Job Description

Manager of Special Education at Independence Charter School West (ICS West)

 

Our Team and School

 

    Who We Are

• ICS West exists to equip and empower global citizens, so that our communities are united.  Our students are becoming the leaders who will bring a divided world back together, and as a team, it is our responsibility to give them everything they need to do so.
• We believe that every student, with no exception, can achieve at their highest level, and our Big Goal reflects this – our students who are below grade level will make two years of growth every school year until they are at or above grade level in all subjects.  Right now, many of our students are not at this level.  Supporting them in getting there is the focus of everything we do as a team.
• We believe deeply in being an open enrollment, neighborhood public school, with the responsibility to meet the needs of every student who enrolls, with no exception.  Special education students currently make up 27% of our student population.
• Finally, we believe that being a cohesive team is the way to realize our vision.  Building trust with each other enables us to honor the unique perspectives that every team member brings, talk candidly about these perspectives as we commit to decisions, and hold each other accountable for the results our students deserve.

 

    Fast Facts

• Founded in 2016
• Serving 800 students in grades K-8 in the 21-22 school year, and growing to our full enrollment of 900 students in the 23-24 school year
• 100 team members and growing
• All students taught Spanish starting in Kindergarten
• Located in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia
• Newly renovated three-building school campus (renovation of fourth building in planning)

 

The Position

 

    Your Job

• You will be the leader of the Special Education team at ICS West, coaching and supporting our Special Education Teachers with whom you will ensure that our students with IEPs meet their IEP goals and make the academic growth necessary in all subject areas to be at or above grade level within the timeline set out in their IEPs.
• You will work with our Director of Student Support and our Principal to continue to develop our curriculum and instruction plan for special education, ensuring that our students with IEPs are given the scaffolding they need to be able to be successful with grade level content as soon as possible.
• You will work with our Director of Student Support and our Principal to become an expert in coaching and leading professional development that ensures that every student in every special education setting is working and thinking at an appropriately rigorous level, all the time.
• You will coach and partner with our Special Education Compliance Specialist to ensure compliance with all timelines, meetings, procedures, and documentation; build and cultivate relationships with all outside stakeholders (agencies, districts, PDE, APS); and ensure that we meet not only the requirements, but also the spirit of special education law, meeting the needs of our students and families completely.

 

    Your Teams

• You will lead the Special Education team consisting of our Special Education Compliance Specialist, Special Education Teachers and Assistants, Occupational Therapist, and Speech Therapists.
• Your team is supported by our Director of Student Support and the entire Student Support team (including Counselors, School Social Worker, Student Support Specialists, ELD Teacher, and SEL Teachers), Principal and Assistant Principals, Operations Manager and team, and CEO.
• You will be part of the Instructional Leadership team with our Principal, Director of Student Support, Assistant Principals, and Content Specialists.
• You will also be part of the team composed of the entire staff of the school, meeting weekly to celebrate each other for living our values and doing our best to support our students.

 

  

 

  Your Life

• ICS West is located at 56th St. and Chester Ave. in Southwest Philadelphia.  The 13 trolley stops at our front door, and we have limited off-street parking.
• Your start date will be July 1, 2021 (this is a 12-month position).
• The salary range for this position is $60,000 to $75,000, depending on experience.
• You will have 15 vacation days in each of your first 3 years with us, increasing to 20 days in your 4th year and beyond.
• ICS West pays for 100% of the cost of employee and dependent health benefits, and matches 403b contributions up to 5%.  We do not participate in PSERS.

 

You

 

    This role is a fit if…

• You know that it is our responsibility as educators to give every single student everything they need.
• You are excited about having a coach and becoming the best leader you can be.
• You are excited about being a coach and helping teachers become the best they can be for our students.
• You know that a team can accomplish more than an individual, and are excited to get to know your teammates, build trust with them, and have candid conversations with them.
• You have a bachelor’s degree and a valid Special Education certificate; Supervisor cert is preferred, but we will consider an outstanding candidate who does not have this yet and wants to attain it while working with us.
• You have at least 3 years of Special Education teaching experience, with at least 1 year of experience leading a Special Education team or department.
• You have at least 1 year of experience coaching and/or leading professional development for teachers.

 

    Your Impact

• A year from now, the partnerships between our Special Education and general education teachers grown under your leadership are simply “the ICS West way of doing things”, and have created an environment of safety and success for all students with special needs.
• Within the timelines set out in their IEPs, the students you and your team have supported will all have made clear incremental progress toward being at or above grade level in every subject area according to their IEP goals, placing them on a path toward a rigorous, college preparatory high school, and the ability to choose the life they dream of.
• A generation from now, the students you and your team have supported will be the global citizens and leaders that our world so desperately needs, uniting communities in Philadelphia, across the country, and around the world.

 

Application Details

 

If reading about ICS West and this position excites you, we want to meet you!  Please send your resume and a cover letter to icswesthiring@icswest.org, and we will be in touch shortly with next steps.

 

How to Apply

If reading about ICS West and this position excites you, we want to meet you!  Please send your resume and a cover letter to icswesthiring@icswest.org, and we will be in touch shortly with next steps.  

Bureaus: Philadelphia. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: Instructional Support. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.