Educational Support Professional Bridge​/Program; ESP

Educational Support Professional Bridge/STEP Program (ESP-3) Job

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A Bridge/STEP ESP is responsible for providing direct support for students who have been identified as having an emotional disability or other related disabilities that cause a disruption in a student's emotional or behavioral regulation. The ESP provides direct support in and out of the general education classroom implementing individualized education plans and behavior intervention plans. The ESP may provide individual or small group instruction using a variety of methodologies, including but not limited to, the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis.

ESPs are trained to utilize de-escalation strategies and take data on behavioral support plans. A certified Special Education Teacher supervises the ongoing training and support of all ESPs in consultation with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and/or adjustment counselor.

• Support classroom routines and procedures; reinforce the principles of social interaction programs by modeling positive behavior (e.g., Responsive Classroom, RULER, PBIS) and assist with providing behavioral support to students in accordance with school expectations.
• Provide supervision and/or student support services in all environments of the school for activities including but not limited to recess, lunch, arrival, dismissal, field trips, and escorting students to designated areas throughout the building with guidance from teaching/counseling/administrative staff.
• Provide small group or individual instructional support with guidance from teaching/counseling staff aligned with student goals, benchmarks, individualized education plans, and/or related behavior plans.
• Consult with teachers in preparation for daily classes to become familiar with the learning targets, success criteria, and other classroom expectations.
• Support academic programs (reteaching, reinforcing, reviewing, assessing, scribing, note‑taking, data collection) and behavioral programs (data collection, cueing, providing motor breaks, implementing behavior plans).
• Provide regular feedback to the teaching/counseling staff on the progress and challenges experienced by assigned students in addressing their goals.
• Work in conjunction with the classroom teacher to support learning experiences in the classroom, focusing first on identified priority students and then for the broader group of students.
• Support implementation of behavior intervention plans and social skill facilitation across various school settings.
• Support crisis intervention as needed in a culturally responsive manner, including verbal de‑escalation/processing of events with students and staff and the application of physical intervention methods to reduce risk of injury to students or staff as assigned/trained.
• Adapt to varying needs of students.
• Perform other job‑related tasks or duties at the discretion of administrators.

• Integrate into the classroom setting when appropriate, working under the direction of administrative/teaching/counseling staff to support student engagement and learning.
• Collect, record, and analyze data across multiple data points.
• Record data collected into spreadsheets and provide graphs to visually display student progress using Google tools.
• Adapt and acquire new skills and knowledge and use them consistently to support student engagement with learning activities, behavior interventions, social interactions, and the school day.
• Maintain flexibility in day‑to‑day priorities set to reflect changing student needs.
• Work in multiple classrooms or environments during the school day.
• Maintain the high level of confidentiality and professionalism expected of the teaching staff.
• Anticipate and effectively address unforeseen events associated with working with large groups of children.
• Maintain positive relations with students, parents, staff and the public.

• Passion for working with children/students.
• Knowledge of child growth and development.
• Knowledge of basic learning strategies.
• Knowledge of…