High School Special Education Teacher

About Mastery

Founded in 2001, Mastery Schools is a public charter network of 23 K-12 schools in Philadelphia and Camden, serving more than 14,000 students. At Mastery, we’re on a mission to provide all students with the academic and personal skills they need to succeed after graduation and pursue their dreams. Student achievement is not just a goal for our organization; it's the reason we exist, and every member of our team is dedicated to securing student success. We are also committed to pursuing equity, actively disrupting systemic racism, and addressing the disparities that limit our students' choices.

Our culture is built on respect, service, and the belief that the success of our students, their families, and the communities we serve will help us achieve our mission. We foster a positive, open, and inclusive environment where honesty, humor, and continuous improvement are celebrated. Join us in creating a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence.

About the Role

At Mastery, all means all. Nearly one quarter of Mastery students have individualized education plans (IEPs) to ensure they receive appropriate, just-right, educational opportunities. We believe the IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, case managers, related services personnel, central office staff, and students (when appropriate) to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities. We believe we can push the boundaries of what’s possible for our students.

Special education teachers at Mastery deliver robust research-based interventions, frequently monitor progress, and make logical adjustments to produce the best possible outcomes for students. Across Mastery, our Specialized Services Programming spans from itinerant to supplemental levels of support. Our highest priority is for our diverse learners to spend as much time as possible within the general education setting and the minimum amount of time in self-contained classrooms. We strive to maximize our teacher-to-student ratio in our Special Education programs.

We have multiple classrooms across our network tailored towards Autism Support, Emotional Support, Life Skills, and Multiple Disability Support, as well as Multi-Lingual Learner Support. At Mastery, we have a robust Response to Intervention program and a wide variety of Common Foundation research-based curriculums to support our diverse learners across grades K-12 in Reading, Math, and Writing.

Our Reading intervention programs include Fundations, Just Words, Wilson, Heggerty, Waggle, Read180/Code, i-Ready, and IXL. Our Math intervention programs include TouchMath, Number Worlds, Math180, i-Ready, and IXL. Our Writing intervention programs include Quill, Adventures in Language, and Writing for Success.

We highly value Continuous Improvement and offer frequent embedded opportunities for Professional Development, teacher coaching, skill-building, and data-driven instruction meetings throughout the school year.

Responsibilities

• Drive student achievement and set high expectations for all students
• Commit to professional growth, self-reflection, a receptiveness to feedback, and a desire to continuously improve
• Implement rigorous and appropriate lesson plans, assignments, and assessments in cooperation with Mastery school-based leadership and curricular resources developed by Mastery’s central office Academic Team
• Work closely with school leaders to analyze student assessment data to measure progress and use data to inform instruction
• Collaborate in grade-level teams to discuss student work, share best practices, plan events for joy and humor, and ensure student mastery of standards
• Engage families in their children’s education by building relationships and maintaining regular communication
• Demonstrate genuine interest, belief, and care for students’ personal and academic success
• Respond positively and effectively to challenges with a solutions-oriented resiliency

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required with a record of personal, professional, and/or academic achievement
• Teacher certification - completed or in process
• Demonstrated expertise in subject area
• Outstanding instructional skills driven by data and delivered through rigorous and engaging strategies

Physical Requirements

• Ability to physically perform the essential duties of the role, including traveling to network campuses and maneuvering in office spaces (standing, walking, sitting for long periods, speaking loudly and clearly, seeing and hearing things both near and far away)
• Stooping, kneeling, reaching file cabinets/shelves, and fine finger/hand manipulation for computer use, chalkboard, dry erase, and/or projectors
• Filing, faxing, scanning, copying, typing, mailing, and making phone calls
• Sitting for up to two hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse, and typing

Pay

New teachers start at $60,900, with Mastery offering up to $83,500 based on experience and education. Salaries range from $60,900 to $112,700, with growth opportunities as your career progresses. This role is eligible for a $5,000 bonus as well as up to $5,000 for relocation expenses.

Benefits

• 403(b) retirement plan for PA employees (with a 5% match from Mastery for full-time employees)
• Enrollment in the State of New Jersey Pension Plan for NJ employees
• Robust Employee Assistance Program
• Mental health and counseling programs
• Annual Professional Development Fund
• Discounts and perks at a myriad of retailers, travel organizations, and insurance providers
• Access to the HealthAdvocate Helpdesk to navigate benefits-related topics

Schedule

Review our annual calendar here to plan your work schedule.