Special Education Department Head

SUMMARY:

Responsible for maintaining a program of high quality curriculum, instruction and assessment in the individual’s department and for being a productive and supportive member of the school’s administrative team.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  Other duties may be assigned.

§         Assists Team Chairperson with a schedule for Initial Evaluations, Annual Reviews and Three Year Reevaluations that complies with special educational mandated timelines.

§         Attend IEP meetings as requested by Team Chairperson or staff/member in efforts to resolve difficult cases.

§         Conducts Educational Evaluations for students referred for special education eligibility, completes comprehensive written assessment reports and offers recommendations for specialized instruction, accommodations and modifications as appropriate to student needs.

§         Works cooperatively with constituencies (staff, parents, agency representatives, etc) to facilitate consensus around student need for support and specialized instruction.

§         Identifies and responds to staff needs for training in curriculum framework modifications and specialized instruction.

§         Alerts Principal and Director of Pupil Services of potentially litigious situations.

§        Establishes a positive and productive learning environment, setting challenging, yet realistic expectations for staff and students.  Demonstrates an understanding of human development and learning processes of children and adults throughout all stages of the life cycle; and develops policies and programs which appropriately reflect these stages.

§       Demonstrates understanding of applicable educational theories and leads staff in applying effective methods of curriculum design, implementation and evaluation.  Encourages staff development of innovative curriculum concepts.  Oversee the writing of curriculum within the subject area.

§         Ensures department’s curriculum and instructional methods are adapted to address the characteristics of different cultural groups and ethnic minorities.  Uses community resources to enhance curriculum and instruction.

§       Works toward designing and implementing assessment mechanisms to measure the school’s performance on the statement of purpose criteria and for the curriculum.  Using results, develop a constant feedback loop to improve academic performance within department and school-wide.  Design and implement changes in curriculum and instruction to address identified areas of need (resulting from assessments).  Chair committees as necessary to address areas of improvement as identified by the NESC accreditation process.

§         Leads department’s efforts to obtain new print and other media to continually update and support the curriculum.

§         Engages in various and appropriate professional development activities to remain current in the field of certification and provides information and resources gained on department’s subject matter to staff.  Holds department meetings  as needed.  Understands and utilizes effective models of staff development and in-service education.

§      Attends department head meetings, constructively contributing to discussions and supporting the school’s mission and goals.  Works with staff and administration to actively promote a positive school climate.  Represents the department at public forums (i.e. School Committee, PTSO, Parent Orientation Night).

§         Arranges for substitute teachers or assistants if a department staff member is absent from school.  Records teacher attendance.

§         Consults with same-subject teachers at the middle and elementary levels within the system, acquainting these teachers with the high school curriculum and gaining familiarity with same-subject curriculum at other grade levels.

§     Accepts and encourages individual differences in teaching style while demonstrating the ability to utilize the system’s professional standards and evaluation system to assess professional performance, to improve classroom performance, to recommend and support improvement or to offer or support the recommendation for separation from service.

§         Responsible for student management and discipline in assigned area.

§         Complies with school regulations, programs and policies and with applicable state and federal regulations.

§         Responsible for determining the number of course sections based on student Individualized Education Programs and assigning staff accordingly.

§         Maintains communication with parents and community, fostering a strong home-school connection.

§         Maintains annual media and equipment inventory reports and prepares equipment maintenance reports.

§         Plans department budget, preparing estimates of departmental needs.  Maintains accurate records of all purchases and payments throughout the year.

§         Works with the principal and other district administrators to implement district’s state and federal initiatives.

§         Meet with Director of Pupil Services biweekly

§          Other duties assigned by the principal or Director of Pupil Services

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Supervises all employees in the department.  Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; providing positive reinforcement where appropriate and disciplining employees where appropriate; addressing complaints and resolving problems. Staff include but not limited to learning center teachers, school psychologists, social workers, occupational therapist, speech therapist, physical therapist, pupil services secretary, and student support facilitators.