RFK Community Alliance has an exciting opportunity for you to join our incredible team as a Special Education Transition Coordinator at RFK Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts!
$2,500 Sign-On Incentive
This position is eligible for the RFK Community Alliance Sign-On Incentive in the amount of $2,500 in your first year of employment. You will receive $500 after 3 months; $500 after 6 months; $1,500 after 12 months.
Who We Are
More Than Just a School
- Our classes are structured with low student-to-staff ratios, and the curriculum is taught in accordance with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Engaging lessons, projects, and activities are taught and reinforced through a hands-on approach and using 1:1 devices.
- In addition to core content, students attend Physical Education/Fitness/Health, Art, Music, and other elective classes. High school students receive credit toward their local graduation requirements, engage in Transition & Career options, and have options for credit recovery, as well.
- Our school-based clinical services provide individualized therapeutic treatment to assist each student to function successfully across all environments. Services include individual and group sessions and crisis intervention, which target social/emotional growth and problem-solving.
- Using the Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) model, our trauma informed, therapeutic integrated program combines education and related services. Our clinicians and staff members are also trained in the use of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), a therapeutic model that addresses behaviors that stem from lagging skills.
- Our clinical coordinator collaborates closely with classroom staff and other service providers to implement specific strategies and methodologies across all environments to consistently develop student social, emotional, and behavioral regulation.
- Our curriculum and support services promote healthy relationships with peers and staff and instill educational and social confidence, helping students to reach their full potential.
Each of our RFK Community Alliance schools are year-round, state-approved special education day school programs that serve students 6-21 years of age with social, emotional, and behavioral needs. We focus on each student's ability to develop attitudes and actions that promote problem-solving, independence, and academic achievement. We believe in a comprehensive educational environment that focuses on social competence, character development, and personal values for learning.
Who You Are
You are a compassionate, collaborative, and resourceful educator who is committed to supporting and empowering students in our year-round, therapeutic private special education day school. You want to work in a learning environment that has an academically challenging curriculum, a philosophy that builds on individual student strengths, and an emphasis on seeing students succeed. You understand the importance of trauma-responsive practices, and you support every student every day with unconditional positive regard. You are an educator who seeks out opportunities to learn, reflect, and collaborate with colleagues.
What You Will Do
The Transition Coordinator is innovative, enthusiastic, and looking for the opportunity to prepare students for a successful future. You are committed to helping all students develop skills in the areas of personal-social growth, educational planning, and career and vocational development. Our Transition Coordinator will support students with disabilities and their families to obtain the services necessary to transition from high school to a post-secondary setting, whether for post-secondary education, employment, or long-term support.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Facilitate student-centered transition planning approaches, utilizing a variety of transition assessments and interpret results to develop measurable postsecondary IEP goals that focus on self-advocacy and self-determination
- Apply transition assessment results, including student preferences and interests, to develop natural support systems in postschool settings
- Actively promote family engagement, especially those who are culturally and linguistically diverse, throughout the transition decision-making and implementation process
- Provide teachers with instructional and curricular resources and related activities to embed transition content within academic courses
- Teach a transition course to address transition and career awareness leading to employment preparation and postsecondary education and community integration
- Develop school-based employment experiences and job placements within the community
- Communicate with employers and other professionals to develop and monitor natural support networks in the community
- In concert with the local district, coordinate referrals and placement activities with relevant post-secondary agencies (e.g., Massachusetts Rehabilitation Council, MA Department of Mental Health, MA Department of Developmental Services, community colleges, etc.)
- Support students to advocate for disability-related accommodations and modifications in postsecondary, educational, and training settings
- Use evidence-based practices and research to develop transition programs and services
- Serve as the 'face of' RFK Academy, greeting callers and visitors to the school
- Other duties as assigned
Because we are a private therapeutic school for students with disabilities, our team members also demonstrate certain skills and abilities that include:
- Proven ability to effectively communicate with students, colleagues, parents, and school leaders
- Cultural competence to work with students from different backgrounds and with different abilities
- Excellent teaching, writing, and communication skills
- Strong creative thinking, flexibility, and crisis management skills
- Comfort working with or learning common technologies
- Maintaining records, including IEPs, progress reports, grades, and more
- Desire to continue on your own professional learning journey
Work Schedule:
40 hours per week: Monday - Friday, days; 12-month, benefited position
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervises students
HOW WE PROMOTE EQUITY, CULTIVATE LEADERS, AND GROW TOGETHER
At RFK Community Alliance, we're dedicated to a culture where everyone can show up to work as their full, authentic selves. Diversity and inclusion don't happen by accident, it's by design. Together we're the designers. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace makes our organization stronger. We care about including diverse perspectives and experiences throughout every level, which is why we're committed to honoring, celebrating, and fostering diversity and inclusion on our team, clientele, and community. Our team must reflect our community and vice versa. We value, respect, and support all types of diversity across all identities, including ethnicity, race, gender, LGBTQIA, age, religion, and abilities. We take responsibility for the community we're creating here at RFK Community Alliance, and we're here to contribute to the progression of our society to a more inclusive and equitable one.
Why You'll Love Us
We offer amazing benefits, including:
- $2,500 Sign-On Incentive: This position is eligible for the RFK Community Alliance Sign-On Incentive of $2,500 in your first year of employment ($500 after 3 months; $500 after 6 months; $1,500 after 12 months).
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Generous paid time off
- Holiday Pay
- Educational Assistance
- Employer-paid life insurance
- Retirement Plan with generous employer match
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Comprehensive Employee Assistance Program
QUALIFICATIONS
You are someone who leads with compassion and values collaboration, inclusion, and learning. The best-qualified candidate has experience working with young people or teaching students with disabilities and will have or is eligible for Massachusetts educator certification in Moderate Disabilities 5-12. Preferred: MA DESE Transition Specialist Endorsement
Keywords: Special Education, IEP, Special needs, Transition, Autism, Emotional Impairment, Learning Disabilities, Education, SPED
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RFK Community Alliance
dental insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, retirement plan
April 02, 2024