ANTICIPATED Education Support Professional -3 FY27 Job ID 1333

About the role

The Education Support Professional-3 (ESP) supports students in the SAIL program (Autism Spectrum or related disabilities), the STEP or Bridge programs (social and emotional disabilities), or the Integrated Preschool (ages 3-5 with Autism Spectrum, social, or emotional disabilities). The ESP implements Individual Education Programs by providing direct support in sub-separate, classroom, or small-group settings. Instructional methodologies include Applied Behavior Analysis principles such as discrete trial task analysis and naturalistic teaching. The role involves training in de-escalation strategies and data collection on academic and behavioral support plans, supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a certified Special Education Teacher.

Responsibilities

• Support classroom routines and reinforce social interaction programs by modeling positive behavior (e.g., Responsive Classroom) and providing behavioral support aligned with school expectations.
• Provide supervision and student support during recess, lunch, arrival, dismissal, field trips, and transitions (e.g., activities, fire drills, crisis drills).
• Deliver small-group or individual instructional support aligned with student goals, benchmarks, IEPs, and behavior plans, under the guidance of teaching/counseling staff.
• Consult with teachers to prepare for daily classes, including learning targets and success criteria.
• Support academic programs (reteaching, reinforcing, assessing, scribing, note-taking, data collection) and behavioral programs (data collection, cueing, motor breaks, behavior plan implementation).
• Provide regular feedback to teaching/counseling staff on student progress and challenges.
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to support learning experiences, prioritizing identified students while engaging the broader group.
• Implement behavior intervention plans and facilitate social skills across school settings.
• Support crisis intervention using culturally responsive de-escalation and physical intervention methods (as trained) to reduce injury risk.
• Adapt to varying student needs and perform additional job-related tasks as assigned by administrators.
• Monitor, maintain, and share accurate data and records for progress monitoring of IEP goals and individual support plans.

Requirements

• Ability to integrate into classroom settings under the direction of administrative/teaching/counseling staff to support student engagement.
• Experience collecting, recording, and analyzing data across multiple points, including creating graphs using Google tools.
• Capacity to adapt and acquire new skills to support student engagement in learning, behavior interventions, and social interactions.
• Maintain flexibility in day-to-day priorities to reflect changing student needs.
• Work in multiple classrooms or environments during the school day.
• Uphold confidentiality and professionalism expected of teaching staff.
• Anticipate and address unforeseen events when working with large groups of children.
• Maintain positive relationships with students, parents, staff, and the public.

Qualifications

• Passion for working with children/students.
• Knowledge of child growth and development, basic learning strategies, and social-emotional learning (SEL).
• Knowledge of de-escalation strategies and restraint protocols.
• Ability to work with diverse learning styles and collaborate as part of a teaching team.

Physical and Environmental Demands

• Ability to move with students between school environments.
• Physical agility and strength, adhering to proper safety protocols.

Preferred Education

Associates Degree in Psychology, Education, or a related field. The ESP is classified as an Instructional Aide under General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 38.

Pay

$28.18/hour to $34.64/hour, annualized for 184 work days at 6.75 hours/day ($35,006 to $43,028).

Benefits

Benefits are outlined at Benefits | Bedford Public Schools.