Position: Special Education Assistant @ Valley Middle SchoolReporting to: Principal Contract Terms: 212 days, 7 hours per day, 5 days a week Salary Range: $35,600 - $41,552 Valley Collaborative is a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education approved public school entity. Valley also provides Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) and Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) programs for Individuals over the age of 18 with special needs. Valley provides a robust pathway for students to continue their careers beyond high school by providing high quality academic, therapeutic, and vocational services to individuals referred by both local school districts and SSA, DDS, MCB and MRC. We provide programming so Students and Individuals with special needs can reach their educational and/or occupational goals. By sharing its resources with multiple school districts and social service agencies, Valley programs are able to maintain superior quality at reasonable costs to all those it serves while meeting or exceeding state standards. Essential Functions of the Job: This role is responsible for providing specialized support to students in a substantially separate classroom setting or within the community and assisting special education teachers and specialists throughout each school day. This position requires completion of Valley Collaborative’s “Special Education Academy” – a series of targeted special education trainings. This position is responsible for data collection in the classroom or community setting, developing therapeutic rapport with students in order to effectively de-escalate situations and assist in providing effective student instruction, actively engage in professional development to further the effective support of the substantially separate classrooms, and follow through with all recommendations put in place by the students’ teams. Additionally, this essential team member must demonstrate a positive and caring attitude and must remain flexible and adaptable in order to meet school needs.Qualifications & Responsibilities:●Bachelor’s degree preferred●At least 1-2 years’ experience working with students with a variety of needs in a substantiallyseparate special education setting, including but not limited to social-emotional disorders,autism and /or mental health disorders required●RBT/ABA Certification welcomed●Assist special education teachers in a substantially separate classroom setting with executingIEP goals●Actively participate in staff meetings, weekly clinical meetings, on-going monthly professionaldevelopment and in-service training, regularly●Demonstrate dependability with daily work attendance and have reliable transportation to work●Communicates effectively in both written and oral fashion within a team●Ability to accept and effectively respond to constructive feedback●Must be flexible and willing to work with diverse populations to meet identified student needs.●Develop therapeutic rapport with students in order to effectively de-escalate situations.●Provide appropriate level of assistance for classroom planning by working collaboratively withBCBAs, OTs, PTs, SLPs and Social Workers/School CounselorsDeliver discrete trial and/or Direct Instruction model of teaching 1:1 with students or in smallgroups under direction of the teacher, when necessary●Ongoing training in de-escalation/physical intervention via Safetycare, will implementeffectively and appropriately in the school environment●Write incident reports, as needed●Model respect, honesty, consideration, responsibility, and positive attitude with both peers andstudents●Driver’s license and safe driving record required, may be required to provide transportation forstudents in Collaborative vehicles, when necessary●A strong commitment to the goals, mission, and philosophy of the organization●Be able to accommodate and modify instructional materials to match students’ needs asdirected by the teacher in order to access the curriculum and make effective progress.●Provide direct instruction to groups of students or individuals in or out of the classroom●Provide assistance in escorting students to and from vehicles during drop-off or pick up asassigned.●Assist students with activities of daily living/toileting as needed.●Assist special education teachers with following through of behavior plans and/or school wideincentive plans, as needed●Aide students and provide accommodations both in the classroom setting and communitysetting (i.e. job site, field trips)●Support students in social and communication skills including assisting student use oftechnology●Must to learn to use Outlook email, Google documents, and other applications utilized in theclassroom and school community●All other duties as assignedOther Competencies (skills, abilities, behavior):Ability to understand and follow both written and oral instructions.Adaptability to perform routine, repetitive tasks within a specific period of time.Adapt easily to changes (e.g. schedule, daily assignments, student roster).Prioritizes work assignments to be completed within time requirements.Must demonstrate a positive and caring attitude toward individuals and staff.Must remain flexible and adaptable in order to meet department needs.Physical Demands:Constant standing or walkingRequires ability to lift up to 50 poundsBends, reaches, lifts, carries, twists, pushes, pulls, and handles equipment when performing dutiesAble to reach and operate equipment and systems safely and effectivelyEngages in CPI and Safety care approved management taskValley Collaborative is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Valley Collaborative is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information, disability, limited English speaking ability, or homelessness, as defined by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.