Special Education Site Administrator

Description

ABOUT ASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Aspire Public Schools operates a network of high-performing, college preparatory charter schools serving TK-12 scholars in communities across California. Founded in 1998—in an effort to transform the inequitable racial, social, and gender outcomes that our communities persist through—Aspire is one of the largest and most forward-thinking open-enrollment public charter school systems in the nation.

Our purpose is to prepare our scholars for success in college, career, and life. At Aspire, we set a foundation for our scholars to gain knowledge, skills, and power to access and make choices for their families and post-secondary lives. Every day, our community of students, families, teachers and staff comes together to learn, work, and play in an environment grounded in our values of Bienestar (Well-Being), Culture of Belonging, Community Partnership, Agency & Self-Determination, and Joy.

JOB SUMMARY

The Special Education Site Administrator is an integral part of the school’s leadership team. This role will be responsible for overseeing programs that provide educational assistance to our students receiving special education services and programming. The SPED Administrator will have an expertise in the coordination and leadership of special education programs for our diverse learners. The SPED Administrator collaborates with the site administrator and teachers to ensure that the needs of all students are met inside and outside of the general education classroom. The SPED Administrator works under the direction of the school site principal and in collaboration with Special Education Program Specialist to develop a comprehensive program of support for all students and SPED team members (education specialist, behavior aides, instructional aides, and service providers). In addition, the Special Education Administrator will maintain and monitor school site special education data and compliance with the support of the program specialist.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop IEP documents, schedule and facilitate IEP meetings in a collaborative and professional manner, meeting all compliance regulations with fidelity (e.g., IEP timelines, brochures and documentation, etc.)

• Oversee and maintain IEP Master Calendar, student service tracking, student assessments, and other SPED-related duties 

• Develop positive relationships with parents and families in order to engage them in the IEP process and keep them updated of student progress

• Collaborate with related service providers that support students at the school 

• Maintain and monitor caseload compliance in Welligent/SEIS.

• Manage all compliance reports, overseeing that all timelines and service tracking is meeting mandated requirements

• Prepare all needed documentation for Oversight, DVR, etc.

• Produce and maintain appropriate record keeping of all SPED documents

• Hold regular collaboration meetings with SPED team 

• Identify needs for team and work with admin to provide resources as needed 

• Facilitate data talks around School’s SpEd student achievement data 

• Provide professional development, consultation and resources to all special education teammates regarding placement, curriculum, procedures, and co-teaching.

• Provide supervision, observation and feedback on co-planning and co-teaching for the Education Specialists. 

• Work in collaboration with regional office to coordinate professional development and training opportunities for Education Specialists an Instructional Aides.

• Manage school’s caseload and/or provide guidance to education specialists at the site on the development of Individual Education Programs (IEPs) in accordance with federal, state and district standards

• Case manage Schedule and facilitate IEP meetings in a collaborative and professional manner.

• Support general education teachers and administrators in implementation of appropriate strategies to meet the needs of students with IEPs

• Maintain and develop knowledge of current Special Education regulations and best practices

• Maintain Special Education compliance and documentation as required by federal, state, district, and CMO regulations (e.g. EL Dorado SELPA and LAUSD).

• Develop, assist, and collaborate to create appropriate behavior management systems (data collection, behavior trackers, etc.) for our diverse learners.

• Mentor Education Specialist at assigned school site.

• Manage school’s IEP caseload in district’s data management program (i.e. Welligent, SEIS)

• Ensure IEP timeline compliance of caseload

• Manage relationships with outside vendors to ensure students receive all individually prearranged IEPs services (i.e. Occupational Therapy, Language and Speech, etc.)

• Develop positive relationships with parents and families in order to engage them in the IEP process and keep them updated of student progress

• Assist the school site administrators with the Student Success Team (SST) process and other MTSS systems.

• Run monthly compliance reports to ensure IEP services are delivered with fidelity

• Provide supervision, observation and feedback on the implementation of the curriculum and behavior support for the Education Specialists. 

• Identify and participate in school progress monitoring systems, data analysis, and adjustment of strategy and supports to meet Special Education performance targets.

• Builds capacity through the management and development of Education Specialists and Special Populations Paraprofessional/Instructional Aides.

Additional:

• Assist with other duties as assigned.

• Demonstrate knowledge of and support, the Aspire Public Schools mission, vision, and value statements including antiracism, policies and procedures, operating instructions, confidentiality standards, and the code of ethical behavior.

• Actively seeks to improve and simplify Aspire’s approach to particular job functions.

• Comfortable with the utilization of technology in a fast-paced environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Cleared Special Education Teaching Credential (Mild-Moderate Support Needs/Extensive Support Needs) required.  

• 3+ years as a Special Education Teacher required

• 1+ years of experience coaching and observing teachers (Administrator, Coordinator, Lead education specialist, Department Chair, Mentor Teacher, etc.).

Minimum educational level:

• Bachelor’s degree required, with relevant degree and/or content expertise

Physical requirements:

• Moving self in different positions to accomplish tasks in various environments including tight and confined spaces.

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.

• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.

• Assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned.

• Communicating with others to exchange information.

• Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

Work authorization requirements: 

• Authorized to work in the United States

• Provide health (TB) clearance (renewed every four years) 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics are representative of those in a normal office, classroom/school setting which one might encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Work indoors in a standard office environment, computer lab, and/or classroom environment

• Work is performed in indoor and outdoor environments

• Exposure to dust, oils, and cleaning chemicals

• Some exposure to childhood and other diseases in a school environment

• May be required to work outside of typical work days and office hours to meet operational deadlines

Compensation: Aspire Public Schools is dedicated to our teammate's well-being!  In addition to a competitive base salary that is benchmarked against local districts and charter schools, we offer employees exceptional benefits, including paid time off, 100% core health benefits coverage on select plans, life insurance/long-term disability, participation in a CA state retirement plan, tuition reimbursement plan, and adoption assistance program.