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 Role :
The Special Educator is responsible for providing specially designed instruction and community programming for students in the 9th-12th grade substantially separate ASD program. The Special Educator will work collaboratively with special education and related services staff, outside agencies, and community partners to ensure that students with disabilities have positive post-secondary outcomes.

Key Responsibilities :

• Provide direct and indirect instructional support to students with ASD in both a school environment and community settings
• Design and implement programming for discrete trial training and other appropriate skill acquisition procedures based on ABA principles
• Provide direct, explicit instruction in transition/vocational areas
• Support students' progress in a variety of educational, training and workplace settings
• Consult and collaborate with outside agencies, job sites, educational sites, related service providers, and the School to Work and Transition specialists
• Demonstrate knowledge of researched based strategies and methodologies and employ these during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, communication, cognition, and memory
• Teach social pragmatic skills and self regulation skills as determined by the student's IEPs and by employing techniques in an overall positive behavioral support system
• Organize and maintain student data collection systems
• Collect, graph, and analyze data to monitor student progress
• Supervise the organization and maintenance of student data collection by paraprofessionals
• Implement behavior management techniques; monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral support plans
• Provide paraprofessional staff with training and on-going supervision in ABA principles and strategies.
• Provide paraprofessionals with specific training regarding their responsibilities with regular feedback on performance
• Integrate technology within instruction to increase student comprehension and interest
• Consult and collaborate with general education staff, related service providers, and specialists around differentiated instruction, curricula and environmental modifications
• Assist parents in accessing community resources to enrich their student's learning and actively involve parents in all areas of planning for their student's education
• Plan and coordinate parent education and training and provide after school parent training and home support as required and/or needed
• Chair team meetings, develop Individual Education Programs (IEPs - goals and objectives) and complete all required documentation in a timely manner
• Progress monitor student mastery of IEP goals and objectives using various assessments and data collection tools
• Administer formal and informal assessments and analyze data to inform decisions regarding IEP goals/objectives, learning approaches/content and support
• Prepare MCAS Alternate Portfolios, as needed
• Any related duties as outlined by the Assistant Superintendent, Special Education Director and/or Coordinator of the Office of Student Services

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

• Broad knowledge and experience of programs and services specific to students' areas of eligibility (i.e. autism, academic, behavior, learning, etc.)
• Above average skills in collaboration
• Excellent skills in oral and written communication
• Demonstrated ability in collaborating and supporting parents and families
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve
• Demonstrated understanding of inclusive educational practices including various co-teaching approaches
• Knowledge and/or experience with (AAC) Augmentative & Alternative Communication (moderate to high technology)
• General knowledge of various formal and informal assessments to monitor student progress and skills
• General knowledge of state and federal special education guidelines and requirements
• Knowledge and/or experience with (ABA) Applied Behavior Analysis
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university in Special Education required, Master's preferred
• Experience teaching or student teaching in urban environments
• Willingness to be trained and certified in (CPI) Crisis Prevention
• Required Massachusetts Certification for Students with Moderate Disabilities (5-12) or for Students with Severe Disabilities
• BCBA certification or training preferred

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.