Substantially Separate Special Education Teacher ACCESS
Dedham, MA - USA
Job Summary
The ACCESS Special Education Teacher provides intensive specially designed instruction to students with significant academic cognitive language social-emotional behavioral and adaptive learning needs within a substantially separate classroom. The teacher creates a highly structured supportive and inclusive learning environment that promotes student independence while providing individualized instruction aligned with each students IEP learning profile and Massachusetts curriculum frameworks.
The ACCESS teacher works collaboratively with related service providers general education teachers families and school staff to ensure students develop academically socially emotionally behaviorally and functionally while maximizing opportunities for meaningful inclusion.
- Provide explicit systematic evidence-based instruction across all academic content areas.
- Design and deliver individualized lessons aligned to IEP goals and student learning profiles.
- Modify curriculum assignments and assessments while maintaining access to grade-level standards whenever appropriate.
- Implement multisensory phonics based instruction with fidelity.
- Provide repeated practice reteaching scaffolding and multiple opportunities for skill mastery.
- Differentiate instruction based on student readiness cognitive profile communication needs and learning style.
- Embed executive functioning instruction throughout the day.
- Implement all accommodations modifications goals benchmarks and service delivery outlined within each students IEP.
- Collect ongoing data to monitor progress toward IEP goals.
- Use progress monitoring data to adjust instruction and interventions.
- Prepare progress reports and participate in annual and reevaluation meetings.
- Collaborate with the Special Education Team Chair regarding student progress and programming decisions.
- Embed social-emotional learning throughout daily instruction.
- Teach self-regulation coping strategies executive functioning and problem-solving skills.
- Implement individualized behavior intervention plans (BIPs) and positive behavior supports.
- Utilize proactive classroom management strategies.
- Teach replacement behaviors and reinforce positive behaviors.
- Schedule and facilitate individualized regulation breaks as needed.
- Embed communication instruction throughout all classroom activities.
- Teach:
- Conversation skills
- Peer interactions
- Social problem solving
- Self-advocacy
- Perspective taking
- Functional communication
- Collaborate with Speech-Language Pathologists to generalize communication goals across settings.
Provide direct instruction in:
- Daily living skills
- Functional academics
- Organization
- Independence
- Classroom routines
- Community readiness (as appropriate)
- Adaptive behavior skills
Maintain a classroom that includes:
- Structured daily routines
- Predictable schedules
- Visual supports
- Calm sensory-friendly spaces
- Positive behavior systems
- Individual workstations
- Small-group instructional areas
- Flexible seating and regulation tools
- High expectations paired with individualized supports
Collaborate with general education teachers to support meaningful inclusion opportunities when appropriate.
Work collaboratively with:
- General education teachers
- Special Education ESPs
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Occupational Therapists
- BCBA
- School Adjustment Counselor
- Physical Therapist (when appropriate)
- School Psychologist
- Families
- District specialists
Participate in:
- Team meetings
- IEP meetings
- Consultation meetings
- Problem-solving meetings
- Transition planning
- Professional development
- Conduct ongoing formative assessments.
- Collect daily academic behavioral communication and functional skill data.
- Monitor student growth using curriculum-based measures.
- Analyze student performance to inform instructional decisions.
- Maintain accurate documentation of student progress.
- Maintain regular communication with families.
- Share student progress successes and areas for continued growth.
- Collaborate with caregivers to support skill generalization across home and school environments.
- Massachusetts licensure in Moderate Disabilities (PreK8 or 512); Severe Disabilities licensure preferred.
- Training in Wilson Reading System and/or Orton-Gillingham (preferred).
- Experience working with students with complex learning behavioral communication and social-emotional needs.
- Knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices for students with disabilities.
- Strong collaboration organization and communication skills.
Required Experience:
IC
About Company
The Public Schools of Dedham, home to America's first tax supported, free public school.