Behavioral Specialist

Behavioral Specialist Job Description

New Dimensions: A Public Charter School Grades K–8

Position Summary

The Behavioral Specialist supports students in developing the behavioral, social-emotional, and self-regulation skills necessary for success in the school environment. The Behavioral Specialist works collaboratively with administrators, teachers, counselors, Exceptional Children staff, families, and other members of the student support team to identify behavioral needs, develop interventions, monitor student progress, and promote a safe, positive, and supportive school culture.

The Behavioral Specialist provides both proactive and responsive behavioral support , with an emphasis on relationship-building, prevention, skill development, positive behavior supports, data-based decision-making, and helping students successfully remain engaged in the learning environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Student Behavioral Support

The Behavioral Specialist will:

• Build positive, trusting relationships with students.
• Provide individualized and small-group behavioral support.
• Help students develop self-regulation, coping, problem-solving, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Assist students in recognizing behavioral triggers and developing appropriate replacement behaviors.
• Provide proactive support to students who demonstrate recurring behavioral concerns.
• Support students during difficult transitions or periods of emotional or behavioral dysregulation.
• Assist students with successfully returning to the classroom following a behavioral incident.
• Reinforce schoolwide behavioral expectations consistently and positively.
• Promote student accountability while maintaining a supportive, restorative approach.
• Encourage students to advocate for themselves appropriately and seek assistance from trusted adults.

Classroom and Teacher Support

The Behavioral Specialist will work closely with teachers and staff to:

• Observe students in classrooms and other school settings to identify behavioral patterns, triggers, and environmental factors.
• Provide practical strategies for preventing and responding to challenging behaviors.
• Assist teachers in implementing individualized behavior supports.
• Model appropriate behavioral interventions and de-escalation strategies.
• Help establish consistent expectations, routines, reinforcement systems, and responses to behavior.
• Support classroom management while helping students remain engaged in instruction whenever possible.
• Assist with student transitions between classrooms and activities when behavioral support is needed.
• Follow up with teachers after behavioral incidents to determine whether additional support is necessary.

Behavior Intervention Plans and Functional Behavioral Assessments

As appropriate to the position, training, and applicable requirements, the Behavioral Specialist will:

• Assist multidisciplinary teams in collecting behavioral data.
• Conduct or assist with observations across school settings.
• Help identify the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences associated with recurring behavioral concerns.
• Participate in the development and implementation of Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs), when appropriate.
• Assist with developing, implementing, and monitoring Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs).
• Help identify appropriate replacement behaviors and positive reinforcement strategies.
• Monitor the fidelity and effectiveness of behavioral interventions.
• Recommend adjustments based on student response and collected data.
• Collaborate with Exceptional Children staff when behavioral supports are associated with a student's IEP.

MTSS and Data-Based Decision-Making

The Behavioral Specialist will actively participate in the school's Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and student support processes by:

• Helping identify students who may benefit from additional behavioral intervention.
• Collecting and analyzing behavioral data.
• Reviewing information such as office referrals, classroom incidents, attendance, frequency and duration of behaviors, intervention data, and other relevant information.
• Helping teams identify measurable behavioral goals.
• Developing and implementing evidence-based interventions.
• Monitoring student progress over time.
• Maintaining intervention documentation.
• Participating in student problem-solving and support meetings.
• Helping determine whether interventions should be continued, modified, intensified, or faded based on student progress.

Crisis Prevention and De-escalation

The Behavioral Specialist will:

• Respond to students experiencing significant behavioral or emotional difficulty.
• Use appropriate de-escalation strategies to help students regain regulation.
• Assist staff in maintaining a safe environment during behavioral incidents.
• Follow established school crisis and safety procedures.
• Help identify proactive strategies for students with recurring patterns of escalation.
• Participate in the development of individualized safety or behavior support plans when appropriate.
• Notify administration promptly when behavior presents a potential safety concern.
• Document significant behavioral incidents according to school procedures.
• Participate in crisis prevention and response training as required by the school.

The Behavioral Specialist does not replace administrative responsibility for discipline or emergency response but serves as an important member of the school's student support team.

Positive Behavior and School Culture

The Behavioral Specialist will support New Dimensions' schoolwide positive behavior program by:

• Promoting clear and consistent behavioral expectations across school settings.
• Reinforcing positive student behavior.
• Supporting schoolwide incentives and recognition programs.
• Helping students understand the connection between choices and consequences.
• Promoting kindness, respect, responsibility, perseverance, and positive relationships.
• Assisting with schoolwide behavior initiatives and character education efforts.
• Helping staff maintain consistency in behavioral expectations.
• Supporting a school culture in which students feel safe, respected, supported, and accountable.

Student Re-Entry and Restorative Support

Following behavioral incidents, the Behavioral Specialist may:

• Meet with students to review what occurred.
• Help students identify the impact of their choices.
• Practice appropriate replacement behaviors.
• Help students develop a plan for returning successfully to the classroom.
• Facilitate restorative conversations when appropriate.
• Help repair student-to-student or student-to-staff relationships when appropriate.
• Coordinate with teachers regarding re-entry expectations.
• Monitor students following re-entry to reduce the likelihood of recurring concerns.

Family Communication and Collaboration

The Behavioral Specialist will:

• Develop positive and professional relationships with parents and guardians.
• Communicate behavioral concerns and student progress in accordance with school procedures.
• Share strategies families may use to reinforce appropriate behaviors at home when appropriate.
• Listen to family concerns and incorporate relevant information into student support planning.
• Participate in parent conferences and student support meetings.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding students and families.
• Refer concerns requiring administrative, counseling, psychological, medical, or other specialized services to the appropriate professional.

Collaboration with School Personnel

The Behavioral Specialist will work collaboratively with the Director, Principals, School Counselors, School Psychologist, Exceptional Children Department, Curriculum/Instructional staff, teachers, teacher assistants, and other support personnel .

Responsibilities include:

• Participating in student support, MTSS, EC, behavior, and other multidisciplinary meetings as assigned.
• Communicating behavioral patterns and concerns to appropriate staff.
• Collaborating to create consistent behavioral expectations across settings.
• Providing behavioral strategies and resources to staff.
• Supporting professional development related to behavior management, de-escalation, positive behavior supports, and student regulation when requested.
• Maintaining professional boundaries and respecting the responsibilities of other school professionals.

Documentation and Confidentiality

The Behavioral Specialist will:

• Maintain accurate documentation of behavioral interventions and student progress.
• Document student contacts, observations, interventions, and significant behavioral incidents as required.
• Maintain behavioral data in appropriate school systems.
• Protect personally identifiable student information.
• Follow FERPA and applicable federal and state confidentiality requirements.
• Share student information only with individuals who have a legitimate educational need to know.
• Maintain objective, professional, and factual documentation.

Exceptional Children and Section 504 Support

When working with students receiving special education or Section 504 services, the Behavioral Specialist will:

• Follow the student's IEP, Behavior Intervention Plan, Section 504 Plan, and other applicable educational plans.
• Collaborate with the student's case manager and other service providers.
• Implement behavioral accommodations and supports as written.
• Collect behavioral data requested by the student's educational team.
• Participate in meetings when appropriate.
• Immediately communicate concerns regarding implementation or student safety to the appropriate administrator or case manager.

The Behavioral Specialist will not independently change an IEP, BIP, Section 504 Plan, placement, or other legally established student plan.

Supervision and Student Safety

The Behavioral Specialist may provide additional student supervision in areas where behavioral support is needed, including:

• Classrooms
• Hallways and transitions
• Cafeteria
• Recess
• Arrival and dismissal
• School activities
• Other settings identified by administration

The Behavioral Specialist should maintain a visible presence and proactively intervene when appropriate to prevent behavioral concerns from escalating.

Professional Responsibilities

The Behavioral Specialist is expected to:

• Maintain professional and ethical conduct.
• Demonstrate patience, consistency, flexibility, and sound judgment.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students and families.
• Use respectful and student-centered language.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Attend required staff meetings, professional development, and student support meetings.
• Remain current on evidence-based behavioral practices.
• Follow New Dimensions policies, procedures, and administrative directives.
• Participate in schoolwide initiatives and activities.
• Perform other duties reasonably related to the position as assigned by administration.

Minimum Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in education, psychology, social work, behavioral science, special education, or a related field.
• Experience working with children and/or adolescents.
• Knowledge of positive behavior supports, behavior intervention, and student development.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with students, families, teachers, and administrators.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive student information.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in education, psychology, behavioral analysis, social work, counseling, special education, or a related field.
• Experience working in a K–8 school environment.
• Experience with MTSS, PBIS, FBAs, and BIPs.
• Experience supporting students with disabilities and behavioral needs.
• Training in trauma-informed practices and crisis prevention/de-escalation.
• Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) credential, when applicable to the responsibilities assigned to the position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to establish positive relationships with students while maintaining clear expectations and boundaries; remain calm during challenging situations; understand the function and purpose of student behavior; analyze behavioral data; implement interventions consistently; communicate effectively with adults and children; work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team; and balance student support with accountability.

The individual should demonstrate a strong belief that behavior is a skill that can be taught, practiced, reinforced, and improved .

Physical Requirements

The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. The position may require frequent movement throughout the school campus, standing for extended periods, responding quickly to student needs, supervising students in indoor and outdoor settings, and performing other physical activities typically associated with supporting students in a K–8 school environment.

Evaluation

The Behavioral Specialist will be evaluated based on established New Dimensions personnel expectations and the duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description, including effectiveness in student support, collaboration, professionalism, documentation, behavioral intervention, communication, and contribution to a positive school environment.

Disclaimer: This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by an individual assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions. Responsibilities may be modified based on student needs, school priorities, applicable laws and regulations, and administrative direction.