Program Specialist, Integrated Special Education

Job Description

Job Description

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential.  We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Committed to serving all students, Rocketship has developed a focus over the years on creating a high-quality meaningful inclusion model for our Rocketeers with unique learning or behavioral needs. Our Integrated Special Education (ISE) team serves students across all disabilities (mild, moderate, and severe) through an innovative approach to special education that includes co-teaching and deep partnership with our general education partners and other instructional staff. To best serve our Rocketeers with severe needs, we have developed a Specialized Inclusion Program (SIP) that ensures our students can receive the necessary supports and services, while s ll spending a majority of their me in a general education setting. Through these innovative approaches, Rocketship has been able to realize significant academic gains for Rocketeers with disabilities while simultaneously experiencing an increase in the number of students receiving special education services within our schools (currently ranging from 7% to 18% across our regions). 

The Role 

Based in the Bay Area and reporting to the Director of Integrated Special Education (ISE), the Program Specialist will be a key strategic leader on the Schools team and critical to driving forward the quality of Integrated Special Education within Rocketship schools. The Program Specialist will drive school teams toward ensuring that all Rocketeers are served in a compliant, effective and high-quality environment, with the goal to achieve 1.5 years of growth (based on NWEA annually) in both math and literacy. In addition, with the broader Schools team, the Program Specialist will strive to continue to establish Rocketship as the premier national model for meaningful inclusion among charter schools and traditional districts. This collaborative role requires on-campus work, as well as work from our Bay Area Regional Office. 

The compensation for this position starts at $98,000.

Essential Functions: School Support

• Support ISE team visions at school sites for network initiatives and school priorities in collaboration with school leaders and directors of schools. 
• Regularly meet with schools leaders to develop, monitor, and adjust school-level special education instructional and compliance efforts. 
• Co-develop and support the coaching plans for ISE teachers and ISE teams with the support of the managing school leader. 
• Provide direct and indirect coaching support to ISE teams around instructional practice and compliance initiatives. 
• Strategize together as a team with the Director of Special Education in order to prioritize special education supports. 
• Collaborate and provide regular consultation with service providers and key contractors as needed. 
• Coordination with El Dorado County Selpa around educational best practices, compliance initiatives, and er three litigious cases to support school sites. 
• Work with ISE NeST across regions to align on network priorities and implementation. 

Essential Functions: Instructional Support

• Provide ISE Managers with resources and expert guidance to support the data based decision making process to guide instructional planning. 
• Support effective instructional planning through the selection of appropriate tiered interventions at school sites, consultation on implementation and planning, as well as the development of effective service schedules. 
• Provide core instructional resources to school leaders and teachers to support student outcomes. 
• Observe and provide feedback on teacher instructional execution. 
• Support school leaders and teachers with effective co-teaching practices. 

Essential Functions: Supporting IEP and Compliance Processes at School Sites

• Oversee and support staff member skill in IEP development and meeting facilitation. 
• Serve as special education “compliance expert” and provide consultation on compliance-related questions and concerns, create compliance systems and structures to support campuses and coaching scope and sequence. 
• Participate in recurring compliance walk-throughs at school sites. 
• Use compliance indicators to create department action plans to remediate. 

Essential Functions: Professional Development

• Support the development of regional and school based professional development plans to support staff. 
• Co-create and facilitate professional development opportunities on campuses. 
• Build and maintain Rocketship’s professional development library in collaboration with key ISE team members. 

Qualifications

• Valid Special Education teaching credential or administrative license; Master’s degree in Special Education or related field strongly preferred. 
• Demonstrated track record of improving academic outcomes for students with disabilities. 
• Embrace the mission of Rocketship Education and our inclusive approach to serving students with disabilities. 
• Knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations associated with special education. 
• Experience working with students with a range of disabilities (learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, etc.). 
• Experience implementing student supports through a Multi -Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) 
• Experience working with elementary-age students (strongly preferred) 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills 
• Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment 
• Ability to be flexible and adaptive in a work environment that is constantly evolving. 
• Perform a variety of specialized and responsible tasks: maintain records, establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with students, parents, other school personnel, meet schedule and compliance deadlines. 
• Possession of a valid driver’s license: willingness to provide own transportation in conduct of work assignments as you will be required to travel from site to site to work with students and faculty at all sites. 

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Compensation:

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy.  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.