Urbana University

College of Education
579 College Way
Urbana, OH 43078
December 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
During the fall semester of 2015 I had the pleasure of being the supervisor from Urbana University during
Miss Alexandra Olsons student teaching experience. Throughout the 16 week semester I conducted
observations of Miss Olson as she took on increasing responsibility for the day to day instruction in a 2nd
grade self-contained classroom. Following each observation, I would meet with Miss Olson to provide
verbal feedback and review my written observation report. From the very beginning of the term, I was
impressed by the confidence that Miss Olson demonstrated in her instructional delivery but this was
nicely balanced by a high degree of humility and desire to learn and get better. It is rare for a student
teacher to demonstrate this combination of qualities from the start of the term.
As the term progressed I observed Miss Olson deliver a combination of small group and whole group
lessons in mathematics and English language arts. All of the lesson plans that Miss Olson submitted were
highly detailed, aligned to the Common Core standards, and demonstrated a strong understanding of the
backwards design process. The assessments that she developed to measure student progress toward
mastery were generally formative in nature. There was evidence in her written plans that the student data
was being used to guide her instructional decision making and during many of the lessons she utilized a
note based documentation system to keep track of her observations. These are skills that many
experienced teachers struggle with, and while Miss Olson would agree that she is still a novice teacher,
the fact that she consistently incorporated effective assessment practices into both her planning and lesson
delivery was impressive.
Instructionally, Miss Olson consistently added tools to her toolbox over the course of the term. One
example was the appropriate use of the collaborative learning process. What was especially noteworthy is
that Miss Olson was proactive in her approach and taught the students expectations and roles for group
work without being coached to do so. She did an exceptional job at managing the transition of the
students from one learning station to another when this instructional approach was used. During small
group instruction it was very nice to see the inviting interaction she had with her students. It was evident
that she worked hard throughout the term to develop an environment based on mutual respect and this
provided her with a strong degree of relational authority with the students.
As a former principal and superintendent I rate Miss Olson as one of the strongest student teachers that I
have ever supervised. She has already developed skills that many first year teachers dont demonstrate. If
my role was still that of a superintendent, I would have no doubt that Miss Olson would be hired if an
opening in her area of licensure existed. I strongly recommend that she be given a strong look as a
teaching candidate. She will be a great addition to whatever district ends up hiring her.
Sincerely,

Craig M. Meredith, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor

579 College Way, Urbana, OH 43078

937-772-9341
www.urbana.edu