improvement Plan; and
leading professional learning regarding mini-lessons, PLC framework, Iowa Core
2 Instructional leadership: Observations of classrooms; revising districts English curriculum
guide; led Expos Family Night event centered on literacy; participant in Reconnect to Graduate
3 Organization leadership: Mentoring first and second year teachers; managing Expos
literacy budget; assisting in the organization and facilitation of the Iowa Assessments
4 Collaborative leadership: Organized school-family problem solving meeting; member of
Expos PBIS Tier 2 team; led Expos Family Night even centered on Iowa Assessments
5 Ethical leadership: Facilitated monthly professional learning with each of Expos programs;
participated in the districts summer professional development of Understanding by Design;
observations of classrooms and follow-up conversations
6 Political leadership: Participated in the district literacy coach meetings; coached teachers
to improve their educational practices
TEACHING EXPERIENCES
Grades 9-12, English/Language Arts
Waterloo, IA
Expo Alternative Learning Center, Waterloo Community School District
Aug. 2011Present
Literacy Coach
Aug. 2013Present
Chairperson, Grades 9-10 Academy
Aug. 2012July 2013
Assisted teachers with their integration of purposeful literacy into their respective content
areas and programs (middle school, high school, special education, and transition)
Provided literacy professional development to all teachers and provided additional support as
needed

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TEACHING EXPERIENCES, CONTINUED
Grades 9-12, English/Language Arts
Waterloo, IA
Expo Alternative Learning Center, Waterloo Community School District
Aug. 2011 Present
Modeled literacy strategies and practices to teachers, while providing research regarding
practices
Analyzed literacy data to determine areas for school focus
Observed teachers and provided purposeful and timely feedback
Administered literacy assessments to evaluate students strengths and areas for improvement
Participated in weekly meetings with administrators
Attended all district literacy coach meetings and collaborated regarding the districts literacy
vision
Mentored four first and second-year teachers and assisted them in problem-solving various
situations and concerns, while improving their teaching practices
Led weekly English PLC meetings with colleagues to review pertinent data and discuss and
implement appropriate changes in instruction to improve student learning
Assisted in the revision of the district English curriculum guides, grades 9-12
Assisted in the revision of PLATO (an online learning program) curriculum to align with the
Iowa Core
Co-taught reading workshop and taught two English courses via blended learning, integrating
PLATO with offline activities to allow students to learn at their own pace
Integrated technology into the classroom through the use of a Promethean Board, PLATO,
ActivExpressions class voting, YouTube videos, and online news footage and articles
Directed students in the writing process, assisting them in summarizing and synthesizing
content to produce effective essays that allowed them to communicate their knowledge, views
and appreciation of the text
Grades 10-12, English/Language Arts
Ottumwa, IA
Ottumwa High School, Ottumwa Community School District
Aug. 09 June 11
Chairperson, English/Language Arts department
Aug. 10 June 11
Co-taught six inclusion classes collaborating to create effective and engaging lessons for all
types of learners with various needs and abilities; scaffold lessons to fit the needs of students
Created and taught a new course for the district (Language Arts Composition) for students
passing out of Reading classes; the new course met the goals of their IEPs, while providing an
appropriate level of instruction and support in both reading and writing
Articulated students progress, areas of strength and weakness in IEP meetings
Collaborated with other content area teachers to develop common course assessments and
align courses and content both horizontally and vertically
Designed and implemented curriculum maps that met the needs of students while satisfying
the needs of the district and state according to the Iowa Core and 21st Century Learning
Led the 14-person department through the acquisition of new instructional methods,
specifically the gradual release of responsibility, and through new assessment practices,
specifically formative assessments
Coordinated bi-monthly department meetings; communicated with the department on issues
of importance; managed the department budget; handled issues within the department and its
members; attended monthly department chair meetings and voiced the opinions of the
department

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TEACHING EXPERIENCES, CONTINUED
Private/Semi-Private/Group Instruction, English Teacher
Seoul, South Korea
Yeouido Language Center, Berlitz Korea
August 08 July 09
Monitored student performance and provided constructive feedback (written and verbal) to
improve students vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, sentence structure, and comprehension
(reading, writing and listening)
Constructed lessons around students careers, interests and, most importantly, their personal
goals
Taught childrens courses, focused on the fundamentals of speaking and listening
comprehension
Created a student-centered learning environment; educated students about Western culture
and norms
PRESENTATIONS
2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA Annual Meeting) San Francisco, CA
Paper session, Self-Study to Examine and Grow Pedagogical Knowledge
April 2013
Thesis presented, Self-study of my secondary reading workshop teaching practice: Struggling
learners, literate identities and high absenteeism
2014 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE Annual Meeting)
Middle and secondary session, Empathy and Standard 7
Unit of study presented, Story as the landscape of knowing

Washington, D.C.
November 2014

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS AND HONORS

Expo Alternative Learning Center Teacher of the Year 2012-2013 Teacher of the month 2013
Endeavor Award recipient 2013 Nominee for Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching
VOLUNTEER
Elementary Tutor
Waterloo, IA
Highland Elementary School students, Waterloo Community School District Nov. 12Nov. 13
First grade student literacy (reading, writing and verbalizing) skills and strategies
Fourth grade student literacy (reading, writing and verbalizing) skills and strategies; math
TRAININGS
Crisis Prevention & Intervention (CPI) Training

February 2015

REFERENCES
Cary Wieland
High school principal
Expo Alternative Learning Center
1410 Independence Ave.
Waterloo, IA 50703
1.319.433.1930
wielandc@waterlooschools.org
Kory Kelchen
Academic dean
Expo Alternative Learning Center
1410 Independence Ave.
Waterloo, IA 50703
1.319.433.1930
kelchenk@waterlooschools.org
Rebecca Williams
District Title One Coordinator / K-12 Literacy Specialist
1516 Washington St.
Waterloo, IA 50702
1.319.433.1823
williamsr@waterlooschools.org
Dr. Lew Finch
Executive director of the Urban Education Network (Iowa)
1543 Bilgarie Court NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
1.319.329.0547
lfinch@mchsi.com

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