Title or Position: NORTH SHORE ACADEMY (NSA) TEACHER
Job Description:
The NSA Teacher supports the NSSED student outcomes vision and helps students become successful, happy adults in home, school, work, and community by providing programs and services that ensure students:
a) acquire/use knowledge and skills, b) interact well with others and have friends, c) take appropriate action to meet their needs, d) care about and contribute to society, and e) take actions to maintain health and wellness.
The NSA Teacher supports these student outcomes by being responsible for instructional and functional, community-based curriculum and behavior management for students who have moderate-to-severe emotional and behavioral challenges. The NSA Teacher works collaboratively with parents, students, special education and general education teachers, support personnel and administrators to facilitate the educational benefit of students. The NSA Teacher understands that traditional approaches to discipline and student management have proven ineffective with our population of students and that collaborative problem-solving and coping skills development are essential to student growth and change. The NSA Teacher also models resilience under stress, flexibility and effective conflict resolution strategies when interacting with student, staff and parents.
Core Competencies:
• Proficient Communication skills
• Effective Collaborative Problem-solving ability
• Engages in Continuous Professional Improvement
• Possesses Job Specific Skills required to meet essential job functions
Essential Job Functions:
• Develops and implements curriculum to meet the needs of student's individualized education plan and aligned with state standards.
• Ability to develop curriculum and provide instruction in all academic content areas.
• Ability to provide academic instruction appropriate to the program to which they are assigned (elementary, middle or high school).
• Completes required documentation and record keeping in specified time and manner for all students on the teacher's caseload.
• Participates on the therapeutic behavior program team for the purpose of developing, planning and implementing student treatment plans and therapeutic classroom philosophy and climate.
• Conduct informal and formal assessments of student progress in learning and behavior.
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of emotional and behavioral disorders, and demonstrates an ability to effectively address the therapeutic needs of children based on evidence-based practice.
• Understands group dynamics and is able to establish a classroom culture consistent with the values of the Circle of Courage.
• Engages in effective problem solving with students in crisis.
• Formulates intervention strategies to address student's lagging skills.
• Maintains open communication with students, parents and home school personnel by devising a regular system for communication.
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate with students who have significant behavioral and learning challenges.
• Support student growth that would lead to effective transitions back to less restrictive environment and ultimately to successful post-high school outcomes.
• Encourage and coordinate student involvement in strength-based, community-based activities.
• Discuss problems and concerns openly and directly with other personnel.
• Responsible for supervising and evaluating teaching assistants, including providing direction, assistance, and professional guidance to support their development.
• Responsible for the supervision and safety of all students in the classroom.
• Prepare for and participate in multidisciplinary and IEP conferences in a professional and sensitive manner.
• Seeks out and participates in professional growth activities.
• Displays effective interpersonal skills with students, parents and colleagues including the ability to resolve conflicts, listen, and express thoughts and feelings respectfully.
• Communicates effectively in writing including composing reports for IEP meetings or home/school correspondence.
• Displays ability to use classroom technology effectively and utilize software to collect and analyze student data.
Physical Requirements/Environmental Conditions:
• Requires prolonged sitting or standing.
• Must be willing and able to complete Non-Violent Crisis Intervention training and employ these skills as necessary.
• Occasionally requires physical exertion to manually move, lift, carry, pull, or push heavy objects or materials.
• Occasional stooping, bending, and reaching.
• Must work indoors and outdoors year-round.
• Must work in noisy and crowded environments.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate will possess a familiarity with a wide range of special needs and a demonstrated knowledge skill related to supporting students in crisis. They will have strong collaboration skills and can manage stressful situations in a calm and thoughtful manner. They will have outstanding organizational skills, effective written communication, and the ability to efficiently manage responsibilities and timelines. They will hold an Illinois Type 10 Teaching Certificate with an LBSI endorsement (or other eligible teaching certificate with special education approval) and they will have recent experience in programs or services for students with severe behavior.
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually high.
• Students frequently engage in unsafe behaviors and need therapeutic support
• As a result staff may experience high levels of aggression and be expected to support students in the school setting rather than seek punishments that exclude students from the classroom and school.
Position Reports to:
Middle School/High School
NSA Assistant Principal
NSA Principal/Program Administrator
Elementary
NSAE Principal