Special Education Teacher - Media, PA

PAY RANGE:

$50,996 up to $102,384 based on years of certified experience and level of education.

SCHEDULE:

Monday thru Friday 7:45am to 3:30pm; Summers are Optional for additional pay.

POSITION SUMMARY: The special education teacher implements program goals and provides educational instruction to students enrolled in the Davidson School as prescribed in the student's Individual Education Program (IEP) and in accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) regulations.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contributes to the IEP, specifically in the areas of academic and behavior goals, objectives, and present levels for each assigned student in coordination with, but not limited to, the IEP team, as well as other designated school personnel by:
  
  
  
  
  • adhering to established timelines,
  • conducting academic/curricular based assessments,
  • recording and reporting data,
  • writing academic and behavioral goals and objectives,
  • completing the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP)
    in line with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) guidelines and those of the Local Education Agency (LEA) to ensure that student IEPs are current and appropriate for the student's needs
  
  
  
  
• Develops, delivers, and differentiates instructional/lesson plans and related activities in support of the students' IEPs by planning activities that are aligned with the school's curriculum and relevant state standards to ensure that students are being taught skills that are appropriate to their age, grade, and developmental level
• Designs and implements academic, behavioral, social, and communicative accommodations for the students for each scheduled task by preparing work materials, collaborating with clinical staff (Occupational Therapists (OT), Physical Therapists (PT), School Speech and Language Therapists (SLT)), engaging with students 1:1 or in small group, and instructing and practicing skills with students, to ensure students are being held to appropriate expectations for academic, behavioral, communicative, and social functioning
• Assists the students in developing age-appropriate work attitudes and work skills by teaching appropriate communication methods and social skills, exhibiting and encouraging effective work ethic, and instructing and practicing skills with assigned students to prepare students for outside of school experiences
• Contributes to any established school-wide behavior plans by completing behavioral documentation, requesting and participating in the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) process, completing Behavior Incident Reports (BIR), and adhering to student's Positive Behavior Plans to ensure consistency of behavioral approach to all students in the school
• Provides oversight, direction, training, support, and work assignments, including but not limited to implementation of the IEP, to all staff assigned to the classroom by establishing and posting a schedule that identifies the daily responsibility of each classroom staff member and verbally reminding staff of assigned responsibilities as needed to ensure clarity in daily assignments
• Models and demonstrates effective problem-solving and maintains a proactive and professional approach to unexpected changes in the job role by demonstrating a professional and mature approach to all stakeholders to ensure effective and appropriate fulfillment of job responsibilities consistent with Elwyn corporate policy #103.
• Maintains confidentiality in all areas by protecting access to student and company information and records to maintain compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA), and any other applicable federal or commonwealth laws and company policy
• Responds to supervision, accepts constructive feedback, and welcomes suggestions to improve skills and techniques by engaging appropriately with school administration, working on identified areas for improvement, and demonstrating a mature and professional attitude when interacting with others to maintain a professional and effective work environment
• Establishes appropriate job-related goals through self-assessment and desire for self-improvement by regularly reviewing professional goals, establishing procedures to attain such goals, and revising goals as appropriate to grow professionally within the organization
• Demonstrates knowledge to address daily situations involving children, parents, and classroom staff including but limited to staff reassignment, assistance with de-escalation of student behaviors coordination of classroom activities, and communication with parents
• Demonstrates flexibility in addressing daily situations involving children, parents, and classroom staff including but limited to staff reassignment, assistance with de-escalation of student behaviors, coordination of classroom activities, and communication with parents
• Participates actively in program meetings, workshops, and in-service presentations by attending as scheduled, arriving on time, asking questions, and remaining attentive throughout the assignment to ensure that information being delivered is clearly understood
• Demonstrates knowledge of child development, educationally relevant disabilities, and learning styles by differentiating assignments and tasks to the appropriate developmental level of the assigned students to ensure comprehensive and effective skill development
• Supports and maintains an active parent-teacher relationship by contacting parents on a weekly basis after surveying parents to determine their preferred contact method, and by reporting academic, behavioral, and social progress or concerns to parents via telephone or email to encourage active parental participation in the educational process
• Ensures that all students are supervised throughout the school day by assigning classroom staff to supervise student activities or ensuring that a student has the independent skill level for self-supervision, throughout the school day by ensuring the maintenance of visual, auditory, or physical proximity to students to ensure health, safety, and wellbeing of students
• Maintains student attendance records by documenting daily attendance in the program-approved student information system to ensure accurate reports and record keeping
• Supports student's healthy eating by documenting daily lunch choices in the program-approved system to ensure accuracy in meal provision
• Maintains student records, including, but not limited to, transcripts, data charts, behavior programming, and assessments by recording data and information in assigned systems of record keeping, completing activities before or by established timelines, and completing quarterly progress reports to support a school-wide system of recordkeeping
• Supports all program-specific policies and procedures by reviewing provided policy and procedure manuals on an annual basis and adhering to policies and procedures to maintain an organized and effective system of work
• Maintains a safe campus environment by following all requested policies and procedures including, but not limited to, signing in and out in available program systems, informing campus security of any activities wherein students are outside of the school building perimeter, and securing all entry/exit doors as appropriate after use to provide the safest possible environment for students and staff
• Demonstrates professionalism in attendance by arriving at or before scheduled start times, remaining engaged in the job responsibilities throughout the scheduled workday outside of scheduled break times, and by adhering to the contractual end time to ensure fiscal and professional responsibilities in job performance consistent with Elwyn corporate policy
• Performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and safe crisis management using agency-trained protocols by engaging in approved practices for CPR and crisis management to ensure the safest possible response to crisis situations
• Performs other duties as assigned

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:

• Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Special Education certification; or eligibility for PDE emergency certification with Educational Obligation Special Education PK-12
  
• Demonstrated experience coordinating data collection and developing IEPs, including experience in the planning, writing and implementation of IEPs, progress monitoring, positive behavior supports, and the assessment process
  
• Experience communicating with families, formally and informally, including engaging families in their child's education program
  
• Experience with adaptive technology preferred
  
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team
  
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage and prioritize multiple, often competing, priorities
  
• Demonstrated strong attention to detail
  
• Demonstrated strong time management and organizational skills
  
• Demonstrated excellent judgment with the ability to independently solve problems and make decisions with little or no need for direct supervision
  
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate future needed changes or identify problem areas and take effective actions
  
• Experience using/knowledge of electronic student record preferred
  
• Must have current, valid driver's license in state of residence, three (3) years driving experience in the United States, and acceptable driving record
  
• Ability to perform CPR and Crisis Management using agency-trained protocols
  
• Must possess excellent customer interaction, collaboration, presentation, and written and verbal communication skills
  
• Demonstrated basic experience with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint; PowerSchool and IEPWriter experience preferred