Special Education Teacher - Middle School

Special Education Teacher

Qualifications:

1. RI Certification as required.

2. Master's in Special Education (area of concentration) preferred.

Reports To: Director of Pupil Personnel Services Building Principal

Terms Of Employment: School Year and/or as required. All conditions per contractual agreement with School Committee

Evaluation: Evaluation annually in accordance with provisions of the School Committee Policy on Evaluation.

Job Goal: To provide a learning environment for moderately, severely and profoundly handicapped which will maximize and ensure growth in all developmental areas in order to fulfill the student's physical, social, emotional and intellectual potential.

Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards:

• Standard 1: Teachers create learning experiences using a broad base of general knowledge that reflects an understanding of the nature of the communities and world in which we live.
• Standard 2: Teachers have a deep content knowledge base sufficient to create learning experiences that reflect an understanding of central concepts, vocabulary, structures, and tools of inquiry of the disciplines/content areas they teach.
• Standard 3: Teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect an understanding of how children learn and develop.
• Standard 4: Teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect a respect for the diversity of learners and an understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning.
• Standard 5: Teachers create instructional opportunities to encourage all students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, performance skills, and literacy across content areas.
• Standard 6: Teachers create a supportive learning environment that encourages appropriate standards of behavior, positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
• Standard 7: Teachers work collaboratively with all school personnel, families, and the broader community to create a professional learning community and environment that supports the improvement of teaching, learning, and student achievement.
• Standard 8: Teachers use effective communication as the vehicle through which students explore, conjecture, discuss, and investigate new ideas.
• Standard 9: Teachers use appropriate formal and informal assessment strategies with individuals and groups of students to determine the impact of instruction on learning, to provide feedback, and to plan future instruction.
• Standard 10: Teachers reflect on their practice and assume responsibility for their own professional development by actively seeking and participating in opportunities to learn and grow as professionals.
• Standard 11: Teachers maintain professional standards guided by legal and ethical principles.

Rhode Island Educator Code Of Professional Responsibility:

• Responsibility to Students: Rhode Island Educators' first commitment is to ensuring that all students achieve at the high levels needed to lead fulfilling and productive lives, to succeed in academic and employment settings, and to contribute to society.
• Responsibility to Self: Rhode Island Educators are committed to establishing high professional standards for their practice and striving to meet these standards through their individual performance.
• Responsibility to Colleagues and the Profession: Rhode Island Educators are committed to work with school and district colleagues and as members of professional communities to establish and implement initiatives that will further student learning.
• Responsibility to Parents and the Community: Rhode Island Educators are committed to collaborate with families and communities to offer a quality education to all students.
• Responsibility to Rhode Island Board of Regents: Rhode Island Educators demonstrate a commitment to Rhode Island standards for educator quality through certification requirements and support for the implementation of state initiatives within their districts.

Performance Responsibilities:

• To assist individual programmatic needs for each student utilizing criteria referenced assessment as a baseline in all developmental areas; receptive and expressive language, fine and gross motor, cognitive, self-help, person/social, vocational interests and aptitudes.
• To develop individual programs in all areas for each student utilizing a behavioral approach with a data collection system. These programs should be designed to teach all the life skills, functional skills, concepts, actions, and responses required for adaptive performance in all the post-school environments to which the student will be exposed.
• To implement a process whereby all skills acquired in a structured behavioral classroom approach will be integrated and generalized into other activities, experiences and environments so that they are maintained.
• To evaluate data, update and monitor each student's program to insure the maximum rate of skill acquisition as well as maintenance of skills.
• To comply with The Rhode Island Right to Read Act requiring educators to exhibit either proficiency in or awareness of the knowledge and practices of the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy.
• Assume all required responsibilities as might be assigned by the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and Building Administrator.