SY 24-25 Special Education Coordinator

About DC Scholars: 

DC Scholars Public Charter School was founded in 2012 and serves approximately 500 students in Preschool - 8th grade. DC Scholars develops life-long scholars who have the academic knowledge and skills, individual passions, and community-mindedness necessary to succeed in and contribute to an ever changing world. We have cultivated a mission-oriented and collaborative team. Our staff is enthusiastic about constantly setting and reaching a high bar for students.

The Position: 

DC Scholars Public Charter Schools is seeking a dynamic and strategic Special Education Coordinator of Compliance to join our student support team. If you’re ready to join a team of dedicated educators who are committed to ensuring that all students have access to high-quality education by providing in-house student support services that support our Scholars’ behavioral, social, and emotional growth.

Key Responsibilities

Culture
 

• Work with teachers, dedicated aides, and instructional staff in establishing positive classroom climate.
• Support teachers and  dedicated aides in establishing effective classroom management systems and developing students’ positive social behaviors
• Provide support with student behavior as necessary
• Provide leadership to staff and students in establishing a positive, structured, and achievement-oriented school  and classroom culture
• Model, reinforce, and support implementation of our special population beliefs
• Ensure that staff sets extremely high expectations and run their classes in accordance with the DC Scholars’ mission, vision, values and goals
• Be highly present and visible during school hours relentlessly ensuring a positive school  environment
• Model, reinforce, and support implementation of effective strategies to support social, emotional, behavioral needs of all students and aligned implementation of IEPs, 504s, behavior intervention plans, and RTI plans
• Model the school’s core values and set the standard for professional behavior
• Monitor and sustain programs for students that teach DC Scholars’ vision, mission, culture and school expectations

Provide excellent instructional support to special education teachers and dedicated aides

• Lead dedicated aides on caseload through a continuous development cycle to achieve goals aligned with the DC Scholars K-8 Teacher Rubric. Provide bite-sized action steps aligned to school-wide and dedicated aide specific goals through observation and feedback coaching meetings. 
• Co-observe classrooms with various leadership team members and align on real-time coaching feedback and next steps.
• Keep detailed records of dedicated aide progress within our teacher development system: TeachBoost.
• Lead individual and group coaching support specific to  intervention.
• Lead individual or group coaching to support all staff’s work with special populations
• Model, coach, and reinforce our special population beliefs in planning and instruction
• Lead or co-lead “step back” conversations with dedicated aides to provide comprehensive feedback on performance based on summative teacher observations across domains.
• Co-plan professional development in collaboration with other members of the SWLT.
• Manage and support the implementation and fidelity of effective strategies aligned to services, accommodations, and supports for students with IEPs, 504s, ELLs, and student in the RTI process
• Manage a portfolio of assessments to track student progress; facilitate data analysis with teams of teachers to identify trends, identify the root of student misunderstanding, and adapt instruction to support all students in making progress toward grade level targets
• Monitor performance of students in intervention groups, providing feedback to educators on student progress as well as any re-grouping/ lesson or skill adjustment needs. 

 Compliance Management and Coordination 

• Schedule, coordinate, and facilitate MDT meetings (IEP, Eligibility, AED, etc.) and 504 meetings
• Connect with special education team to ensure all team members, including parents, are prepared for IEP meetings, AED, 504, and Eligibility Meetings (MDTs)
• Develop and implement high quality and comprehensive IEPs and 504s aligned to student needs
• Create organized systems and communication structures to support all staff in understand student with IEPs and 504s needs, services, and accommodations and best practices for implementation
• Oversee all compliance requirements, testing needs, family communication, etc. for ELLs
• Oversee related services providers and evaluators including communication, collaboration, and implementation of services
• Coordinate with special education team to complete quarterly IEP progress reports and provide to parents; provide oversight and training to ensure quality 
• Provide staff with development and support on IEP/504/ELL plan creation, supports, and implementation
• Maintain accurate, up to date, and quality program documentation
• Observe classrooms and provide feedback and support for quality, effectiveness, and fidelity of plan implementation (ELL, 504, IEP, behavior, etc.)
• Communicate with leadership, staff, and families ongoing, creating partnerships and engagement around plans and the process.
• Coach staff aligned to compliance and student support.
• Manage creation and implementation of assessment accommodations.
• Collaborate with Manager of Special Education and Special Education Coordinator, Instructional to ensure our Special Education programming is aligned to our beliefs and meeting our goals.
• Oversee special education inventory of equipment/materials.
• Support the coordination and lead of the ESY program.
• Coordinate with special education team to ensure all documents are completed in a timely manner according to state, local, and school policies and procedures.
• Maintain paper and electronic files for accurate local and federal reporting requirements.
• Ensure compliance with laws and regulations and respond to compliance related issues.
• Other duties as assigned.

Family Engagement

• Support all families in feeling welcomed, supported, and invested in the DC Scholars community.
• Communicate with families ongoingly about school expectations and students’ needs.
• Address parent concerns in a professional, timely, and aligned to policies, procedures, and mission manner.
• Encourage, support, and maintain parent buy-in for student behavior, school culture systems and students need according to their IEP, 504, RTI plan, etc.
• Actively encourage parents to participate in school activities such as parent conferences, student events, IEP/504 meetings, etc.
• Support parents in fully understanding processes (504, IEP, ELL, RTI, etc.) and their rights and roles; invest parent voice and buy in at each stage; ensure parent understanding.

• Collaborate with members of the Leadership Team to align instruction, culture, and people development across grades and content areas.

• Build trusting relationships with students, staff, families, and related service providers.
• Participate in and give input to performance evaluations for special education teachers on caseload; provide input for general education teachers and dedicated aides as needed.
• Collaborate with Instructional Coaches to manage and implement the instructional program.
• Attend Coaching Rounds, Supervision Meetings, Special Education Team Meetings, Intellectual Preparation Meetings, Student Support Team Meetings, Schoolwide Leadership Team meetings and other interactions upon request in support of DC Scholars goals for students.
• Inform on school-level decisions that impact programming.
• Help plan school-wide, grade level, co-teacher, etc. professional development sessions.
• Communicate and coordinate with the Manager of Student Support and school support staff to create and sustain individual behavioral and academic interventions for RTI and SST processes.
• Use progressive discipline system to hold teachers accountable to schoolwide expectations -culture, professionalism and instruction- with manager support and approval.
• Implement DC Scholars’ systems and norms for communication and organization (i.e. email communication norms, maintenance of weekly schedule calendar, etc.) with fidelity.
• Be willing to take on additional responsibilities as necessary to fulfill DC Scholar’s mission for our students.
• Participate in and support effective execution of schoolwide and administrative duties – arrival duty, lunch duty and dismissal duty, etc. 

Additional Responsibilities

• Identify and provide for students with special needs.
• Develop and implement effective and aligned plans for students in special populations or with intervention needs.
• Ensure compliance with laws and regulations and respond to compliance-related issues.
• Assist with schoolwide and administrative duties – arrival duty, lunch duty and dismissal duty.
• Flexibly support any and all school related needs to support student, staff, and family success

Background and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Masters preferred.
• Deep content knowledge in compliance, special education, and related services
• 4+ years of instructional experience with at least one in an urban public or charter school
• Strong technical and organization skills
• Experience supporting and developing leaders preferred.
• Positive attitude and strong work ethic
• Belief in the power of parent/family relationships and community engagement
• Deep belief and commitment to breaking the barriers of achievement for scholars in Southeast D.C.

Mindset

• Passion for educational equity and a commitment to the mission and vision of DC Scholars
• Strong alignment with DC Scholars’ Core Values: High Bar, Passion & Persistence, Hope, Humility & Growth, and Trust
• Collaborative leadership style
• High standards of excellence for self and for others
• Evidence of well-developed emotional intelligence and empathy

The Rewards

• Opportunity to work in an exciting and enjoyable environment that fosters strong family relationships and community partnerships.
• Targeted professional development focused on bolstering leadership capabilities.
• Professional connections with other expert educators who share your commitment to doing whatever it takes to close the achievement gap.
• Continuous support from the DC Scholars Community Schools team
• Competitive salaries and benefits
• Participation in a 403b retirement plan, with matching contributions

DC Scholars encourages individuals of all identities and backgrounds to apply for this position. We are an equal opportunity employer fully committed to hiring a talented and diverse group of individuals. DC Scholars does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by applicable law.

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