Behavior Specialist

Vail Unified School District•Tucson, AZ

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Develop behavior plans and positive behavior interventions and supports for students in special education and other students as determined at school site. This role provides case management for students in special education, promotes the Special Education Common Language and shared responsibility to “our students.” It involves collaborating with general education teachers and parents to implement proactive behavioral strategies, including Assistive Technology, to ensure student success in the general education setting. The position establishes and maintains proactive, site-based processes for determining schedules, instruction, goals, and services for each student, as well as for data collection that accurately reflects student growth, effort, and proficiency related to behavioral standards. The Behavior Specialist consults with the site’s Student Solutions Team and Positive Behavioral Intervention Support team, provides training and guidance to colleagues on dealing with specific situations and de-escalation strategies, and offers modeling, coaching, and incentive systems to promote student success. This role also coordinates the development of Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans, collaborates with others to ensure their implementation, and works with colleagues to differentiate interventions. The Behavior Specialist collaborates with site leadership to define crisis situations and appropriate roles, conducts small group interventions (e.g., Check In, Check Out, social skills instruction, lunch buddies, after school clubs), supervises and trains support staff regarding student needs, and supervises assigned students. The position requires active participation in the school community, providing positive feedback and support to paraprofessionals and other staff, and knowledge of community resources. The Behavior Specialist monitors the activities of paraprofessionals as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Special Education, Psychology or a related field.
Experience working with student with severe behavioral and emotional issues.
Any equivalent combination of training or education with a minimum of 3+ yrs. of applicable experience will be accepted.
Must be skilled in behavior intervention, be certified in “restraint training” or be willing to attend training and implement practices.
Valid Arizona Special Education K-12 ED teaching certificate OR Valid Arizona Special Education K-12 Cross Categorical Certificate
Valid Arizona IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card
Ability to read and interpret educational documents such as IEP’s, reports, behavior plans and progress notes.
Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
Ability to speak effectively to employees of the organization.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, feel and type; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
Frequently required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
Must regularly lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Special Education, Psychology or a related field.

Responsibilities

Provides case management for students in special education.
Promotes the Special Education Common Language and shared responsibility to “our students.”
Collaborates with the general education teachers and parents to implement proactive behavioral strategies, including Assistive Technology, so students can be successful in the general education setting.
Establishes and maintains a proactive, site-based, process to determine the schedule, instruction, and goals and services for each student served.
Establishes and maintains a proactive, site-based, process for data collection that provides parents, teachers, and students with an accurate reflection of the student’s growth, effort, and proficiency related to behavioral standards.
Consults with the site’s Student Solutions Team and Positive Behavioral Intervention Support team as needed.
Provides colleagues with training, guidance on how to deal with specific situations and de-escalation strategies.
Provides modeling, coaching, and create incentive systems to promote student success.
Coordinates the development of Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans and collaborate with others to ensure they are implemented with.
Collaborates with colleagues to determine which behaviors require an intervention from the behavior specialist and which behaviors can be resolved in the classroom.
Works with site leadership to determine what constitutes a crisis situation, and appropriate roles.
Conducts a variety of small group interventions which may include Check In, Check Out, social skills instruction, lunch buddies and after school clubs.
Supervises and trains support staff regarding student needs.
This position will also supervise assigned students.
Is an active, visible participant in the school community.
Provides active positive feedback and support to paraprofessionals and other staff.
Knows the community resources.
Monitors the activities of paraprofessionals, as assigned.