Special Education Teacher, Academic Intensive Program; Program), Salem Public Schools SY

Special Education Teacher, Academic Support Intensive Program (STEP Program), Salem Public Schools [SY ]

Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students in 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do.

We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. We invite you to learn more about our strategic plan and core priorities on our website.

What You'll Do:

The Academic Support Intensive Special Education Teacher (also known as "Learning Skills") is responsible for a caseload of students identified with neurological, mild intellectual and/or communication disorders in a variety of settings. This includes the inclusive setting of general education classes and/or the substantially separate setting, as dictated by their IEPs. The Special Education Teacher works in consultation with special and general education teams to provide a rigorous and accessible learning experience for all students.

The Special Education Teacher will effectively manage a caseload, including providing specialized instruction that allows students to progress academically and socially; assuring that documented accommodations are delivered with consistency; transitioning students in/out of classes and programs; participating in professional learning communities with grade-level cohorts; providing parent communication, developing and implementing IEPs; implementing positive behavioral interventions; and working with paraprofessional staff to ensure the consistent provision of a high-quality programming for students.

Role Responsibilities:

• Plan curriculum and provide specialized instruction that will allow all students to successfully engage in the sub-separate and general education settings.
• Work with the classroom support team and assigned clinical staff to develop data-taking mechanisms and analyze data to drive instruction and monitor student progress.
• Maintain consistent positive relationships with students and manage student behavior by implementing positive student management strategies.
• Work collaboratively across school settings and with parents and various community agencies to improve the quality of student outcomes, develop solutions, plan curriculum, collect data, and create and implement Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
• Demonstrate ability to write an effective IEP and generate progress reports using IEP software.
• Demonstrate ability to administer, interpret and report findings from standardized evaluations.
• Present evidence of student progress toward goals and objectives in a professional manner during special education meetings.
• Evaluate students' abilities in basic academics and social development using formal and informal measures.
• Support and direct paraprofessionals and other school personnel in their implementation of classroom goals and IEP accommodations, modification, and goals.
• Use innovative approaches and instructional strategies, including the effective use of technologies, to increase student access, learning and confidence to learn.
• Modify/adapt materials, instructional lessons, etc. to meet the specific needs of students across the school day, as identified in their IEPs.
• Embed social-emotional learning (SEL) and strategies into lesson-planning.
• Additional duties as appropriate, assigned by the building Principal, Special Education Supervisor or Executive Director of Special Education.

What You'll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children's lives through education. You'll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues - You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to…