Special Education Teacher - Specialized Academic Center - 2026-27 School Year

About the role

The Specialized Academic Center (SAC) at Trailhead Learning Center is seeking dedicated educators to join our highly supportive, clinical-instructional team. Support is built into the infrastructure of your classroom. With a low teacher-to-pupil ratio and a dedicated behavioral team on-site, you’ll have the resources you need to make a genuine impact on students with complex behavioral and communication needs.

Responsibilities

• Teach students content to meet the standards outlined in Virginia’s Aligned Standards of Learning and the Virginia Standards of Learning using research-based curriculum, strategies & materials correlated with other approved learning activities and adjusted to suit each student’s needs;
• Aid children with multiple disabilities, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, intellectual disabilities, emotional disabilities, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, traumatic brain injury and other health impairments;
• Implement Individualized Education Plans, as written, for students with disabilities;
• Use various teaching methods to promote learning, including intensive individualized instruction, problem-solving assignments, and small-group work;
• Ensure appropriate accommodations are available in class and when a student needs to access the environment, curriculum and assessments;
• Develop lesson plans and instructional materials and provide individualized and small group instruction;
• Translate lesson plans into learning experiences to best utilize the available time for instruction;
• Provide culturally responsive instruction to students who are linguistically diverse;
• Establish and maintain a caring, loving, and warm yet structured atmosphere for our most complex and at-risk students;
• Modify regular and aligned education curriculum to meet the individual children's needs;
• Provide and maintain a safe and supportive environment in the classroom, on the school campus, and on field or community experiences;
• Establish and maintain standards of pupil behavior needed to achieve a functional learning atmosphere in the classroom and develop an individualized behavioral plan when needed;
• Function as Case Manager for students eligible for special education and related services;
• Assist in the identification/child find process to appropriately identify students that require special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act;
• Model professional standards when dealing with students, parents, peers, and community;
• Schedule and facilitate IEP meetings as defined in the Virginia Regulations;
• Utilize strong oral and written communication skills with students, parents, and staff;
• Utilize effective problem solving, organizational, multi-tasking, and time management skills;
• Organize and supervise the work of paraprofessionals that includes and is not limited to developing a schedule of duties, monitoring the fidelity of intervention plans implemented by assistants, guiding and mentoring in the areas of parent communication, data collection, and use of evidenced based practices;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with pupils, parents, school staff, district staff, and patrons;
• Evaluate pupils’ academic and social growth, maintain appropriate records, and prepare progress reports;
• Communicate with parents through conferences, telephone calls, e-mails, student planners, school web site, and other means, to discuss the pupils' progress;
• Maintain and upholds school and county policies and procedures;
• Administer and score standardized assessments;
• Establish / designs, implements and monitors personalized goals for each child;
• Maintain student records as required by the Code of Virginia and Virginia Regulations;
• Assure confidentiality of all students’ information;
• Understand and adhere to all laws, Special Education policies and procedures and District policies, and procedures;
• Maintain professional competence through staff development education activities provided by the school district and self-selected professional growth activities;
• Knowledge and use of materials and resources in accordance with the adopted curriculum and consistent with the physical limitations of the location provided;
• Attends and participates in faculty, department, and Division-wide meetings;
• Selects and uses appropriate instructional materials;
• Establishes and maintains cooperative professional relations with others;
• Performs related duties as assigned by the administration in accordance with the school/system policies and practices.

Qualifications

• Candidates for this position must hold or be eligible for a Virginia teaching certificate with endorsement in School Counseling.

Skills

• Strong understanding of the instructional needs of children with significant educational disabilities;
• Strong understanding of the special education process;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Ability to facilitate paraprofessionals in the classroom and community;
• A belief that all students can learn and are best served when they are included with their peers to the greatest extent possible;
• Understanding of the state curriculum standards as they apply to students with intellectual disabilities;
• Knowledgeable in research-based programs;
• Demonstrated knowledge in implementing positive behavior plans and data collection;
• Understanding of IDEA, and associated timelines;
• Understanding of the requirements of the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program;
• Current Virginia Special Education endorsement in Adapted Curriculum K-12 (preferred) or Special Education General Curriculum K-12.