Teacher Special Education (Pre-Kindergarten ABL)
Job Location:
Holyoke, CO - USA
Monthly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
DISTRICT OVERVIEW
Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4800 students of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery support and belonging.
Many successes contributed to Holyokes return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:
- The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
- Meaningful applied learning opportunities for high school students including theme-based academies career vocational technical education programming work-based learning and advanced coursework
- A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring contributing to more students reading at grade level
- A thriving dual language English/Spanish program where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual biliterate and bicultural
- More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.
Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us our recent accomplishments and our commitment to equity.
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PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO
Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12. grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que en conjunto educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento apoyo y pertenencia.
Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:
- La tasa de graduación más alta registrada del 77.1 % lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
- Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria que incluyen academias temáticas programas de educación técnica y vocacional aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
- Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
- Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo la biliteracidad y la biculturalidad.
- Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.
Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad.
The Pre-Kindergarten Applied Behavioral Learning (ABL) Teacher will design and lead a joyful language-rich developmentally appropriate learning environment for young children with autism and related neurodiverse disabilities.
The teacher will provide individualized instruction and support that develops communication play early academic skills social-emotional development self-regulation adaptive functioning and independence. As the instructional leader of the classroom the teacher will work closely with families paraeducators general education teachers behavior analysts and related service providers to ensure that every student experiences safety belonging meaningful progress and access to inclusive opportunities.
Commitment to Equity and Belonging: Holds an unwavering belief in the capacity of every child and works to eliminate barriers to access participation achievement and belonging.
High Expectations with Warmth: Builds trusting relationships while maintaining clear developmentally appropriate expectations and consistently communicating that every student is capable of growth.
Instructional Leadership: Effectively leads a classroom team by creating clarity modeling expectations assigning responsibilities coaching staff and ensuring consistent implementation of student plans.
Developmental and Data-Informed Thinking: Understands that progress in Pre-K includes communication engagement play regulation independence social development and early academic learning. Uses evidence to make thoughtful instructional decisions.
Solution-Oriented Problem-Solving: Responds to complex student needs with curiosity urgency creativity and a willingness to adjust supports based on evidence.
Adaptability and Composure: Remains flexible calm and student-centered in a dynamic environment where needs priorities and circumstances may shift quickly.
Collaboration and Cultural Responsiveness: Values the expertise of families and colleagues communicates respectfully and works effectively across differences in language culture background identity and professional role.
Create and maintain a joyful safe predictable structured and developmentally appropriate classroom environment.
Plan and deliver explicit individualized and play-based instruction addressing early academics functional communication social-emotional development play self-regulation motor development adaptive skills and independence.
Differentiate instruction materials classroom routines and the learning environment to address each students strengths interests developmental level sensory profile communication needs and learning style.
Implement evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices including visual supports task analysis reinforcement prompting and fading naturalistic instruction discrete-trial instruction when appropriate and opportunities for students to generalize skills across people and settings.
Support and honor all forms of student communication including speech gestures visuals signs behavior and augmentative and alternative communication systems.
Provide repeated opportunities for students to make choices communicate their needs engage with peers participate in classroom routines and develop greater independence.
Develop write implement and monitor high-quality Individualized Education Programs in collaboration with families and the multidisciplinary team.
Translate IEP goals into clear daily instruction classroom routines staff responsibilities and systems for collecting evidence of student progress.
Prepare for and participate meaningfully in IEP meetings evaluations progress reviews transition meetings and other student-centered team meetings.
Complete IEPs progress reports assessment reports data summaries and other required documentation accurately and within district state and federal timelines.
Maintain organized and confidential student records in accordance with applicable laws regulations and district procedures.
Administer and interpret developmentally appropriate formal and informal assessments.
Collect objective data on student communication engagement academic performance behavior social development adaptive skills and independence.
Regularly analyze student data to determine whether instruction and interventions are producing meaningful progress.
Adjust instructional strategies learning targets prompting levels materials behavioral supports and opportunities for practice in response to evidence.
Write clear detailed reports that summarize assessment results identify student strengths and needs and provide actionable recommendations.
Develop a classroom culture grounded in relationships co-regulation positive reinforcement dignity predictability and respect.
Collaborate with behavior analysts autism specialists families and other team members in the development and implementation of individualized behavior support and safety plans.
Identify the function and communicative purpose of student behavior and teach meaningful replacement skills including communication requesting assistance waiting transitioning coping and self-advocacy.
Use proactive environmental supports crisis-prevention strategies and appropriate de-escalation techniques to reduce distress and maintain safety.
Ensure that physical restraint is never used as punishment or as a standard response to behavior. Participate in emergency physical intervention only when legally permissible necessary to prevent assault or imminent serious physical harm and consistent with required training and district procedures.
Follow all required procedures for incident response documentation family notification medical follow-up and administrative reporting.
Serve as the instructional leader of the classroom and establish clear roles routines and expectations for paraeducators and other supporting staff.
Develop systems that ensure adults are strategically assigned to instruction data collection communication support behavior support inclusion transitions and personal-care routines.
Model effective instructional and behavioral practices and provide paraeducators with regular guidance feedback and opportunities to practice.
Promote consistent implementation of IEPs communication systems behavior plans prompting procedures and data-collection protocols across all staff members.
Foster a professional team culture grounded in shared responsibility respectful communication problem-solving confidentiality and a relentless commitment to students.
Actively plan and facilitate meaningful opportunities for students to learn play communicate and build relationships alongside peers in inclusive settings.
Collaborate with general education teachers to identify appropriate supports accommodations instructional goals and measures of success for inclusion.
Partner closely with speech-language pathologists occupational therapists physical therapists behavior analysts counselors nurses special education leaders and other service providers.
Participate in team meetings professional learning communities consultation sessions and schoolwide initiatives.
Support students across classroom arrival dismissal meals recess specials community experiences and other school environments as appropriate.
Build trusting respectful and culturally responsive relationships with students families and caregivers.
Communicate regularly with families about student strengths progress emerging needs classroom experiences and opportunities for partnership.
Ensure that family perspectives priorities cultural knowledge and knowledge of their child are meaningfully reflected in planning and decision-making.
Work collaboratively with interpreters and district staff to ensure families can fully access and participate in communication and the IEP process.
Ensure that students receive respectful and individualized support with toileting hygiene feeding dressing mobility positioning and other adaptive routines identified in their educational medical or safety plans.
Protect student privacy and dignity during all personal-care routines.
Follow all required medical guidance health plans safety protocols and staff-training requirements.
Remain current with accepted research and best practices in early childhood education special education autism support communication applied behavior analysis inclusion and positive behavioral interventions.
Participate actively in required professional development coaching consultation and district training.
Demonstrate reliability professional judgment confidentiality strong attendance and timely follow-through.
Perform other responsibilities consistent with the role and assigned by the building principal or district administration.
Bachelors degree or higher from an accredited institution.
Possession of or eligibility to obtain a Massachusetts educator license appropriate for the assignment as determined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Holyoke Public Schools.
SEI Endorsement or eligibility to obtain the endorsement within the required timeline.
At least one year of full-time teaching experience or equivalent professional experience working in an educational setting.
Experience supporting children with autism developmental disabilities communication needs and significant academic behavioral or adaptive support needs.
Knowledge of the special education evaluation IEP-development implementation progress-monitoring and reporting processes.
Ability to collect analyze and apply student-performance data to instructional planning and decision-making.
Demonstrated ability to establish a structured positive and developmentally appropriate classroom environment.
Strong written verbal interpersonal and organizational skills.
Ability to lead and collaborate effectively with paraeducators families educators specialists and school leaders.
Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation including active supervision and the provision of physical or adaptive support consistent with student plans and district training.
Experience teaching preschool-aged children with autism or related neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Experience implementing applied behavior analysis naturalistic developmental interventions visual supports functional communication training and augmentative and alternative communication systems.
Experience leading coaching or coordinating the work of classroom paraeducators.
Experience supporting students with significant communication behavioral sensory adaptive or personal-care needs.
Experience facilitating meaningful inclusion with typically developing peers.
Experience working in an urban school district and with culturally and linguistically diverse students and families.
Bilingual applicants particularly applicants who speak Spanish are strongly encouraged to apply.
Required Experience:
IC
