Amelie is a National Board Certified Teacher for Exceptional Needs. Prior to becoming faculty in the teacher education program, she served as an elementary special education teacher. In Sweet Briar’s teacher education program, she teaches courses, coordinates students’ clinical field experiences, and supervises student teachers. Both as a PreK-12 teacher and as teacher education faculty, Amelie’s work focuses on closing the gaps between general and special education students and systems.
Courses Taught
EDUC 104 Preparation for Virginia Licensure Tests
EDUC 211 Learners with Exceptionalities
EDUC 313 Specialized Instruction for Diverse Learners
EDUC 322 Assessment and Decision Making in Special Education
EDUC 446 Teaching Internship in the Elementary Classroom
EDUC 677 Teaching Internship
Publications
- Gareis, C. R., & Smucker, A. D. (2022). Under the hood of growth assessments. VASCD Journal 19, 16-27. https://issuu.com/vascd/docs/2022_vascd_journal_6_
- Smucker, A. D. (2022). Exploring the growth of inclusive curriculum: A systematic review of scholar and practitioner perspectives. International Journal of Inclusive Education. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2022.2121988
- Smucker, A. D., & Grant, L. (2022). A formative tool and approach to assessing strategic plans in higher education. Educational Planning 29(3), 7-22. https://isep.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/221259-Journal-29-3_web.pdf
Professional Credentials
Virginia Postgraduate Professional License
- Special Education General Curriculum K-12
- Elementary Education PreK-6 Endorsements
National Board Certification: Exceptional Needs Specialist
Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner, Wilson Reading System Level 1 Certification
Message from Amelie
At Sweet Briar, I currently specialize in coursework for the special education endorsement and coaching student teachers in their PreK-12 classroom field placements. Across all teacher education courses, I make connections with local teachers and administrators to provide our students with quality clinical field experiences, as well as support students and their PreK-12 cooperating teachers throughout those experiences.
My research focuses on inclusive practices and structures that meet the needs of students with and without disabilities related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment, including teacher preparation, teacher collaboration, student placements/service locations, differentiated instruction, classroom assessment, and program evaluation.
I came to higher education from PreK-12 public education where I taught both self-contained and inclusion special education at the elementary level for eight years. In that role, I specialized in helping students, collaborative teams, and schools transition from self-contained to inclusion service models. During the first half of my career, I mostly served students with Autism and maladaptive behaviors, and I later transitioned to students with learning disabilities, becoming a Wilson Reading teacher in addition to my other roles.
As an alumna of and faculty and field placement coordinator within our teacher education program, I am immensely proud of our teacher candidates and the work they do to prepare for their own classrooms and shaping the lives of young people across our nation.
For more information, please visit my personal website.