Special Education Teacher

Reports to: Principal

Supervises: May coordinate and direct the activities of teacher assistants.

The Exceptional Children's Teacher is responsible for planning, organizing, and presenting instruction and instructional environments that help students learn subject matter and skills that will contribute to their educational and social development.

1. Management of Instructional Time: The teacher has materials, supplies, and equipment for each lesson ready at the start of the lesson or instructional activity; gets the class started quickly; gets students on task quickly at the beginning of each lesson; maintains a high level of student time-on-task.
2. Management of Student Behavior: The teacher has established a set of rules and procedures that govern the handling of routine administrative matters; has established a set of rules and procedures that govern student verbal participation and talk during different types of activities—whole-class instruction, small group instruction, etc.; has established a set of rules and procedures that govern student movement in the classroom during different types of instructional and non-instructional activities; frequently monitors the behavior of all students during whole-class, small group, and seat work activities and during transitions between instructional activities; stops inappropriate behavior promptly and consistently, yet maintains the dignity of the student.
3. Instructional Presentation: The teacher begins lesson or instructional activity with a review of previous materials; introduces the lesson or instructional activity and specific learning objectives when appropriate; speaks fluently and precisely; presents the lesson or instructional activity using concepts and language understandable to the students; provides relevant examples and demonstrations to illustrate concepts and skills; assigns tasks that students handle with a high rate of success; asks appropriate levels of questions that students handle with a high rate of success; conducts lesson or instructional activity at a brisk pace, slowing presentations when necessary for student understanding but avoiding slowdowns; makes transitions between lessons and between instructional activities within lessons efficiently and smoothly; makes sure that the assignment is clear; summarizes the main point(s) of the lesson at the end of the lesson or instructional activity.
4. Instructional Monitoring of Student Performance: The teacher maintains clear, firm and reasonable work standards and due dates; circulates during class work to check all students' performance; routinely uses oral, written, and other work products to check student progress; poses questions clearly and one at a time.
5. Instructional Feedback: The teacher provides feedback on the correctness or incorrectness of in-class work to encourage student growth; regularly provides prompt feedback on assigned out-of-class work; affirms a correct oral response appropriately, and moves on; provides sustaining feedback after an incorrect response or no response by probing, repeating the question, giving a clue, or allowing more time.
6. Facilitating Instruction: The teacher has an instructional plan which is compatible with the school and system-wide curricular goals; uses diagnostic information obtained from tests and other assessment procedures to develop and revise objectives and/or tasks; maintains accurate records to document student performance; has instructional plan that matches/aligns objectives, learning strategies, assessment and student needs at the appropriate level of difficulty; uses available human and material resources to support the instructional program.
7. Interacting Within the Educational Environment: The teacher treats all students in a fair and equitable manner; interacts effectively with students, co-workers, parents, and community.
8. Performing Non-Instructional Duties: The teacher carries out non-instructional duties as assigned and/or as need is perceived; adheres to established laws, policies, rules, and regulations; follows a plan for professional development and demonstrates evidence of growth.

Additional Job Functions: Performs other related work as required.

Minimum Training and Experience: Degree in education or in a related area that will qualify for licensure as a teacher by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Minimum Qualifications or Standards Required to Perform Essential Job Functions: Must be able to use a variety of equipment and classroom tools such as computers, copiers, typewriters, calculators, pencils, scissors, and equipment for children with special needs, etc. Must be able to exert a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Due to amount of time spent standing and/or walking, physical requirements are consistent with those for Light Work.

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from superiors.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, handbooks, forms, lists, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, simple reports, forms, instructional materials, etc., using prescribed format.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal and counseling terminology.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the principles of descriptive statistics, statistical inference and statistical theory.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to constantly monitor the safety and well-being of students, particularly when student is participating in an inclusive activity. Ability to motivate students. Ability to maintain a clean and orderly environment. Ability to perform general clerical duties. Ability to maintain order and discipline in a classroom. Ability to operate common office machines. Ability to maintain basic files and records. Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitates by work assignments.