Assistant Director of Special Education

The Ballston Spa School District is hiring two Assistant Directors of Special Education.
Currently one will support the Elementary Special Education Director and the other the Secondary Special Education Director.
The primary role is to oversee all elements of the Individual Educational Plan for Students with Disabilities and Section 504 Accommodation Plans.
Role of Assistant Director The primary role of the Assistant Director is to oversee, under the direction of the Director of Special Education, all elements of the Individual Education Plan or the Section 504 Accommodation Plan for students with disabilities, as well as to oversee the process from suspected disability to classification for Section 504 and the Committee on Special Education.
Ongoing responsibilities include: - Case Manage Section 504 Plans - CSE/504 Chairperson - Evaluation and oversight of special education teachers, TAs, special education aides, psychologists, speech pathologists, OT, PT, and social workers - Hiring, recruiting, and supporting staff - Coordinate curriculum with building principals - Work with the Director of Special Education, Director of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction, and Building Principals to implement curriculum for students that require specially designed instruction.
- Provide training to staff on testing and accommodations - Oversight over initial referrals to CSE/504 - Review and process placement of new students and transfer students - Transition services - Parent and community outreach - Promote parent training opportunities - Inform parents/guardians of the educational, CSE process, advocacy, transition supports, health and wellbeing - Educating parents/guardians about outside resources and opportunities - Professional development of special education staff - Direct supervision of special education aides - Provide PLC to all special education staff on a monthly basis - Work with the Director of Special Education and Building Principals to ensure MTSS process is being implemented - Supporting and ensuring that behavior management plans are being implemented - Assisting with scheduling special education programming - Ensuring that staff are writing and delivering high quality IEP/504s - Ensuring LRE - Reviewing and monitoring aide justification - Oversight of PK to age 22 special education programs - Assist with monitoring of programs for students who are out of district - Supervision of ESY -Coordinating with principals to determine if students with suspected disabilities should be referred to the Section 504 Committee or the Committee on Special Education and collaborating with the principals to ensure that all processes leading up to the referral process are being implemented with intentionality.
- Collaborating with teachers and related service providers to ensure that all elements of the IEP or Accommodation plan are implemented as required.
This includes specially designed instruction; goal monitoring; and implementation and adjustment of all supports, plans, program and testing accommodations and modification as outlined in the documents.
- Work with the principal to ensure that all classrooms and classroom systems meet the needs of students as outlined in documents.
- Work with administration to determine if challenging behaviors are related to student disability and if they are, collaborate with administration, teacher and behavior support staff to develop or adjust plans built to teach replacement and prosocial behaviors.
The assistant director will also be alerted to and provide input any disciplinary actions that are the result of repeated offenses or disciplinary actions that result in removal from the classroom setting.
- Collaborate with the Director of Curriculum and Instruction to ensure that curriculums are rigorous and that while, based on IEP, they may be adjusted to meet the needs of the students with disabilities in regard to environment, presentation, pace, specially designed instruction, materials, and instructional grouping, students continue to have the same expectations for learning outcomes to meet curriculum and NYS Learning Standard outcomes.
- Support staff development through collaboration with administration, observation, document review and discussion with staff.
Provide PD (individual and group) related to development and implementation of guiding documents, modeling and needed.
- Participate in staff oversight and placement through the APPR process and support staff evaluations and problem solving as follows: - Complete and update assignment lists with collaboration from building administration for case managers, teachers, and special education teaching assistants and aides.
- Complete second or third evaluation for teachers.
- Provide input for teaching assistant evaluations as appropriate.
- Complete evaluation for all teacher aides with input from building principal and teachers - Collaborate with classroom teachers regarding paraprofessional roles related to document implementation.
- Overseeing the development of reevaluation list for school year - Coordinate with chairpersons to develop annual review meeting schedule for school year - Chair meetings as outlined in the Meeting Responsibility Overview as needed to include: Initial Eligibility Meetings, Transfer meetings, Requested Reviews - parent, Requested Reviews - staff, Manifestation Meetings, Reevaluations, Annual Reviews, and Exit Meetings - Coordinate with all personnel related to assistive technology and other related services to ensure that equipment, supports and supplies are available and implemented as needed.
- Oversee the CSE meeting process at the building level to include: -Overseeing the development of reevaluation list for school year - Coordinate with chairpersons to develop annual review meeting schedule for school year - Chair meetings as outlined in the Meeting Responsibility Overview as needed to include: Initial Eligibility Meetings, Transfer meetings, Requested Reviews - parent, Requested Reviews - staff, Manifestation Meetings, Reevaluations, Annual Reviews, and Exit Meetings.
Job Qualifications NYS Certification: School District Leader or School District Administrator (SDA) Salary Commensurate with experience.
Position Start Date:01/02/2024 Application Deadline:12/07/2023