Special Education Teacher - Severe License

Job Description

Job Description

Special Education Teacher in our REACH 2 classroom

NOTE :  Before you read on, please read the Commitments to Educational Equity that AVC strives to adopt across our organization. We seek to add employees to our team who can help us make these commitments a reality and influence how we lead, learn, innovate, design, collaborate, and serve our students, families, partners, and communities. We are in the process of developing a shared leadership model to engage stakeholders across the organization in learning, leading, designing, and decision-making. Still interested? See below:

Who We Are:

Assabet Valley Collaborative (AVC)  is an educational service agency in Metrowest/Central Massachusetts. Our services include school programs, wraparound services, transportation services, professional development, cooperative purchasing and consulting. AVC's REACH Program serves students who have a diverse range of severe cognitive and physical needs. This position is within a classroom for 5-7 students served by a teacher,  paraeducators, a nurse, and rotating related services providers (i.e OT, SLP, PT, Music, Vision, etc) 

Job-Specific Details:

• This position includes providing instruction to students who use communication devices, wheelchairs/mobility assistance, positioning and specialized equipment in order to access their education.
• Individual and group instruction is provided with a focus on functional academics tied to the state standards. 
• Life & pre-vocational skills which are embedded and generalized through activities such as inclusion, community-based instruction, music therapy, art, recreation and leisure, as well as social.
• Taps into student skills, interests, and independence in order to further develop functional academic, motor, communication, self-help, and social skills.
• Develops a comprehensive and accessible schedule that maximizes instructional time through individual, small group, and whole group activities.
• Designs, delivers, and adapts curriculum with a team to meet students’ needs.
• Collaborates to develop, present, and implement team drafted IEPs.
• Partnering with the team to implement interventions recommended by related-service providers.
• Conduct necessary assessments for 3-year re-evaluations and compiles the assessment results of the related service providers
• Works with team members to establish and implement data systems that inform instruction and progress reports
• Communicates and collaborates with families, sending districts, community service agencies, and in-home service providers as applicable.
• Participate in required trainings.
• Provides training, instruction, and supervision of paraeducators
• Administered required statewide assessments as applicable and appropriate.
• Able to adapt curriculum to meet students’ unique needs while keeping it rooted in Massachusetts State Curriculum & Standards.

Qualifications:

We’re looking for a Teacher who serves as a leader and as a learner; a team member who is flexible, resourceful, and thrives in a fast-paced, non-traditional, collaborative environment and who understands educational and human service institutions. This person demonstrates a learning mindset and ability to receive feedback, self-reflect, and pivot as well as an ability to effectively facilitate the learning of others by pushing their thinking, building their skills, and sparking their self-reflection and curiosity.

The ideal candidate would possess or demonstrate the following:

• Ability to engage with conflict and core tensions.
• Bilingual or multilingual is a plus.
• Ability to thrive within a team while also being able to work independently.
• Encourages and fosters passion and enthusiasm for the work of the classroom.
• Adhere to established federal, state, and local laws and regulations (FERPA, HIPPA, and IDEA).
• Experience working in schools, nonprofits, human service organizations.
• Bachelor’s Required; Masters Degree Preferred.
• Licensed or working toward licensure from MA DESE in Moderate or Severe (preferred) Disabilities.

Schedule: 185 day schedule. Operating hours of the program, 8:00am-3:00pm. Summer hours are also available, but not required. 

Physical Demands: This is an active position. It requires frequent physical movement to meet the needs of our students: lifting, shifting, and all aspects of personal care. 

Competitive Benefits Include:

• Compensation competitive within public school educators (salary schedule with steps and lanes).
• School year (185 days)  with additional summer hours available at additional compensation.
• 75% health insurance premiums covered by AVC.
• High deductible Health Insurance Plan + Health Savings Account (AVC contributes 50% of deductible into your HSA).
• Participation in MA State Retirement or Teachers Retirement pension systems.
• Voluntary benefits: HealthSavings Account, Life, Short-term, Long-term Insurance and Dental Insurance.