Elizabeth Medina
Elizabeth Medina is a certified K-12 special education teacher in Virginia and a certified 6-12 grade special education teacher licensed in Maryland. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in Psychology in 2002. She attended Baltimore International Culinary College and received an associate’s degree in Cooking and Baking in 2007. In 2014, Elizabeth earned her master’s degree in Special Education from Liberty University, and in 2022, she earned a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Administrator I from McDaniel College. Elizabeth has 22 years of teaching experience in special education and family consumer science at the middle and high school levels. In addition to her many years of teaching experience, she currently serves as the Special Education Department Chair and Transition Liaison at a middle school in Charles County Public Schools (CCPS).
As for specialized certification and training, Elizabeth is certified in Orton-Gillingham Multi-Sensory Approach, Wilsons Reading, and Leveled Learning reading intervention. She has been trained in Number Worlds math intervention PreK-8, i-Ready math and reading assessment and instruction, and Moby Max. She is certified in CPR, First Aid, AED, and Mental Health First Aid for children and adults as well.
Elizabeth has been nominated by the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) as an outstanding special education teacher. Over the past 22 years, Elizabeth has dedicated herself to helping students in and outside of the classroom. She has been writing high quality Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for middle and high school students. In addition, she provides specialized instruction; conducts educational assessments and diagnostic testing; reviews academic data, running records, and behavioral data; and implements IEPs and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). Elizabeth has trained educators on how to implement IEPs, write IEPs, and conduct academic evaluations and diagnostic testing.
As a Transition Liaison for CCPS, Elizabeth has completed transition plans for students, such as post-secondary education or vocational training, employment, independent living, and community participation. Transition planning includes parent involvement and conducting post-secondary transition assessments such as student interviews and interest surveys. Elizabeth currently utilizes Virtual Job Shadow, a career planning platform and interactive tool that helps her students develop their career paths based on their choices. She is trained in administering diagnostic testing and academic evaluations. In the past five years, she has provided social skills training to help students develop and maintain friendships, handle conflict, and improve conversational and communication skills.
Elizabeth’s philosophy in education is that ALL children can learn. She advocates for individuals with disabilities so that they can succeed. She is committed to fulfilling her purpose as an educator.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Elizabeth enjoys being a mom to her young son. She loves traveling, scuba diving, exercising, cooking, and baking.
Elizabeth is a member the following organizations: