Severe Needs Teacher - West Middle School

Cherry Creek School District; Colorado; On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Cherry Creek School District seeks a Severe Needs Teacher to develop coursework and deliver instruction for students with affective and severe needs at the school level. Roles include Autism Classroom, BD, ILC, SED, and Transition Programming, with emphasis on effective instructional practices and student success.

Responsibilities span planning, assessment, collaboration with staff, and ongoing professional growth within a district that supports diverse learners and inclusive education.

Qualifications

• Strong communication, organization, and teamwork skills required.
• Ability to align curriculum with standards and assess student progress.
• Ability to adapt instruction for diverse learners.
• Professional learning community participation encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Instruct students in large, small, and one-on-one settings.
• Develop, plan, prepare, and implement course content and lesson plans.
• Edit, proofread, and grade student work.
• Design varied assessment tasks and give meaningful feedback.
• Create a classroom that supports instruction and manages behavior.
• Monitor student growth and maintain progress documentation.
• Communicate progress and needs with parents and staff.
• Collaborate with teachers and administrators to improve outcomes.
• Participate in meetings, conferences, and professional activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Effective communication

Organizational skills

Collaboration

Student-centered instruction

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Colorado teaching license

Job description

• Job Title: Severe Needs Teacher
• FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
• Classification Group: Cherry Creek Education Association
• Supervising Position: School Principal or designee
• Pay Plan: Certified/Licensed
• Pay Range: Certified/Licensed Salary Schedule
• Last Updated: 01/26/2024
• Pay Information
• Benefits Information

JOB SUMMARY

Develop coursework to support effective instruction of students with affective and severe needs at the school level. Effectively deliver instruction that promotes an exemplary educational program and ensures success for all students.Assignments include: Autism Classroom, Behavior Development (BD), Early Childhood Severe Needs, Integrated Learning Center (ILC), Severe Emotional Disability (SED), and Transition Programming.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The subsequent duties outline the fundamental operations of the position and exemplify the nature of the tasks carried out. They do not encompass a comprehensive inventory of the obligations and responsibilities fulfilled in this role. The approximation of frequencies and time allocation percentages are flexible and subject to the requirements of the organization.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

JOB TASK DESCRIPTIONS

1. Instruct students in large, small, and one-on-one situations.
Daily
30%

2. Develop, plan, prepare, and implement course content, format, structure, schedule, individualized programs of instruction for students, classroom materials and curriculum, lesson plans, and learning activities.
Daily
20%

3. Administer, edit, proofread, and grade students’ assignments and assessments.
Daily
10%

4. Design assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate understanding in a variety of ways and use the data to give meaningful feedback and modify instruction.
Daily
10%

5. Create a classroom environment which maximizes instructional opportunity, supervise the behavior and well-being of students in the classroom and all educational settings, and administer discipline when appropriate.
Daily
5%

6. Monitor student growth and progress, adapt support as needed, and maintain documentation pertinent to academic, social, and emotional progress and needs of students.
Daily
5%

7. Communicate students’ progress, needs, and eligibility with parents/guardians and other staff as needed.
Daily
5%

8. Collaborate with teachers, support personnel, administrators, and colleagues to enhance instruction and improve student outcomes.
Daily
5%

9. Participate in department, team, building, and District meetings and discussions; student and/or family conferences; social, cultural, interscholastic, and extracurricular activities; and professional growth opportunities.
Daily
5%

10. Perform other duties as assigned or requested.
Daily
5%

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

This job has no direct supervisory responsibilities.

• N/A

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum prerequisites of formal education, professional work experience, certifications, licenses, endorsements, designations, trainings, and other criteria that a candidate must fulfill to be considered for a position. It is essential that certifications, licenses, endorsements, designations, and trainings are fulfilled, valid, and not expired.

• Bachelor's degree
• Three (3) years of professional, certified teaching experience
• Colorado Department of Education (CDE) teaching license
• Colorado Special Education Teacher endorsement applicable to position incumbent’s assigned program
• Mandatory biennial Crisis Prevention Intervention training provided by the District
• Use of personal transportation or vehicle not required
• Use of personal cell phone not required
• Criminal background check and fingerprinting required for hire
• Intermediate communication, organization, and human relations skills
• Ability to align curriculum and assessments with state content standards
• Ability to support programs designed to increase student achievement
• Ability to assume leadership in the development and communication of programs and curriculum
• Ability and desire to work as a team member
• Ability to actively participate in a Professional Learning Community
• Ability to understand, appreciate, and make accommodations for student diversity
• Ability to serve as a role model and an innovative and creative learner with an insatiable thirst for knowledge that stays on the cutting edge of instructional practice and pedagogy

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

The physical demands, mental functions, cognitive capacities, and work environment factors required to perform a position’s essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Medium work strength level (lifting or carrying 50 pounds)
• Primarily works indoors
• Typically a loud noise level
• Prolonged standing and walking
• Squatting
• Frequent bending, reaching, and climbing
• Occasional lifting, pulling, and pushing
• Speaking and hearing
• Visual concentration
• Eye/hand coordination
• Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard
• Concentrated reading/writing/mathematics
• Special needs classroom environment
• Normal school district environment
• May work outdoors when monitoring student activities
• May be required to perform physical restraint
• May be required to assist students with custodial needs such as feeding, toilet, etc.
• Work location is subject to change to meet the requirements of the organization

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Formal education, professional work experience, certifications, licenses,endorsements, designations, trainings, and other qualifications relevant to the position that are strongly preferred but not mandatory for a candidate to be considered.

• Master’s degree
• Three (3) years of special education teaching experience
• Experience working in the public sector
• Experience advising school clubs/co-curricular activities
• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Racially conscious and culturally competent with the skill, will, capacity, and knowledge to commit to a culture of continuous improvement