Behavioral Specialist

Behavioral Specialist Job Description

New Dimensions: A Public Charter School Grades K–8

The Behavioral Specialist supports students in developing the behavioral, social-emotional, and self-regulation skills necessary for success in the school environment. The Behavioral Specialist works collaboratively with administrators, teachers, counselors, Exceptional Children staff, families, and other members of the student support team to identify behavioral needs, develop interventions, monitor student progress, and promote a safe, positive, and supportive school culture.

The Behavioral Specialist provides both proactive and responsive behavioral support, with an emphasis on relationship-building, prevention, skill development, positive behavior supports, data-based decision-making, and helping students successfully remain engaged in the learning environment.

The Behavioral Specialist will:

• Build positive, trusting relationships with students.
• Provide individualized and small-group behavioral support.
• Help students develop self-regulation, coping, problem-solving, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Assist students in recognizing behavioral triggers and developing appropriate replacement behaviors.
• Provide proactive support to students who demonstrate recurring behavioral concerns.
• Support students during difficult transitions or periods of emotional or behavioral dysregulation.
• Assist students with successfully returning to the classroom following a behavioral incident.
• Reinforce school wide behavioral expectations consistently and positively.
• Promote student accountability while maintaining a supportive, restorative approach.
• Encourage students to advocate for themselves appropriately and seek assistance from trusted adults.

The Behavioral Specialist will work closely with teachers and staff to:

• Observe students in classrooms and other school settings to identify behavioral patterns, triggers, and environmental factors.
• Provide practical strategies for preventing and responding to challenging behaviors.
• Assist teachers in implementing individualized behavior supports.
• Model appropriate behavioral interventions and de-escalation strategies.
• Help establish consistent expectations, routines, reinforcement systems, and responses to behavior.
• Support classroom management while helping students remain engaged in instruction whenever possible.
• Assist with student transitions between classrooms and activities when behavioral support is needed.
• Follow up with teachers after behavioral incidents to determine whether additional support is necessary.

As appropriate to the position, training, and applicable requirements, the Behavioral Specialist will:

• Assist multidisciplinary teams in collecting behavioral data.
• Conduct or assist with observations across school settings.
• Help identify the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences associated with recurring behavioral concerns.
• Participate in the development and implementation of Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs), when appropriate.
• Assist with developing, implementing, and monitoring Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs).
• Help identify appropriate replacement behaviors and positive reinforcement strategies.
• Monitor the fidelity and effectiveness of behavioral interventions.
• Recommend adjustments based on student response and collected data.
• Collaborate with Exceptional Children staff when behavioral supports are associated with a student's IEP.

The Behavioral Specialist will actively participate in the school's Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and student support processes by:

• Helping identify students who may benefit from additional behavioral intervention.
• Collecting and analyzing behavioral data.
• Reviewing information such as office referrals, classroom incidents, attendance, frequency and duration of behaviors, intervention data, and other relevant information.
• Helping teams identify measurable behavioral goals.
• Developing and implementing evidence-based interventions.
• Monitoring student progress over time.
• Maintaining intervention documentation.
• Participating in student problem-solving and support meetings.
• Helping determine whether interventions should be continued, modified, intensified, or faded based on student progress.

The Behavioral Specialist will:

• Respond to students experiencing significant behavioral or…