Special Education Teacher
Etoile Academy Special Education teachers are responsible for the achievement and support of critical students. Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, cognitive, emotional, and physical disabilities. They teach various subjects, such as reading, writing, and math, to students with gaps of two or more years. The main goal is to close that gap in just one school year. The Special Education teacher provides the crucial bridge between home and school for our highest need students and their families.
All Etoile teachers are responsible for ensuring that every Etoile student succeeds academically and follows the Etoile core values daily. Etoile teachers set ambitious goals for student achievement and diligently track student data to drive effective educational programming decisions. Etoile teachers seek feedback and continue to develop their teaching practice to better serve Etoile students.
Responsibilities
- Adapt lessons to meet the needs of students;
- With support from the SPED Coordinator, develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for a caseload of 20-30 students;
- Implement IEPs, assess students’ performance, and track their progress;
- Update IEPs throughout the school year to reflect students’ progress and goals;
- Assess students’ skills to determine their needs and to develop teaching plans;
- Teach intervention small groups consisting of students that are academically at risk in reading and/or math to include students in general education, 504, response-to-intervention, Special Education and English Language Learners;
- Collect and analyze student data in order to make effective decisions to maximize achievement;
- Discuss student’s progress with parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators;
- Implement state learning standards and Etoile curricula and assessments to meet ambitious academic expectations;
- Submit weekly lesson plans one week in advance for feedback;
- Implement formal and informal assessments to track each individual student’s progress and learning needs, adjust lesson plans accordingly and update gradebook weekly;
- Communicate students’ progress with student and family on a weekly basis;
- Effective facilitation and personal use of technology such as Google Classroom and Zoom as communication and educational tools to improve student achievement and manage work-related tasks;
- Implement our school wide behavior system, routines and procedures and utilize our tracking system;
- Establish and maintain a cooperative working relationship with students and families based on respect for the communities in which they identify;
- Host necessary tutoring sessions to meet all students’ needs;
- Participate in weekly manager check-ins, grade-level meetings, and school-wide meetings and functions, as well as before and
after-school duties as needed; - Engage in summer and year-long district, school and personal learning and development;
- Minimum of 40 hours spent at school per week;
- Additional responsibilities may include: after-school tutoring or Saturday school depending on student needs.
We look for team members that embody our REACH values. This includes the characteristics below.
- Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college
- Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them
- Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly
- Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes
- Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change
- Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization
- Works through silos and forges strong relationships in order to achieve outcomes
- We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution is required.
- Experience: At least 1 year of experience in a classroom setting preferred.
- Licenses or Certifications:
- Valid Texas Teaching Licensure in Special Education required
- Dual certification in ESL or a content area preferred
Benefits & Perks
- Competitive salary based on experience and merit.
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance. District life insurance.
- Participation in the Teacher Retirement
- Participation in Wellness Program - optional
Étoile Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability, in admission or access to, or treatment of employment in its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries concerning the organization's compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI of Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), may contact HR at 713.265.8657.