Life Skills Teacher - Special Education Teacher - SY

Life Skills Teacher - Special Education Teacher - 26/27 SY

Position Type:

Special Education/Special Education Teacher

Date Posted:

5/13/2026

Location:

Rogers Park Middle School

 Additional Information:
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Danbury Public Schools is a diverse community located in the western part of Connecticut, serving more than 12,500 students across the City of Danbury. We are committed to cultivating equity and excellence for all students, closing opportunity gaps, and preparing students for post-secondary success. The mission of Danbury Public Schools, in partnership with families and the community, is to provide transformational learning experiences designed to nurture thoughtful and prepared graduates.

We have set ambitious and rigorous goals to ensure students graduate prepared to transform the world. Our district includes 13 unique elementary schools including an interdistrict magnet school for International Studies three middle schools, including an intradistrict magnet school focused on STEM and World Studies, and the Danbury Career Academies, which provide innovative educational pathways supported by faculty with both academic and real-world experience.

DPS recruits and commits to educators with passion who are aligned with our vision to advance all learners to their highest potential.

Scope:
The Life Skills Program (LSP) provides instruction within a public school setting to students in kindergarten and through twenty-one identified with significant cognitive and/or pervasive developmental disabilities. The needs of these students require a functional curriculum focused on the acquisition of daily living and vocational skills leading to a successful transition to adult life within the community. These K-12 classrooms provide instruction in practical academics, communication, community, domestic, leisure/recreation, and vocational skills utilizing a functional curriculum in a general education school building.

The classrooms emphasize communication, maximum independence, and opportunities to generalize skills in natural settings as well as participation in general education activities with typical peers.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Planning and Preparation

The special education teacher understands the philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of special education. Additionally, teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning; creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners; understands instructional planning; and designs instruction based on knowledge of the discipline, student, community, and curriculum goals; of all students ages three through twenty-one. In planning and preparation, the teacher demonstrates knowledge of content, students, instructional outcomes, resources, instructional practice, and designing assessments.

The special education teacher:

* Develops short and long-range plans consistent with curriculum goals, learners' diversity, and learning theory.

* Demonstrates working knowledge of current legislation, regulations, policies, and ethical issues related to the provision of educational services, including least restrictive environment, due process, assessment, discipline, transition, supplemental services and supports, specialized health care and assistive technology, to individuals with all types of disabilities across the age range.

* Understands issues in definition and identification procedures for individuals with disabilities, including those individuals from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.

* Understands characteristics of individuals with disabilities across the age range, including levels of severity, multiple disabilities and their influence on development, behavior and learning; with knowledge about the impact of language disorders, processing deficits, intellectual abilities, behavioral/emotional/social disorders, and physical (including sensory) disabilities on learning and behavior.

* Understands the Common Core Standards and prepares effective instructional strategies and resources for teaching the scope and sequence in the academic, social, and vocational curricular domains in the general curriculum.

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