Special Education Teacher High School Life Skills and Transition Supports

Special Education Teacher High School Life Skills and Transition Supports

Reports to:

Building Principal, Director of Pupil Services, and Director of Transition Services

Qualifications:

Valid Pennsylvania Teaching Certification for position

Salary:
As per the agreement between the Moon Area School District Board of Education and the Moon Education Association

Summary:

Specialize in post-secondary transition programming for students with disabilities. Responsible for developing and implementing individualized instruction that promotes independent living, vocational readiness, community engagement, and functional academic skills. Collaborate with families, related service providers, community agencies, and employers to support successful transitions to adulthood, employment, and continued education and training. Facilitates facilities work-based learning experiences, life-skills development, and person-centered planning aligned with students' IEP goals and transition plans.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Instruction:
  Assess students' level of performance, learning styles and environments in developing instructional sequences. Develop, with other members of the IEP team, IEPs based on student assessment data. Plan, implement, and evaluate instruction, which is consistent with the planned curricula, students' instructional levels, IEP goals, objectives and which incorporates specially designed instruction. Provide behavioral support to high school students in life skills and transition programming within a school setting.
  
  Arrange and alter instructional settings and remediate an/or enrich activities to capture and sustain student interest. Teach students learning processes which include a variety of cognitive strategies (e.g., thinking and study skills, problem solving, goal setting and self-evaluation procedures). Adapt expectations, methods of instruction, materials, evaluation procedures, and reporting systems to accommodate individual student's needs. Incorporate within lessons the principles and practices of District-wide initiatives.
  
  Describe students' performance levels and progress based on objective data including formal and informal evaluation measures. Provide a purposeful learning environment with respect to physical conditions and arrangements, and materials/equipment usage. Provide (and/or upgrade the instructional assistant and others) for the physical needs of students (given training where necessary, e.g., follow through on OT/PT).
• Collaboration:
  
  Participate as a member of decision-making teams to plan and/or coordinate instructional programs for students which addresses physical, social, academic, and community-based integration activities. Act as an educational manager for designated students, including monitoring students' progress across the program as specified in the IEP and in facilitating staffings. Provide ongoing guidance and direction to the assigned instructional assistant in relation to instruction, behavior management, and non-instructional activities.
  
  Collaborate with teachers, counselors, administrators, families, and community agencies to support student success and post-secondary readiness. Participate with parents/guardians in MDE, IEP and transition meetings to plan students' programs and placement. Maintain regular contact with parents and exchange information regarding student progress through phone calls, meetings, mailings, and/or students' logs. Demonstrate strong leadership skills while supporting students in academic, vocational, social, and independent living goals.
• Inclusion:
  Provide modeling and coaching in ability awareness including ways to encourage respect, acceptance, and appreciation for others. Implement activities to encourage positive student interactions and appropriate social skills development. Demonstrate positive/non aversive methods in support of appropriate student behavior. Provide/facilitate learning, emotional and/or life skills supports across settings and in co-teaching arrangements, when appropriate. Reinforce the practice of integrated therapies (e.g., OT/PT, Speech/Language) to encourage transfer and generalization of skills.
  
  Foster a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment that encourages student independence.

General Responsibilities:

Provide instructional and behavioral support to high school students in life skills and transition programming within a school setting. Participate in training related to post-secondary transition services and best practices for transition programming. Help coordinate community-based instruction, vocational experiences, and career exploration opportunities. Required to transport students using a district vehicle to community-based instructional and vocational sites. Maintain a valid driver's license and meet district requirements for operating district vehicles.

Experience in life-skills programming with an emphasis on post-secondary transition services is preferred. Strong organizational,…