Coaches serve as consultants, facilitators, and professional development providers. Mid-Valley staff and member districts can request coaching support. Coaches engage in and support a wide variety of activities that align with each district’s mission and goals. Additionally, coaches play a vital role in supporting Mid-Valley programs through:
Professional Development Requests
Classroom and Individual Student Consultation
Mid-Valley coaches are available for collaboration and consultation to MVSEC programs and member districts when requested. The coaches are experienced educators with credentials that provide a foundation which supports a variety of activities within and beyond the cooperative.
This background is further enhanced through participation in professional learning specifically designed to develop coaching skills (e.g., Jim Knight, Elena Aguilar, Cognitive Coaching). Mid-Valley coaches strive to adapt and apply the skills they learn to the unique contexts they support.
Sarah has served as an instructional/behavioral coach for Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative for 4 years. Prior to her career with Mid-Valley, she spent 20 years in the teaching field as a general education teacher, special education teacher, and a reading specialist. Sarah earned a B.S. Ed. in elementary and special education (LBS1) from the University of Dayton and an M.A. in reading from Northeastern Illinois University. In 2020, she received her Ed.D. in Curriculum Leadership from Northern Illinois University. Her dissertation focused on elementary teachers’ job satisfaction and intent to remain in the field.
Jessica Antoniou, M.A., CCC-SLP/L, CAS
Jessica has been a part of Mid-Valley Special Education for 8 years. Prior to becoming an instructional/behavioral coach, she was a Speech-Language Pathologist who worked in many programs throughout the Cooperative. Jessica received her B.S. in Speech and Hearing Science and M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She recently received a Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Arizona State University and is a Certified Autism Specialist.
Bethany has been a member of the Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative team for 16 years. Prior to becoming an instructional/behavioral coach she taught students with autism in the New Pathways program at the intermediate and middle school levels. She received a B.S.Ed. in Special Education (LBS1) from Northern Illinois University and an M.A. in Reading and Literacy from Benedictine University. Bethany is currently working towards an M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northern Illinois University with anticipated completion in fall, 2022.