Special Education Assistant II (Curriculum Base) - Albemarle High School - 2026-27 School Year

Are you looking to work in a school division where students are engaged in authentic, challenging, and relevant learning experiences, becoming lifelong contributors and leaders in our dynamic and diverse society? In Albemarle County Public Schools, we work together as a team to end the predictive value of race, class, gender, and special capacities for our children’s success through high-quality teaching and learning for all. We seek to build relationships with families and communities to ensure that every student succeeds. We will know every student! We are the first public school division in Virginia, and among the first in the country, to develop and implement an Anti-Racism policy with the expressed purpose of building school communities that share the responsibility to recognize and end racism, eliminate inequitable practices that result in achievement gaps, and support the unique gifts, talents, and interests of every child. In ACPS, “all” really means all.

About the Role

The Special Education Assistant II provides support to the instructional program with specific responsibility for assisting in the supervision, care, and instruction of students with special needs; assisting in implementing plans for instruction; monitoring student behavior; documenting activities and progress; and supporting students’ IEP goals. This role will provide extended classroom support and follow-up for students who receive special services, including monitoring and modeling evidence/research-based behavior intervention strategies, helping with data collection and analysis, and ensuring behavior interventions are practiced with fidelity. The Special Education Assistant II will serve as a resource for equitable opportunities for students with challenging behaviors and streamline the shift of responsibility to school staff.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains a pleasant and orderly classroom environment (e.g., maintain instructional materials, design bulletin boards, assist in clean-up activities).
• Assists students in the completion of learning tasks assigned by classroom teachers.
• Leads and/or facilitates teaching of individuals in 1:1, small group, or whole class instruction.
• Carries out instructional plans as designated by the classroom teacher and, if appropriate, the student's Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
• Maintains student training data according to prescribed procedures.
• Assists individual students as necessary to follow routines, directions, schedules, and/or complete tasks, strictly adhering to daily schedules and IEP requirements.
• Procures, sets up, and operates audio-visual equipment.
• Assists in the development and implementation of individual student schedules, sensory programs, motor group activities, discrete trial drills, and/or student behavior management plans.
• Creates alternative activities for independent work based on teacher-directed activities.
• Assists in the coordination of school and home supports and work tasks.
• Assists with data collection and facilitating accommodations as required by the classroom teacher or supervisor.
• Communicates effectively with the special education teacher to help facilitate the IEP goals of students.
• Demonstrates cooperation, openness for growth, and willingness to contribute to a team approach to the educational program.
• Assists in the maintenance of students' records, collection of lunch monies, and related instructional activities (e.g., field trips, library, assembly) as directed.
• Monitors student attendance, behavior, and suspension data.
• Performs clerical duties such as typing, filing, and duplicating at the direction of the classroom teacher.
• Provides direct support to staff by introducing and modeling research/evidence-based interventions.
• Provides direct support to students by teaching and modeling research/evidence-based interventions and curriculum.
• Coordinates with specialists and school staff to implement behavior curriculum, develop effective intervention plans, and create crisis/safety plans.
• Provides transition plans and support for students moving between educational settings.
• Provides interventions to enable students to remain in school and/or help stabilize them.
• Supervises and trains students in the lunchroom or during lunch period, as well as during free time and other non-instructional periods.
• Maintains a notebook monitored by the special education teacher and specialists, containing:
  • Weekly behavior logs with observations and collected data.
  • Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) with progress notes.
  • Social Skills lesson plans, including social stories.
  • Incident reports and office referrals.
  • Log of communication with school staff, family, and outside agencies.
• Assists students with daily living skills (e.g., toileting, feeding, diaper changes, positioning of students).
• Assists with deregulated students.
• Participates in team meetings.
• Assists with medical-related duties (e.g., catheterization, gastrointestinal feedings, assistive breathing devices, colostomy, and ileostomy needs).
• Assists with carry-over of related services (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech, Adapted Physical Education, and Vision).
• Performs other duties as assigned by the classroom teacher or principal.

Requirements

• Ability to develop and maintain an empathetic attitude toward disabled/handicapped students.
• Willingness to learn specialized instructional/management techniques employed with disabled/handicapped students.
• Ability to communicate and develop effective working relationships with students, parents, and staff.
• High school graduate or equivalent; willingness to seek and maintain CPR certification.
• Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from high school, including basic keyboard and filing training.
• Possession of an equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities for the position.

Working Conditions

• Duties are performed typically in school settings, including classrooms, gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums, and recreational areas.
• Frequent walking, standing, light lifting (up to 80 pounds), and other physical activities necessary for the movement and comfort of disabled students.
• Occasional travel with students on field trips may be necessary.
• Regular movement of students by wheelchairs and other mechanical devices may be required.
• Personal hygiene tasks for disabled students, such as changing catheters, diapers, and clothing, may be required.
• Training and immunization against blood-borne pathogens may be necessary.
• Occasional lifting of equipment such as audio-visuals weighing up to 50 pounds may be required.
• Occasional attendance at parent conferences, building-level meetings, division-wide meetings, and training activities beyond normal assigned hours.
• Daily personal and close contact with children to provide classroom management and learning environment support.
• Regular contact with other staff members, parents, and medical professionals, requiring considerable tact and diplomacy.
• Must be able to work within various degrees of noise, temperature, and air quality.
• Interruptions of work are routine; flexibility and patience are required.
• Must be self-motivated and able to complete job assignments independently.
• After-hour work may be required; must be able to work under stressful conditions.
• Knowledge of universal hygiene precautions.
• May be subject to physical and emotional outbursts by students, including hitting, kicking, spitting, scratching, and biting.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to assist/restrain students and operate specialized equipment or office equipment.
• Sitting or standing for extended periods of time.
• Bending at the waist, kneeling, or crouching to assist students.
• Seeing to read a variety of materials and monitor student activities.
• Hearing and speaking to exchange information.
• Reaching overhead, above the shoulders, and horizontally.
• Lifting or moving children from wheelchairs to tables or desks.

Benefits

• Competitive pay and benefits, including health & dental coverage.
• Retirement plans.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Paid time off.
• Wellness program.
• Discounts on gym memberships.