Behavior Assistant (Student Services)

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit; Norristown (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 37,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Loan forgiveness via PSERS

Paid time off

Stipend for PA Teaching Certification

Job summary

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania seeks a Behavior Assistant to provide intensive behavioral support in K-12 and Transition-age settings within the Office of Student Services. The role focuses on proactive strategies and responsive interventions to address severe behaviors, including mental health crises, and requires collaboration with IEP teams.

You will implement ABA-based techniques, collect data, support daily living tasks, de-escalate conflicts, and work as part of a

Qualifications

• Associate's degree (or 60 credit hours) in Psychology, Education, or behavior/mental health field; Bachelor's preferred.
• Minimum 1 year experience with students with special needs, including autism or emotional disturbances.
• Current RBT certification or willingness to obtain within six months; BCBA enrollment preferred.
• Strong behavior management skills and knowledge of applied behavior techniques.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with IEP teams to develop and implement functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans.
• Provide direct intervention and support using ABA-based strategies, positive reinforcement, and individualized techniques.
• Support students with instructional tasks and goals to foster development and independence.
• Collect data on behavior goals and progress; enter daily data into designated systems.
• De-escalate conflicts and work as a cooperative member of the classroom team.

Skills

Behavior management

Team collaboration

Effective communication

Crisis de-escalation

Education

Associate's degree in psychology/education/behavioral health

Bachelor's degree preferred

RBT certification

BCBA enrollment preferred

Job description

A vacancy exists for a Behavior Assistant to work within the Office of Student Services at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. The Behavior Assistant provides intense behavioral support and supervision to K-12 and Transition-age students requiring targeted intervention. Support is delivered through proactive, preventative strategies as well as responsive interventions to address severe behaviors, including mental health crises and juvenile crimes. The Behavior Assistant provides direct treatment that will focus on helping students learn to respond to their daily environment in a practical and productive manner. Assignments may include support for an individual student, a group of students, a special education classroom, or a combination thereof, based on student and program needs.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree (or 60 credit hours or more) in Psychology, Education, or in a behavior/mental health related field required; Bachelor's degree preferred
• Minimum of 1 year experience working with students with special needs, particularly those with autism and/or emotional disturbances, in a clinical or educational setting
• Current Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification or willingness to obtain RBT certification within six months of hire required. Enrollment in BCBA program preferred.
• Strong behavior management skills and knowledge of applied behavior techniques preferred
• Ability to communicate and interact effectively with students, staff, parents, administrators
• Ability to track and monitor student progress using prescribed process
• Ability to build positive, mentoring relationships with students to enhance student progress
• Ability to act as an appropriate role model for students
• Ability to work as a member of a team, be courteous and able to deal effectively with people, able to work in an environment with frequent interruptions.
• Ability to cope with needs and behavior patterns of children, able to withstand emotional stress, must have a warm, friendly, helpful personality.
• Ability to follow written and verbal directions
• Ability to complete Safety Cares training and CPR/First Aid training.
• Ability to work independently, make work-related decisions, and exercise good judgement with student interaction.
• Original certificates of clearance from the State Police, Child Abuse Registry, and PDE FBI.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborate with IEP teams to develop and implement functional behavior assessments, behavior intervention plans, crisis plans, positive behavior support plans, and effective behavior management strategies for students with behavioral needs.
• Provide direct intervention and support to students with intensive behavioral needs by using behavior strategies, positive reinforcements, social stories, peer support, and individualized techniques.
• Support students in a group, or on an individual basis, with specific instructional tasks and/or specific student goals for the purposes of accommodating their development and growth.
• Responsible for implementing and directing a behavioral model for the students of the program. Use principles of applied behavior analysis to extinguish negative behaviors and promote positive replacement behaviors as developed in a student's IEP.
• Assist students with daily living tasks (e.g. toileting, dressing, mobility) and physical transitions as needed for the purpose of maximizing their independence and assimilation within the school environment.
• Communicate with teachers and other members of the instructional team regarding assigned students' daily progress for the purpose of assessing students' progress.
• Utilize de-escalation and conflict resolution techniques to manage student-student or student-staff conflicts.
• Collect and prepare data on behavior goals, interventions, observations, and incidents for the purpose of monitoring and reporting progress with identified goals. Enter daily data into designated systems.
• Provide instructional support to students by helping students stay engaged and on task in a variety of settings, reinforce previously taught skills, support test preparation, assist with classwork and homework, organize learning materials, and facilitate transitions to maximize student independence.
• Work independently with students to provide opportunities to reinforce and practice newly taught replacement behaviors and to generalize learned replacement behaviors to new learning environments.
• When not assigned to providing support to students with intensive behavioral needs, may serve as Teacher Assistant/Personal Care Assistant.
• Work cooperatively with an attitude of support as a member of the classroom team.
• May transport and accompany students in the community to develop and reinforce social, recreational, and vocational skills per IEP goals.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the Program Administrator.

Location

The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit has classrooms located throughout Montgomery County, PA. For more information visit: https://mciu.org/office-of-student-services/. This vacancy is located in the Emotional Support Program at Pathways 2 Empowerment (904 Jefferson Ave. Eagleville, PA 19403).

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 7-7.5 hours/day, 10 months (194 days/year)

Hourly Rate

Starting at $27.85 - $29.32/hour, based on Bachelor's degree and experience

Starting at $26.77 - $28.18/hour, based on Associate's degree and experience

An additional $1.00/hour stipend for valid PA Teaching Certification

About Us

The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, a regional educational service agency, provides dynamic, visionary leadership and effective, efficient services for constituent school districts, schools and students.

Why Should You Apply?

The MCIU offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package to those who qualify. This may include

• Health and wellness benefits, including medical, dental, prescription, vision, and life insurance.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Eligibility for federal student loan forgiveness.
• Participation in PSERS (Public School Employees' Retirement System).
• Paid time off benefits.

The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, or disability.