Cambridge is a vibrant, diverse city and a central hub and driver of the nation's innovation economy. Home of the renowned educational institutions of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge is also the center of an impressive array of biotechnology, science, and information technology companies.

Educating about 8,000 students JK-12, the Cambridge Public Schools includes award-winning faculty, cutting edge technology, and innovative programs. While each of our public schools is unique, they are joined in a shared vision of rigorous, joyful, and culturally responsive learning plus personalized support for every student. Over 30% of CPS students speak a language other than English at home, and over 65 languages are spoken by our families. Among the most common are Spanish, Haitian Creole, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, and Portuguese. Our schools proudly embrace this diversity.

The Office of Student Services (OSS) is responsible for providing a variety of supports and services to students in Cambridge Public Schools (CPS). Our programs are dedicated to ensuring equitable access and success for students with disabilities and students who have advanced learning needs. The Office of Student Services is comprised of special education, 504 services and the office of advanced learning.

Recovery Team:
The Office of Student Services is hiring a district-based Recovery Team of eight (8) evaluators (three (3) school psychologists, two (2) special education teachers, two (2) speech/language pathologists, a .5 occupational therapist and a .5 physical therapist) to assess, write reports, and on a case-by-case basis chair deferred IEP meetings for a period of one year. The Recovery Team is expected to address the backlog of evaluations by December of 2020. It is anticipated that upon completion of the backlog of evaluations, the Recovery Team will support school-based teams with completing upcoming evaluations and team meetings for those staff members with a significant number of students on their caseload as determined by the Director of Student Services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Adhere to established rules, regulations, laws and appropriate ethical standards when conducting Physical Therapy screenings and evaluations.
• Administer formal and informal assessments including observing students in educational environments, selecting appropriate assessments based on individual student needs, and administering assessments according to acceptable procedures. Analyze and interpret information to make recommendations regarding the need for physical therapy services in the school based setting by integrating data from a variety of assessment techniques and sources including but not limited to skilled observation, checklists, parent interview, functional, and standardized assessments.
• Synthesize evaluation results into a comprehensive written report that reflects strengths and barriers to student participation in the educational environment in language that is clear and easily understood, and that meet state requirements. Provide a Report Summary in addition to the Full Report.
• Safeguard confidentiality of student records.
• Chair deferred IEP team meetings on a case by case basis as assigned by the Director of Student Services.
• Set work hours basing schedules on hours that are flexible for families for whom they are conducting evaluations, including but not limited to, scheduling evaluations of students with their parents/guardians/caregivers to occur before and after school hours and, if needed, on Saturdays.
• Provide a weekly schedule to the Director of Student Services.
• Any related duties as outlined by the Assistant Superintendent and/or the Director of the Office of Student Services.

Your Skill Set:
As the incoming Physical Therapist you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or higher from an accredited Physical Therapy program.
• Registered Physical Therapist.
• Massachusetts License or the ability to obtain Massachusetts licensure in Physical Therapy.
• Experience working in a pediatric setting/with children with special needs is preferred, though not required.

How to Join Our Team:
Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity.

At the Cambridge Public Schools, we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end, we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.