Tricia A. Bursell

Wilmington, NC 401-***-**** adzhyz@r.postjobfree.com

Supervisor

Student Outcomes Inclusiveness Special Education General Education Employee Training Leadership

Career Profile & Educational Philosophy

High-energy, hands-on professional with special education, inclusiveness, and administration background.

Experienced leader, supervising educators in creating and implementing comprehensive plans to improve

student outcomes while catering to individual abilities and interests. Specialized knowledge of the autism

spectrum.

Uses knowledge of federal and state mandates to establish IEPs, sets appropriate goals, and measures

progress; has a successful track record of giving students with disabilities access to general education

curriculums and classrooms through specialized accommodations and modifications.

Works with teachers to adapt instructional methods and assignments, trains and supervises

paraprofessionals, and utilizes assistive technology to enable learning and increase independence.

Expert in techniques and technologies including co-teaching, inclusion, forward planning, mindfulness,

reflectiveness, formative and summative assessments, ESPED, and ASPEN.

Educational Background & Teaching Certifications

Master of Administration, Elementary/Middle School Education, Providence College

Bachelor of Science, Elementary/Special Education, Rhode Island College

Bachelor of Arts, English, Rhode Island College

Certification, Elementary/Special Needs, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Carolina

Certification, Principal/Assistant Principal 5-8, Massachusetts

Certification, Principal/Assistant Principal K-12, Rhode Island, North Carolina

Professional Experience

Horace Mann Middle School, Franklin, MA 2011 - 2020

Inclusion Specialist

Train and supervise teachers and paraprofessionals on best practices related to the full inclusion of middle

school students with a range of developmental disabilities. Collaborate with general education teachers to

provide modifications and accommodations in instruction and assignments. Work with school administration,

teachers, parents, clinicians, staff, and students to create and implement appropriate behavioral support plans.

Facilitate interactions and encourage relationships between students with learning differences and general

education classmates.

Key Contributions & Accomplishments

Advised on integrating inclusive learning into traditional classrooms through co-teaching, small group

learning, developing compliant IEPs, and working closely with parents to implement plans.

Developed criteria to evaluate teachers’ performance; implemented corrective action and interventions

as needed.

Worked with teachers and staff to assess students’ baselines and review progress throughout the school

year; noted increased positive social interactions and behavior, significant academic achievement, and

greater ability to tolerate change.

Assess, score, and report on all educational standardized tests

CONTINUED

Tricia A. Bursell Page 2

Horace Mann Middle School, Franklin, MA 2008 - 2011

Teacher for the Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC)

Lead teacher for the TLC program; a place for students having social/emotional needs that superseded

academic needs. Students who were unable to experience success in the mainstream due to recurrent

hospitalizations, trauma, and emotional dysregulation worked in a self-contained environment where their

unique needs could be met. The focus of this program was to provide explicit instruction on coping strategies,

resiliency skills, self-talk awareness, de-escalation methodologies, stress management, perspective-taking, and

mental health awareness/management.

Key Contributions & Accomplishments

Worked closely with students and their family members/guardians to build rapport and trust, and

provide education to meet the needs of the entire family unit.

Met with clinicians, social workers, counselors, and administration so that students' needs could be

addressed preemptively.

Developed Individualized Education Plans that were unique to the student and kept detailed progress

data to be utilized as evidence of success and/or needs.

Created behavior plans that were predictable, attainable, and unique for the individual.

Set clear and consistent boundaries so that students knew exactly what was expected and permissible.

North Cumberland and McCourt Middle School, Cumberland, RI 1995 - 2003

Middle School Teacher, General Education English, and Special Education

Worked with students of every level and ability, both as the general education teacher and later as the special

education teacher to include students with mild/moderate and severe/profound learning differences.

Key Contributions & Accomplishments

Developed inclusive classrooms and fostered interaction among general and special needs groups by

assigning different books for reading, creating literature circles for discussion, and using a variety of

aids and props to ensure understanding.

Worked to integrate self-contained moderately disabled students into the general education setting by

capitalizing on students' strengths and by teaching students to access and implement taught strategies

to set them up for success.

Facilitated workshops for general educators to prepare them for students with varying needs

Spearheaded an after-school homework program to help students with unique learning profiles who

needed additional time to learn educational skills

Chaired weekly meetings to ensure that general educators were receiving the support they needed to

be successful when working with all students. Provided support to implement IEPS and to better

understand special education jargon

Professional Development, Activities

School Improvement Team

English Curriculum Development

Grant Writing/Public Relations

Multicultural Committee

S.A.F.E. (Student Assistance Family Empowerment)

Student Council Coordinator

Social Pragmatic Group Coordinator

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