Special Education Instructional Coach

Position Summary :

The Special Education Instructional Coach will work with the Director of Special Education to support the professional growth and development of special education staff and teachers to facilitate learning and independent application of effective instructional practices. This position is Full-time, Exempt, and reports to the Director of Special Education.

Community Day Charter Public School (CDCPS) seeks a Special Education Instructional Coach with outstanding academic background to work with our school teams, renowned for closing the achievement gap. CDCPS manages multiple campuses across Lawrence, MA, and serves 1,200 pre-kindergarten to 8th-grade students. We believe in providing our students with a rigorous student-centered academic program while investing in their social, emotional, and holistic well-being. CDCPS has dedicated teams to support our teachers, ensuring our students' success.

Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

• Collaborates with the Director of Special Education to provide staff development, support, and direct and explicit feedback to teachers, with a primary focus on special education staff, about the implementation of research-based instructional strategies.
• Conducts professional development opportunities for teachers, and special education staff and implements and models new learning.
• Observes, coaches, and models’ instructional strategies for teachers and monitors future implementation of evidence and research-based strategies for students with disabilities. Serves as an instructional resource for teachers, paraprofessionals, and Heads of Schools.
• Works with staff to implement accommodations in regular instruction and in standardized testing (this includes Special Education accommodations and assisting Head of School with testing schedules for all standardized tests given by the school—e.g. MCAS, ACCESS) in conjunction with Special education staff. This also includes meeting with classroom teachers to oversee the implementation of accommodations in the regular classroom.
• Nurtures positive relationships with all Special Education Department members, teachers, and paraprofessionals, as well as with the remainder of CDCPS staff.
• Participate and support in required Individualized Education Plans (IEP) Meetings and Student Support Team (SST) Meetings and disseminate necessary information.
• Review student files prior to filing in order to confirm the receipt of all necessary documentation.
• Manage, review and update all eSped records, including: Writing and updating IEP goals, objectives, and sections.
• In collaboration with the Director of Special Education, ensure all staff caseloads are regularly updated to ensure accuracy for planning and scheduling.
• Supports special education staff in developing lesson plans to target student goals based on a student’s IEP.
• May provide coverage support as needed as a special education teacher in the event of a vacancy.
• Other duties assigned by your supervisor.

Qualifications

• A passionate belief in CDCPS’ mission, values, and educational model.
• Master’s Degree preferred; Bachelor’s Degree Required.
• MA DESE Moderate Disabilities PreK–8 license required
• Experience working with eSped preferred.
• Ability to write compliant, high-quality IEPs and lead IEP team meetings effectively
• Demonstrated experience managing or participating extensively in Special Education evaluations preferred.
• A proven ability to set and achieve ambitious, challenging, and tangible goals.
• A willingness to pursue continuous improvement and refinement as well as success.
• Ability to work onsite Monday–Friday and travel between school campuses
• Strong collaborative skills, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to continuous improvement
• An ability to lead by example and offer a strong, accessible presence while building positive culture.
• Deep understanding of standards-based curriculum, and assessment and proven track record of achievement related to student and teacher success.
• Demonstrated skills in the use of data to inform instruction to promote instructional access and curriculum planning for high-quality special education instruction.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Community Day Charter Public School participates in the E-Verify program to determine the immigration and work-eligibility status of prospective employees. Please refer to the Notice of E-Verify Participation and the Right to Work documents for more information.

Community Day Charter Public School is affiliated with The Community Group (TCG), a private, nonprofit organization that has been creating opportunities through education since 1970. TCG manages various programs, including a network of early childhood and out-of-school time programs, a K1-8 charter public school, training programs, and a child care resource and referral program, Child Care Circuit.

The Community Group is fully committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to their race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by federal, state or local law. In addition, we are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment and where employees are treated with respect and dignity.