Special Education Teacher: Pine Hill FOCUS Program

The Focus Program at Pinehill Elementary School currently supports students in who present with a primary profile requiring intensive, direct, specialized instruction for the majority of the school day due to complex and co-occurring disabilities impacting language, learning, motor development and social connections.

Students  in the Focus Program have highly individualized schedules per their unique IEPs, including opportunities for inclusion.  This may include academic periods, adaptive daily living skills (ADLs) and non-academic periods. The Focus Program is fully accessible for students who require environmental accommodations, modifications and/or medical monitoring.

KEY AREAS of EXPERTISE

• Expertise teaching and assessing students with multiple disablities/and Autism.
• Experience working within ABA Experience leading/coordinating a classroom with support staff including IAs and ABAs
• Public school experience preferred, expereince with students who are medcially fragile Experience in writing IEP’s and progress notes
• Expertise in adapting curriculum from MA curriculum frameworks as well as experience teaching/ designing modified curriculum
• Experience working on functinal academics.
• Ability to synthesize and analyze data
• Experience with developmentally appropriate assessment tools.
• Experience with case management including parent interactions and collaboration with general education teachers

FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan engaging lessons with clear and measurable objectives based on the MA Curriculum Frameworks and student IEPs that are relevant to the appropriate curriculum and the students in the class. 
• Manage class operation by enforcing academic and behavioral expectations, implementing routines, anticipating potential problems and taking appropriate preventative measures, and treating all students with respect.
• Create a positive class environment by building a relationship with each student, encouraging students to build relationships with one another, treating all students fairly, promoting students' self-discipline and responsibility for learning, and responding appropriately to dangerous or destructive behaviors
• Deliver instruction effectively by establishing high expectations for all students, presenting new material explicitly and in a developmentally appropriate manner, connecting new learning to students' prior knowledge, helping students understand the relevance of what they are learning, differentiating based on students' needs, and using a variety of pedagogic approaches.   
• Assess student understanding of learning objectives at the beginning, middle and end of the instructional cycle with student self-assessments, frequent formative measures, periodic summative and standardized measures.
• Collaborate with other professionals to analyze student work, draw conclusions, develop interventions and extensions, and implement new teaching strategies based on assessment data.
• Understand the Individual Education Programs students in the class, participate in team meetings, and collaborate with specials education and support staff members.
• Communicate the students' academic, social, and behavioral progress to their parents or guardians in a respectful and responsive manner.
• Fulfill professional responsibilities by collaborating with other professionals and students' parents or guardians, using good judgment, participating in professional development, reflecting on performance and making positive changes to improve student learning, being receptive to feedback, and completing assigned duties.   
• Assuming other responsibilities assigned by the building principal in accordance with collective bargaining provisions. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

SEI Endorsement

MADESE Certification in Intensive/Severe Special Needs Master's degree preferred

Previous training in relevant curriculum and behavior support approaches

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY, AND SKILL

• Knowledge of the standards set forth in the MA curriculum frameworks and the Westwood learning expectations.
• Knowledge of relevant School Committee Policies, district and building goals, needs of the students in the class, and relevant state and federal laws.
• Ability to execute the performance standards set forth in the WPS teaching rubric.- Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues.
• Ability to forge effective working relationships with students and parents.- Technological proficiency, both in the use of technology for communication and for instruction.
• Ability to work under time constraints and meet deadlines.
• Skill with assistive and adaptive technology, ability to work in a cloud based shared computing environment and high attention to detail and professional presentation of all work product
• Current Crisis Prevention Intervention (full course) training and/or the willingness and physical capacity to gain and maintain such certification throughout employment in the role

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Demonstrates caring and concern for all students.
• Conveys a love of learning to students.
• Makes positive contributions to the larger school community.
• Communicates clearly.
• Uses good judgment and evidences the capacity for self-reflection and ongoing professional growth

JOB ENVIRONMENT

Work takes place in classrooms and other building rooms/areas, including offices, auditorium, gym, lunchroom and hallways, within a school building setting, primarily indoors. Job takes place in a high-performing school district with high expectations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Requires sufficient vision to read printed documents and to view detail on a computer screen for extended periods.
• Requires frequent standing, walking, sitting, bending, and reaching, as well as carrying and occasionally lifting up to 30 lbs. 
• Ability to speak in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in normal conversation, on the telephone, and in the classroom.
• Ability to hear sounds clearly up to twenty feet
• Travel among buildings may be required. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Westwood Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.

Salary : $57,327 - $131,039