Peabody 216 Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 (479) 575-4209 (479) 575-6676 (Fax)

Department of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Health Professions

March 31, 2014

Dear Personnel Selection Committee:
I am delighted to recommend Cassie Jackson for a teaching position. As a student in my courses in integrated
communication skills and elementary seminar, Ms. Jackson has demonstrated a passion for learning the best
research-based methods and strategies to apply during her internship and in her future classroom. As the
liaison/supervisor for her year-long, student teaching internship at Willis D. Shaw Elementary in Springdale,
Arkansas, I have observed Ms. Jacksons commitment to making her classroom a place where students feel secure
and are engaged in meaningful learning experiences.
Ms. Jackson is tireless in her efforts to ascertain her students learning needs and to differentiate instruction
accordingly. She is skilled at designing schema activation that engages students interest right away; helping
students make important connections; and keeping students motivated throughout the lesson. This spring
Ms. Jackson designed and taught an integrated science unit. The unit, based on Understanding by Design by
Wiggins and McTighe, was aligned with Arkansas frameworks and proposed CCSS science standards. As always,
Ms. Jackson consulted and collaborated effectively with her mentors, grade-level team members, and university
faculty--while planning and after teaching her lessons--in order to gain feedback and insight. She reflected thoroughly
on the best ways to teach the enduring understanding of change, so students would transfer their knowledge across
content areas and to real life. By knowing her students, Ms. Jackson is able to create a supportive learning
environment. As she said to me during a post-teaching conference, Some students need one-on-one conferencing
for support. Some students just need to hear that you love the amount of effort they have put into their work. All in all,
an understanding of student interest and student needs helps me to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of all the
students in a diverse classroom.

Ms. Jackson contributes to the development of family-school-community partnerships by enthusiastically assisting
with school events, including parent-teacher conferences, professional learning communities, Shaw Elementary
Family Literacy Nights, and Shaw Technology Fundraisers (Starbursts), as well as district-wide events such as the
Horse Tales Literacy Project. In addition, she stays current with regard to educational research through professional
development opportunities. For example, this year she attended the 8
th
Annual University of Arkansas Literacy
Symposium and the Curricular Advisory Conference presented by Drs. Harry and Rosemary Wong.
I highly recommend Cassie Jackson for a teaching position. She is an excellent teacher and a life-long learner. She
will make a wonderful addition to her future school district. If you have any questions or need further information,
please do not hesitate to contact me at gkerr@uark.edu or 479-466-1735.
Sincerely,

Grace Kerr, M.A.
Clinical Instructor of Childhood Education