Middle School Life Skills Exceptional Education Teacher (2026-2027 SY)

Description

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Employment Type: Full-time, in-person lead teaching position for the 2026-2027 school year.

Salary: Starting at $56,000 for certified teachers based years of K-12 teaching experience; $44,520 to begin for pre-licensure candidates without an active TN license. 

Role Details: This position is a lead teacher role in our middle school self-contained, life skills program.

Why Choose Valor?

Valor Collegiate Academies is a top-performing public charter school network in Nashville, Tennessee, serving 1,900 students in grades 5-12. Our mission is to empower our diverse community to live inspired and purposeful lives. This mission is made possible through an innovative school model that blends rigorous academics and whole-child education, within an intentionally diverse school environment. Our results include:

• A-Rated Charter Network in Tennessee: Scored as an A-rated charter network by the Tennessee Department of Education, earning perfect scores in Academic Achievement, Academic Growth, Growth of Highest Need Students, and College & Career Readiness.
• Top 1% for Student Growth: Our middle schools consistently rank in the 99th percentile in student growth statewide, based on TVAAS data from the past 5 years.
• National Leader in SEL: Over 50 partner schools nationwide have adopted and implemented Valor’s Compass model for social-emotional learning.

At Valor, you'll join an academically excellent and supportive community that is dedicated to your growth as an educator. With personalized coaching and high-quality professional development, we invest in your development so you can make the greatest impact for students.

Why Join our Exceptional Education Team?

Our Exceptional Education Teachers are valued for the deep expertise and leadership they bring to their work. As specialists, they are trusted to guide student development by collaborating closely with general education teachers to co-teach, offering critical insights, and ensuring that Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are thoughtfully crafted and implemented. 

What truly makes Exceptional Education at Valor unique is our strong system of support. Our Exceptional Education Teachers are part of a cohesive, dedicated team that prioritizes ethical, responsive, transparent, and accountable care for all scholars. This team-based approach ensures that no challenge is faced alone, and every student's learning journey is a shared responsibility among our community of educators. Learn more about our approach & team: https://tinyurl.com/3ttt9vcp

Key Responsibilities Include:    

Planning & Instruction     

• Prepare, internalize, and plan daily lessons for intervention spaces based on individual learners’ needs 
• Partner and collaborate with teachers and leaders to ensure all students are receiving appropriately scaffolded grade-level content and academic support across class settings 
• Prepare materials for resource class activities, do nows, and exit tickets 
• Use scholar work and data to inform instruction and intervention strategies in both general education and intervention settings 
• Collect, enter, and analyze academic data to provide targeted instruction and interventions that promote a culture of learning  
• Engage in weekly 1:1 coaching meetings to deepen content and case management expertise 
• Submit lesson plans weekly for feedback and review by instructional coach 
• Engage in weekly collaborative curriculum meetings (known as Intellectual Preparation) with a planning partner and instructional leader (for one cotaught content area) 
• Proactively communicate academic progress with parents/guardians, other teachers, administrators, and/or school counselors  
• Co-teach in 3-4 core content classes daily (including content knowledge to efficiently co-teach and support caseload students) 

Case Management Responsibilities       

• Develop and manage individualized education programs (IEPs) for students on your caseload
• Collaborate with school psychologist and related service providers to plan and conduct reevaluation meetings for your caseload  
• Collect and track data on individual student skills to determine the effectiveness of programming and measure progress toward IEP goals 
• Maintain reports to be in compliance with federal, state, and local district requirements 
• Collaborate and co-teach with general education/core content teachers to ensure the successful implementation of established curriculum and/or individual student plans 
• Collaborate with paraprofessionals to serve the needs of individual students 

School-Based Responsibilities & Faculty Engagement  

• Enforce, uphold, and exhibit school’s values, student management policies, and culture systems
• Own an arrival, recess or lunch, transition, or dismissal duty daily 
• Participate in school events that occur outside of normal school hours, such as parent-teacher conferences, signature experiences, field trips, IEP meetings, report card conferences, and new student orientation. Estimated time commitment per school year is approximately 25 hours.  
• Engage in ongoing professional development, which includes attending 3 weeks of new hire orientation and faculty training in July 2026 and weekly PL sessions throughout the school year
• Participate in faculty Circle once a week; complete and present 2-3 pieces of faculty Badge Work per school year 

Student Behavior Support       

• Respond to students' behavior in real-time using school-wide intervention systems and classroom management practices 
• Track and input student behavior feedback and data through Kickboard by the daily school deadline to share with families, school leaders, and the Compass Team  
• Maintain a 4:1 positivity ratio to strengthen school culture and student relationships 
• Serve as the main point-of-contact for case load’s families to communicate any student-specific/IEP related information 

What We Offer: 

• Salary: Starting at $56,000 for certified teachers, plus Years of Service bonus 
• Childcare Benefit: Valor-subsidized childcare and priority seating at Little Wonders Day Care
• Comprehensive Benefits: 75% coverage of health, dental, and vision benefits; retirement benefits including a hybrid pension and 401K with 5% employer matching.
• Paid Time Off: 8 PTO days annually and access to an org-wide PTO sharing program.
• Family Leave: 8 weeks of fully-paid parental leave
• Waitlist Priority: Priority position on Valor's new student waitlist for enrollment
• Professional Growth: 100+ hours of PD annually, 1:1 coaching, and career advancement opportunities.
• Additional Perks: Access to an on-campus gym, unlimited classroom supplies, and a dedicated course budget for every teacher.

Role Requirements: 

• Must have an active Tennessee teaching license with a 461 Special Education Comprehensive endorsement, or actively enrolled in an approved job-embedded educator preparation program. 
• Must have authorization to work in the United States without requiring employer sponsorship.

Key Mindsets:

• You have a proven track record of success of growth and achievement in your classroom  
• You have an unwavering belief that all students can succeed in school and beyond 
• You crave feedback and  have a relentless drive to develop your practice to sharpen your skills as an educator 
• You have the passion and commitment to serve a culturally and socioeconomically diverse community of students and families 
• You have experience or willingness to quickly learn and adopt school-wide tech platforms, i.e. Kickboard, Infinite Campus, Google Suite, Google Classroom 
• You enjoy cultivating meaningful relationships with students, families, and staff  
• You are able to model, live, and reinforce our school’s core values, commitments, and policies 

Interview Process: 

1. Resume Review 
2. Phone Interview 
3. Teacher Performance Task 
4. Virtual Sample Lesson & Leadership Interview 
5. Reference Checks 
6. Offer Extension 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:         

Valor believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables students and staff to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We actively seek applications from people of all backgrounds to strengthen our community and the perspectives needed to thrive in a diverse world.