MEETING A CRITICAL NEED Supporting students’ literacy development For many districts and educators, the COVID pandemic exacerbated an already existing need to focus on literacy in PK-12 schools. As a result, districts, such as West Ottawa in Holland, Michigan, are allocating resources and creating positions to target this critical need. Amy Bauer, a recent graduate of CMU’s Reading and Literacy program applied for and was promoted to one of these key positions. Amy is currently the MTSS Specialist for Lakeshore Elementary. Amy has been a kindergarten teacher in her district for 11 years and at Lakeshore elementary school for 9. Recently, West Ottawa Lakeshore Elementary school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon award by the Department of Education. This is a very prestigious award that recognizes schools for academic excellence and their work on closing the achievement gap. Amy is excited to have the opportunity to work at a diverse school that is standards-based and student-centered.
“When we did our portfolio at the end, I was amazed at how much I changed through the entire process, and how I am able to put into practice what I learned. It is really exciting. I could not have walked into this position feeling as confident as I do without that.” —Amy Bauer PATHWAYS FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS | SPRING 2022
When asked how her CMU masters program contributed to her work in her new position, Amy noted that because the program focused on applying critical knowledge and skills to the literacy needs of today’s classrooms, she was able to hit the ground running and implement assessments and intervention strategies for students at all levels in her building. Additionally, she also appreciated how well prepared she was to take the test to receive the BR (Reading Interventionist) endorsement. Amy has always wanted to “plug into reading”. She talked about how excited
