UNC School of Education

Assistant Professor of Special Education

Coordinator of Special Education: General Curriculum Program

T 919.843.1979
melmillr@email.unc.edu

201F Peabody Hall
CB 3500

Melissa Miller, who received all three of her higher education degrees from the University of Florida, is an assistant professor of special education. She received her Ph.D. in special education in May 2007, focusing on reading instruction for students with learning and behavior problems.

After earning her baccalaureate degree, Miller worked as a special education teacher in Ocala, Fla. for eight years. In 2001, she achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in Severe Disabilities.

Her additional professional experience includes teaching several courses - both in-class and online - at the University of Florida, and serving as a research assistant at the Florida Center for Reading Research. Additionally, she worked as a research assistant on several grants funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, including Project PASS (Promoting Academic and Social Success), a model demonstration project focusing on academic and social skills instruction for children at risk for reading and behavior failure.

Miller's professional affiliations include the American Educational Research Association, the International Reading Association and the Council for Exceptional Children.

• Ph.D. - University of Florida, Special Education
• M.Ed. - Univeristy of Florida, Special Education
• B.A. - University of Florida, Special Education

• Prevention and remediation of academic difficulties for students with learning and behavior problems
• Teacher Preparation in Reading Instruction and Special Education
• Research Overview

• Special Education
• Teaching and Learning
• Educational Psychology, Measurement and Evaluation

• Significant Cognitive Impairments: A Personnel Preparation Consortium (SCIPP). Personnel preparation grant submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. Assisted Principal Investigator Diane Ryndak with grant preparation. Total grant $200,000 submitted Summer, 2006. Funded September, 2006.

• American Educational Research Association
• Council for Exceptional Children
• International Reading Association
• Association for Positive Behavior Support

Miller, M. A. (2005) Using peer tutoring in the classroom: Applications for students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. Beyond Behavior, 15(1).

Miller, M.A. & Fenty, N.S. (in press). Functional academics. In P. Harrison & T. Oakland (Eds.), Adaptive behavior assessment system. Elsevier: San Diego, CA.

Fenty, N.S., Strout, M.T., Beaunae,C., Stetson, A.R. & Miller, M.A. (2004). Taking a grassroots approach: What teachers can do to gain a voice in educational policy. Florida Reading Quarterly, 41, 12-15.

Al Otaiba, S., Connor, C., Lane, H. B., Kosanovich, M. L., Schatschneider, C., Dyrlund, A. K., Miller, M. A., & Wright, T. L. (in press). Reading First kindergarten classroom instruction and students' growth in phonological awareness, letter naming, and decoding fluency. Journal of School Psychology.

Fenty, N.S., Miller, M.A., & Lampi, A.R. (in press). 20 ways to successfully embed social skills instruction in the inclusive curriculum. Intervention in School and Clinic.

O’Brien, C. P. & Miller, M.A. (2006). The multi-university meeting as an induction experience for future leaders in special education. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, San Diego, California.

Fenty, N.S., Miller, M.A. & League, M. (2006). In-service teachers’ perspectives about online and traditional learning environments. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, San Diego, California.

Miller, M.A., Payne, L.D., Scott, T.M., & Fenty, N.S. (2006). Project PASS: A model system for early prevention of reading and behavioral failure. Paper presented at the International Conference for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Reno, Nevada.

Fenty, N.S., Miller, M.A., & Scott, T.M. (2006). Integrating social skills instruction into a guided reading curriculum. Paper presented at the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders, Kansas City, Missouri.

Miller, M.A., & Fenty, N.S. (2005, November). Promoting academic and social success through a three tiered model of intervention. Panel Presentation for the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, Portland, Maine.

Wright, T.L., Hall, M.B., & Miller, M.A. (2005, November). Reading instruction in an era of accountability. Poster Presentation for the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, Portland, Maine.