Bedford Public Schools
Invites applications for the position of:
Teaching Assistant/Behavior Technician 
FY25

Description:

The role of the TA/BT is to support students in the SAIL program, which serves students on the Autism Spectrum or related disabilities, the Bridge program, which services students with social and emotional disabilities or related disabilities, or the Integrated Preschool which services students ages 3-5 on the Autism Spectrum, social or emotional disabilities or related disabilities. TA/BT is responsible for supporting the implementation of the Individual Education Program for students by providing direct support in the sub-separate program setting, in the classroom setting, or in small groups. The TA/BT will provide instruction using a variety of methodologies, including but not limited to, the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, including discrete trial task analysis and naturalistic teaching. The TA/BT will be trained to utilize de-escalation strategies and to take data on academic and behavioral support plans. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a certified Special Education Teacher supervises the ongoing training and support of all TA/BTs. 

Responsibilities:

Assist with specific student supports, either an individual or small group, with guidance from teaching staff in the implementation of IEP goals and benchmarks and related behavior plans.

Provide student support services in all environments of the school setting under the guidance of special education liaison, related service providers, BCBA, and building principal (classroom, recess, lunch, bus transition, arrival).

Support the academic program (reteaching, reinforcing, reviewing, assessing, scribing, note-taking, data collection); and behavioral program (data collection, cueing, providing motor breaks, implement behavior plans) provided by a special educator, BCBA, or related service providers. 

Work directly with students to model strategies, provide direct teaching of various skills, and assess current performance and progress towards goals targeted for data collection/analysis and progress monitoring. 

Provide regular feedback to the Special Education Liaison on the progress and challenges experienced by assigned students in addressing their IEP goals.

Implementation of behavior intervention plans and social skill facilitation across various school settings. 

To provide crisis intervention, as needed, but not limited to verbal de-escalation/processing of events with students and staff, and the application of physical intervention methods to reduce risk of injury to students or staff. 

Adapt to varying needs of students with special education services.

Perform other job-related tasks or duties at the discretion of the Director of Special Education and/or Principal.

Essential Functions of the Job:

Must possess the ability to:

Integrate into the classroom setting when appropriate, working under the direction of the special education liaison and BCBA to support student engagement.

To collect, record, and analyze data across multiple data points. 

Record data collected into spreadsheets and provide graphs to visually display student progress on multiple data points. 

Adapt and acquire new skills and knowledge and use them consistently to support student engagement with learning activities, behavior interventions, social interactions, and the school day.

Maintain flexibility in day-to-day priorities set to reflect changing student needs.

Work in multiple classrooms or environments during the school day.

Maintain the high level of confidentiality and professionalism expected of the teaching staff.

Specialty Area:

Passion for working with children/students.

Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorders. 

Knowledge of principles and practices of Applied Behavioral Analysis.

Knowledge of Crisis Prevention and Intervention Strategies.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

The physical and environmental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Able to move with students from one school environment to another.

Physical agility and strength, with Restraint Training or the ability to complete Restraint training.

Additional Information:

Associates Degree or ABA experience

Experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and/or social/emotional/behavioral disabilities preferred. 

Strong organization and communication skills; knowledge in Excel and Google Sheets for data entry and graphing.

Demonstrated aptitude for work to be performed

Salary/Benefits:

In accordance with the Bedford Educational Assistant/Teaching Assistant Contract