DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) serves 5,400 students in 11 schools and employs nearly 1500 people. The District was placed into receivership by the State of Massachusetts in Spring 2015, due to struggling performance well below the state average. Dr. Stephen Zrike Jr., a seasoned Massachusetts educator, was selected as Receiver to lead this exciting turnaround effort, which includes significant autonomy and flexibility from the traditional school system. Since being in receivership, the District has experienced many promising successes. In school year 2015-16, the District saw a 7-percentage point increase in proficiency in English Language Arts and a 4-point gain in Math, and attendance rates are up across the District. HPS has also extended the school day for students in preschool to 8th grade, expanded choice programs such as dual language and personalized learning, and offering new opportunities to students, such as computer science and many other enrichment programs. For more information about the HPS Turnaround Plan, please visit: https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/turnaround/. 

SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE REQUIRED/DESIRED:

Holyoke Public School District is seeking a highly qualified ABA Teacher for Preschool students with autism spectrum disorder in our Applied Behavioral Learning (ABL) Program. This teacher provides direct instruction in pre-academic subjects, daily living skills, social and play skill development, communication training, and preparation for kindergarten. This teacher also assists in the development and implementation of behavior management as well as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs. Students enrolled in the ABL program receive the majority of their program within the specialized instructional setting, with access to inclusion to the maximum extent appropriate. This teacher will follow the regulations associated with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and procedural safeguards and Individual Education Plan (IEP) development and implementation. ABA teacher works under the supervision of the Chief of Pupil Services, Coordinator for District-Wide Autism Services, and School Principal.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Demonstrate an ability to use research-based principles of effective instruction, such as specific prompting protocols, discrete trial instruction, generalization training, pivotal response training, and verbal behavior
• Ability to create and implement programming to target pre-academic skills, social skills, independence, activities of daily living, social and play skills, and communication.
• Follow district processes and procedures in assessing students referred for special education services to determine eligibility and appropriate services.
• Attend and participate in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings.
• Design individualized education plans appropriate to meet the learning needs of students.
• Ability to complete thorough assessments, such as ABLLS-R, VB-MAPP, and participate in FBA-related information gathering.
• Provide necessary documentation and data to validate student progress toward goals and objectives.
• Maintain and update special education records as required by district, state and federal agencies.
• Ensure confidentiality of special education records.
• Provide behavior management programs to address behavior challenges and increase appropriate student behavior.
• Serve as a member of the school support team (SST).
• Meets Regularly with Autism Specialist/BCBA to collaborate on programming and follow protocols designed by the Autism Specialist/BCBA 
• Coordinate the efforts and services of support personnel (OT, PT, Augmentative Communication, Speech/Language Pathologists, etc.) services to assist student with special needs.
• Participate in professional development activities to develop specialized skills.
• Establish positive working relationships with teaching staff, paraprofessionals, and administrative personnel.
• Train, plan for, and supervise ABL Paraprofessionals
• Ability to maintain professional and committed relationships with families
• ? Attends staff meetings and serve on staff committees as required
• ? Other duties as required by district and building administration

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Minimum of 3 years working in an ABA setting
• Minimum of 3 years working with young children with autism
• Minimum of 1 year supervising classroom staff
• RBT Training Preferred
• CPI Training Preferred
• Experience with implementation of ABA strategies, PECS training, data collection, and behavior plan
• Commitment to ensuring academic success for all students
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams, strongly preferred
• Experience working in an urban setting, preferred
• Experience working with diverse student populations, preferred
• Experience with using media and technology to target learning
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply student performance data to instructional planning and execution
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills
• Bilingual applicants (Spanish) strongly encouraged to apply

Required license(s): Must possess Massachusetts Educators Licensure in Moderate or Severe Special Needs, All Levels