Special Education Behavior Coach

Sioux City Community School District•Sioux City, IA

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The Special Education Behavior Coach will facilitate the implementation of high-quality behavioral programs, including professional development in daily practice for continuous improvement of social, emotional, and academic instruction. The overall goal 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 objective is to ensure that school staff acquires the understanding and skills to enhance behavioral and instructional practices at the classroom level, raise student achievement, and increase the graduation rate of students with behavioral needs.

Requirements

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.
A minimum of three years teaching experience.
Proper state certification and licensure for the position.
Evidence of professional learning and implementation of best practice strategies and programs in special education, particularly strategies and programs for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.
Evidence of student success through specially designed instruction and behavioral intervention.
Familiarity with Iowa Core Curriculum and instructional strategies.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with a variety of individuals, including school staff, administrators, AEA staff, parents, and outside agency staff.
Effective listening skills.
Ability to support educators and teams in enhancing skills and program planning for students with disabilities and at times when staff and parents may be dealing with intensive, challenging behavior.
Ability to model, observe, and provide feedback in a non-evaluative way.
Skills in observing, gathering, and analyzing data.
Assisting educators in data gathering and analysis to develop educational plans.
Ability to plan both long-term and short-term goals and for coordinating efforts for timely accomplishment of those goals.
Ability to show initiative working independently and with groups and the ability to be self-directed.
Determining how to prioritize, allocate, and schedule time daily and weekly to address coaching and student needs across the district.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to organize and assimilate information, diagnostic data, scheduling, and other needs related to special education programming and individual student planning.
Excellent attendance record.

Nice To Haves

BCBA certification is encouraged.
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, behavior technicians, and related staff by planning, collaborating, mentoring, and facilitating change to implement quality behavior services and to improve specially designed instruction for students with challenging behavior across the district.
Assists principals in understanding, recognizing, and implementing effective behavioral programs and strategies.
Assists special education teachers and para-educators through professional development by demonstrating strategies and lessons, introducing materials, programs, and ideas, modeling effective teaching and behavioral intervention strategies, coaching, and assisting with individual and/or team planning and problem-solving.
Assists school teams and IEP teams in problem-solving and planning for individual students to address academic and behavioral needs, including identifying needs, selecting research-based interventions, and developing intervention plans decision-making for individual students.
Assists in planning to support students transitioning from school to school and from alternative or residential settings.
Collaborates with AEA staff and IEP teams to ensure proper procedures are followed and to match students to appropriate programs and services.
Collaborates with teachers to understand the Core Curriculum in relationship to intensive instruction/intervention for students with IEPs and to differentiate courses, units, lessons, and assessments to meet individual students’ needs and to provide high quality, rigorous academic instruction for students with behavioral needs.
Develops and sustains trusting, productive relationships with teachers, administrators, para-educators, AEA staff, outside agencies, and other colleagues individually and in teams.
Assists in identifying, acquiring, and organizing resources to support student achievement.
Assists teachers in the collection, analysis, and use of varied data to identify student behavioral and learning needs, to plan instruction and interventions to address the 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.
Complete other duties as assigned.