Educational Support Professional Sail 1 Program (ESP-4) Job ID 1321 (300693)

About the Role

A SAIL 1 Educational Support Professional (ESP) provides direct support to students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or related disorders in a sub-separate classroom. The role involves implementing individualized academic and behavior programs using principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, including discrete trial task analysis and naturalistic teaching. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a certified Special Education Teacher supervise ongoing training and support. Five days of additional specialized training before the start of school is provided.

Responsibilities

• Support classroom routines and procedures, reinforcing social interaction programs (e.g., Responsive Classroom, RULER, PBIS) and providing behavioral support aligned with school expectations.
• Provide supervision and student support during recess, lunch, arrival, dismissal, field trips, and escorting students to designated areas (e.g., activities, fire and 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, reviewing, 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 with the broader group.
• Implement behavior intervention plans and facilitate social skills across school settings.
• Support crisis intervention using culturally responsive de-escalation strategies 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 and maintain accurate data and records for progress monitoring (e.g., IEP goals, individual support plans) and share with teaching/counseling staff.

Requirements

• Ability to integrate into the classroom setting under the direction of administrative/teaching/counseling staff to support student engagement and learning.
• Proficiency in collecting, recording, and analyzing data across multiple points, including using Google tools to create graphs for visual progress tracking.
• Willingness to adapt and acquire new skills to support student engagement in learning activities, behavior interventions, and social interactions.
• Maintain flexibility in day-to-day priorities to reflect changing student needs.
• Ability to work in multiple classrooms or environments during the school day.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and professionalism expected of teaching staff.
• Ability to anticipate and address unforeseen events when working with large groups of children.
• Strong interpersonal skills to maintain positive relations 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 proper de-escalation strategies and restraint protocols.
• Ability to work with diverse learning styles and collaborate as part of a teaching team.
• Associates Degree in Psychology, Education, or a related area preferred.
• Considered an Instructional Aide as defined in General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 38.

Physical and Environmental Demands

• Able to move with students between school environments.
• Requires physical agility and strength, with adherence to proper safety protocols.

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.