Special Education Teacher (Therapeutic Support Program), IMMEDIATE OPENING, Salem High School, Salem Public Schools SY2024-2025

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan: 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

As a collaborative member of Salem High School, this person is responsible for teaching, evaluating, and implementing IEPs for students with emotional disabilities, primarily within a substantially separate setting, but also at times, supporting students in the inclusive setting. The Special Education Teacher must be able to create a welcoming environment where all students are able to access academic and social learning. The teacher must have a working knowledge of curriculum standards and work in consultation with support staff and general education teams. The Special Education Teacher is responsible for continuous caseload management, i.e., rigorous lesson planning, parent communication, academic, social and behavioral supports, and professional obligations as determined by our District, school and the Therapeutic Support Program.

Responsibilities:

Use innovative approaches, and instructional strategies, including the effective use of technologies, to increase student learning and confidence to learn
Modify/adapt materials and deliver instructional lessons to meet the specific needs of Students with Emotional Disabilities
Conduct standardized evaluations, analyze results, develop written reports and present findings at team meetings
Develop and implement IEP goals, and when applicable, participate in developing transition plans
Participate in completing Functional Behavioral Assessments and the resulting development of individual behavior support plans.
Provide instruction, collect data and complete trimester progress reports
Analyze data to drive instruction and improve student performance.
Collaborate with school personnel, parents and various community agencies for the purpose of improving the quality of student outcomes.
Support classroom personnel in the implementation of classroom goals and students’ IEP accommodations, and behavior plans
Assure implementation of data-taking mechanisms and reporting strategies, oversee the collection and analysis of data for student progress
Provide classroom staff (paraprofessionals) with resources, tools, and modeling of instructional techniques and methodology
Assure accommodations are consistently delivered in the inclusive settings according to students’ IEPs
Present evidence of student progress toward goals and objectives through routine, written progress-monitoring and formal presentations at IEP meetings
Additional duties as assigned by the Special Education Supervisor, Principal and Executive Director of PPS

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
Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure in Special Education
Experience with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs preferred
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (Required within 1-year of start date)
Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by the District, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities.
Minimum of 2 years teaching experience and working in an urban public school or charter school setting preferred
Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment highly desired
Proficiency with technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites (Remind preferred), Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) desirable
Safety Care Trained, or willing to be trained (District provides)
Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
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.

Work Year: Teachers in Salem Public Schools work a 185 day school year (180 student contact days plus 5 professional development days. Please visit www.salemk12.org to view the 2024-25 district and/or school calendar.

Salary: Teacher salaries in the Salem Public Schools are determined by the Salem Teachers Union collective bargaining agreement. Salary information can be found in Appendix A (please add 4.25% for SY24-25 salaries).

Benefits: The City of Salem offers Group Insurance Commission (GIC) benefits to all full-time employees. Click here for more information about our health benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer