Special Education Teacher/UDL TOSA: 26-27 30

Aberdeen School District•Aberdeen, WA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is a dual role, combining 0.6 FTE as a Special Education Teacher and 0.4 FTE as a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Inclusive Practices Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA). The Special Education Teacher is responsible for planning and adapting educational programs to enable students to benefit from their education, working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team. The UDL TOSA will provide districtwide instructional coaching, professional learning, and systems-level support to strengthen inclusive educational practices, focusing on developing sustainable systems, resources, and staff capacity. The TOSA will prioritize supports that can be scaled, replicated, and sustained across the district.

Requirements

B. A. degree in Education.
Valid Washington State Elementary or Secondary Teaching certificate with appropriate endorsement in Special Education.
Successful experience teaching students with diverse learning needs.
Demonstrated understanding of Universal Design for Learning and inclusive instructional practices.
Demonstrated experience collaborating with general education and special education staff.
Strong interpersonal, communication, facilitation, and organizational skills.
Ability to provide constructive, strengths-based instructional coaching.
Ability to develop practical professional learning and instructional resources.
Ability to work collaboratively with staff across multiple schools and departments.
Experience and/or flexibility to work in a variety of programs including inclusionary models preferred.
Ability to plan and implement instructional programs to meet needs of diverse learners.
Ability to work cooperatively with others.
Knowledge of the curriculum and the needs of students with learning, behavioral or emotional disabilities.
Knowledge/experience in technology to implement and enhance student learning.
Knowledge of various instructional strategies, classroom management skills, including behavioral strategies; interventions and observation recording.
Knowledge of special education laws and regulations.
Knowledge of state learning goals and assessments.
Ability to work and teach in a multidisciplinary environment.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of people.
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.
Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical information and instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional program.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, peers, parents and community.
Effective communication skills both verbal and in writing.
Ability to maintain confidential information.

Nice To Haves

Experience as a special education teacher, instructional coach, teacher leader, or similar instructional leadership role.
Experience with co-teaching and collaborative planning.
Formal training or demonstrated expertise in Universal Design for Learning.
Experience designing and facilitating professional development.
Experience developing digital resources, recorded trainings, or online professional learning.
Knowledge of evidence-based practices for students with disabilities.
Experience using instructional data to guide professional learning or coaching.
Experience and/or training with cultural, ethnic and language diversity desired.

Responsibilities

Work cooperatively with administrators and staff to develop and implement individualized and meaningful education programs for eligible students.
Implement alternative behavior modification techniques that meet individual students needs.
Participate as a member of the multidisciplinary team to continually assess student needs and evaluate and interpret learning progress and performance.
Schedule and conduct conferences with students, parents, staff and outside agencies.
Coordinate training and work assignments of instructional assistants.
Prepare and maintain timely student data, records and reports, as required.
Effectively communicate learning progress with students and parents.
Participate in extracurricular programs, activities, meetings and conferences as required.
Work with psychologist, mental health professional or intervention specialist to develop individual education plans to meet student learning needs.
Plan and develop daily/weekly instructional programs for students in collaboration with other professionals.
Provide consultation services to District staff.
Work with students, parents and teachers in developing, implementing and monitoring behavior management plans as required.
Develop and implement a transition plan for students returning to the regular classroom.
Work collaboratively with parents to develop a strong home-school partnership and to support student success.
Direct activities of non-certificated personnel, if required.
Evaluate and record student progress.
Prepare and maintain required records and reports.
Collect and interpret a variety of data.
Maintain confidentiality of student information and records.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Provide job-embedded instructional coaching to special education resource teachers and their general education co-teachers to strengthen inclusive instructional practices.
Coach teachers in the intentional integration of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) into daily instruction, planning, assessment, and classroom environments.
Model, co-teach, observe, and provide strengths-based feedback on effective instructional practices.
Support teachers in identifying barriers to student access and proactively designing instruction to address learner variability.
Help instructional teams move from reactive accommodations toward proactive instructional design that provides multiple pathways for students to access, engage with, and demonstrate learning.
Support teachers in using student data and evidence of learning to adjust instruction and make informed instructional decisions.
Support educators in developing and strengthening a repertoire of High-Leverage Practices, with particular emphasis on HLP4, 5, 6, 11, and 12.
Help teachers understand how these HLPs work together as a coherent instructional cycle rather than as isolated strategies.
Develop practical tools, exemplars, coaching protocols, and professional learning that help educators translate HLPs into classroom practice.
Support teachers in selecting and implementing high-leverage practices based on student needs, learning goals, and available evidence.
Support teachers in using UDL principles to proactively plan for learner variability while maintaining rigorous, meaningful learning goals.
Help teams identify the essential learning goal before determining instructional methods, materials, grouping, accommodations, or supports.
Support educators in systematically designing instruction.
Help educators distinguish between changing the learning goal and changing the pathway students use to reach the goal, ensuring that accessibility does not unnecessarily reduce rigor.
Support resource teachers and general education co-teachers in developing effective, sustainable co-teaching partnerships.
Design and facilitate professional learning focused on UDL, High-Leverage Practices, inclusive instruction, co-teaching, and evidence-based instructional strategies.
Collaborate with building and district leaders to align UDL/HLP professional learning with existing instructional priorities and systems.
Develop and maintain a districtwide UDL and HLP resource library/toolkit for educators.
Prioritize resources and systems that can be maintained and used districtwide after the TOSA assignment ends.
Support educators in using multiple sources of student data to develop a comprehensive understanding of student strengths, needs, and progress.
Promote instructional practices that increase access to grade-level standards and meaningful participation for students with disabilities and other diverse learners.
Support the integration of specially designed instruction, accommodations, assistive technology, and UDL within general education settings.
Support teachers in designing instruction that maintains high expectations while providing appropriate scaffolds and multiple pathways to learning.
Collaborate with special education administrators, general education leaders, instructional coaches, building administrators, and other district staff to strengthen inclusive instructional systems.
Develop teacher-leader capacity so UDL and HLP implementation can be sustained within individual buildings.