April 22, 2018

To Whom It May Concern:

I am delighted to write a letter of recommendation for Nicole Steele. Nicole

Steele was a student enrolled in my special education literacy class, CEP
301, in 2017. Although there have been over 130 students enrolled in this
class over the past 3 years, I would rank Nicole among the top 5%.

In CEP301, Nicole exceeded the benchmarks in every respect. She was a

skillful diagnostician, and her reading lessons were designed to follow a
gradual release of responsibility model, progressing from explicit teacher
modeling, guided practice, and independent performance. She maintained
running records of her student’s daily reading performance, and kept
graphs of the student’s reading progress. Her student gained over 1.5 years
of growth during the 3-months of clinical tutoring, based on standardized
assessments. Throughout the semester, Nicole demonstrated a high level
of teaching professionalism that is attained by few preservice teachers. In
fact, I requested and received permission to use her work as an exemplar
for future special education student cohorts. Her work was outstanding! I
daresay it rivaled the work of teachers in our Master’s degree program at
Michigan State University.
College of
Education In addition, Nicole stands out in other respects. She has been a research
assistant on a federally-funded research project directed by Dr. Troia that
Department of examines the relationship between writing instruction and student
COUNSELING,
EDUCATIONAL
outcomes. Nicole’s job is to grade student writing assessments, which is an
PSYCHOLOGY, AND essential role for the research team. Furthermore, her service to the
SPECIAL EDUCATION profession is outstanding. She was accepted into the College of
Education’s Urban Educator’s Cohort (UECP) and serves on the Executive
Michigan State University Board and as Secretary to UECP. She also serves on the Executive Board
620 Farm Lane
335 Erickson Hall
of Friendship, which offers educational and enriching activities for children
East Lansing, MI 48824 and families in the Lansing community. Clearly, Nicole is not afraid of hard
work in the service of her profession, the children she teaches, and their
517-355-1837
Fax: 517-353-6393 families!
education.msu.edu
Lastly, it is noteworthy that Nicole has sought additional experiences that
will advance her in the teaching profession, as indicated by her teaching
experiences in schools in Novi, Battle Creek, and the Doris Klaussen
Developmental Center. Notably, she is a certified applied behavior analysis

MSU is an affirmative-action,
equal-opportunity employer.

therapist, which is rare for an undergraduate. This extends her knowledge

about how to support all students’ academic and social motivation, goal-
setting potential, and behavioral performance. This is a testament to her
quest for knowledge and teaching expertise.

In summary, I strongly urge Nicole’s consideration for a teaching position. I

have no doubts that she will prove to be a dedicated professional and team
planer.

Please don’t hesitate to call or email me with additional questions.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Carol Sue Englert, PhD

Michigan State University
620 Farm Lane - 334 Erickson Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1034