Curriculum And Instruction Specialist - Special Education (High School)

The role of the Special Education Curriculum and Instruction Specialist (C&I Specialist) is to build teacher capacity and to enhance teacher understanding and implementation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment best practices in the target content-area that are aligned to RLAS' teaching and learning philosophy. C&I Specialists support teachers by assisting with curriculum, instruction, and assessment; data evaluation and analysis; identification of resources; investigation of best practices and action research for the content-area; provide ongoing coaching and feedback to teachers; and the design and implementation of professional development.

This position will work with Round Lake High School, the Round Lake Transition Center, and Out of District Placement.

Required Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, Master's degree preferred.

• Learning Behavior Specialist 1 endorsement.

• Illinois Professional Educator's Licensure in appropriate grade-level or content area.

• 5 years professional teaching experience in content area or relevant grade-level.

• High school special education experience.

• Experience with Transition Programming.

• Experience with out-of-district placement.

Special Requirements:

• Successfully demonstrated superior content knowledge for subjects / grade-levels being taught

• Has consistently demonstrated proficient or higher performance on three consecutive performance evaluations;

• Experience and knowledge in the area of research-based educational practices to address student achievement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The following identifies the primary and essential functions of the assignment and is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of all duties.

With the Assistant Principal of Educational Services and Outplacement…

1.Assists in coordinating the activities of staff in special education programs and services;

2.Assists in the allocation of special education programs, services, and resources in order to maximize efficiency and effectiveness;

3.Assists with the coordination of Child Find including pre-school screenings, referrals, initial Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and placements;

4.Assists with the supervision of programs for evaluation of special needs children;

5.Support the instructional development, especially in the target content-area, of all teachers in understanding the RLAS curriculum, instruction, and assessment processes;

6.Build strong, positive relationships with teachers, administrators, other coaches, students, parents and community members;

7.Using data, identify areas of focus and establish yearly goals;

8.Provide coaching and coordination for how the curriculum is taught consistent with District 116 initiatives and recognized best practices;

9.Assist teachers in understanding the RLAS mission and core values in general and in the content-area in particular;

10. Facilitate, support, and promote a system of mastery learning, standards-based instruction, and proficiency grading;

11. Promote and support the use of action research; common diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment; and re-teaching strategies to adjust classroom instruction;

12. Engage in data analysis and interpretation and provide information to district- and building-level staff as needed;

13. Participate in and/ or provide technical support to collaborative teams within buildings

14. Assist teachers with resources, materials, tools, information, etc. to support classroom instruction and planning;

15. May support teachers with curriculum software products and classroom/curriculum related technologies;

16. Support teachers and administrators in using data to improve instruction;

17. Assist teachers with the planning and pacing of lessons, the development of differentiated lessons, the development of corrective and enrichment activities, and the selection of best practices to meet the needs of students;

18. Informally observe (non-evaluative) classroom teaching and conduct walkthroughs;

19. Develop staff members' knowledge, skills, and abilities by creating and providing a variety of job embedded informal and formal professional learning opportunities to support teacher practice;

20. Implement PD activities by presenting directly to staff or scheduling individuals to present activities to staff, individuals, or as needed;

21. Contribute to the development of systems and structures to improve teacher practice within the school;

22. Assist teachers with making instructional decisions based on assessment data;

23. Assist teachers in creating materials that are aligned with curriculum;

24. Assist in the development and monitoring of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and intervention programs by observing, reviewing data, and meeting with teachers;

25. Provide assistance in researching instructional and/or curriculum issues or needs;

26. Encourage ongoing professional growth for all teachers;

27. Attend workshops and conferences to learn about new, innovative instructional practices and improve own knowledge and skills;

28. Support cross-curricular literacy;

29. Maintain a school and/or district "data wall" for assigned location;

30. Facilitate, support, and promote the implementation of research based instructional strategies and school or district initiatives such as competency based education, inquiry instruction methods, and mastery learning;

31. Assist with planning school improvement and professional development;

32. Conduct collaborative conversations with teachers and building- and district-level staff;

33. Work with the new teacher induction program to support new teachers as needed;

34. Meet regularly with district and building teaching and learning teams to align activities and plans according to improvement goals; make budget/spending recommendations as appropriate;

35. Function as an active member of school improvement teams as needed;

36. Performs other relevant duties as assigned;

37. Develops Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and placements;

38. Facilitate the transitioning of students back to district classrooms/programs;

39. Arrange transportation for ODP students;

40. Maintains ODP ESY recommendations;

41. Acts as District case manager for students placed in out of district schools;

42. Acts as liaison to the ROE for student placement at the Regional Safe School;

43. Build and maintain relationships with public and private therapeutic day schools, and

44. Other duties as assigned.

Necessary Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

The following identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential for the above position (this is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of all duties).

• Demonstrates knowledge of a variety of special education delivery models

• Demonstrates knowledge of curriculum modification for special needs students

• Demonstrates knowledge of research-based instructional strategies

• Demonstrates knowledge of a wide variety of assessment tools and the purposes for assessment

• Demonstrates thorough knowledge of curriculum and subject matter including relevant content-area standards (CCSS, NGSS, C3 Framework)

• Demonstrates knowledge of curriculum development and the implementation of standards-based learning and grading

• Demonstrates the ability to analyze and create an effective response to student assessment data

• Manages time and schedule, allowing for flexibility to maximize teacher learning and support

• Communicates effectively with all members of the school district and community including giving and receiving constructive feedback

• Ability to develop and give an effective presentation for a variety of purposes

• Ability to effectively communicate progress and needs of the district instructional program in the content-area

• Knowledge of relevant tests, including high-stakes tests, in the content-area

Note: The above statements are intended to describe the essential functions and related requirements of persons assigned to this job. They are not intended as an exhaustive list of job duties, responsibilities, and requirements.

Physical Requirements:

Individuals appointed to these assignments must have adequate physical strength, stamina, physical agility and visual and auditory acuity and must maintain such physical fitness as to be able to perform the duties of the assignment.

Reports To:

This job assignment falls under the direction of the Assistant Principal for Educational Services and Outplacement.

Application Procedure:

Apply online at http://www.applitrack.com/rlas/onlineapp/default.aspx