Position Title: Exceptional Children's Program Specialist

Term of Employment: Full-Time; 11 months

Reports To: Director of Exceptional Children

Pay Information: State Salary Scale; Local Supplement; Additional $3,000 annual supplement

General Statement of Job

• Under limited supervision, performs a variety of professional work to assist in the coordination of activities of the Exceptional Children’s Department. Work involves function as a consultant to schools and ensuring the fidelity of specially designed instruction and the implementation of required policies and procedures affecting students with disabilities. Work is guided by and must be in compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations. Employee must exercise considerable independent judgment and initiative in the performance of assignments.

Essential Job Functions

• Assist in assuring compliance with state/federal rules and regulations in assigned schools.
• Attend building level IEP meetings, as needed.
• Assist in building level administrators in problem solving and resolving issues relating to the delivery of special education services.
• Provide technical assistance to special education classroom teachers in developing appropriate IEPs, structuring/organizing classrooms, implementation of specially designed instruction, developing behavior management plans, etc.
• As appropriate, act as a mentor to new special educations teachers.
• Conduct student observations required to assist with instructional decisions, as needed.
• Upon request, schedule/conduct staff development activities.
• Act as LEA Representative in IEP meetings, as determined appropriate by the Director of Exceptional Children’s Programs
• Consult with parents, teachers, service providers, and regarding IEP development and implementation 
• Attend state and regional Exceptional Children’s meetings, as needed.
• Respond to calls and correspondence regarding all programs and services offered by the Exceptional Children’s Department.
• Function as special education liaison for assigned schools.
• Complete random moment in time studies as required by MAC program guidelines.
• Perform other related work as assigned by the Director of Exceptional Children's Programs

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Considerable knowledge of federal and state statutes and regulations regarding provision of services to students with disabilities.
• Considerable knowledge of the County and School Board policies, procedures and standards regarding exceptional children's education.
• General knowledge of the ethical guidelines applicable to the position as outlined by professional organizations and/or federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.
• General knowledge of the North Carolina Course of Study and the North Carolina Extended Content Standards.
• Skill in oral and written communication.
• Skill in providing consultative services to school staff.
• Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs and make recommendations for improvement.
• Ability to work and communicate with diverse groups and organizations.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment in determining eligibility, type of services to be provided, and placement of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.
• Ability to develop and conduct presentations.
• Ability to use common office machines and popular computer-driven word processing, spreadsheet and file maintenance programs.
• Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and statistics and to develop meaningful reports from the information.
• Ability to effectively express ideas orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

Minimum Training and Experience

• Teacher licensure in Exceptional Children
• At least 5 years of successful teaching experience with students that have disabilities
• A combination of training and experience which provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Minimum Qualifications or Standards Required to Perform Essential Job Functions

• Physical Requirements: The work regularly requires standing and walking around the classroom and school. It requires the ability to communicate effectively using speech, vision and hearing. The work requires the use of hands for simple grasping and fine manipulations. The work often requires bending, squatting, reaching, with the ability to lift, carry, push or pull light weights and rarely, the lifting of weights above 30 pounds. The work occasionally handles/works with biohazards and/or risks for potential job-related injury, such as those found in a laboratory or shop environment. The work requires activities occasionally involving driving automotive equipment. 
• Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or composite characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
• Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments or directions to subordinates or assistants.
• Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, articles, proposals, contracts, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, evaluations, contracts, policies, handbooks, budgets, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
• Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to give oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including educational and legal terminology.
• Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the principles of descriptive statistics, statistical inference and statistical theory.
• Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
• Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.
• Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
• Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.
• Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear.) Must be able to communicate via telephone.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.