Rachel Freedman

rachelafreedman@gmail.com (847)309-9524 1020 Concord Circle Mundelein, IL 60060

CAREER OBJECTIVE To become a special education teacher who advocates for and motivates students EDUCATION Bachelor of Science, Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 2014 Certification: Initial Illinois Certificate in Special Education (Type 10) Mundelein High School, Mundelein, IL, May 2010 Summa Cum Laude FIELD EXPERIENCE

Student Teacher, Carrie Busey Elementary School, Champaign, IL

Spring 2014 Resource setting for fourth and fifth grade students Organized a decoding program for an intervention group which consisted of blends, long and short vowels, and special endings Teamed up with the fourth grade teacher to co-teach math with the Everyday Math curriculum Educated a group of fifth grade students about their IEPs to ease the transition to middle school and promote self-advocacy Devised a social skills program to promote conversation skills for a student who struggles with continuing conversation

Practicum Student, Central High School, Champaign, IL

Fall 2013

Co-taught Geometry, co-taught English, Self-Contained Literacy Skills Monitored students progress through the use of Curriculum-Based Measurements Assessed the communication needs of a student with multiple and severe disabilities through systematic observations, interactions, and preference assessments Completed a functional behavior assessment to generate a behavior intervention plan Guided learning through the use of Direct Instruction

Practicum Student, Urbana Middle School, Urbana, IL

Spring 2013 ASSIST program: functional/life skills and vocational skills Created a task analysis to teach laundry skills Collaborated with a students family to design a longitudinal curriculum plan for daily living, recreation and leisure, and community skills Facilitated participation in physical education through the use of partial participation

Practicum Student, Stratton Elementary School, Champaign, IL

Fall 2012

First grade general education classroom with students with diverse learning needs Developed a program to increase an English language learners known sight words Analyzed school and community settings in an ecological inventory to discover possible instructional environments Designed a lesson plan for implementing self-determination skills into everyday activities

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE Inclusion Assistant, Champaign Urbana Special Recreation, Champaign, IL April 2013-present Used picture schedules and social stories to facilitate participation for a boy with Autism and apraxia Inclusion Companion, Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association, Northbrook, IL May 2011- March 2013 De-escalated potentially dangerous situations using Crisis Prevention Intervention strategies for a boy with behavioral challenges Increased participation for a boy with Autism by scaffolding participation GRANT PARTICIPATION Accessing Curriculum in Educational Settings for All Students (ACCESS) Grant Participant January 2013-May 2014 Externship: Investigated the education of students with severe and profound disabilities in Chicago Public Schools Service Learning Project: Instructed an art class for one hour a week with students with low incidence disabilities and their typical peers, creating ceramic wind chimes to distribute in the community to promote kindness STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark May-June 2013 Explored special education in Scandinavian countries in Children with Special Needs Interacted with Danish students and pedagogues in an after school club for children and adults with disabilities ORGANIZATIONAL INVOLVEMENT Student Education Association, Publicity Chair Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Fraternity Special Olympics, Coach HONORS Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Illinois State Scholar Deans List James Scholar Honors Program ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS CPR-AED; Adult and Child Crisis Prevention Intervention REFERENCES Laurie Andrews, Supervisor, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (217)333-0260, andrewsl@illinois.edu Sarah Blood, Cooperating Teacher, Central High School, Champaign, IL (708)945-5453, bloodsa@champaignschools.org Katharine Fettig, Cooperating Teacher, Central High School, Champaign, IL (217)417-4069, fettigka@champaignschools.org Katie Bribriesco, Cooperating Teacher, Carrie Busey Elementary School, Champaign, IL (217)840-0496, bribrika@champaignschools.org