Name of Special Education Program Director

Southern School District

1234 School St.
Southern, CA

Dear Special Education Program Director,

I am applying for the position of Special Day Class teacher at Southern California School.
I feel that I am qualified for this position because I have had 14 years of experience working with
Special Education Students in various settings including schools with Emotional Disabled
students living in Residential Treatment for six years, schools including only children with autism
for one year, a one-on-one position with a student with Cerebral Palsy for three years, and in a
public school in a Special Day Class for four years. I have spent the last two year in a program
at Dominican University for a dual teaching credential in Special Education and General
Education. I have excellent assessment and instructional skills, write clear, concise IEPs
targeted to California standard and benchmarks, use positive behavior management skills for
classroom management and with individual students, and collaborate effectively with general
education faculty and with parents.
I can administer the following assessment instruments: Woodcock Johnson, Kaufman Test
of Educational Assessment, and Beery VMI III. In addition, I have done informal assessments,
such as the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI), and the Developmental Reading Assessment
(DRA). The instructional skills I have learned and am able to implement in the classes I have
taught are cooperative learning groups, literature circles, individual instruction, whole class
instruction, and project-oriented learning. I have used the strategy of think, pair, share, GLAD
strategies using various visual and dramatic displays of content, multi-leveled groupings and
integrating curriculum when possible.
I can write IEPs with goals and objectives written to California standards in reading, writing,
and math. I am able to analyze assessment data and write goals and objectives that are
appropriate to the students achievement levels. In addition, I can write behavioral goals and
objectives that are appropriate and measurable for students who need guidance in this area. I
am skilled at writing Positive Behavior Intervention Plans for students who need more targeted,
specific remediation for more serious behavior problem, as well.
Finally, I enjoy working collaboratively with parents, faculty and staff. I have done this
when I have created modified assessments for the Special Education students in the
mainstream classes they attend and am always willing to facilitate the General Ed. teachers with
materials. I stay in touch with parents on a regular bases to give daily feedback for their
children.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Susan Barry