Hello CLMers and Colleagues,
February marks a year since Vicci Tucci’s passing. We, her friends and colleagues, will take this month to gather and publish stories about Vicci and her living legacy, The Competent Learner Model. Please enjoy the second of these stories from Rae-Ann Arevalo, Director of Staff Development at Tucci Learning Solutions.
Please send your contributions and photos, short or long, large or small to stories@
In 2003 I was working as a special day class teacher in Santa Clara County’s Autism Project. It was there that I first met Vicci Tucci. At the time, she was deeply involved with the Competent Learner Model (CLM) in Monterey County. My classroom was part of a pilot program integrating CLM, where I was responsible for five instructional aides and eight students with moderate to severe autism. Teaching often felt more like managing with so many individualized programs and staff, and I was eager to learn how everyone could be more engaged with my students.
Vicci arrived with Joe Potter, who was training to become a CLM coach. With only eight Course of Study units developed at the time, they coached my classroom staff while keeping me a couple of steps ahead so I could support my team. Vicci had a bold presence—always on the phone, always helping someone—which sometimes meant asking her to take calls outside during my instruction. She and Joe would stand in the corner, recording everything, capturing moments that later became part of CLM’s Course of Study.
Despite my years as a teacher, I lacked the language of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and Vicci bridged that gap. She made CLM practical for teachers, always prioritizing the needs of learners. One of the most valuable lessons she taught me was how to structure my classroom effectively. Coming from a general education background, I was used to teaching the whole class at once. But in special education, learning levels varied widely. Vicci helped me group my students by ability, creating three levels of instruction for each activity. This not only engaged students at their own level but also empowered my instructional aides to take ownership of the learning process.
Even after the official contract between CLM and the county ended, Vicky remained a mentor. When I faced challenging situations—like managing severe self-injurious behavior—she reminded me to go back to the basics: taking ABC data, analyzing possible function(s) of behavior, and thinking strategically rather than feeling trapped by the difficulty of the situation.
Over time, the demands of teaching, paperwork, and IEP meetings became overwhelming. Meanwhile, the school psychologist next door to my classroom saw the impact of CLM and advocated for its adoption in the district. This led to a contract between the district and Vicci’s Tucci Learning Solutions. When I officially left teaching in 2005, I transitioned to a new role as a Coordinator of Services with TUCCi coaching the district’s employees, overseeing the CLM implementation.
Working closely with Christina Lovaas, I gained a deeper understanding of CLM from an administrative perspective. Vicci always said teachers made great CLM coordinators and coaches because they understood the complexities of the classroom. Eventually, I became the regional coordinator for our Santa Clara region, managing staffing and operations as our region expanded.
Now, nearly 20 years later, and as part of the Tucci Learning Solution’s executive leadership team, I look back on that first encounter with Vicci Tucci and realize how much it shaped my career. What began as a chance introduction in my classroom evolved into a lifelong journey of learning, coaching, and leadership—all rooted in the belief that with the right support, both teachers, instructional support staff and students can thrive.
With heartfelt gratitude, we celebrate the retirement of Michele Saleh, Tucci Learning Solutions’ Early Start Program Coordinator and an extraordinary leader whose influence has shaped countless lives. Although Michele officially
