Pre-K Special Education Teacher - The Alpha School

About the Role

In this itinerant role, the teacher provides specialized services to preschool-aged children with disabilities across diverse settings in Tennessee, including Head Start, Alpha School, community-based childcare centers, and private preschools.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a case manager for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), conducting screenings, drafting goals, and monitoring progress.
• Implement the Creative Curriculum or other state-approved frameworks to teach basic skills in cognition, adaptive behavior, social/emotional development, motor skills, and communication.
• Design inclusive programs that allow students to be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), often alongside typically developing peers.
• Use behavior modification and positive reinforcement techniques to help children manage social-emotional challenges.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, including speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, families, and paraprofessionals.
• Travel to various pre-K placements to provide direct and indirect special education services as outlined in student IEPs.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation, including drafting, reviewing, and finalizing IEPs, progress reports, and evaluation summaries in compliance with federal and state regulations using platforms like EasyIEP or TN Pulse.
• Conduct comprehensive screenings and assessments for children identified through TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention System), managing transitions of toddlers (birth to age 3) into the school district's preschool special education program.
• Lead the IEP Team, ensuring compliance with 48-hour draft rules and proper training for staff on student accommodations.
• Participate in Child Find activities to identify, locate, and evaluate children with suspected disabilities within the district's jurisdiction.
• Evaluate students in early childhood programs (e.g., Head Start, Pre-K) who may require specialized support.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in special education, early childhood education, or a related field from an accredited institution.
• A valid Tennessee Educator License with specific professional endorsements for Pre-K–3, covering both general and special education.
• Ability to pass the Praxis Early Childhood Education or relevant special education content exams.
• Proficiency in using state-mandated EasyIEP software for legally defensible documentation.

Work Environment

• Schedule follows a 200-day contract for a standard 10-month school year.
• Physically active role requiring occasional lifting, stooping, and kneeling to interact with young children.

Salary range information is available at www.claibornecountyschools.com.