Middle School Life Skills Exceptional Education Teacher (2026-2027 SY)

About the role

This position is a lead teacher role in our middle school self-contained, life skills program.

Role Details

Valor Collegiate Academies is a top-performing public charter school network in Nashville, Tennessee, serving 1,900 students in grades 5-12. Our mission is to empower our diverse community to live inspired and purposeful lives. This mission is made possible through an innovative school model that blends rigorous academics and whole-child education, within an intentionally diverse school environment.

Why Choose Valor?

• A-Rated Charter Network in Tennessee: Scored as an A-rated charter network by the Tennessee Department of Education, earning perfect scores in Academic Achievement, Academic Growth, Growth of Highest Need Students, and College & Career Readiness.
• Top 1% for Student Growth: Our middle schools consistently rank in the 99th percentile in student growth statewide, based on TVAAS data from the past 5 years.
• National Leader in SEL: Over 50 partner schools nationwide have adopted and implemented Valor’s Compass model for social-emotional learning.

What truly makes Exceptional Education at Valor unique?

• Our Exceptional Education Teachers are part of a cohesive, dedicated team that prioritizes ethical, responsive, transparent, and accountable care for all scholars.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Planning & Instruction

• Prepare, internalize, and plan daily lessons for intervention spaces based on individual learners’ needs.
• Partner and collaborate with teachers and leaders to ensure all students are receiving appropriately scaffolded grade-level content and academic support across class settings.
• Prepare materials for resource class activities, do nows, and exit tickets.
• Use scholar work and data to inform instruction and intervention strategies in both general education and intervention settings.
• Collect, enter, and analyze academic data to provide targeted instruction and interventions that promote a culture of learning.
• Engage in weekly 1:1 coaching meetings to deepen content and case management expertise.
• Submit lesson plans weekly for feedback and review by instructional coach.
• Engage in weekly collaborative curriculum meetings (known as Intellectual Preparation) with a planning partner and instructional leader (for one cotaught content area).
• Proactively communicate academic progress with parents/guardians, other teachers, administrators, and/or school counselors.
• Co-teach in 3-4 core content classes daily (including content knowledge to efficiently co-teach and support caseload students).

Case Management

• Develop and manage individualized education programs (IEPs) for students on your caseload.
• Collaborate with school psychologist and related service providers to plan and conduct reevaluation meetings for your caseload.
• Collect and track data on individual student skills to determine the effectiveness of programming and measure progress toward IEP goals.
• Maintain reports to be in compliance with federal, state, and local district requirements.
• Collaborate and co-teach with general education/core content teachers to ensure the successful implementation of established curriculum and/or individual student plans.
• Collaborate with paraprofessionals to serve the needs of individual students.

School-Based Responsibilities & Faculty Engagement

• Enforce, uphold, and exhibit school’s values, student management policies, and culture systems.
• Own an arrival, recess or lunch, transition, or dismissal duty daily.
• Participate in school events that occur outside of normal school hours, such as parent-teacher conferences, signature experiences, field trips, IEP meetings, report card conferences, and new student orientation.
• Engage in ongoing professional development, which includes attending 3 weeks of new hire orientation and faculty training in July 2026 and weekly PL sessions throughout the school year.
• Participate in faculty Circle once a week; complete and present 2-3 pieces of faculty Badge Work per school year.

Student Behavior Support

• Respond to students' behavior in real-time using school-wide intervention systems and classroom management practices.
• Track and input student behavior feedback and data through Kickboard by the daily school deadline to share with families, school leaders, and the Compass Team.
• Maintain a 4:1 positivity ratio to strengthen school culture and student relationships.
• Serve as the main point-of-contact for case load’s families to communicate any student-specific/IEP related information.

What We Offer:

• Salary: Starting at $56,000 for certified teachers, plus Years of Service bonus.
• Childcare Benefit: Valor-subsidized childcare and priority seating at Little Wonders Day Care.
• Comprehensive Benefits: 75% coverage of health, dental, and vision benefits; retirement benefits including a hybrid pension and 401K with 5% employer matching.
• Paid Time Off: 8 PTO days annually and access to an org-wide PTO sharing program.
• Family Leave: 8 weeks of fully-paid parental leave.
• Waitlist Priority: Priority position on Valor's new student waitlist for enrollment.
• Professional Growth: 100+ hours of PD annually, 1:1 coaching, and career advancement opportunities.
• Additional Perks: Access to an on-campus gym, unlimited classroom supplies, and a dedicated course budget for every teacher.

Role Requirements:

• Must have an active Tennessee teaching license with a 461 Special Education Comprehensive endorsement, or actively enrolled in an approved job-embedded educator preparation program.
• Must have authorization to work in the United States without requiring employer sponsorship.

Key Mindsets:

• You have a proven track record of success of growth and achievement in your classroom.
• You have an unwavering belief that all students can succeed in school and beyond.
• You crave feedback and have a relentless drive to develop your practice to sharpen your skills as an educator.
• You have the passion and commitment to serve a culturally and socioeconomically diverse community of students and families.
• You have experience or willingness to quickly learn and adopt school-wide tech platforms, i.e. Kickboard, Infinite Campus, Google Suite, Google Classroom.
• You enjoy cultivating meaningful relationships with students, families, and staff.
• You are able to model, live, and reinforce our school’s core values, commitments, and policies.