The Amherst Regional High School is seeking a full -time highly qualified special education teacher for 2024-2025 for our Pathways to Independence/Connections Programs. These programs provide specialized programming and services to students with significant disabilities that require intensive programming and oversight throughout the school day. Students served in the program may have one or more disabilities in areas such as intellectual impairment, autism, and/or health impairments.

The position includes providing direct instruction to students in grades 9 through 12 as well as facilitating specialized transition programming for students 18- 22 in both school-based and community settings in the areas of adaptive and independent living skills, social skills, functional academics, school behavior and vocational awareness.

The teacher will have the following roles and responsibilities:

Provide intensive and specialized instruction for students with significant cognitive, physical/motor, and developmental disabilities

Provide direct instruction in functional academics, life skills, community based instruction and adaptive daily living skills

Administration of MCAS-ALT portfolio assessment

Implement discrete trial instruction as needed

Provide consultation to teachers, related service providers, para-educators, administration and families as needed

Providing written input for IEPs and completion of progress reports

Routine communication and collaboration with families

Communication and collaboration with paraeducators to help ensure an effective delivery of instruction and service to all students

Collaborate with the high school Transition Coordinator, Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and other related service providers

Collaborate with general education teachers and other school personnel to promote effective inclusion in general education and extracurricular activities for the student

Collaborate with outside and adult agency providers

Candidates should possess the following:

Experience and expertise working with students with complex and intensive needs

Experience with interpreting formal and informal assessments

Expertise in implementation of behavior support plans

Experience in Applied Behavioral Analysis and in the development and implementation of data collection systems

Knowledge and experience with transition planning

Knowledge and understanding of social/emotional/mental health issues and trauma informed practices

Highly effective oral and written communication skills that promote and encourage collaboration with colleagues, parents, and administrators

Highly effective time management skills. Strong case management skills including regular home-school communication and communication with outside agencies and service providers

Ability to work closely and collaborative effectively with a team of teachers, service providers, and families; ability work as a member of a professional learning community and multi-disciplinary team

Strong ability to supervise and work collaboratively with paraprofessional staff including informing evaluations

Experience with complete all aspects of the IEP process including implementation, monitoring, and development

Experience with a diverse population of students within a multicultural school / community

Experience with and commitment to inclusion that benefits students socially, emotionally and academically

Bilingual and bi-cultural candidates are preferred