Middle School Special Education Teacher

Description

Bronx Charter School for the Arts (Bronx Arts) is a public k-8 school, located in both the Hunts Point and Soundview sections of the South Bronx. Bronx Arts is founded on the principle that a rich and vibrant background in the arts is a key component of achieving academic excellence. We strive to serve as a model that encourages creativity and innovation in the classroom and inspires students to develop the intellectual and personal fortitude to realize their dreams. At Bronx Arts, students receive daily instruction in theater, dance, music, and visual arts, and lessons in these subjects are integrated into the academic curriculum.

OPPORTUNITY SUMMARY

BRONX ARTS seeks a Middle School Special Education Teacher responsible for promoting a positive school culture while working with students, their families, and outside instructional consultants to ensure that the high expectations we have for our students are maintained in their classroom. Teachers are expected to support the social, emotional and cognitive development of young children.

Student Achievement

• Collaborates with classroom teachers to design and execute individualized instructional plans for students with special needs in order to ensure they achieve academically at high levels, and are fully included in the classroom.

To this end, the Special Education Teacher:

• Plans purposefully in order to provide individual students with opportunities for constructing meaning and developing understandings of new concepts.

• Utilizes developmentally appropriate and rigorous curricula and instructional materials that are tightly aligned to Bronx Arts' benchmarks and New York State standards.

• Presents students with new ideas and concepts through a variety of strategies, and inspires and guides them to explore, express and uncover new ideas of their own.

• Modifies existing instructional plans as necessary to accommodate individual student's special needs.

• Administers, collects, and analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data gathered from a variety of assessments on each student

• Reflects regularly on data from student assessments alone and with colleagues, inclusion team, administration, or students' families in order to in order to inform his or her work, modify practices, and increase student achievement.

• Collaborates with arts specialists and other colleagues in designing and co-teaching lessons that integrate the arts into other content areas and classroom routines when appropriate in order to promote the arts and improve student achievement.

• Builds relationships with his or her students' families through regular communication about students' progress and ways in which families can support their children's learning.

• Regularly participates in school-wide student assessments in order to diagnose students' needs. These include Tier 1 assessments administered to all students to screen for special needs, and Tier 2 assessments administered to targeted students to monitor progress.

• Refers students when necessary for special services through either the existing school resources, or the more formal Committee on Special Education.

School Culture

• Creates a classroom community that maintains the school's high social expectations for students as defined by the Bronx Arts operating principles.

• Participates in the on-going effort to establish a school culture that reinforces the school's mission, goals, and operating principles within all aspects of the Bronx Arts community.

Human Resources and On-going Development

• Actively works to improve his or her own practice in order to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for excellent instruction and to generally increase his or her effectiveness in the organization.

• Operates according to the professional standards of the school, which are defined in detail within the schools' staff policies and procedures handbook.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and teach clear and engaging lessons that follow the rigorous, Common Core aligned Bronx Arts curriculum

• Provide individual or small group instruction for students who require additional academic support

• Differentiate small group instruction for students with special needs

• Utilize formal and informal assessment data to drive instruction and ensure student mastery of standards

• Build a warm and inclusive classroom environment

• Create and maintain strong relationships with students and families

• Actively participate in grade-level meetings, collaborative planning, and professional development, including an annual summer institute

Requirements

EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required; Master's degree preferred

• New York State teacher certification in special education is required

• Experience teaching math is preferred

• The ability to create a classroom environment where students feel safe, supported, and challenged

Compensation packages are competitive and commensurate with experience. Benefits include: Health, dental, vision, paid time-off, short-term disability, life Insurance, commuter benefit Program. Optional benefits include: 403b retirement plan and medical flexible spending account.

Bronx Arts is an equal opportunity employer. Bronx Arts does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.