Job Description:

Scope: The Life Skills Program (LSP) provides instruction within a public school setting to students in kindergarten and through twenty-one identified with significant cognitive and/or pervasive developmental disabilities. The needs of these students require a functional curriculum focused on the acquisition of daily living and vocational skills leading to a successful transition to adult life within the community. These K-12 classrooms provide instruction in practical academics, communication, community, domestic, leisure/recreation, and vocational skills utilizing a functional curriculum in a general education school building. The classrooms emphasize communication, maximum independence, and opportunities to generalize skills in natural settings as well as participation in general education activities with typical peers.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Planning and Preparation The special education teacher understands the philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of special education. Additionally, teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning; creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners; understands instructional planning; and designs instruction based on knowledge of the discipline, student, community, and curriculum goals; of all students ages three through twenty-one. In planning and preparation, the teacher demonstrates knowledge of content, students, instructional outcomes, resources, instructional practice, and designing assessments. The special education teacher: 

• Develops short and long-range plans consistent with curriculum goals, learners’ diversity, and learning theory.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of current legislation, regulations, policies, and ethical issues related to the provision of educational services, including least restrictive environment, due process, assessment, discipline, transition, supplemental services and supports, specialized health care and assistive technology, to individuals with all types of disabilities across the age range.
• Understands issues in definition and identification procedures for individuals with disabilities, including those individuals from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• Understands characteristics of individuals with disabilities across the age range, including levels of severity, multiple disabilities and their influence on development, behavior and learning; with knowledge about the impact of language disorders, processing deficits, intellectual abilities, behavioral/emotional/social disorders, and physical (including sensory) disabilities on learning and behavior.
• Understands the Common Core Standards and prepares effective instructional strategies and resources for teaching the scope and sequence in the academic, social, and vocational curricular domains in the general curriculum.
• Plans effective instructional strategies for adapting or modifying general curriculum to meet the needs of individual students, and strategies to implement and prioritize longitudinal, outcome-based curriculum, including social, language, academic, vocational skills, and life skill domains (i.e. domestic, recreation/leisure, vocational, and community).
• Utilizes specialized materials, equipment, and assistive technology for individuals with disabilities and understands the use of adaptive equipment for students with disabilities to plan and prepare for the integration of assistive and instructional technology to meet a student’s individual needs.
• Prepares and utilizes assessment methodologies to adapt for individual students as appropriate, including physical adaptations to meet a student's individual needs.
• Maintains and inventories curriculum and assistive/adaptive technology.
• Plans and prepares for IEP and parent meetings.

 2. The Classroom Environment The special education teacher uses an understanding of individual, group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, respect and rapport. This environment creates a positive culture with active engagement in learning and self-motivation while managing classroom procedures and student behavior. The special education teacher: 

• Understands basic classroom management theories and methods; with strategies for individual behavior management, crisis prevention, intervention, de-escalation techniques, and the balance between classroom management with academic teaching strategies.
• Implements strategies for assessing learning environments and conducting functional behavioral assessments within the environment.
• Understands the characteristics of environments, including materials, equipment, and spatial arrangements that facilitate development, learning and interaction among students.
• Creates a classroom culture which is a cognitively busy place, characterized by a shared belief in the importance of learning; establishes high expectations and personal achievement.
• Understands the aspects of schedule, routines, and transitions that promote development and learning.
• Demonstrates ways in which technology can assist with creating and managing the learning environment, incorporating the verbal and visual redirection and classroom expectations.
• Provides supervision of paraprofessional educators.
• Consults with teachers and therapists to plan for student's needs and required adaptations, modifications, and use of assistive/adaptive technology.

 3. Instruction
The special education teacher understands the central concepts and methods of inquiry; uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills; and creates learning experiences that make content meaningful to all students. Additionally, teacher understands the educational assessment process and uses various assessment strategies to support the continuous development of all students. The special education teacher: 

• Implements effective researched-supported instructional strategies for basic sequences of skills in the academic, social, and vocational curricular areas; including techniques for modifying instructional methods, curricular materials, and the environment to meet learners’ needs that are appropriate to those learners’ ages and skill levels.
• Uses instructional time effectively and efficiently; while facilitating the integration of related services into the instructional program.
• Chooses and implements instructional techniques and strategies that promote successful transitions for individuals with disabilities. Creates varied opportunities for all students to use effective written, verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication appropriate to each student.
• Understands assessment as an educational process including how to interpret information obtained from standardized and non standardized assessment, analyze and use to develop instruction and goals for individual students.
• Implements a variety of procedures for identifying student's learning characteristics and needs, monitoring student progress, and evaluating learning strategies and instructional approaches.
• Effectively utilizes Response to Intervention (RtI) and supports students utilizing appropriate progress monitoring tools to gauge individual student achievement; understanding these assessment procedures is an on-going process and efficient data collection and analysis will identify student needs.
• Implements accommodations and modification as identified for individual students on national, state, local and classroom assessments.
• Implements strategies for assessing students’ skills within curricular areas including academic, social and vocational.
• Implements classroom and individual behavioral management plans and actively participates in functional behavioral assessments and behavioral interventions plans for students.
• Understands and effectively utilizes computerized web-based systems for documentation procedures/communication, goal development and modification, progress monitoring, performance assessment, accommodations/modifications, program supports and overall IEP information.

 4. Professional Responsibilities The special education teacher understands teaching as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve students’ learning and well-being. The special education teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally. The special education teacher: 

• Provides frequent and appropriate information to families about the instructional program and conveys information about individual student progress in a culturally sensitive manner.
• Has working knowledge of resources, strategies, networks, organizations, and unique services for individuals with disabilities and their families including career, vocational, and transition support, including possible funding agencies and financial sources for secondary aged students (local, state, and federal).
• Engages in professional development to stay current on researched-based instructional strategies and services, and seeks additional resources and assistance as needed to meet the individualized needs of students.
• Understands the importance of the teacher serving as a role model and advocate for all students.
• Participates in student, staff and professional meetings including behavior management plans, functional analysis of behavior, eligibility, placement, IEP and annual reviews.
• Understands rights to privacy, demonstrates confidentiality, and respect for differences among all persons interacting with individuals with disabilities.
• Collaboratively works with community agencies and outside therapists for students and understands the reciprocal relationship of sharing confidential information with these individuals.
• Completes required formal written evaluation(s) for assigned Paraprofessional(s) demonstrating understanding of the evaluation process under the supervision of the Director or his/her certified designee.
• Observes and follows all DPS policies and procedures; maintains high levels of professionalism and commitment through punctuality and attendance.
• Performs duties as assigned by the DPS administration.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Must possess or be eligible for Connecticut Special Education certification (065, 165).
• Must produce evidence of meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements, as applicable.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to deliver content.
• Ability to relate successfully with staff, families and students from diverse backgrounds, experiences and skill levels.
• Demonstrated ability to implement differentiated instruction and build upon the strengths and challenges of a multi-cultural and multi-racial classroom/district.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Apply Online, including all required attachments.
 http://www.danbury.k12.ct.us