KEYS Special Education Teacher

Overview:
Join Our Team at KEYS Academy, Supported by Health Connect America!  KEYS Academy is a network of Private Special Education Day schools serving students across Virginia in grades K–12. Guided by the principles of Safety, Dignity, and Opportunity and rooted in trauma informed care, our schools provide structured, supportive learning environments where students build academic skills, strengthen social-emotional development and self-regulation, set and meet achievable goals, and rediscover confidence in learning.

Through small classroom settings and individualized support, our teams help students develop the skills needed for academic success and positive future transitions. Supported by Health Connect America; KEYS Academy combines the close-knit culture of a school community with the resources and professional support of a multi-state organization dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families. KEYS Academy schools are licensed by the Virgina Department of Education and accredited through Virginia Association of Independent Special Education Facilities (VAISEF).
Responsibilities:
What a Day at KEYS Academy Looks Like:

In this role, you will lead a structured, trauma-informed classroom designed to help students feel safe, dignified, and available to learn. Each day focuses on delivering meaningful instruction aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning while also supporting students’ communication skills, social development, and emotional regulation.

You will work with students who have emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs, using evidence-based practices to promote academic growth and independence. Through consistent routines, clear expectations, and positive behavioral supports, you will create an environment where students understand boundaries, feel dignified, and are empowered to make progress.

This role is ideal for a licensed Special Education teacher who values structure, data-driven instruction, collaboration, and the opportunity to make measurable impact with an at-risk population in a small classroom setting.

As a KEYS Academy Teacher, you will design and deliver individualized instruction aligned to each student’s IEP goals while integrating the KEYS for a Big Life Curriculum and Social Thinking framework into daily instruction. Working under the guidance of the School Director, you will foster Safety, Dignity, and Opportunity in every interaction. Responsibilities:

Instruction & Curriculum Implementation Develop and deliver lesson plans aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs), school curriculum, and individual student IEP goals.

Differentiate instruction to meet varied academic, behavioral, communication, and sensory needs.

Implement evidence-based teaching strategies such differentiated instruction, scaffolding, social-emotional needs-based interventions, relationship building, and positive behavioral supports.

Embed communication development and specific social-emotional learning instruction into daily academic lessons.

Utilize online instructional platforms including Courseware, EXACT Path, and LEXIA, along with Wilson Reading Systems and supplemental instructional resources.

Create and maintain a structured master classroom schedule and develop clear collaboration and debriefing practices with support staff.

Classroom Environment & Student Support Establish and maintain a safe, dignified, predictable, and student-centered classroom environment.

Follow specified classroom management systems and individual Behavior Intervention Keys (behavior intervention strategies and supports).Use posted learning objectives and structured routines to maximize instructional time and minimize disruptions.

Provide supervision and support during arrival and dismissal, transitions, lunch, recreation, community-based activities, field trips, and summer programming.

Proactively support students’ sensory and behavior regulation needs.

Model and reinforce expected communication and social skills strategies.

Assessment & Data-Driven Instruction Establish Present Levels of Performance and baseline data for students.

Collect and analyze data aligned to IEP goals,…