Posting 1126c: Special Education Consultant (serving as special education strategist)

Posting date: April 21, 2022, will remain open until filled

Interviews begin: Week of May 9, 2022

Start Date: July 11, 2022

Location: Cherokee, Plymouth, O'Brien and Woodbury County area

Region: East

Overview

Northwest AEA provides visionary leadership and quality, student-centered services through relationships with families, schools, and communities. In short, our focus can be summed up in these four words: Inspiring Learning. Changing Lives.

Our vision is to be the first contact for timely and ongoing support to improve the performance outcomes and well-being of all learners.

About the Agency

Northwest AEA provides special education and school improvement services to 34 public school districts and 32 accredited, non-public schools. The agency serves 45,000 students and more than 5000 educators in a 10-county area of Northwest Iowa (Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O'Brien, Plymouth, Cherokee, Woodbury, Ida, Monona, and Crawford).

Our headquarters is located across from the Morningside College campus in Sioux City with regional offices in Cherokee, Denison, Le Mars, Onawa, and Sioux Center.

Why Northwest AEA?

Our vision, mission, and anchors guide our actions. Staff at Northwest AEA believe that what they do inspires learning and leads to changed lives for the students, staff, and families we serve. Our work is anchored in building positive, professional relationships with stakeholders and with one another. We embrace responsiveness in how we serve so that students, staff, and families can see improved results.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or specialist degree in the area of School Psychology, Social Work, or Special Education
• Iowa Board of Educational Examiners license as a special education consultant, school psychologist, or school social worker

Job Purpose: Facilitate all aspects of the provision of special education and support and related services in assigned schools. Facilitate full and individual initial evaluations as part of the agency’s child find process when appropriate; provide for demonstration, feedback and coaching of instructional and behavioral strategies for teachers of students with disabilities receiving special education services.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Maintain knowledge of current research-based strategies and instructional practices for students with disabilities.
• Maintain a high degree of visibility in assigned schools to support special education services.
• Collaborate, demonstrate, coach, and provide feedback to special education instructional personnel in academic and behavior strategies and practices to accelerate learning for students with disabilities.
• Facilitate the implementation of the AEA’s child find process leading to determination of students’ eligibility for special education and support or related services.
• Assist special education teachers with monitoring student progress and making data-based instructional changes that support student learning in the Iowa Core Curriculum.
• Assist AEAs and LEAs in maintaining compliance with special education rules and regulations.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with LEA and AEA personnel, parents, and families to improve student outcomes.
• Assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of IEPs, and provide support and related services as determined by the IEP team when appropriate.
• Collaborate with AEA and LEA staff to provide support to general education and special education personnel.
• Assist schools in adapting content, choosing methodology and delivering instruction to address the unique needs of students with disabilities.
• Assist school districts in addressing the needs of diverse learners through the school improvement process.
• Provide professional development to teachers, parents, and support staff as appropriate.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of instructional technology and its application to the teaching and learning process.
• Maintain knowledge of available resources within the agency and elsewhere and assist schools with access to such resources when needed.
• Use available technology to complete and disseminate appropriate documentation of activities and results.
• Adhere to the Iowa Department of Education rules, IDEA Part B and C statute and regulations, and Northwest AEA policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

A transfer shall be considered a change in an employee’s assigned region (East, North, West). Assigned regions are based on the school buildings/districts, including non-public PK-12 buildings, to which an employee is assigned. Certified employees not assigned to specific districts/schools will have “Agencywide” as their assigned region. If you are interested in transferring to this position, please contact Sherri Wing (swing@nwaea.org) for the appropriate transfer application.

It is the policy of Northwest Area Education Agency not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Jerome Schaefer, Equity Coordinator, 1520 Morningside Avenue, Sioux City, Iowa, 51106, 712-222-6114.