June 18, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Angie Shindelar and I have worked with Des Moines Public Schools for the last two years as
an Instructional Math Coach. Through my work with teachers across the district, I have had the pleasure
to meet and work with Andy Wade.

During this past year I worked with the eighth grade math team at Callanan Middle School to implement
Data Teams and the new Iowa Core Math Standards (Common Core State Standards). Both of these
initiatives required teachers to make changes to their instructional strategies, assessment protocols, and
overall expectations for student learning.

Andy was the ultimate professional as we worked through a year of raising expectations for instruction
and student learning. Working with his team was sometimes challenging, so I appreciated the leadership
he provided by being positive and open to the new expectations for teachers and students. I found
Andy to be very knowledgeable about math curriculum and instructional strategies, yet he was willing to
consider the benefits of transitioning instruction to include more problem-based instruction. It is often
not easy for teachers to consider new strategies, however Andy was quite open to looking for ways to
improve student learning. During our collaborative meetings Andy consistently used his expertise in
teaching and knowledge of student learning to share ideas and ask thought-provoking questions about
our work.

In his work with a student teacher, Andy was an excellent mentor. The student teacher participated in
our collaborative meetings and learned a lot about current changes occurring in math education.
However, her biggest opportunities for growth were when she and Andy would collaboratively plan
lessons using the new instructional strategies being implemented this year. She commented to me
several times how helpful this had been in understanding the new expectations for teaching and
learning. It was quite easy to see that Andys mentoring had a positive impact on her as she an excellent
student teacher.

I would highly recommend Andy for the Behavior Strategist position at Callanan. His strong skill set as an
instructional leader and strong collaboration skills will be an asset in his work with students and
teachers as a Behavior Strategist.

Sincerely,


Angie Shindelar