Special Education Teacher

Day in the life responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

The Special Education Teacher will manage a caseload and provide direct support for students with special needs to help them fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical and social growth. The Special Education Teacher will provide critical guidance to Lead Teachers to ensure that all staff are complying with Individualized Education Plans and meeting the needs of students with special needs.

Special Education Coordination

• Ensure compliance with federal, state and district Special Education and ELL regulations
• Develop processes for entering and exiting students into services
• Design and, with the support of necessary school staff, execute RTI process for behavior and academics
• Administer relevant assessments
• Oversee the development, revision and execution of student IEPs and 504 Plans
• Lead IEP and 504 Plan meetings

Special Education Leadership

• Meet with general education teachers to review IEPs, answer questions, provide strategies and supports, as needed
• Adapt and differentiate general education teachers weekly lesson plans, assessments and homework to meet individual student goals.
• Support teacher development in serving Special Education and Multilingual Learner students through individual coaching and group professional development

Curriculum Development and Instruction

• Plan and use appropriate instructional and learning strategies, activities, materials, and equipment that reflect understanding of the learning styles and needs of individual students
• Use progress-monitoring tools to analyze student results for the purpose of modifying and adjusting strategies, programming, and IEPs
• Use data to inform instructional decisions
• Provide students with daily feedback on mastery performance in character and academics and plan for individual learning needs
• Demonstrate strong pedagogy

Commitment to School and Classroom Culture

• Work collaboratively with your school team
• Help develop school-wide culture that best fits the needs of our students, teachers and families
• Attend and participate in all staff meetings and communicate openly with staff
• Develop positive rapport with students
• Create and foster a positive and calm learning environment
• Enforce, uphold, and exhibit schools values, student management policies and culture

Family Engagement

• Establish and maintain strong communication lines with all parents and share progress
• Be available for open houses, parent teacher conferences and other events involving parents
• Make him/herself available to students, parents and other staff members

Growth Mindset

• Pursue challenging professional goals each year
• Willing to offer support and receive constructive feedback from colleagues in order to create a professional working atmosphere that is conducive to change and improvement
• Participate in school-wide and individual professional development, including pre-service training over the summer and weekly during the academic year (held during school hours)

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Valid Oklahoma State Teaching Certificate with SPED Endorsement
• Conferred Bachelors degree
• Pass Criminal Background Check

Desired Qualities

• Commitment to working with students from educationally under-resourced communities (highly preferred)
• Experience and demonstrated success teaching students from educationally under-resourced communities (highly preferred)
• At least two years of teaching experience (preferred)
• Passionate about data-driven instruction
• Unwavering commitment to WKJLAs mission, core values, students, families, and community
• Demonstrates excitement in growing students into their highest selves and believes that providing students with an excellent education is our largest lever as educators to wholly improve student outcomes
• Eagerness to collaborate and problem-solve with a variety of stakeholders
• Demonstrate commitment to continue their professional development individually
• Demonstrates excitement in growing students into their highest selves

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary is commensurate with experience. Staff members are eligible to receive up to a 2% yearly raise. To establish consistent salary practices, the compensation package is derived from the State Department of Education Schools pay scale. This position is exempt and will follow a 10-month work schedule.
• Robust benefits package including medical, dental, vision, disability, supplemental insurance,and life insurance policy options. Application for these benefits may be made immediately upon employment. The policy is effective upon the first of the month following the first day of work.
• Certificated staff have access to the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System pension plan (OTRS). Eligible employees contribute 7% and WKJLA contributes 9.5% of your annual salary.
• The Paid Time off package for salaried employees includes 10 paid days throughout the 10 month work schedule. (Including holidays, fall break, spring break, thanksgiving break, winter break).
• Teachers are provided with laptop computers with access to the internet and or email to assist them in performing their job responsibilities.