High School Exceptional Education Teacher

JOB TITLE:

Special Education Teacher (Exceptional Education)

REPORTS TO:

Principal

Special Education (Ex.Ed) teachers are champions for equality within the school, ensuring that students’ needs are met. Our ideal Special Education teacher is passionate about supporting students with IEPs, advocating for those who need the most support, and continually growing as an educator. Flexibility, coachability, and a commitment to excellence are key qualities for this role.

Ex.Ed teachers at LEAD work relentlessly with their teammates to:

• Enhance students’ reading abilities, enabling them to explore historical events and gain a broader understanding of the world.
• Help students meet Tennessee standards by the end of the year.

This work is supported through:

• Coaching and support from administration.
• Regular feedback and collaboration with colleagues.
• Data analysis and targeted instruction to help students overcome challenges and rise above grade-level expectations.

Successful teachers at LEAD:

• Put in extra effort to ensure students have access to a high-quality education.
• Persevere through challenges, set ambitious goals, and never give up on students.
• Are flexible, hard-working, and committed to improving their classroom abilities to meet students’ needs.

We are seeking Exceptional Education teachers who embody these qualities.

• Design and implement data-driven lesson plans to support students with cognitive and/or developmental delays.
• Develop individualized education programs (IEPs) for students.
• Maintain special education files (both paper and electronic) in compliance with federal, state, and local guidelines.
• Collect data on individual student skills to measure progress toward IEP goals and assess program effectiveness.
• Provide functional curriculum and focus on daily living skills, as appropriate.
• Foster independence in students across all natural settings.
• Advocate for and facilitate students’ exposure to general education peers and settings, as appropriate.
• Plan and implement instructional and/or behavioral strategies to ensure all students can access academic content.

• Direct and supervise education assistants to provide effective classroom programs and address individual student needs.
• Support general classroom teachers in implementing established curricula and individual student plans.

• Minimum of two years teaching experience preferred but not required.
• Prior experience with diverse student populations or in an urban setting preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Must hold: (a) A valid Tennessee teaching license with the appropriate endorsement to teach SPED, OR (b) A valid out-of-state license transferable to Tennessee within 90 days of employment, OR (c) Proof of progress toward Tennessee certification.

• Light to medium physical work involving standing, walking, lifting, pushing, and carrying (exerting up to 20 pounds).

• Belief in LEAD’s mission that all students are capable of success while preparing them for college and life.
• Evidence of self-motivation and willingness to be a team player.

• LEAD Public Schools offers an innovative performance-based compensation plan for teachers. This plan allows us to transparently reward our teachers not by how many years they have worked but rather by their positive impact on students and schools, evidenced by their consistent performance in and out of the classroom. Teachers receive a competitive base salary with the potential for a signing bonus and can earn up to 10% on…