ANTICIPATED Education Support Professional-3 LTS Job ID 1382

About the role

The Education Support Professional-3 (ESP) supports students in the SAIL program (serving students on the Autism Spectrum or related disabilities), the STEP or Bridge programs (serving students with social and emotional disabilities or related disabilities), or the Integrated Preschool (serving students ages 3–5 on the Autism Spectrum, social or emotional disabilities, or related disabilities). The ESP is responsible for supporting the implementation of Individual Education Programs by providing direct support in sub-separate program settings, classroom settings, or small groups. Instruction uses a variety of methodologies, including Applied Behavior Analysis principles such as discrete trial task analysis and naturalistic teaching. The ESP will be trained in de-escalation strategies and data collection on academic and behavioral support plans. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a certified Special Education Teacher supervise ongoing training and support.

Responsibilities

• Support classroom routines and procedures; reinforce social interaction programs by modeling positive behavior (e.g., Responsive Classroom) and assist with behavioral support in accordance with school expectations.
• Provide supervision and/or student support services in all school environments for activities including recess, lunch, arrival, dismissal, field trips, and escorting students to designated areas (activities, fire and crisis drills) with guidance from teaching, counseling, or administrative staff.
• Provide small-group or individual instructional support aligned with student goals, benchmarks, IEPs, and/or behavior plans, under guidance from teaching or counseling staff.
• Consult with teachers in preparation for daily classes to become familiar with learning targets, success criteria, and classroom expectations.
• Support academic programs (reteaching, reinforcing, reviewing, assessing, scribing, note-taking, data collection) and behavioral programs (data collection, cueing, motor breaks, implementing behavior plans).
• Provide regular feedback to teaching/counseling staff on the progress and challenges of assigned students.
• Work with the classroom teacher to support learning experiences, focusing first on identified priority students and then the broader group, actively engaging in the learning environment.
• Support implementation of behavior intervention plans and social skill facilitation across various school settings.
• Support crisis intervention as needed in a culturally responsive manner, including verbal de-escalation/processing with students and staff and application of physical intervention methods to reduce risk of injury, as assigned/trained.
• Adapt to varying student needs.
• Perform other job-related tasks or duties at the discretion of administrators.
• Monitor and maintain accurate data and records for progress monitoring of student plans (IEP goals, individual support plans) and share information with teaching/counseling staff.

Requirements

Must possess the ability to

• Integrate into the classroom setting when appropriate, working under the direction of administrative/teaching/counseling staff to support student engagement and learning.
• Collect, record, and analyze data across multiple data points.
• Record data into spreadsheets and provide graphs to visually display student progress using Google tools.
• Adapt and acquire new skills and knowledge and use them consistently to support student engagement with learning activities, behavior interventions, social interactions, and the school day.
• Maintain flexibility in day-to-day priorities to reflect changing student needs.
• Work in multiple classrooms or environments during the school day.
• Maintain the high level of confidentiality and professionalism expected of teaching staff.
• Anticipate and effectively address unforeseen events associated with working with large groups of children.
• Maintain positive relations with students, parents, staff, and the public.

Specialty area

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

Physical and environmental demands

• Able to move with students from one school environment to another.
• Physical agility and strength, with proper safety protocols.

Education

Associates Degree in Psychology, Education, or related area preferred. An ESP is considered an Instructional Aide as defined in General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 38.

Pay

In accordance with the Bedford Education Support Professional Contract: $28.18/hour to $34.64/hour; annualized for 184 work days at 6.75 hours/day, $35,006 to $43,028.

Schedule

184 work days per year, 6.75 hours per day.