Special Education Teacher

Special Education Teacher

Reports to:

Principal & Director of Student Services

Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree, at minimum, with emphasis on the education of students with disabilities. Appropriate licensure as required by Illinois Law with at least a full LBSI License. Belief in an integrated classroom system, and the ability to monitor progress of special education students in a general education environment. Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in the instruction of students with disabilities, and interest or experience in a co-teaching model.

Experience with the IEP process and the assessment of students with disabilities. An interest and/or experience in the development of student-focused instructional environments. A strong commitment to professional excellence. The ability to work collaboratively with others to optimize student achievement. A willingness to participate in staff development opportunities.

Salary:
Per WEA Contract

Starting Date:
August 2026

A. Reports to building principal and Director of Student Services

B. Special Education Teacher Specific Responsibilities

• Designs, supervises, implements, and manages Individual Education Plans (IEP).
• Implements research based Best Practice methods to effectively teach students with disabilities.
• Creates and coordinates student schedules with related services personnel and general education staff.
• Effectively works with a large team of professionals.
• Collects and analyzes student data and monitors student progress.
• Serves as case manager for special education students.
• Prepares assessment data, reports, and individual goals for students' IEP and evaluation meetings.
• Plans a program of study that meets the individual needs, interests and abilities of students and nurtures a feeling of self-respect and self-worth within each child.
• Participates in case conferences concerning individual students, as requested.
• Co-teaches with the classroom teacher when a child is being educated in a general education class.
• Consults and collaborates with classroom teachers and other staff members to implement instruction.
• Maintains accurate records, as appropriate.

C. Teacher Responsibilities

• Understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of disciplines and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students.
• Evaluates teaching resources and curriculum materials for their comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usefulness for representing particular ideas and concepts.
• Facilitates learning experiences that make connections to other content areas and to life and career experiences.
• Analyzes individual and group performance in order to design instruction that meets learners' current needs in the cognitive, social, emotional, ethical, and physical domains at the appropriate level of development.
• Introduces concepts and principles at different levels of complexity so that they are meaningful to students at varying levels of development and to students with diverse learning needs.
• Facilitates a learning community in which individual differences are respected.
• Uses a wide range of instructional strategies and technologies to meet and enhance diverse student needs.
• Understands the Common Core State Standards, curriculum development, content, learning theory, and student development and knows how to incorporate this knowledge in planning instruction.
• Establishes expectations for students' learning.
• Understands principles of and strategies for effective classroom management.
• Maintains proper classroom decorum.
• Maximizes the amount of class time spent in learning by creating expectations and processes for communication and behavior along with a physical setting conducive to achieving classroom goals.
• Uses strategies to create a smoothly functioning learning community in which students assume responsibility for themselves and one another, participate in decision-making, work collaboratively and independently, use appropriate technology, and engage in purposeful learning activities.
• Uses multiple teaching and learning strategies to engage students in active learning opportunities that promote the development of critical thinking,…