Job Description

Responsibilities

The Special Education Coordinator oversees and facilitates the inclusion program at St. Francis of Assisi School, reporting to the principal and providing data-based evidence outcomes. This person prioritizes their time by focusing with teachers, paras, other specialty staff, and parents on the support and intervention of students receiving intensive level supports (Tier 3), with targeted response groups (Tier 2) receiving secondary focus. Intensive focus can be due to a diagnosed need, a suspected need that is being considered for diagnostic measures, or a temporary traumatic or crisis situation involving the student. Some of the action items listed below are redundant but may provide a different context in regard to when or how they are conducted. Some may only occur at the beginning or end of the year, while others are ongoing.

Before the Children Enter the Building:

• Meet with teachers to go over learning plans prior to the first day of school. Every teacher who has a child in his/her class with a learning plan should have a meeting with the Special Education Coordinator about the child before the children enter the building. Classroom teachers, paras and specialty teachers should all have copies of plans. Make them copies and deliver.
• Create a shared Drive that can be accessed by needed teachers but also keeps students’ information confidential
• Coordinate a meeting with parents to review learning plans and adjust if needed
• Create CARE team schedule with classroom teachers, paras, or other specialists. Give copies to the office.
• Develop a procedure and protocol for teachers and paras to alert Special Ed Coordinator about a specific need so that it can be addressed. This might be different for urgent needs vs those that can wait for a meeting.
• Provide sensory materials and/or assistive technology to students and/or teachers, based on information in a child’s learning plan.
• Check each child’s cumulative folder and request updated information if needed.
• Make sure students receiving services through SSD have everything they need in place. Work with teacher to formulate the schedule and communicate their service times and days. Contact the area coordinator if necessary.
• Assist in hiring of the para, if needed.
• Make and provide each para a binder on his/her assigned child with relevant information and training materials to be updated and referred to throughout the year.

Ongoing:

• Coaches and models instructional techniques, data collection, and intervention tools with teachers and paras. Observe them using these and provide guidance.
• Creates an environment conducive for learning and at appropriate level of student’s ability
• Assists teachers and paras to establish and communicate clear objectives to students for lessons, units, and projects in a manner that is understandable to the child
• Writes behavior plans as needed (if qualified; otherwise uses a BCBA) and trains teachers and paras in following the plan. Any behavior plans must be recorded on a child’s learning plan.
• Seeks outside help from One Classroom or other experts as needed
• Administers, interprets, and records standardized tests, using accommodations and modifications listed on a child’s learning plan or provides clear expectations and directions of procedures and accommodations to teachers and paras who will administer these.
• File copies of all student data in student’s cumulative folder
• Attend parent/ teacher conferences
• Check up on student summative grades and report cards. If a child is not succeeding, review with Care Team and put a new plan in place.
• Attends staff meetings and serves on staff committees if required
• Evaluates and orders materials necessary for instruction with principal permission, and trains assistants and paras in their use
• Evaluates the progress of each child enrolled in special and/or general ed by conducting observations, data analysis and/or review written reports from the educational team
• Coach and model assisting assigned students in such physical tasks as putting on and taking off outerwear, moving from room to room, using the lavatory, etc. as needed for paras, teachers, or other staff.
• May assist with lunch, snack, clean up, wash up, and toilet routines for specific students and/or model that for paras and other staff
• Utilizes and maintains learning aids, including multi-media and technology resources, as written in learning plans.
• Implements research based intervention programs.
• Lead and attend learning plan meeting based on a child’s evaluation and diagnosis
• Works with the school district, parents, teachers, and paras to gather data and facilitate testing of a child when required
• Leads Care Team meetings following an appropriate protocol
• Follow up on plan decided at Care Team, ie. watch and wait, refer to public district for evaluation, interventions within the school given by the classroom teacher or assistants
• Writes a learning plan using a set template, given the information from the evaluator once an evaluation is completed either through the district or private testing
• Continue to monitor student progress and take data on goals monthly
• Provide parents with data on progress at least quarterly
• Check in with teachers weekly on student goals during scheduled weekly check-in meetings
• Train paras on information specific to his/ her assigned child. Follow up weekly with scheduled meetings and training
• Holds teachers accountable for providing specific modifications and accommodations, seeking support from the principal as necessary

End of the Year:

• Review learning plans with parents and make changes as needed.
• Assist in scheduling for next year as needed.
• Regarding incoming or inquiring students, gather evaluations, current ISP/IEP, do observations, meet parents, and discuss with the principal about admissions decisions
• Assist Principal in planning for paras and other resources for next year; complete and submit One Classroom grant and budgeting based on those discussions
• Collect sensory tools and assistive technology.
• Take inventory or materials and order more if needed for the following year

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