Teaching Assistant - Special Education - Richmond Campus

RITI; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialized educational institution in Richmond, Virginia is seeking a dedicated professional to support students by implementing daily educational programs and behavior treatment plans. The role involves delivering one-on-one and group instruction while reinforcing positive behaviors. Ideal candidates will have experience working with children, particularly those with autism, and must possess at least a high school diploma. This position offers a collaborative environment focused on student growth and skill development.

Qualifications

• Ability to lift 50 pounds and maintain proper posture while doing so.
• Experience with children, especially those with autism, preferred.
• Ability to serve as a consistent role model for other staff.

Responsibilities

• Conduct instruction in various group settings to teach new skills.
• Reinforce appropriate behavior and correct responses.
• Monitor and record data on students’ behaviors.
• Assist students in achieving their IEP goals.

Skills

Ability to work with children with autism and their families

Ability to work on a team

Ability to independently follow instructions

Ability to provide consistent behavioral feedback

Ability to work in a diverse environment

Previous experience working with children

Knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis tactics

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a dedicated and energetic professional to support students by implementing daily educational programs and behavior treatment plans in a classroom setting. This role involves delivering one-on-one and group instruction, reinforcing positive behaviors, collecting and graphing data, and assisting with IEP-driven goals. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, compassionate, and committed to helping students build essential academic, social, and life skills. Responsibilities include facilitating instructional activities, monitoring behavior plans, completing daily communication logs, supporting community-based instruction, and maintaining a collaborative and professional classroom environment.

Essential Core Responsibilities

• Conducts instruction (e.g., one-on-one, small group, whole group) to teach students new skills in a variety of environments
• Reinforces appropriate behavior of students and corrects incorrect responses appropriately
• Provides instruction at pace appropriate for student and curricular procedure/sequence, completing target level of learn units presented daily and weekly
• Records daily learn unit responses for the students as directed and graphs learn unit data and related information daily
• After achieving criterion on prerequisite training modules, makes data-based decisions to bring instructional needs to the attention of the teacher or program supervisor
• Meets learn unit and learn-units-to-criterion objectives as outlined by the program supervisor or classroom teacher
• Assists students in tasks designed to master goals and objectives from the IEP
• Assist with completion of educational, preference, and behavior assessments, under the guidance of the classroom teacher or program supervisor
• Facilitates participation in group activities, keeping students on-task
• Physically assists clients with challenging tasks (i.e. toileting, feeding, walking, cutting and pasting)
• Facilitates community-based instruction by adhering to and implementing school-specific procedures off school premises

Daily Activities

• Writes notes in daily home/school communication log for each student according to standards outlined in professional writing trainings under the supervision of the classroom teacher
• Follows posted classroom schedule of student/staff pairing, including following pick-up and drop-off schedule daily
• Gathers and/or generates materials under the supervision of the classroom teacher
• With all other team members, completes all cleaning and classroom assignments on a daily basis
• Works on and completes modules on a schedule provided by the program supervisor or classroom teacher
• Completes assigned trainings and implements procedures as outlined in trainings or in training materials
• Works harmoniously on assigned team, engaging professionally with all internal and external consumers

Monitor and Record Behavior

• Implements and monitors student behavior treatment plan to address maladaptive behaviors
• Responds to targeted behaviors as outlined in plan and/or as directed by a behavior analyst supervisor
• Collects and records daily data on occurrence of behaviors according to the schedule or guidelines outlined
• Assists in maintaining updated records and graphs related to social behaviors through event recording, interval recording, duration recording, etc. for behavior treatment plans and IEP objectives
• Shares responsibility with other staff in updating cumulative treatment records reflecting students current level of performance

Training

• Models all Faison handbook policies and procedures as well as instructional and behavior management related competencies throughout the work day
• Implements staff training protocols with Teaching Assistants, accurately utilizing any staff training resources (such as training handbooks, module assignments, and hands on training sequences)

Requirements

Experience Requirements

• Ability to work with children with autism and their families
• Ability to work on a team
• Ability to independently follow instructions to complete assigned tasks
• Ability to provide consistent behavioral feedback on educational objectives
• Ability to work in a diverse environment
• Previous experience working with children
• Previous experience with autism preferred, using the tactics of Applied Behavior Analysis
• Ability to serve as a consistent role model for other staff members

Education Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Bachelor’s degree preferred

Essential Physical Requirements

• Lift 50 pounds (and keep back straight while doing so)
• Bend at all joints fluently
• Move in and out of and maintain a kneeling position for up to five minutes
• Reach in all directions
• Grasp using both hands
• Move quickly in both confined and open spaces to avoid safety issues
• Run in order to retrieve an individual who is moving quickly away from staff
• Maintain balance while lowering to a half squat position