Kelly Horton has over 10 years of experience as both an English teacher and instructional coach focused on improving instruction for disadvantaged students. As an instructional coach, she assists principals with school improvement initiatives, plans professional development for teachers, and coaches teachers through observations and feedback. She is skilled in curriculum development, data analysis, and managing intervention programs. Previously, she taught various English courses and led departmental teams, emphasizing real-world relevance, formative assessment, and additional academic support for students.

1.
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE:
Instructional Coach and English teacher dedicated to improving the
quality of instruction in schools serving socially and economically
disadvantaged students. Demonstrated ability to inspire and connect with
students, deliver rigorous and engaging classroom instruction, and create a
safe, student-centered learning environment. Experienced facilitator of
targeted, content-driven, cross-curricular professional development for
teachers. Proven capability to develop creative, skills-based, student-
centered curricula for MS and HS English courses, and modify, re-align,
and/or revise current curricula to reflect new state standards and best
instructional practices.
INSTRUCTIONAL EXPERIENCE: Norfolk Public
Schools, 2003-2014
English Language Arts Instructional Coach, 2012 –2014
Lafayette Winona Middle School, Norfolk, VA
Instructional Coaching Experiences:
◦ Assisting the building principal with the overall planning, scheduling,
and execution of state-mandated school improvement initiatives
◦ Clarifying the state and district’s vision of effective instruction for
teachers and developing department chairs’ capacity to observe and
evaluating teacher performance against the standard
◦ Planning, developing, and facilitating ongoing professional development,
aligned with the school’s focus areas, for teachers of all contents
◦ Conducting ongoing walk-through observations and providing targeted,
actionable feedback with individual teachers
◦ Coaching and modeling lessons and researched-based instructional
strategies and best for teachers
◦ Evaluating teacher-created assessments, lesson plans and instructional
materials for accuracy, rigor, student engagement, differentiated
instruction, and best practices for teachers
◦ Ensuring the instructional alignment to state standards through the
creation of vertical teams
◦ Designing unit plans, lesson plans, activities, and formative and
summative assessments modeling the “backward design approach”
◦ Managing the school’s Title I grant, including budgeting monies,
allocating resources, and ordering instructional materials
◦ Planning, implementing, and managing the Title I Reading Intervention
Program, including the hiring and supervising the teachers for the
after-school and summer program and monitoring student progress
through the use of Achieve 3000 and Read 180 data
•
Education
BACHELOR OF ARTS, ENGLISH
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA,
2003
Credentials
VA Teaching License
FL Teaching License (in progess)
Endorsements:
English, grades 6-12
Speech and Communication, grades 9-12
Professional Skills
Instructional Coach
Curriculum Writer, HS and MS
Title I Federal Grant Manager
Title I Program Director
New Teacher Trainer
English Content Team Leader
SLC Cohort Leader
Cooperating Teacher
Professional Recognition
A.P. Fellow, Rhetoric and Composition,
Wake Forest University, 2005
Indicators in Action Award, Virginia
Department of Education, 2008
Horton
757.478.2822
Kelly.AP.Horton@gmail.com

2.
High School English Teacher, 2003-2012
Norview High School, Norfolk, VA
Teaching Experiences:
• Teaching all high school grade and academic levels (grades 9-12, general, Pre-A.P,/Honors, and collaborative-
level classes)
• Planning, preparing, and implementing rigorous instructional activities that contribute to a climate in which
students are actively engaged in meaningful learning experiences
• Identifying, selecting, creating and modifying instructional resources to meet the state standards of learning and
needs of the students with varying backgrounds, learning styles, and special needs
• Creating and maintaining a safe, welcoming student-centered environment through the practice of the
“Capturing Kids’ Hearts” model
• Using pre-assessments and a variety of formative and post-assessments to measure student understanding
and evaluate progress to inform teacher’s instruction throughout a unit
• Emphasizing “real-world” relevance and ensuring students have multiple opportunities to make personal
connection with each lesson
• Delivering clear, direct instruction and providing relevant guided practice of skills during each lesson
• Checking for student understanding throughout a lesson and making appropriate adjustments in the
instruction as needed
• Providing students multiple opportunities to respond to the lesson through writing
• Providing timely, actionable feedback to each student on his/her proficiency level of skills and learning
objectives
• Providing additional instructional support for struggling students after school hours
• Collaborating with teachers of other contents to enhance the instructional scope and establish a greater context
for learning objectives
• Communicating with students, parents, and internal and external professionals within established timelines
• Leading grade-level teaching teams (9
th
and 11
th
); this includes unit mapping/planning, modeling lesson plans,
sharing best practices, assigning activities, and facilitating the collaboration with other teachers through vertical
teams
• Facilitating professional development on “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” instructional approach for the school district
• Creating and implementing a curriculum designed specially for the ninth grade small learning community
(SLC)
• Demonstrating gains in student performance, measured by classroom, state, and College Board assessments
• Ensuring student growth and achievement is continuous and appropriate for each grade level and program
classification
Instructional Coaching Experiences, continued:
◦ Tracking and reporting student data, specific interventions, team meetings,
and academic progress of targeted students through state-mandated
computer program, INDISTAR
◦ Creating effective data analysis methods for teachers and students to use in
the classroom in an effort to improve accountability and ownership of
individual academic progress
◦ Collaborating with parents, teachers, and students involving discipline and
behavior plans
◦ Participating in parent advisory committee meetings,
◦ Collaborating with the District Coordinator of English Instruction to
improve district’s high school and middle school curricula
◦ Developing district models of standards-based instructional and practice
activities
Professional Organizations
National Committee for Teachers of
English (NCTE)
Virginia Association for Teachers of
English (VATE)

3. Teaching Experiences, continued
• Meeting professional obligations through efficient work habits such as, meeting deadlines, honoring schedules,
coordinating resources and meetings in an effective and timely manner
• Mentoring new English teachers; this includes modeling lessons, observing lessons, and providing actionable
feedback
• Working with student teachers in the cooperating teacher role; modeling lessons, observing lessons, and
providing actionable feedback, and evaluating performance
• Participating in research and presentations on SLC communities within a school; this includes activities such as
attending workshops, sharing data, additional classroom observations, and attending student outreach events
MOST RECENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES
Developed and facilitated the following sessions during the 2013-2014 school year:
• August 2014 – Instructional Design and Backward Planning for all N.P.S, MS and H.S. English
Teachers
Location: Lake Taylor High School
• June 2014 – Pre-A.P. Strategies Workshop for Credit Recovery/Summer School Teachers
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• June 2014 – Using 2013-14 Data to Improve and Inform Instruction in 2014-15
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• May 2014 – Maximizing Classroom Instruction: SOL Crunch Time
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• April 2014 –Questioning Strategies Refresher
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• April 2014 – Content Focus: Unpacking the Reading Standards (Refresher)
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• March 2014 – Using the Study of Grammar to Improve Reading Skills
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• February 2014 – A.P. Strategies: The Importance of Syntax Analysis (District PD; Pre-AP/AP
teachers, grades 9-12)
Location: Lake Taylor High School
• January 2014 – Un-packing the SOL Writing Standards, Grades 6-8 (Co-facilitated with District
Coordinator)
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• December 2013: Best Practices in Reading Across the Curriculum (all LWMS teachers)
Location: Lafayette Winona Middle School
• November 2013: Un-Peeling the Layers: Teaching Strategies for Reading Instruction (English
Department Chairs)
Location: Grandy Village Learning Center
• September 2013: Pre-A.P. Reading and Writing Strategies: New MS and HS Teachers (co-facilitated
with colleague)
Location: Lake Taylor High School