Assistant Director of Special Education- Act 93

JobID: 1295 Position Type: Administration/Assistant Director of Special Education Date Posted: 2/12/2024 Location: Abington Heights District Office Assistant Director of Special Education Abington Heights S D J o b D e s c r i p t i o n JOB INFORMATION Title: Assistant Director of Special Education - Abington Heights S D FLSA: Exempt Terms of Employment: 12 Months- 240 day position Employee Group: Administrative Location Central Office Last Edited On: 7/11/2022 12:52:55 PM ORGANIZATION County: Lackawanna Entity: Abington Heights School District Department: Administration Reports To: Director of Special Education Supervises: Special Education Personnel JOB GOAL To coordinate the special educational programs offered by the school district to enable students with exceptionalities access to appropriate educational services.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Abides by federal, state and local school laws and regulations, mandated programs, District policies and administrative regulations.
Monitors and ensures District’s compliance with students' special education rights.
Stays up to date with and ensures changes are communicated regarding federal and state special education laws, regulations, standards, guidance, forms and related matters.
Directs and supervises the placement of students with identified exceptionalities upon request or referral; determines the appropriate organization of special education services throughout the District annually and makes recommendations for professional and nonprofessional special education staff assignments; and assists with the due process procedures for all students who are identified as exceptional and are attending programs either within or outside the District.
Coordinates the provision of appropriate extended school year programs; plans and supervises the District’s assessment and placement of exceptional children; and participates in planning standardized group-testing programs for students with disabilities.
Assists with the maintenance of the District child accounting and child tracking system for students in need of special education and to meet deadlines for periodic child counts of all District students.
Supervises the coordination with early intervention service providers, parents/guardians, and District personnel to ensure all students transitioning to school-age receive appropriate supports and services as well as assists in providing transitional services for students completing special education programs.
Coordinates with transportation to ensure student transportation needs, both during the school year and for extended school year, are met.
Ensures the completion of all administrative activities and written documentation required by state and federal mandates in servicing all exceptional students; assists in the preparation of the required District Plan for Special Education to be submitted to the State Department of Education and files amendments as needed; and prepares necessary reports for the Board.
Recommends revisions, policies, and programs pertaining to activities such as screenings, placement and placement options, education, confidentiality of records, and training of exceptional children.
Provides leadership, coordination, and staff services by working with school principals and department members to develop, implement, and evaluate programs for staff and students; and supervises revisions of special education programs and services to meet the ongoing needs of the District.
Reviews purchase orders for special education programs; coordinates application installations on appropriate devices with the IT Department; and ensures existence, timelines, and flexibility of interagency agreements.
Provides information to parents/guardians regarding the availability of special schools and programs for exceptional individuals; serves as a resource person with community agencies and groups having an interest in the schools; and establishes good working relationships with the various agencies and offices within the community that offer special help to students and their parents/guardians.
Determines staff needs; participates in the recruitment, screening, selection, assignments, and supervision of the special education staff; assists K-12 building principals to select the Team Coordinator; and supervises pertinent in-service training.
Participates in and contributes to District-level curricular and administrative meetings; provides periodic updates of regulations and other legal issues in special education to appropriate administrative and instructional staff; facilitates staff participation in psychiatric staffing and treatment plan (mental health) meetings; and works with department chairpersons to conduct meetings designed to promote efficient functioning of special education services.
Keeps abreast of professional changes and represents the school district at professional meetings on national, state, and local levels in areas related to special education services.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Performs in accordance with school policy, administrative regulations, state and federal laws.
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.
Education Level Education Details Req Pref Bachelor's Degree Special Education, Elementary/Secondary Education X Masters Degree Special Education, Administrative Leadership or related field X Work Experience Experience Experience Details Req Pref 3-5 years experience in the field of public education, part of which must have been as a classroom teacher and part of which must have been in an administrative or supervisory capacity.
X Licenses and Certifications Enter Licenses/Certifications Lic/Certification Details Req Pref Supervisor, Special Education Valid Pennsylvania Supervisor of Special Education Certificate X Driver's License Valid Driver's License Required SCOPE Mental/Visual/Stress Work which frequently produces a high level of mental, visual and stress fatigue.
For example, work which is frequently performed under pressure, and/or which requires intense mental application or attention to details 21%-50% of work time.
Sensory Abilities Visual acuity and auditory acuity.
Ability to communicate effectively in all aspects of the job.
Temperament Must possess excellent interpersonal skills.
Ability to make judgments and work under high level of stress.
Ability to work as a leader, coordinator and a member of a team.
Must be courteous and able to effectively manage job responsibilities.
Must be cooperative, congenial, service oriented, and promote these qualities.
Ability to work in an environment with frequent interruptions.
Ability to be respectful and empathetic.
Cognitive Ability Ability to communicate effectively, to organize tasks, to handle multiple tasks, and to exercise good judgment.
Ability to follow written and verbal directions, to read and write, to communicate effectively, to organize tasks, to handle multiple tasks, and to exercise good judgment.
Ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with staff, business associates, and general community.
Ability to work on multiple tasks and prioritize appropriately.
Ability to exercise initiative and make independent decisions to reschedule work to meet deadlines or to effectively handle emergency work.
Ability to recognize areas of concern relating to assigned areas of responsibility and propose or recommend appropriate solutions to problems.
Ability to recognize areas of concern relating to educational administration issues and propose or recommend appropriate solutions to problems.
Ability to identify and isolate issues and develop rational solutions to problems.
Ability to administer policy in a manner consistent with good judgment and sound rationale.
Ability to recognize changes occurring in society and their relationships to education.
Ability to generate genuine enthusiasm for positive and meaningful change.
Ability to understand up-to-date management methods and the ability to apply them to administration and instructional services.
Ability to maintain a high level of physical stamina, stability, and creativeness.
Ability to articulate a valid philosophy of education that recognizes the need for appropriate programs to serve a wide range of student abilities, needs, and interests.
Ability to deal with personnel considerations in a fair, firm, and equitable manner.
Ability to supervise others using acceptable human relations skills.
Ability to communicate in both oral and written form.
Ability to foster and maintain positive relationships with the Board, students, parents, and staff.
Ability to make appropriate decisions rapidly and with ease, using prudent judgment and common sense.
Specific Skills Must possess leadership skills.
Must possess supervisory skills.
Ability to operate various office equipment.
Must possess active listening skills and conflict mediation skills Plans and prioritizes assignments effectively.
Able to handle several ongoing tasks and projects at once.
Able to adjust to changes in the work environment.
Reports to work on time, gives a full day’s work and makes effective use of time while on the job.
Maintains a good attitude toward administration, fellow employees and the public.
Maintains productive working relationship with immediate supervisor.
Demonstrates the ability to acquire the skill required to operate new and existing software and hardware.
Ability to compose clear, concise sentences and paragraphs.
Workplace Expectations Ability to provide direction to others.
Ability to create and delegate assignments.
Shows initiative and the ability to complete assigned tasks without supervision.
Ability to communicate, comprehend and perform complex computations.
Ability to compose clear, concise sentences and paragraphs.
Ability to organize office setting to efficiently accomplish tasks.
Ability to work independently and make work-related decisions.
Ability to exercise good judgment in prioritizing tasks.
Ability to communicate effectively at all organizational levels.
Ability to appropriately handle confidential information in accordance with district policies.
Ability to use technology for group meetings, presentations (i.
e.
overhead, document camera, projector and video equipment).
Acknowledges individuals’ requests and handles them in a friendly and courteous manner.
Promotes a positive team environment through active cooperation with others.
Maintains awareness of the School District’s policies and procedures.
Follows the chain of command.
When appropriate, incorporates progressive ideas/concepts into daily responsibilities.
Dresses appropriately for job environment.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.