January 16, 2020

To Whom It May Concern:

Please accept this letter of recommendation for Ms. Jada Griggs as she applies for a teaching position in
your school. I have known Ms. Griggs since the fall of 2017 when she was a student in READ 30541:
School Reading Problems, a junior level, undergraduate literacy pedagogy course. As her instructor, I
came to regard Jada as a strong, self-motivated learner and reflective practitioner.

School Reading Problems is a course focused on learning reading and writing pedagogy while also
tutoring a K-12 student in our reading clinic. Jada worked with a partner to tutor a 4th grade boy reading
at the 2nd grade level. Jada developed lesson plans addressing word study, phonics, fluency,
comprehension, and writing. She assessed her tutee’s growth across 20 hours of tutoring using running
records and the Words Their Way spelling inventory. She completed post-testing using a reading inventory
and wrote a clinical final report. In every lesson, Ms. Griggs modified the instruction to meet the needs of
her tutee. In this course, students must be able to accept critiques of their lesson and make modifications
to provide quality, targeted instruction. Jada was always responsive to feedback and her lessons and
instruction improved throughout the semester. In her last formal observation, Jada demonstrated
excellence in all aspects of planning and teaching. Last, Jada completed a reflection on videos of her
teaching. In her reflection, Jada was able to independently identify areas of her teaching in which she
excelled, as well as areas for improvement.

On the professional dispositions scale I use, Ms. Griggs scored 98% which indicates that she consistently
displays positive dispositions towards t in routinely sharing information or ideas with others while always
being open to new ideas and different perspectives. She is self-directed and also displays a positive
disposition towards the use of technology in the classroom. A major component of this course is
collaborating and co-teaching with a partner and Ms. Griggs proved to be both an effective leader and
partner in all activities. It should be noted that she was working with a partner who did not always follow
through on his part of the lesson plan. Jada handled these situations professionally, making every effort to
work with her partner while also making sure the quality of the lesson plans did not suffer.

Overall, Ms. Griggs exhibits both a passion for literacy and a commitment to helping all learners succeed. I
believe she has a bright future as an educator. Ms. Griggs will be an asset to your district and I
recommend her. Please feel free to contact me at 856-256-3090.

Sincerely,

Valarie G. Lee, Ed.D

Associate Professor of Reading
MA in Reading Advisor and Program Coordinator

Rowan University • 201 Mullica Hill Road • Glassboro, New Jersey 08028 • 856-256-4000