Salem Public Schools

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public School leaders are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement.  They respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community.  Salem Public Schools seeks individuals who are able to serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and have bilingual skills are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

As a collaborative member of the Special Education team in Salem, this person is responsible for teaching, evaluating, and implementing programming for students in the general education setting who have a documented disability and receive specialized academic instruction.  The successful candidate must have a working knowledge of effective instructional practices, understand how to deliver accessible instruction in the inclusive setting, and be able to work collaboratively with special education staff, general education teachers, therapists and consultants. The candidate must manage a fluid caseload and maintain flexibility with scheduling. The Special Education Teacher job includes consistent parent communication, paraprofessional supervision, transition planning, and additional professional obligations related to student and programming needs, as determined by the District and site.

Responsibilities:

• Plan curriculum and deliver specialized instruction that allows all students to successfully engage in developmentally appropriate and standards-based instruction
• Work collaboratively across school settings, including some co-teaching and common planning with therapists and support staff
• Use innovative approaches and instructional strategies, including the effective use of technologies and LBLD scaffolding to increase student access, learning, independence, and confidence to learn
• Modify/adapt materials and instructional lessons to meet the specific needs of students with disabilities across the school day, as identified in the IEPs
• Analyze a variety of data to drive instruction and improve student access and performance
• Develop IEPs with SMART goals and logical accommodations using formal and informal data
• Report on student progress with IEP goals at scheduled intervals throughout the school year
• Maintain consistent communication with students, staff and families
• Collaborate with school personnel and parents, to facilitate the implementation effective Individual Education Programs (IEPs), 688 Referrals and Transition Plans for students
• Evaluate students’ abilities in basic academics and social development
• Help manage and promote students’ prosocial social behavior and academic habits of learning.
• Proctor MCAS and/or assist with MCAS ALT development and procedures
• Other duties as assigned by the building principal, special education administrator and/or Executive Director of Pupil Personnel Services.

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

• • Bachelor’s Degree (required); Master’s Degree preferred
  • Maintain a Massachusetts Teaching Certification/Licensure in Special Education (required)
  • SEI Endorsement (required)
  • Able to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
  • Ability to write an effective IEPs with SMART goals, functional Transition Plans and sensible accommodations, using district software
  • Ability to administer, interpret, and report findings from standardized and informal evaluations and observational data collection
  • Second Language (Spanish) Proficiency (preferred)
  • Safety Care Training Certification (District will provide training)
  • Effective written and oral communication skills
  • Current authorization to work in the United States

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.