Bishop Ireton High School, a Catholic college preparatory school in Alexandria, Virginia, is seeking a full-time lead teacher for the Academic Support Program. The Academic Support Program focuses on providing targeted support for students who need help with executive functioning, self-advocacy, and work completion. Please review the job description below for details regarding responsibilities.
Reports Directly To: Director of Special Services
Quick Overview
We are hiring a full-time lead teacher for our newly updated Academic Support Program for students with and without disabilities who need extra guidance for academic success. Students take Academic Support instead of Study Hall and get a 1:8 teacher to student ratio to provide direct support. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience working in special education with students on developing executive functioning skills to include organization, planning, prioritizing tasks, study skills, etc.
We are also looking for leadership experience and a leadership style that focuses on strengths-based and positive support approaches to developing teacher practice. The ideal candidate would need to be passionate about supporting neurodiverse students in an academically rigorous environment as well as excited about having an opportunity to help build a new Special Services program.
Primary Responsibilities
Teach students with and without disabilities in Academic Support Classes to develop the following
o Executive functioning skills
o Self-advocacy and social/emotional development
o Skills and strategies to mitigate the academic impact from a variety of disabilities to include ADHD, Autism, Specific Learning Disabilities, etc.
Teach skills-based mini lessons differentiated for student need. Teach in a variety of formats to include whole group, but focused mainly on small group and one-on-one instruction.
Widely differentiate support for a variety of students with numerous diagnoses
Support general education teachers with best-practices in inclusion and appropriate use of accommodations in the general education classroom
Foster open, frequent communication with teachers
Help provide a small group testing environment and implement other testing accommodations for students throughout the year, but especially during midterm and final exams
Lead weekly communication with parents of students in the Academic Support Program
Post regular reminders and resources to the class pages on the BI student portal
Mentor students at all grade levels for success in current classes and planning for self-advocacy in college.
Manage a case load of Student Assistance Plans (our versions of 504 Plans/IEPs) from eligibility to implementation to review.
Appropriately respond to any unexpected behavior situations supporting student needs and providing examples for how adults should respond for students who are neurodiverse
In partnership with the Director of Special Services, lead development of an organized curriculum for the Academic Support Program including possible adoption of supplemental resources or texts
Lead regular Academic Support team meetings
Lead and provide needed professional development in a variety of styles to faculty/staff
Co-lead program evaluation of the current Academic Support Program identifying strengths and areas of improvement based on current student needs
Based on program evaluation, design and implement a plan for programmatic improvement where needed and highlighting successes identified
Develop a model of service for a program that is waitlisted, identifying and implementing a plan for exiting students from the program and adding struggling students to the program while maintaining teacher to student ratio
Lead efforts to develop positive working relationships with general education teachers for student-centered collaboration
Delegate responsibilities taking into account teacher strengths
Have high expectations for the implementation of excellent instructional support in all Academic Support classes and provide mentorship and support to teachers who are not meeting expectations
Attend regular Special Services team meetings for active collaboration
Find and attend on-going professional development opportunities to stay current in the field of special education/executive functioning support
Continuously brain storm and help implement creative and innovative ways to shift the culture of Bishop Ireton toward mindsets of inclusion for all stakeholders
Help arrange informational sessions for student and parent orientations at the beginning of the year.
Attend at least two recruiting/welcoming events outside of school hours each school year
Throughout the year, work closely with the Director of Special Services on tasks related to student/teacher support and program development/evaluation
Preferred Qualifications
Masters degree in Special Education
Minimum of 5 years teaching students with neurodiversity
Priority will be given to candidates who have Special Education Teacher Certification or extensive experience working with students who are neurodiverse, but not a requirement
Specific experience supporting students with one or more of the following diagnoses: ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, and Specific Learning Disabilities
Experience managing a special education case load to include the eligibility process, writing IEP/504 Plans/SAPs, monitoring implementation, and on-going communication with stakeholders.
Passionate about program development and implementing research-based best practices to support students who are neurodiverse
Experience providing professional development sessions and/or coaching peers
Evidence of teacher leadership and track record of working well on a team
Strong organization skills and a willingness to help students learn how to organize their work and priorities
Successful experience teaching one or more of the core content areas preferred
Has specific experience on the latest best practices in developing executive functioning skills in adolescents or willing to learn best practices before the start of the school year
Exemplifies a deep belief in and commitment to educational excellence for all students
Track record of working well on a team
Effective oral and written communication skills
If interested, please send a resume, cover letter, brief statement of your philosophy of teaching in a Catholic school environment and three professional references.
About Bishop Ireton
Bishop Ireton, a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory high school in historic Alexandria, Virginia, began its proud heritage of academic excellence in 1964. The school offers a challenging environment and outstanding quality of life, both in academics and co-curricular activities, with a three-tiered focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), humanities and fine arts. The spirit of community service and giving back is central to the school’s mission. Bishop Ireton’s quality is reflected in its distinguished faculty and staff, who take great pride in seeing every graduate head to college - often to highly prestigious universities and service academies.
