Job Description:

Location:
  Farmington High School

Date Available:
  10/07/2024

FARMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LEADER

Qualifications:
Must hold or be eligible for CT State Teaching Certification in the area for which a job opening exists (Special Education)
Must hold a CT intermediate administrators certificate or be eligible for certification within three years of employment (endorsement 105 or 092)
 Consideration will be given to the following – 
 Relevant and recent leadership experience
 Deep content knowledge 
References that indicate excellent teaching talent, initiative, growth mindset and a learner orientation 
Philosophy that aligns with the district’s core beliefs
Various life experiences that enhance contributions to the overall district and school community

General Description: Department Leaders are primarily teachers with additional leadership responsibilities. They provide effective supervision, instructional support and feedback to teachers in their department. Department Leaders monitor curriculum and assessment implementation in the classroom and analyze achievement data in the discipline. Under the direction of the school’s administrators, department leaders collaborate with the entire leadership team to plan and provide professional learning experiences that are responsive to teacher needs and focused on school goals and priorities. Department Leaders also provide budgeting and scheduling information to the principal and participate in the hiring/induction of new teachers. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: Department Leaders supervise and evaluate teachers in their department and oversee the work of any interventionists, paraprofessionals and tutors

Essential Domains of Teacher Leader Practice
Department Leaders are primarily teachers and are therefore responsible for all of the responsibilities of a teacher as well as the following:

MISSION, VISION AND GOALS
-Communicate a clear vision for teaching and learning that is aligned with the district goals and core content knowledge and skills
-Stay up to date with current research and professional literature related to teaching and learning in the discipline
-Develop and monitor department goals and collect evidence of success 
-Develop and monitor departmental budget and staff schedules

TEACHING AND LEARNING
-Participate in the hiring and induction of new teachers
-Provide instructional improvement feedback to teachers in the department and support the principal or assistant principal in the evaluation process 
-Participate in the development of new curricula
-Evaluate and recommend new instructional materials and intervention programs
-Participate in and lead classroom observation protocols to address instructional problems of practice

ASSESSMENT
-Collect, analyze, and use assessment data to improve programs and instruction in the department
-Work with teachers and colleagues to calibrate and communicate expectations for meeting standard  

COLLABORATION
-Conduct regular department meetings focused on school/dept. goals
-Contribute to district-wide committees to build coherence across all levels 
-Develop strong partnerships among all support personnel – special education teachers, social workers, ELL tutors, interventionists, etc. to support student achievement

Salary: $53,818 - $110,029 plus Department Leader stipend ($10,876) which requires 5 additional work days beyond the teacher’s contract/appointment renewed annually.