Special Education Teacher (Preschool), Early Childhood Center, Salem Public Schools SY2025-2026

Salem Public Schools•Salem, MA

About The Position

About Salem Public Schools , where belonging leads to opportunity. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity , and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan : 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply. What You’ll Do: As a collaborative member of the Special Education team, this Special Education Teacher is responsible for teaching students aged 3-5 in integrated or substantially separate programs at Salem’s Early Childhood Center. The Preschool Special Education Teacher works in consultation with special education teams to provide developmentally appropriate, fun and accessible learning experiences for students with disabilities and their peers. The Preschool Special Education Teacher will effectively manage a continuous caseload, including providing specialized instruction that allows students to progress academically and socially; assuring that documented accommodations are delivered with consistency; participating in professional learning communities; providing parent communication, developing and implementing IEPs; developing and implementing behavioral interventions; and working with paraprofessional staff to ensure the consistent provision of a high-quality program for Salem’s youngest students.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree Required; Master’s Degree preferred
Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure in Special Education (Moderate Disabilities licensure).
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (Required within 1-year of start date)
Safety Care trained or willing to be a trained (District provides)
Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
Proficiency with technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites (Remind preferred), Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) desirable.
Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by the District, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities.
Current authorization to work in the United States

Nice To Haves

Severe Disabilities license preferred but not required
Experience with ABA methodology preferred but not required
Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
Bilingual, candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply

Responsibilities

Oversee programming for students in the Integrated and/or substantially separate preschool classroom
Provide specialized instruction that will allow all students to successfully engage in instruction based upon best practice standards for public preschools.
Work with the classroom support team and assigned clinical staff to develop data-taking mechanisms and analyze data to drive instruction and monitor student progress
Maintain consistent positive relationships with students and manage student behavior by implementing positive student management strategies
Work collaboratively across school settings and with parents and various community agencies to improve the quality of student outcomes and create and implement Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
Demonstrate ability to write an effective IEP with SMART goals and sensible accommodations and generate progress reports using IEP software.
Demonstrate ability to administer, interpret and report findings from standardized evaluations.
Able to administer remote assessments, if needed
Present evidence of student progress toward goals and objectives in a professional manner during special education meetings.
Evaluate students' abilities in preschool readiness/academics and social development using formal and informal measures.
Support and assist paraprofessionals and other school personnel in their implementation of classroom goals and IEP accommodations, modification, and goals.
Use innovative approaches and instructional strategies to increase student access to learning and confidence to learn.
Modify/adapt materials, instructional lessons, etc. to meet the specific needs of students across the school day, as identified in their IEPs.
Embed social-emotional learning (SEL) and strategies into lesson-planning.
Ability to use technology to provide access to learning and to teach in a remote learning environment, if needed.
Additional duties as appropriate, assigned by the building Principal, Special Education Supervisor or Executive Director of Special Education.