Positive Support Specialist

SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

The Positive Support Specialist provides assistance to schools to support the design, implementation and sustainability of positive school culture and practices. This is a 10-month position.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist administrators, teachers, coaches and support staff at all levels in the implementation of behavioral and instructional supports
• Uses data to support programs designed to meet the needs of all students

• Support the use and implementation of the Student Code of Conduct
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with schools, departments, community and civic groups that interface and support the goals of the district's positive school culture and practices work

• Work cooperatively with building administrators to promote positive student behavior by providing professional development that targets research, strategies and modeling of practices to support teachers in their implementation of positive behavior supports in their classrooms
• Assist in designing and facilitating related professional development trainings
• Engage in on-going professional development to increase knowledge and skills of positive student behavior support for all students, targeted students and students who represent sub-group populations

• Assist in training on data analysis related to student discipline to school personnel as well as technical assessment assistance as needed by working with district and school-based personnel as appropriate
• Research and compiles an electronic database of related interventions and strategies that support the district initiatives

• Collaborate with multiple systems and organizations including, but not limited to the IDOE, mental health groups, local universities and various professional associations and organizations to seek out local, regional, state, and national behavioral and instructional resources and initiatives
• Review district suspension and expulsion data to identify areas of need and provide supports accordingly
• Serve on district project and planning teams as assigned by the Positive School Culture and Practices Coordinator
• All other duties as assigned by the Positive School Culture and Practices Coordinator

QUALIFICATIONS:

This role provides privileged access to the inner workings of the IPS Student Services Department and to highly sensitive information. The successful candidate will be discrete, high-energy, agile-minded, strategic, proactive, a direct communicator, highly-organized and committed to the vision and values of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and the IPS Student Services Department. In addition, the following standards will generally define the successful incumbent:

• Master's Degree in education, special education, school psychology or a closely related field.
• Must hold or be eligible for an Indiana State Educators license
• A minimum of 5 years of related experience and/or training
• Experience developing strengths-based in school and extracurricular programming
• Experience with tiered systems of supports that lead to positive school cultures and practices
• Experience in the development and implementation of training in a variety of behavioral and instructional supports
• Experience coaching school level staff and teams
• Expert knowledge of function-based intervention planning for developing behavior change strategies that focuses on reducing problem behavior and increasing more appropriate behavior.
• Expert knowledge of techniques needed to successfully complete effective Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), function -based interventions, and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).
• Demonstrated skills in the roles of a leader: collaborator, action researcher, reflective practitioner, and learner advocate
• Demonstrated leadership experience, organizational skills, and communication abilities to effectively coach and support administrators, teachers and teams

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Must hold or be eligible for an Indiana State Educators license.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to find, handle, or feel. The employee frequently is required to talk or hear. The employee is required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK 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.