Department: Gateway School
Reports to: Teacher Coordinator/Education Director
Supervises: 1:1/ Instructional Assistants, Para-Educators
Type of Job: Full-Time, Exempt
Organizational Summary
Gateway Maryland, Inc. is a well-established, private, non-profit organization located in Baltimore, Maryland that offers a multitude of services to individuals of all ages with communication disorders and disabilities. Our mission is to help connect people to their worlds through our Language Access, Inclusion, Education, Hearing Health, and Speech-Language Pathology programming.
Gateway is a leader in communication services in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. We offer a wide array of services for those with communication differences and/or disorders and operate a school for children with communication disorders. We are well recognized within the non-profit sector for our work in this community by the media, opinion leaders, and the general public, and we have established ourselves as one of the most prestigious resource centers in our field.
Position Summary
The Middle School Special Educator serves as both a content-area teacher and special education case manager within Gateway School's departmentalized Epic middle school program.
This position provides specialized instruction in English Language Arts (ELA) to three groups of students while collaborating with other middle school special educators. The teacher works as part of a collaborative instructional team to deliver standards-based, language-integrated instruction designed to meet each student's individualized educational needs.
The Middle School Special Educator serves as the IEP case manager for approximately six (6) students, ensuring compliance with all federal, state, and local special education requirements. Responsibilities include writing and implementing IEPs, monitoring student progress, collecting data, collaborating with related service providers, supervising classroom staff, communicating with families, and maintaining compliance with COMAR regulations.
The teacher creates a structured, engaging, and supportive learning environment while promoting communication, independence, executive functioning, social skills, and academic achievement.
Competencies/Key Success Factors
To perform the job successfully, an individual will retain accountability for the following key success factors:
#1 Planning and Preparation
● Sets appropriate learning outcomes for students.
● Differentiates curriculum and lessons to meet the needs of the students.
● Aligns IEP goals and objectives with the lessons objectives.
● Prepares and utilizes appropriate instructional materials and resources.
● Demonstrates knowledge of content and pedagogy.
#2 Classroom Environment
● Creates a positive learning environment.
● Manages classroom routines and procedures to maintain structure.
● Engages students in active learning.
● Organizes the physical space of the classroom.
● Leads classroom staff to create a positive classroom culture.
● Manages student behavior.
#3 Instruction
● Communicates effectively with students’ language needs.
● Promotes independence by using prompting hierarchy and differentiation.
● Engages students in learning.
● Monitors student progress.
● Demonstrates flexibility, responsiveness, and understanding of student needs.
#4 IEP and Compliance Responsibilities
● Designs and writes compliant IEPs.
● Communicates effectively with the IEP team to collaborate.
● Maintains accurate records for each student.
● Collects data regularly on each IEP goal/objective.
● Completes written documentation within the timeline assigned by the IEP Coordinator.
#5 Professional Responsibilities
● Communicated effectively with student families.
● Follows Gateway School’s policies and procedures.
● Participates in Gateway School’s professional development and meetings.
● Provides leadership and constructive feedback to classroom staff.
● Collaborates with an interprofessional team for student programming.
● Demonstrates a professional disposition.
● Maintains teacher licensure and continuing professional development requirements as stated with the MSDE.
● Other duties as assigned.
Education and/or Experience
● This position requires a Bachelor's degree or Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
● A minimum of at least two years of teaching experience is highly preferred.
● Experience in developing and implementing the IEP using assessment data is also preferred.
● Experience with and/or training in Applied Behavior Analysis is highly desired.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
● The individual must hold a valid MSDE teaching license in Special Education.
Preferred Qualifications
● Experience working with children with disabilities, preferably with autism, developmental disabilities, and communication related disorders.
● Experience with and/or training in Applied Behavior Analysis is highly desired.
● Strong interpersonal skills.
● Ability to lift, push, pull 50 lbs.; sit, stand, or bend for long periods of time.
Why work for Gateway School?
● Small caseload (6 students)
● 10 weeks off built into school calendar + paid time off
● $1000 reimbursement annually for CEUs/CPDs/PDP credits
● 37.5 hour work week
● Competitive health and dental benefits
● 403b with matching opportunities
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
All Gateway employees are expected to demonstrate an awareness of, respect for, and attention to the diversity of the people with whom they interact (person served, personnel, families/caregivers, and other stakeholders) that are reflected in attitudes, organizational structure, policies, and services.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Pay: $68,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have experience teaching middle school aged children with autism and/or development disabilities and implementing behavior intervention plans in a self-contained classroom setting? (Required)
- How many years of Special Education experience do you have? (Minimum requirements: 2 years)
- Do you have experience supervising 1:1 classroom aides during daily and/or 1:1 instruction? (Required)
License/Certification:
- MSDE teaching license (Required)
Work Location: In person
