Special Education Teacher jobs in District of Columbia

Background of the Organization

Sela was created to help tackle educational inequity, racial segregation and cultural isolation -  to create a place where students would be celebrated as they begin their global citizenship journey. We are a bilingual Hebrew-English school that proudly serves and educates 280 PreK-3 - 5th grade students here in DC. We are thrilled to continue to expand on the educational opportunities we can offer to our students and hope that this new role can support us as we grow and deepen our work. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.selapcs.org/ 

Overview

The Special Education Teacher position is student-focused. This position will play an essential role in providing services to our special education students, both through push-ins and pull-outs. In addition, this position is focused on ensuring IEPs are executed accordingly and meetings and communications with families are conducted often and in accordance with the law.

Job Responsibilities
Student Achievement & Character Development

• Assume responsibility for demonstrating achievement of IEP goals and facilitates IEP meetings
• Set and hold students to extremely high academic and behavioral standards
• Provide a continuum of special education) instructional opportunities for students to work one-on-one, in small groups, and as a class (as appropriate)

• Deliver measurable student academic growth and increase each individual student’s achievement 

• Serve as “owner” of all special education-related services, including writing and implementing rigorous, standards-driven IEPs, managing legal documents and files related to students’ IEPs and 504 plans, liaising with external service providers, ensuring all services are in compliance with mandates, and coordinating annual IEP review process
• Develop interventions for students demonstrating disciplinary concerns, truancy, and/or academic failure
   

Core Instructional Excellence

• Address IEP goals and support general education class assignments in resource/pullout classes/groups
• Monitor and support implementation of goals and objectives in inclusion classes; collaborates with related service providers and monitors service delivery; monitors Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs); provides accommodation/modification support

• Work in collaboration with general education teachers to assess every student’s mastery of the content and diagnose areas of student misunderstanding 
   

Classroom Culture

• Create positive, achievement-oriented and structured learning environment so that students are excited about, and invested in, their academic excellence

• Set and reinforce clear expectations and routines that are aligned with the school’s overall vision
• Ensure that special education and/or ELL students are being educated in the least restrictive environment 

Planning and Data Analysis

• Assume responsibility for writing both initial and annual IEPs and adapting IEPs for review meetings; take comprehensive meeting notes
• Continually sculpt instruction around the results of assessments and students’ IEP goals
• Internalize standards and scope and sequence (for own grade/subject and the grades one year before and one year after) and know how standards are assessed

• Thoughtfully plan lessons and develop and implement specific strategies to ensure that each student achieves dramatic gains 
• Administer end-of-year academic testing in preparation for the annual IEP meeting
• Maintain a portfolio of student work samples, anecdotal data, and classroom observation information
   

Student and Family Relationships

• Encourage parent partnerships and maintain positive communication with parents/caregivers regarding student progress, successes and challenges
• Build rapport with students outside of class (e.g. lunches with students, special events) so students understand unambiguously that teachers care about the students.

• Invest parents and families in their children’s academic success through regular communication of successes and challenges
• Communicate regularly with parents about students’ progress towards IEPs goals

Personal Organization and Effectiveness

• Reflect on successes and areas of growth around all areas of teaching; seek to improv performance; receive feedback eagerly
• Enthusiastically participate in structured and informal learning and development opportunities 
• Create successful partnerships with outside parties (e.g., OSSE, DCPS, DCPCSB)

Skills and Characteristics

• Strong instructional and classroom management skills 
• Demonstrated mastery of subject matter 
• Unyielding commitment to students, self and school’s constant learning and development
• Relentlessness - doing whatever it takes to ensure success 
• Belief in Sela PCS’s mission, educational model, and core values 
• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude 

Educational Background and Work Experience 

• Two years of teaching experience in a special education setting with a record of high student achievement 
• Bachelor’s degree from a competitive college or university (Masters degree preferred)
• Highly Qualified Teacher status

Compensation 
Salary for this position is dependent on the Sela PCS Salary Scale, viewed on our website at selapcs.org.