Teacher Middle/High School Special Education
Job Description
SPED (Special Education Educator) Teacher Job Description
Status: Full-Time
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Reports To: Head of School
Annual Contract Days: 192
American Indian Academy of Denver (AIAD) is an Indigenized STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) public school providing rigorous, interactive learning opportunities for 6-9th grade students.
We are committed to creating a sustainable environment where students, staff, and parents are safe, feel they belong, and are actively engaged. All variations within the identities of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, language, ability, nationality, tribal affiliation, immigration status, age, and class are honored; each member of the school community is deeply valued and provided with what they need to be healthy physically, socially, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Employment at AIAD means becoming part of a community of caring and driven adults dedicated to the strengthening of indigenous peoples’ self-determination, mobility and academic excellence attained through the implementation of Indigenized education. Collaboratively, teachers are afforded the autonomy to develop and implement lesson plans within AIAD’s integrated STEAM and ELA/SS curriculum and learning experiences for students and will be provided technical support in doing so. Teachers are also expected to transcend western educational expectations of what curriculum should be by ever-increasingly leaning into models of fun, meaningful learning and identity development that caters to the unique needs that indigenous students have. This can include decolonized/Indigenized frameworks and pedagogies, land-based learning models, arts-based learning, social-emotional and trauma-informed teaching, mindfulness and post-trauma healing, restorative practices and classroom management, physical activity, traditional language learning, traditional ecological and ethnobotanical knowledge, oral tradition and storytelling as a means to ground content in indigenous worldview, etc. Collaboration across disciplines, different class subject matters, teachers and grades are welcome and encouraged in the interest of strengthening community and cooperation. Teachers are encouraged to also reach out and build solidarities with community members who are willing to come into class and share content, teachings, wisdom, skills and build relationships.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Secondary Special Education Moderate Needs Teacher instructs special education students in settings that provide a continuum of services from self-contained instruction to full inclusion in the regular classroom; helps all students develop competence and confidence simultaneously through a balance of acquiring basic skills and developing conceptual understanding; monitors, supervises, coordinates and enforces rules of conduct and behavior for assigned students, and reinforces positive student behaviors in accordance with school and District policy; observes, evaluates, reports and records students’ performance, behavior, social development, and physical health; communicates with parents or guardians, teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students’ behavioral and academic problems.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Serves students from all eligible categories.
- Teach literacy, math, STEAM, and language skills when necessary during Tier 1 instruction in these disciplines.
- Collaborates and consults with classroom teachers, and other specialists in a problem-solving approach to implement the most effective instructional plan for students.
- Attend house/grade level meetings at least once a month and advocate for student needs. Provides instruction at the large group, small group, and individual level; Plan and complete intellectual prep for co-teaching, push-in and pull-out classes.
- Complete all IEPs and evaluations before Annual or Triennial deadlines. Collaborates with general education staff for successful inclusion of students.
- Assists in screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring assessments. Assists in analyzing student data to determine student profile of needs, and for making instructional placement and instructional focus decisions.
- Provides direct instruction to small groups of students at the strategic level of intervention in order to supplement core instruction.
- Maintain required administrative records, for example: student attendance, evaluation, report cards, and student data.
- Collaborates with general education staff for the successful inclusion of students; Provide each general education teacher with information regarding each student’s disability and unique needs.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
- Must possess a current Colorado Department of Education Teachers License with endorsement in Special Education Generalist or Special Education Specialist. Previous experience working with young special needs students and their parents preferred;
- Teaches diverse middle school and high school, standards-based curriculum in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies and Personal Development;
- Has minimum of 3 years of experience working in a public-school setting. Experience and demonstrated success in increasing student achievement. Experience or training in evidence-based interventions;
- Provides screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring assessments. Assists in analyzing student data to determine student profile of needs, and for making instructional placement and instructional focus decisions;
- Has experience developing and implementing differentiated curriculum and learning objectives for a wide range of learners;
- Has experience and/or strong understanding of how to design culturally competent learning experiences.
STRONGLY PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND DISPOSITIONS:
- Loves teaching middle/high schoolers;
- Demonstrate a deep commitment to decolonized mindsets and practices;
- Has experience in project-based, problem-based learning experiences using integrated approaches;
- Has experience with cooperative learning techniques to enhance collaboration skills among students;
- Possess collaborative skills and a willingness to work with colleagues in a Professional Learning Community;
- Possess desire to learn and grow, and is open to feedback from instructional leaders and colleagues;
- Possess deep understanding of what it means to live as part of a marginalized group of people;
- Possess great relationship skills and high emotional intelligence;
- Demonstrate willingness to be involved in community activities and events outside of typical school hours.
WHY CHOOSE AIAD?
- Empowering work environment in a community-based school dedicated to community transformation;
- Opportunity to help build a high achieving school nested in Indigenous belief systems and values;
- Participate in a shared leadership model where all voices are heard;
- School committed to supporting professional growth for all employees;
- Health/dental/vision insurance and PERA (retirement);
- Staff wellness opportunities;
- Moving stipend for new employees moving to Denver from outside Colorado;
- $41,000 to $51,000 annual salary range dependent upon education and experience.
