Behavior Specialist 25/25 SY

Indiana Public Schools•Indianapolis, IN

54d•Onsite

About The Position

The Unified Student Supports team is looking for an experienced educator with special education certification, social work or school counselor certification, or significant experience in growing teachers' seamless application of positive intervention and behavior supports in the school setting. The Behavior Support Specialist will positively impact student success by addressing barriers to student learning, including but not limited to the social, emotional, and mental health challenges that some students must overcome with the support of skillful practitioners. The Behavior Support Specialist will recommend, plan, coach, and model interventions and supports for school team members (teachers, social workers, etc.) as dictated by students' needs on their caseload.

Requirements

Highly-developed communications skills (written/verbal) and interpersonal savvy
Results/action-orientation; project management skills
Racial equity mindset and other critical indicators related to DEI
Organizational agility; developed negotiation skills
Unquestionable personal code of ethics, integrity, diversity and trust
Able to successfully navigate within varying degrees of ambiguity in a fast-paced environment
Strong strategic analysis skills
Ability to be creative in developing alternatives to meet students' iInstructional needs
A track record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with and among a diverse group of actors
Close attention to detail coupled with the ability to exercise good judgment
Proactive nature; able to anticipate conflicts before they arise
Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively
Ability to execute meetings, calls and emails with professionalism, courtesy and accuracy
Personal qualities of maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and diligence
Ability to effectively allocate and prioritize time to several tasks to ensure completion of all
Certification or ability to be fully certified by the Indiana Department of Education
Candidates may be licensed in school counseling, school social work, special education, or have a similar experiences in another IDOE approved area of licensure
5 to 7 years of experience as a skillful practitioner and evidence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to execute this role at a high level
Working knowledge of federal and state special education and 504 laws, rules, and practices including IDEA and Article 7

Responsibilities

Serve as the first and strongest advocate for racial and ableness equity and student-centered approaches to instruction, intervention, and student engagement
Demonstrate thorough knowledge of best practices relating to building positive culture and climate in the classroom for all types of learners (to include students with disabilities, students with 504 services, multilingual learners, etc.)
Effectively support schools with defining and measuring behaviors; understanding principles of reinforcement; analyzing data to identify antecedents and functions of behavior; coaching and modeling positive strategies for weakening inappropriate behavior, and problem-solving to align resources, interventions, and supports
Analyze data- assessments, attendance, discipline, academics, and other pertinent information - to determine appropriate interventions to reduce suspensions and other disciplinary occurrences while improving student engagement and academic achievement in the general education environment
Collaborate with school teams during MTSS/Problem-solving meetings to identify students with the most need and recommend appropriate Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions
Provide professional development to individual teachers, groups of teachers, and/or entire school staff on issues related to crisis intervention, learning and collaborations, restorative practices, and factors that can affect the development and implementation of interventions and/or student progress
Maintain records of students served and their progress
Assist in the collection and compilation of student, parent, teacher, and community data.
Attend professional meetings
Discusses pupils' academic and behavioral attitudes and achievements with the teacher.
Engage in ongoing professional development to increase knowledge and skill of positive student behavior supports for all students and targeted students
Provide assessment and instruction/intervention at the school-wide prevention level, at the targeted classroom/small group level, and at the individual behavioral/mental health level to address issues that present learning readiness
Utilize student, school, and community data to plan, identify, and implement evidence-based, culturally competent prevention strategies to meet student needs
Evaluate multiple datasets (including but not limited to Panorama, attendance, discipline, classroom observation, and the Thinking Skills Inventory) in order to intentionally and strategically respond to student need
Consults with school staff and parents regarding strategies for helping students cope with personal and social concerns
Access and link community resources to students, families, and the school in response to identified needs. (Note: To accomplish this responsibility home and agency visits are required.)
Ability to problem-solve, support, and model behavioral systems, processes, and strategies
Ability to work collaboratively with teachers, building leaders, and USS members
Experience in aligning teachers' systems and processes to student outcomes in order to translate the critical connection for teachers engaged in the coaching cycle
Ability to relate, motivate, and inspire teachers to strive to new heights
Provide weekly updates to USS admin on coaching data to inform systematic professional development (for the district, LC, or school)
Communicate effectively, and in a timely manner, with school staff, parents and guardians, USS and district staff
Support with student transitions (bridging) and transition planning
Work with building leadership to discuss, strategize and problem solve trends in discipline and/or climate and culture classroom level data to support teachers' use of research-based interventions and data-response
Ensure MTSS is the backbone of all coaching, intervention planning and monitoring, strategic data response, etc.
Advocate for and model strong school-family partnerships to ensure students have as few barriers to achievement as possible
Consistently contribute to a positive team culture by being direct and transparent and helpful and collaborative, while prioritizing a customer service orientation
Other duties as assigned by the USS administrative team