Belmar School of Integrated Arts is a small neighborhood elementary school located in the central part of Lakewood, Colorado. Our school's specialized instructional model is Arts Integration. Our students learn and construct understanding through an art form. Students have opportunities to be creative and to take risks through the connection between their grade level content and an art form.

Belmar School of Integrated Arts serves roughly 320 students in the Lakewood neighborhood of Colorado. Minority students make up approximately 47% of Belmar's student population and 12% of students are ELL students.

We have two kindergarten classrooms and two classrooms for each grade from one through five. We also have a Center Program SPED classroom serving students with significant learning disabilities. Through the full implementation of Professional Learning Communities, our staff prides itself on its willingness and ability to meet the individual learning needs of each student.

SUMMARY Based on the requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) the teacher must develop, implement, and support individualized practices for achieving learning outcomes for students with significant support needs that are highly diverse learners with extensive needs in the areas of cognition and/or learning, communication, movement and social/emotional abilities. The individual may also have concurrent health, sensory, physical and/or behavioral disabilities. This teacher will utilize evidence-based best practice and rely on frequent progress monitoring for programming adjustments. The teacher will take a leadership role in collaboratively problem solving interventions for students. An essential part of this position is to effectively organize, coordinate and supervise the responsibilities of multiple adults in the educational environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

Design and implement specialized instruction.
Work collaboratively to plan, adapt and modify district and State grade level curriculum and team teach with general educators.
Communicate the abilities and needs of special education students by sharing a wide variety of approaches and supports.
Provide intensive instruction in literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills in order to acquire and generalize knowledge.
Provide students access to assistive technology tools to communicate, learn and demonstrate their knowledge.
Progress monitor growth through observation, data collection, assessment, and work samples.
Individualized levels of support across major life activities.
Conduct IEP and referral meetings, conferences, developing a multidisciplinary approach to the educational enhancement of the student.
Maintain on-going communication with regular educators, school staff, students and parents.
Create a safe supportive and understanding environment for all students.
Comply with Special Education and district policies and procedures (e.g., Medicaid billing, accident reporting).
Attend district-provided trainings and professional development.
Administer State and district assessments.
Coordinate, plan and supervise community outings/field trips.
Supervise, assign duties and manage schedules for para educators.
Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS Must hold a valid Colorado teaching license with a Special Education Generalist endorsement. Understanding/interpreting educational assessments and prescriptive teaching. Developing appropriate materials, facilitating inclusion, creating and designing and implementing behavioral plans.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Experience with toileting needs, wheelchairs, seizure disorders, and other physical disabilities. Experience working with students that demonstrate complex, sometimes aggressive behaviors. Training emphasis in all disabilities preferred.

The physical requirements, work environment characteristics, and mental functions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, see and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision. The employee is required to stand; walk; sit; use hands, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee may occasionally be required to run a short distance. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move more than 100 pounds with assistance. The employee must be able to push/pull 150 pounds for 30 feet. After being offered a position, candidates must pass a physical exam prior to starting work.

WORK ENVIRONMENT While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.

MENTAL FUNCTIONS While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate, instruct, and use interpersonal skills. Frequently required to compare, analyze, copy, coordinate, compute, synthesize, evaluate, compile, and negotiate.

SAFETY TO SELF AND OTHER Potential exposure to bruises, bites, cuts, spitting, kicking, hitting and scratches. Gloves are provided to prevent exposure to bodily fluids.

JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING Work is assigned by administration or self-directed. This position requires judgment to determine an appropriate course of action for a problem. Errors in decision making could adversely impact care or safety of students. Decision making requires collaboration with paraprofessionals, para educators, classroom teacher, school nurse, service providers and school administrators. Work is guided by Health Action Plan/Medical Protocol, IEPs, district curriculum, Behavior Intervention Plans, District policies, school procedures and professional judgment. Confidentiality is paramount.

DIVERSITY OF DUTIES Duties require cross training in student electronic augmentative/assistive technology and using computers with students.

Belmar School of Integrated Arts jobs

Teacher, Significant Support Needs (SSN)