Special Education Teacher

Position Summary

The Special Education Teacher provides high-quality, individualized instruction and case management for students with disabilities in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), New Mexico requirements, and each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

The Special Education Teacher is responsible for ensuring students receive the specially designed instruction, accommodations, supports, services, and progress monitoring necessary to access and make progress in the general education curriculum.

At The MASTERS Program (TMP), this role extends beyond compliance. As an early-college high school located on the Santa Fe Community College campus, TMP is committed to ensuring students with disabilities have meaningful and equitable access to rigorous academics, dual-credit opportunities, career pathways, Service Learning, Work-Based Learning, and preparation for college, career, and adult life.

Reports To

Head of School and/or designated Special Education Administrator

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Specially Designed Instruction

• Plan, deliver, and evaluate specially designed instruction based on students’ identified needs and IEPs.
• Provide individual, small-group, co-taught, and other instructional supports appropriate to student needs and service requirements.
• Adapt instructional content, methodology, and delivery to address disability-related needs while maintaining appropriately high expectations.
• Utilize evidence-based instructional practices and interventions aligned with student needs.
• Provide targeted support in academic, executive-functioning, organizational, behavioral, social-emotional, communication, and transition-related areas as identified in students’ IEPs.
• Ensure instruction supports meaningful access to and progress in the general education curriculum.
• Promote student independence, self-determination, and self-advocacy.
  
  

IEP Development and Case Management

• Serve as case manager for assigned students with disabilities.
• Develop legally compliant, individualized IEPs based on current data, evaluation information, student strengths, identified needs, family and student input, and educational priorities.
• Develop clear Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP/PLOP) statements that establish the foundation for measurable annual goals and services.
• Develop measurable annual goals addressing identified disability-related needs.
• Ensure services, accommodations, modifications, supplementary aids, supports, and placement recommendations align with identified student needs.
• Coordinate and facilitate IEP meetings in collaboration with required IEP team members.
• Ensure required IEP timelines, notices, documentation, and procedural requirements are completed accurately and on time.
• Provide teachers and other responsible staff with access to and understanding of the portions of students’ IEPs necessary for implementation.
• Monitor implementation of IEP services and accommodations across educational settings.
• Maintain organized and accurate special education records.
  
  

Progress Monitoring and Data

• Develop and implement systems for regularly monitoring progress toward IEP goals.
• Collect, analyze, and maintain objective data related to student performance and IEP goals.
• Provide required progress reports to families.
• Use progress-monitoring data to determine whether students are responding to specially designed instruction and interventions.
• Adjust instructional strategies when data indicate insufficient progress.
• Collaborate with the IEP team when data indicate that a student’s program, goals, services, accommodations, or supports may need to be reconsidered.
• Maintain documentation necessary to demonstrate implementation of IEP services.
  
  

Inclusion and General Education Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with general education teachers to ensure students with disabilities have meaningful access to grade-level curriculum and instruction.
• Support teachers in understanding and appropriately implementing IEP accommodations, modifications, supplementary aids, and supports.
• Co-plan and co-teach when appropriate.
• Assist with adapting instructional materials and learning experiences without unnecessarily reducing rigor or student expectations.
• Promote inclusive practices and participation in the least restrictive environment appropriate to each student.
• Help distinguish disability-related needs from issues involving attendance, motivation, behavior, missing instruction, or other barriers so that appropriate interventions can be provided.
  
  

Educational Assistant Supervision and Collaboration

• Provide instructional direction to Special Education Educational Assistants assigned to support students on the teacher’s caseload or within the teacher’s instructional setting.
• Ensure EAs understand relevant accommodations, supports, instructional strategies, behavioral plans, safety procedures, and data-collection expectations.
• Provide appropriate training, modeling, feedback, and ongoing communication to EAs.
• Monitor EA implementation of assigned student supports.
• Ensure paraprofessional support promotes student independence and does not unnecessarily create dependence on adult assistance.
  
  

Transition, College, and Career Readiness

Because TMP is an early-college high school, transition planning is an essential component of the Special Education Teacher’s role.

The Special Education Teacher Will

• Develop meaningful, individualized transition plans consistent with student strengths, preferences, interests, and postsecondary goals.
• Ensure transition assessments and services appropriately inform IEP development.
• Help students understand their disability, strengths, accommodations, and learning needs and develop effective self-advocacy skills.
• Collaborate with students, families, TMP staff, SFCC personnel, and community partners to support successful transitions.
• Support students with disabilities in accessing appropriate dual-credit, CTE, career exploration, Service Learning, Work-Based Learning, and community-based opportunities.
• Assist students in understanding the differences between high school special education services and disability-access processes in postsecondary education and employment.
• Connect IEP transition goals to realistic education, employment, independent living, and adult-life outcomes when appropriate.
  
  

Evaluation and Eligibility

• Participate as a required member of multidisciplinary evaluation and eligibility teams.
• Review existing data and contribute relevant educational and progress-monitoring information.
• Participate in reevaluations and eligibility determinations in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Collaborate with school psychologists, diagnosticians, related-service providers, families, teachers, and administrators.
• Ensure educational decisions are individualized and based on appropriate data rather than disability labels alone.
  
  

Behavioral, Social-Emotional, and Student Support

• Implement positive behavioral and instructional supports identified through IEPs and student-support plans.
• Participate in Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans when appropriate to the teacher’s role and qualifications.
• Collaborate with TMP’s student wellness and support team when students demonstrate academic, attendance, behavioral, social-emotional, or other concerns.
• Help connect students and families with appropriate school and community resources when needs extend beyond the classroom or the scope of the teacher’s professional role.
• Follow school crisis, safety, mandated-reporting, and student-support procedures.
  
  

Family and Student Partnership

• Maintain regular, professional communication with students and families regarding progress, concerns, successes, and educational needs.
• Meaningfully include students in their IEP development and transition planning.
• Explain special education information in clear, family-friendly language.
• Respect family knowledge, culture, priorities, and concerns as part of collaborative educational decision-making.
• Encourage students to increasingly understand and lead their own educational and postsecondary planning.
  
  

Compliance And Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with IDEA, applicable New Mexico special education requirements, Section 504 when applicable to assigned responsibilities, FERPA, and TMP policies and procedures.
• Maintain student confidentiality.
• Complete required documentation accurately and within established timelines.
• Participate in special education audits, file reviews, corrective-action activities, professional development, and continuous-improvement processes.
• Attend faculty meetings, IEP meetings, professional learning, and other required meetings.
• Maintain professional communication and collaboration with colleagues.
• Stay current regarding evidence-based special education practices and applicable requirements.
• Perform other duties reasonably related to the position as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Hold or be eligible to obtain the appropriate New Mexico Public Education Department teaching license and special education endorsement/license required for the assignment.
• Meet all current NMPED requirements applicable to the position.
• Ability to develop and implement legally compliant IEPs.
• Knowledge of specially designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, progress monitoring, inclusive practices, and transition planning.
• Ability to maintain accurate documentation and meet required timelines.
• Ability to work effectively with students, families, educators, related-service providers, administrators, and community partners.
• Successful completion of all required background checks and employment requirements.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous secondary special education teaching experience.
• Experience serving as an IEP case manager.
• Experience with inclusive/co-teaching models.
• Experience providing intensive academic interventions.
• Knowledge of structured literacy and evidence-based mathematics interventions.
• Experience supporting students in early-college, dual-credit, CTE, or Work-Based Learning environments.
• Experience supervising or directing Educational Assistants.
• Bilingual English/Spanish skills.
• Strong understanding of secondary transition requirements and postsecondary disability-access processes.
  
  

Professional Characteristics

The Successful TMP Special Education Teacher Will Demonstrate

• High expectations for students with disabilities.
• A strong belief in inclusion, independence, and student potential.
• Excellent organization and attention to compliance timelines.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to use data to guide instructional decisions.
• Collaborative problem-solving.
• Flexibility and willingness to work across traditional classroom boundaries.
• Commitment to continuous improvement.
• Respect for student dignity, voice, culture, and individual differences.
  
  

Our Expectation

At TMP, special education is not a separate destination for students. It is a system of individualized supports and specially designed instruction that allows students with disabilities to fully participate in the opportunities available to their peers.

The Special Education Teacher plays a central role in ensuring students are known, appropriately supported, challenged, increasingly independent, and prepared to leave TMP with meaningful options for college, career, and adult life.

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