Patricia A.

Costis
pacostis@email.wm.edu

Innovative, enthusiastic educational leader dedicated to fostering student achievement, increasing the
capacity of educators, and advancing the field of education. Exceptional knowledge of PK-12 education,
and leadership skills to strengthen partnerships with administrators, teachers, students, and parents across
Virginia, and the United States.

SKILL SET
 Project Coordination  Professional development
 Gifted and twice-exceptional curriculum  Gifted identification
design
 Gifted and twice-exceptional intervention  Recruit, interview, hire staff
strategies
 Education, support for families of gifted and  Policy development
twice exceptional students
 Online/social media to support gifted  Strategic business plans
programming

ACHIEVEMENTS
 Researched and developed a district-wide acceleration protocol for Norfolk Public Schools
students
 Developed a student behavior monitoring checklist to assist twice-exceptional students, their
teachers, and support staff in the monitoring and documenting of progress toward IEP and
gifted goals
 Advocated and worked to develop a more inclusive gifted identification process for twice
exceptional learners
 Chaired multiple taskforces in the creation of differentiated Language Arts, Math, and
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) environmental science curricula
for students K-8

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
2015- Present Education Consultant- area of specialty: Twice-Exceptionality
 Evaluate student special/gifted education services
 Design compensatory and intervention strategies for twice-exceptional learners
 Consult with IEP teams on behalf of twice-exceptional learners
 Consult with and provide professional development for schools and districts on topics related
to gifted and twice-exceptional learners and their education and development

2009- Present Gifted Resource Teacher, Norfolk Public Schools

 Provide training and coordinate gifted identification protocol, annual district-wide screening
 Design curricula for gifted and twice exceptional students
 Collaborate with teachers and specialists to plan and implement gifted instructional strategies
 Design and implement enrichment programming for identified gifted students
 Provide education, resources and support for families of gifted and twice exceptional students

2006-2009 Title II, Class Size Reduction Teacher, Norfolk Public Schools
  Facilitated application process for entry to a gifted/high ability Language Arts program
 Reading and Writing teacher of record for gifted/high ability students, grades 4-5
 Developed and implemented innovative Language Arts curricula for gifted learners

2002-2006 Classroom Teacher, Norfolk Public Schools

 Developed and implemented core curriculum and class-appropriate lesson plans
 Provided data-driven academic support and enrichment
 Met regularly with parents to discuss student progress

1986-2002 Business Owner, Southside Music Group

 Recruited, interviewed, hired, evaluated staff of music recording and performance business
 Developed strategic business plans and annual budgets

EDUCATION HISTORY
2018 Educational Leadership Endorsement Cohort, Longwood University
Coursework toward Virginia licensure endorsement in Administration and Supervision,
PreK-12. Scheduled completion: June 2018
2016 Ph.D. Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership, K-12 Gifted Administration, The
College of William and Mary. Cognate: Education Policy
2002 M.S.Ed. Early Childhood Education, Old Dominion University
1986 B.A. Music, Elon University

PUBLICATIONS
Costis, P. (2016). Alternative gifted identification methods for culturally and linguistically different
students. Excellence and Diversity in Gifted Education, 2(1), 16-21.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Gifted Identification Process Taskforce, Chair 2017-present
Office of Academic Rigor, Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, VA
 Led a taskforce of gifted educators to research and evaluate Norfolk Public Schools’ current gifted
identification protocol.
Liaison 2016-present
Our Humanity in the Balance, humanitarian nonprofit
 Coordinate educators and experts for video exchanges between US high school students and their
peers abroad from areas experiencing genocide
Child Study Team 2014-present
Crossroads School, Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, VA
 Consult and advocate for all twice exceptional learners throughout the gifted and special education
eligibility process and beyond
Admissions Team 2012-present
Young Scholars Program, Norfolk Public Schools. Norfolk, VA.
 Participated in the vetting process of candidates for Norfolk Public Schools’ Young Scholars
Middle School Gifted Program

Gifted Curriculum Task Force, Chair 2012

Office of Academic Rigor, Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, VA
 Spearheaded the development of a differentiated Language Arts curriculum and Math curriculum
for gifted learners grades 2-5, aligned with Virginia’s Standards of Learning in Reading, Writing
and Mathematics
Science Curriculum Task Force, Chair 2011
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), Crossroads School, Norfolk, VA
 Led a team to develop an environmental science curriculum for grades K-6, aligned with
Virginia’s Science Standards of Learning
Instructional Leadership Team 2009-present
Crossroads School, Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, VA
 Consult and advise on school and district policy and programming
 Contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of school’s strategic plan and
improvement plan

PRESENTATIONS/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Complete list available upon request

IEPs and the Twice Exceptional Student (with Sarah Gurel, Special Ed. Specialist), Virginia Association
for the Gifted Annual Conference, Norfolk, VA, November, 2017
Motivating your Gifted Teen: Parent and school counselor considerations. Camp Launch, The College of
William and Mary, VA. June 2017
Coping with Giftedness: The Gifted Adolescent. Focusing on the Future, The College of William and
Mary, VA. February 2016
Toward a Conceptualization of the Gifted Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder, National Association
for Gifted Children, Phoenix, AZ., November 2015
Two Strikes against Them: Meeting the needs of twice-exceptional students. National Curriculum
Network Conference, The College of William and Mary, VA. March 2015
Teaching Strategies for the Twice Exceptional Learner. Norfolk Public Schools Staff Development
Conference, Norfolk, VA. October 2014
Real-World Assessment: How to incorporate authentic assessment into a data-driven classroom. National
Curriculum Network Conference, The College of William and Mary, VA. March 2014

HONORS AND AWARDS

Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society
Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society
Teacher of the Year, Norfolk Public Schools
School Bell Award, Norfolk Public Schools

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
American Federation of Teachers
Norfolk Federation of Teachers
National Association for Gifted Children
Virginia Association for the Gifted
Council on Exceptional Children
CEC-TAG