Meet Our Mentor Teachers

About Jessica

Jessica Simmons received both her B.S. and Master’s degree from UCF in Exceptional Student Education. She was a participant in UCF’s Project ASD program as well. Jessica began her teaching career as an ESE inclusion teacher in an intensive reading class servicing instruction to FCAT level 1 high school students. After one year of teaching high school she then transitioned to Gray Middle School in a self-contained ASD unit (grades 6-8). She taught all subjects through common core and access points. She also provided consultation to students with autism participating in the general education classes. She has coached Special Olympics, cheer, and was a Best Buddies advisor for Gray Middle School. She was the 2018 Teacher of the Year for Gray Middle and top 3 finalist for Lake County. Jessica taught in the ASD unit at Gray Middle for 8 years before she became the ESE school specialist at Sorrento Elementary. Sorrento Elementary is a center school and has 2 ESE Pre-K units, 2 access self-contained access classrooms, 1 behavior support self-contained classroom, 1 VE academic support self contained classroom, multiple inclusion classrooms supported by certified ESE teachers through support facilitation.

Jessica's Classroom

Jessica supports general education teachers as well as ESE teachers to ensure that students are provided the right services in order to be successful. She is responsible in making sure that the teachers understand and implements each child's Individual Education Plan and that the school is in compliance with state laws. She assists in the staffing & eligibility process of ESE state programs. The self-contained teachers at Sorrento understand the importance of providing an inclusive setting for their students. They advocate for their students though a “push in” model providing them the opportunity to learn in the general education environment as much as they can. Some of her favorite self-contained curriculums are News2You and Unique learning. Sorrento Elementary ESE department serves over 200 students with special needs. This year she is excited to be a part of “garden pals” where students with exceptionalities are paired up with non-disabled peers in one to one friendships.

Link to Jessica’s School:

Sorrento Elementary School

About Kim

Kimberly Coppola has been teaching students with disabilities for twenty-four years. For the past twenty-two years, she has taught students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In 1988, she received her undergraduate degree in special education from the University of West Florida and she received a Master’s in Varying Exceptionalities with an emphasis in autism from the University of Central Florida. Currently, she works as an autism teacher at Thornebrooke Elementary in Orange County. She also created and was the co-director of the summer social thinking program called the Secret Social Spy Academy for five years. This summer program served students with high functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome ages 5 to 14 in an intensive 3-week summer social skill program. She participates as a model demonstration classroom for both Orange County Public Schools as well as the University of Central Florida. She was named a top five district finalist for the 2012 Teacher of the Year for Orange County Public schools. She has presented at local, state, and national levels on teaching social skill instruction to children with ASD. Kim is passionate about her work, and her special interests include social skill instruction, reading instruction, and curricular adaptations for children with autism. Kim believes that all children can learn and has high expectations for all children.

Kim's Classroom

Teaching techniques that are highlighted in Kim’s classroom include social skills training, structured teaching, curricular adaptations, and technology (use of Interactive whiteboards and Ipads for teaching students with ASD).

Link to Kim's School:

https://thornebrookees.ocps.net/

UCP Bailes Campus is one of Project ASD's Mentor Demonstration Sites. Classrooms here are led by highly-qualified and experienced teachers who welcome children and families into a community of learning. The mission of UCP Charter Schools is to create a fully inclusive learning community where all students, parents, and professionals appreciate and value diversity in all forms. Students are educated to become conscientious responsible citizens, whereby they assume the role of life-long learners as they reflect upon and contribute to the cultural and civic life of their community. All students are supported to achieve high standards in both their academic and personal development through a research-based educational program utilizing an inquiry/project-based program integrating arts and technology.

The above introduction is from UCP Bailes Campus website: https://ucpcharter.org/campuses/osceola-campus-kissimmee/

Address: 12702 Science Dr, Orlando, FL 32826

Phone: 407-852-3300 X1000

Fax: 407-270-9253

Email: info@ucpcfl.org

About Alicia:

Alicia has been teaching students with disabilities with ages ranging from 5-17 in Brevard County since 2014. In 2012, she graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Exceptional Student Education from UCF and then began working on her Master’s Degree in Exceptional Education while participating in UCF’s Project ASD program. Alicia graduated with her Master’s Degree in Exceptional Education, as well as a graduate certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorder, in 2013. She is currently teaching a Varying Exceptionalities-Social Communication K-3 Unit in Brevard County at Coquina Elementary School where all of her current students are on the autism spectrum. In 2019, Alicia received Teacher of the Year for Coquina Elementary. Her goal is to provide students with disabilities with strategies to be successful in society and to help other educators develop strategies to help students with disabilities be successful in a general education classroom.

Alicia’s Classroom:

Alicia’s classroom is a Varying Exceptionalities- Social Communication classroom serving students in K through 3^rd grade. She opened the brand new VE-SC Unit at Coquina Elementary in 2016.! Alicia specializes in teaching students how to identify their feelings, cope with their feelings, and apply those strategies throughout the school campus and home. Her classroom includes social skills instruction, standards-based teaching in all subjects, and sensory strategies incorporated throughout the daily routine. Alicia’s goal is to prepare her students to be successful in a general education environment, as she knows they all have such amazing potential!

Alicia's School Website:

https://www.brevardschools.org/CoquinaES

About Cierra:

Cierra received both of her degrees from the University of the Central Florida. Her Bachelor's degree is in Elementary Education K-6 and her Master's degree is in Exceptional Education K-12 with graduate certificates in ASD and ABA through the Project ASD program. Cierra started in the classroom as a Kindergarten and First grade teacher in an inclusion classroom. After two years of teaching, Cierra decided to become an RBT in order to collect her fieldwork hours and be eligible to take the BCBA exam after finishing her graduate certificate in ABA. After taking the exam and becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, she continued at Direct Behavioral Strategies and began training for a Clinical Director position. Now, she has been a clinical director for two years and in that time, helped the owner, Robin Quinn, open a second location in Kissimmee to fill the need for ABA services in that area. The clinic just celebrated their one year anniversary in September 2022 and is currently looking to expand!

Cierra’s Clinic:

Cierra has a caseload of about nine clients and six others that attend the clinic with varying disabilities. She is responsible for her client's behavior plans and being in compliance with insurance, supervising RBTs and their implementation of the client's individualized interventions and skill acquisition programs, communication with parents, staffing and staff evaluations, RBT trainings and organizes DBS' Student Analyst Program with another clinical director. Their Student Analyst Program currently has over twenty students that meet for group supervision, review the fifth edition task list, practice exam questions, complete monthly hands-on activities to enhance their BCBA skills, and they provide feedback on assignments like graphing, writing behavior intervention plans and completing a variety of assessments with their clients. Cierra is very passionate about teaching and finds that this is a great way to continue teaching in the field of ABA.

Cierra's Clinic Website:

https://www.directaba.com/index.html

About Diana:

Diana Pittenger received both her B.S. and Master’s degree from UCF in Exceptional Student Education. She was a participant in UCF’s Project ASD program as well. Diana began her teaching career as an ESE teacher in a self-contained Language Arts class at Central Middle School. She has also taught in a self-contained classroom for students with behavior disorders as well as several years teaching Intensive Language Arts. Diana spent a few years serving as the Literacy Coach at Central Middle School and then Southwest Middle School before returning to the classroom and then back to Central. Diana is a support facilitation teacher for students with ASD pushing into 7th and 8th grade general education classes. She also teaches Social Emotional Skills and Learning Strategies.

Diana’s Classroom:

Diana provides support to her students through a model called Home Base. She serves both 7th and 8th grade students. Her students are scheduled together for all of their classes. Diana pushes into the 7th grade MESH classes for support facilitation 3 days a week and pushes into the 8th grade MESH classes twice a week. Both 7th and 8th grade students come together in Diana’s class for Social Emotional Skills class and Learning Strategies. This class serves as the “Home Base” for students. The classroom is a sensory safe space with designated areas where students can meet sensory needs or take a break as needed.

Diana's School Website:

www.brevardschools.org/CentralMS