Assistant Director of Student Support Services

The Assistant Assistant Director of Student Support Services participates actively in the life of the school to forward best practices and innovations to enhance student learning.  Works with our school administrators and the Director of Student Support Services to ensure that Bridges’ services for students with disabilities are not only compliant but also maximally effective. The Assistant Director of Student Support Services is specifically responsible for creating and maintaining systems to identify students with disabilities, coordinating the services and accommodations / modifications for students with disabilities, and organizing and analyzing student data to increase the effectiveness of the special education and 504 programs. 

The Assistant Director of Student Support Services facilitates student support team meetings, supports the planning and delivery of specialized instruction and monitors the work of the Special Education Coordinator and special education teachers. In addition the Assistant Director of Student Support Services serves as liaison to all internal and external constituents, including families, OSSE, the DCPCSB, and other relevant local organizations. The Assistant Director of Student Support Services communicates with and trains staff in systems, programs, and instructional practices that serve students with disabilities at Bridges. In addition, provides coaching support for the special education instructional program, evaluating lesson plans and observing classes on a regular basis to encourage the use of a variety of instructional strategies and materials consistent with research on students with a classified learning disability and child growth and development. The Assistant Director of Student Support Service will be willing to learn about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in order to support the school’s work that merge best practices in special education and supporting students with special needs with UDL.  This is a 12 month position.

The Ideal Candidate will possess: 

• Demonstrated ability to coach, lead, and collaborate with adults from a diverse range of perspectives and backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to build and keep strong relationships with a diverse community of students, families and staff.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to think strategically, translate thoughts to action, and follow-through with all details.
• Have 1 to 2 years of successful classroom teaching experience in an urban school setting as a special education teacher. 2 or more years of teaching experience is preferred. 
• Have 4 or more years experience supervising, coaching and training adults. 
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of instructional strategies for students with autism, developmental delay, specific learning disabilities, and behavior disorders.
• Have a Masters Degree in Special Education and certification in Special Education; or a Bachelor's Degree and certification in Special Education. Or a Masters Degree in a related field.

Responsibilities Include:

• Assists the Director of Student Support Services with developing the appropriate  infrastructures, systems and processes for implementation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) with fidelity, ensure that compliance standards including instructional programs are designed to maximize student performance. 
• Coach, supervise and evaluate special education staff to ensure high quality, research based instructional strategies and practices are being implemented consistently for students with disabilities. 
• Provides strong leadership in the implementation of the day to day operations of the special education programs. 
• Assists with the development, publication, and use of new instructional procedures and/or techniques designed to enhance the special education department's programmatic goals. 
• Maintains positive, cooperative, and mutually supportive relationships with the building principal, instructional staff, students, parents, and representatives of resource agencies within the community. 
• Collaborates with instructional leadership team and special education teachers to assist with the overall evaluation of inclusionary practices to identify and develop strategies for improvement. 
• Collaborates with school leadership to conduct co-observations and instructional rounds to support academic and behavioral program improvements. 
• Collaborates with Literacy Coordinator, Curriculum Coordinator, and Instructional Coaches to develop plans and recommendations for the inclusion of students with disabilities in all aspects of the educational program. 
• Provide on-going, regularly scheduled consultation to campus based special and regular education personnel. 
• Determine whether instruction corresponds to goals and objectives of the student’s individualized education program (IEP) and the common core state standards. 
• Confer with teachers to provide technical assistance for improvement of instructional skills and behavior management. 
• Provide on-going consultative assistance, in conjunction with assigned special education teachers, regular education teachers serving students with disabilities. 
• Supports effective teaching by providing relevant tools and resources to inclusion teaching teams, including co- teaching self-assessment tools/rubrics, planning templates, and collaborative relationship meeting protocols. 
• Ensures curriculum renewal is continuous and responsive to student needs. 
• Meets regularly with inclusive teaching teams to discuss instructional planning and practices 
• Plans and delivers professional development sessions that model effective teaching practices for teachers during the summer institute and throughout the school year. 
• Ensures that the referral process is timely, thorough and that eligibility decisions are well-made. 
• Maintains a referral system that is easy to use by both parents and teachers. 
• Schedules, convenes and facilitates MDT meetings with all relevant specialists, teachers, and family members within 10 days of the referral. 
• Ensures that IEPs are well-developed and appropriate for students with disabilities. 
• Oversee the drafting of IEP goals, accommodations/modifications, and service-hours by service- providers, inclusion teachers, and general education teachers so that they both match recommendations from the eligibility meeting and reflect the Bridges PCS IEP standards. 
• Oversees the implementation of IEPs by special education teachers and related service providers. 
• Maintains a file system that is both useful and compliant. 
• Convenes review IEP meetings annually and eligibility meetings triennially or more often as needed. 
• Ensures that IEP accommodations and modifications are provided to students with IEPs during testing. 
• Creates 504 plans for students with disabilities who qualify for them. 
• Coordinates the successful implementation of the special education and 504 planning process. 
• Ensures that IEPs and 504 plans are well-developed and appropriate for students with disabilities. 
• Oversees the provision of testing accommodations for students with disabilities for school-wide testing initiatives (ANET, DC CAPE, others). 
• Ensures that general education teachers understand special education and their roles/responsibilities. 
• Oversees the completion and dissemination of quarterly progress reporting for students with IEPs; 
• Ensures that families feel informed, engaged, and supported throughout the special education process. 
• Analyzes special education student data (e.g., referrals made, student demographics, student achievement, disciplinary trends). 
• Provides training to special education teachers and related service providers in areas identified through observation (e.g., IEP goal-writing, using assessment to drive instruction, etc.). 

Salary is based on educational level, certification(s), and years of experience. The successful candidate will be contracted yearly. Employment will be renewed according to evaluations and staff interest. Child care and health savings plans, pre-tax deduction for Metro, bike racks and regular staff engagement and wellness activities. Staff lounge and lactation room for nursing mothers. Health benefits (medical & dental), disability insurance, and a retirement plan: 401-(k) with a 4% match or the continuation of the DCPS retirement plan.

Strong verbal and written language skills in English are required.

Bilingual English / Spanish is a plus, not required. Salary add-on of up to $2000.00 for documented Spanish language skills.