Teacher Special Educator, SCALE (11 months), King Open

Position: Teacher Special Educator SCALE (11 months)

King Open School/Office of Student Services

About King Open School Community:

The King Opens commitment statement reads The King Open is committed to increasing every students ability to monitor her or his own learning to recognize the role of effort in learning and to work and succeed independently as well as cooperatively. Through differentiation and academic rigor we provide our students with a well-rounded education that will enable them to develop critical and flexible thinking capacity collaboration skills and a work ethic that will prepare them for becoming productive citizens. We know that this commitment cannot be fully realized without the support of our families. Therefore participation and feedback from parent/guardian/caregiver(s) is welcomed and we are also committed to ensuring that all of our families are deeply connected with their childs learning and the happenings in our school community.

Positive attitudes and perceptions influence teaching and learning. Here at the King Open we believe that it is our shared responsibility to maintain and cultivate positive attitudes and perceptions as we work together to create and plan activities. An authentic respect for diversity as evidenced by a sincere effort to learn about our students and to include culturally responsive pedagogy in our day-to-day routines will have a huge impact on creating/sustaining a safe orderly and high-achieving school community. We create opportunities for our students to acquire and integrate extend and refine as well as use content meaningfully so that they have the skills needed to actively explore and investigate the ever-changing world. Finally looking at student work and assessment data will aid the King Open staff in making informed decisions about instruction in an intentional effort to close gaps in student learning and dramatically increase student achievement.

The Office of Student Services:

The Office of Student Services (OSS) is responsible for providing a variety of support and services to students in Cambridge Public Schools (CPS). Our programs are dedicated to ensuring equitable access and success for students with disabilities and students who have advanced learning needs.

SCALE Program:

SCALE stands for Social Communication Academic and Life Skills Education. It is an eleven-month substantially separate program for scholars who require intensive specially designed instruction in any or all of these areas in a specialized classroom setting. A majority of our scholars are on the Autism Spectrum; however we provide services to students with a range of disabilities. We serve students throughout elementary middle and high school and also have a Post Graduate Program for young adults aged 18-22 who continue to qualify for special education services.

The Opportunity:

The Special Educator is responsible for providing specially designed instruction to students with disabilities in both general education settings and separate special education settings. The Special Educator will work collaboratively with general education special education and related services staff to ensure that students with disabilities achieve positive educational outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide direct special education services to students with disabilities
• Provide explicit instruction and/or support in reading/literacy math written language and social-emotional behavior
• Progress monitor student mastery of IEP goals and objectives using various assessments and data collection tools
• Develop Individualized Education Programs for students based on various types of data specific to the students present levels of functioning and performance
• Provide instruction to students using systematic structured and multisensory approaches to learning
• Collaborate with general education special education and related services staff
• Administer formal and informal assessments and analyze data to inform decisions regarding IEP goals/objectives learning approaches/content and support
• Accommodate and modify for student learning and support the general education teacher with the implementation of appropriate accommodations in the general education setting
• Any related duties as outlined by the Assistant Superintendent Special Education Director and/or Coordinator of the Office of Student Services with mild/moderate special needs

Your Skill Set:

As the incoming Special Educator you will possess many though perhaps not all of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Broad knowledge and experience of programs and services specific to students areas of eligibility (i.e autism academic behavior learning etc.)
• Above-average skills in collaboration
• Excellent skills in oral and written communication
• Demonstrated ability in collaborating and supporting parents and families
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve
• Demonstrated understanding of inclusive educational practices including various co-teaching approaches
• General knowledge of various formal and informal assessments to monitor student progress and skills
• General knowledge of state and federal special education guidelines and requirements Bachelors degree from an accredited college/university in Special Education required Masters preferred concentration in learning disabilities preferred
• Massachusetts Certification of students with moderate or severe special needs required
• Experience teaching or student teaching in urban environments
• Specialized training/certification in a foundational reading program such as Orton-Gillingham or Wilson Reading

How to Join Our Team:

Apply online at . Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity.

At the Cambridge Public Schools we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race color ancestry national origin religion age gender marital/domestic partner status sexual orientation gender identity disability status and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.

Required Experience:

IC