Teacher - ABA K-2

Holyoke Public Schools•Holyoke, MA

About The Position

Holyoke Public School District is seeking a highly qualified ABA Teacher for Middle School students with autism spectrum disorder in our Applied Behavioral Learning (ABL) Program. This teacher provides direct instruction in academic subjects, daily living skills, cognitive processing, social skill development, and vocational skills training. This teacher also assists in the development and implementation of behavior management as well as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs. Students enrolled in the ABL program receive the majority of their program within the specialized instructional setting, with access to inclusion to the maximum extent appropriate. This teacher will follow the regulations associated with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and procedural safeguards and Individual Education Plan (IEP) development and implementation. ABA teacher works under the supervision of the Chief of Pupil Services, Coordinator for District-Wide Autism Services, and School Principal.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
Minimum of 3 years working in an ABA setting
Minimum of 1 year supervising classroom staff
Experience with implementation of ABA strategies, including discrete trial training, pivotal response training, PECS training, data collection, and behavior plan
Commitment to ensuring academic success for all students
Ability to read, interpret, and apply student performance data to instructional planning and execution
Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills
Must possess Massachusetts Educators Licensure in Moderate or Severe Special Needs, All Levels.

Nice To Haves

RBT Training Preferred
CPI Training Preferred
Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams, strongly preferred
Experience working in an urban setting, preferred
Experience working with diverse student populations, preferred
Experience with using media and technology to target learning
Bilingual applicants (Spanish) strongly encouraged to apply

Responsibilities

Demonstrate an ability to use research-based principles of effective instruction, such as specific prompting protocols, discrete trial instruction (DTI), pivotal response training (PVT), and generalization training
Ability to create and implement programming to target academic skills, social skills, independence, activities of daily living, social skills, and targeted inclusion opportunities.
Follow district processes and procedures in assessing students referred for special education services to determine eligibility and appropriate services.
Coordinate and facilitate Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings.
Design individualized education plans appropriate to meet the learning needs of students.
Ability to complete thorough assessments, such as ABLLS-R, VB-MAPP, AFLS, and participate in FBA-related information gathering.
Provide necessary documentation and data to validate student progress toward goals and objectives.
Maintain and update special education records as required by district, state and federal agencies.
Ensure confidentiality of special education records.
Provide behavior management programs to address behavior challenges and increase appropriate student behavior.
Serve as a member of the school support team (SST).
Meets Regularly with Autism Specialist/BCBA to collaborate on programming and follow protocols designed by the Autism Specialist/BCBA
Coordinate the efforts and services of support personnel (OT, PT, Augmentative Communication, Speech/Language Pathologists, etc.) services to assist student with special needs.
Participate in professional development activities to develop specialized skills.
Establish positive working relationships with parents, teachers, educational assistants, and administrative personnel.
Train, plan for, and supervise ABL Paraprofessionals
Ability to maintain professional and committed relationships with families
Attends staff meetings and serve on staff committees as required
Other duties as required by district and building administration