Significant Disabilities Coach- Elementary

Sioux City Community School District•Sioux City, IA

About The Position

The Special Education Significant Disabilities Instructional Coach will facilitate implementation of high quality programs and services for students with significant disabilities at all grade levels. This includes professional development in daily practice for continuous improvement of instruction and intervention in the areas of academics, communication, adaptive/functional skills, and social/behavioral skills. Overall, the job of the coach is to build the capacity of the school and its teachers to meet the learning and behavioral needs of all students. The coach's goal is to ensure that school staff acquires the understanding and skills to enhance behavioral and instructional practices at the classroom level and raise the level of student achievement.

Requirements

Minimum qualifications include a valid Iowa teaching certificate with an endorsement in special education from an accredited college or university with a major in education or an appropriate content area, and a minimum of three years teaching experience.
Must possess proper state certification and licensure for position.
Employee is expected to demonstrate continued professional growth.
Evidence of professional learning and implementation of best practice strategies and programs in special education, particularly strategies and programs for students with significant disabilities.
Evidence of student success through specially designed instruction.
Familiarity with Iowa Core Curriculum, Essential Elements, Iowa Alternate Assessment, and instructional strategies for students with significant disabilities.
Strong written and verbal communication skills are critical to the success of this position.
Must possess the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with a variety of individuals, including school staff, administrators, AEA staff, parents, and outside agency staff.
Individual must have effective listening skills.
Must be an effective coach and facilitator in a variety of situations.
Position requires the ability to support educators and teams in enhancing skills and program planning for students with disabilities.
Position requires the ability to model, observe, and provide feedback in a non-evaluative way.
Must have skills in observing, gathering, and analyzing data.
Position requires assisting educators in data gathering and analysis to develop educational plans.
Must have the ability to plan both long-term and short-term goals and for coordinating efforts for timely accomplishment of those goals.
Must have the ability show initiative, working independently and with groups, and the ability to be self-directed.
Position requires determining how to prioritize, allocate, and schedule time daily and weekly to address coaching and student needs across the district.
Position requires strong organizational skills.
Must have the ability to organize and assimilate information, diagnostic data, scheduling, and other needs related to special education programming and individual student planning.
Excellent attendance record is required.
Normal office physical demands.
May be required to lift up to 50 pounds infrequently.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Generally employee works inside.

Nice To Haves

Graduate work in special education preferred.

Responsibilities

Adheres to Board policies, district procedures, and contractual obligations.
Demonstrates professional and instructional leadership, models professional and ethical behavior, and maintains professional confidentiality.
Provides leadership for principals, teachers, special education coaches, and related staff by planning, collaborating, mentoring, and facilitating change to implement consistent, quality services for students with significant disabilities across the district.
Assists principals in understanding, recognizing, and implementing effective programs for students with significant disabilities.
Assists special education teachers and para-educators through job-embedded professional development by demonstrating strategies and lessons, introducing materials, programs, and ideas, modeling effective teaching and intervention strategies, coaching, and assisting with individual and/or team planning and problem-solving.
Collaborates with teachers to understand the Core Curriculum and Essential Elements in relationship to intensive instruction/interventions for students with IEPs who are alternately assessed and to modify courses, units, lessons, and assessments to meet individual student needs and to provide high quality, rigorous academic instruction for student with significant disabilities.
Develops and sustains trusting, productive relationships with teachers, administrators, para-educators, AEA staff, and other colleagues individually and in teams.
Assists in identifying, acquiring, and organizing resources to support student achievement.
Assists in training and implementation of alternate assessments, including state and district assessments.
Assists teachers in the collection, analysis, and use of varied data to identify student adaptive, behavioral, communication, and learning needs, to plan instruction and interventions to address these needs, to assess student progress toward expected outcomes, and to make instructional decisions based on this data.
Conducts peer observations and feedback in a non-evaluative role.
Collaborates with other special education and instructional coaches to maximize resources.
Conveys enthusiasm about learning, models and supports the belief that all students can succeed, and fosters excellence in teaching and learning.
Completes other duties as assigned.