The Teacher is responsible for providing educational instruction designed to promote intellectual, emotional, and social growth to assigned students in a structured classroom environment. They will develop teaching plans that are appropriate to the ages and populations served, specifically children and adolescents (ages 5-21 years) with emotional, developmental and/or behavioral needs.

The teacher position requires that staff be aware that students who are served may exhibit aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior. Students served may have had multiple treatment failures prior to this placement. Teachers are expected to implement highly technical clinical and teaching programs that require teachers to be constantly alert and ready to respond to student’s needs.

Classroom Teachers are responsible for the development and implementation of all academic programming, as well as clinical programming, of all assigned students.

Some of the high-level responsibilities of the Classroom Teacher include:

• Maintaining the health and safety of your students by supervising them, managing the classroom, and following official protocols
• Assisting with the clinical side of the students’ treatment by following the procedures in their Behavior Support Plan and reporting on their progress
• As an academic leader, you’ll be responsible for classroom instruction, individual educational plan development, and tracking progress to educational goals
• Treating each student as an individual, managing their cases appropriately, and assisting other staff members in monitoring their progress
• As a leader in our organization, you’ll conduct regular meetings, coordinate with other staff members, and maintain a high level of professionalism
• Become a productive member of our team by seeking out educational resources, attending trainings, and achieving necessary certifications

For a full list of essential responsibilities, see below section “Essential Responsibilities.”

Education/Training: Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Human Service Field or Psychology and must be eligible for emergency certification (BA and enrolled in 9 credits per year toward certification). Certifications/Licensure: Special Education certification issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. A valid US driver’s license and a minimum age of twenty-one (21) years old. Must be capable of attaining approved Melmark driver status. Successful completion of employer provided certification in CPR, First Aid and Crisis Intervention.

Skill(s): Strong teaching skills with emphasis on students who are emotionally, behaviourally, physically and/or developmentally challenged. Experience or interest in the principles and application of Applied Behavior Analysis. Strong interpersonal skills are required. The ability to train and supervise peers and ABA Counselors while working within the classroom setting. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Windows Operating System. Experience: Prefer at least one to two (1-2) years experience with specialized populations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

How much on-the-job time is spent on the following physical activities?

Amount of time Under To Over None 1/3 2/3 2/3
Stand ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Walk ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Sit ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Use hands to finger, handle, or feel ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Reach with hands and arms ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐ Climb or balance ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Talk or hear ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Taste or smell ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

How much lifting does the position require?
Amount of time Under To Over None 1/3 2/3 2/3
Up to 10 pounds ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Up to 25 pounds ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Up to 50 pounds☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Up to 100 pounds☐ ☐ ☒ ☐ More than 100 pounds ☐ ☒ ☐

Does this job have any special vision requirements? Check all that apply.

☒ Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less)

☒ Distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more)

☒ Color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors)

☒ Peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point)

☒ Depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships)

☒ Ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus)

☐ No special vision requirements

WORKING CONDITIONS

Check which working conditions the employee is subject to:

Physical Conditions:

☒ Noise ☒ Extreme temperatures ☐ Vibration ☒ Wet and/or humid

Hazards:

☒ Mechanical ☒ Electrical ☒ Chemical ☐ Explosives ☐ Radiant energy ☐ Burns ☐ Other

Atmospheric Conditions:

☐ Fumes ☒ Odors ☒ Dusts ☒ Mists ☐ Gases ☐ Poor ventilation ☐ Other

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE

☒ Category I - This position has a high probability occupational exposure to Blood Bourne Pathogens/Tuberculosis.

☐ Category II - This position may have occasional exposure to Blood Bourne Pathogens/Tuberculosis

☐ Category III - Exposure to Blood Bourne Pathogens/Tuberculosis is unlikely.

**Essential Responsibillities **

1. Health and Safety: Ensures that staff maintains each student’s hygiene, grooming, and dressing needs, as appropriate (e.g., mouth wiped, clean clothing, clothing appropriate to weather conditions).
2. Health and Safety: Maintains Level of Supervision (LOS) for assigned individual(s) at all times and ensures that all classroom staff follow assigned LOS. Designates or changes assigned students based on each student’s needs and/ or if assigned LOS cannot be maintained for any length of time.
3. Health and Safety: Follows proper procedures for notification of individual’s health issues, including communication with nursing, families/guardians, or residential staff, as appropriate.
4. Health and Safety: Ensures completion of all daily medical documentation in a timely and accurate manner, including sleep charts, stool/menstrual charts, food logs, etc. as outlined for assigned individual(s).
5. Health and Safety: Ensures that the classroom environment is clean and free of all hazards at all times (e.g., cleaning supplies locked, broken items removed or repaired immediately) and ensures that staff complete classroom cleaning checklists, as assigned.
6. Clinical: Implements all procedures as written in each individual’s Behavior Support Plan and/or Protocol Summary.
7. Clinical: Accurately collects data on all targeted behaviors for acceleration and declaration on assigned student(s) as indicated in Behavior Support Plan and/or Protocol Summary
8. Clinical: Creates student-specific daily schedules, location schedules, reinforcement schedules or task boards appropriate to each student’s individual needs. Ensures that all visual supports are neat, organized, and updated with all necessary items at all times.
9. Clinical: Responds appropriately during crisis (i.e., utilizing only approved crisis management techniques, being calm and composed, or acting quickly to protect others) as indicated in the crisis prevention training curriculum or each student’s Behavior Support Plan (BSP).
10. Clinical: Attends biweekly review meetings for all assigned students, as specified by the review schedule. Ensures coverage of meetings when unavoidable conflicts exist.
11. Clinical: Summarizes academic data, presents data during review meetings and develops proposals about any necessary changes based on progress or lack of progress on goals. Recommends changes in materials and/or instruction if no progress is demonstrated.
12. Clinical: Achieves and maintains proficiency in the oral and written presentations for Biweekly clinical review meetings.
13. Clinical: Maintains professional boundaries and interactions at all times with individuals served.
14. Clinical: Maintains professional boundaries and interactions at all times co-workers and supervisors.
15. Clinical: Maintains professional boundaries and interactions at all times with families.
16. Academic: Responsible for classroom instruction, IEP goal development, goal implementation and data collection systems.
17. Academic: Ensures that baseline data are collected and guide the development of IEP goals and objectives.
18. Academic: Creates teaching plan for each IEP goal as soon as the IEP document is finalized.
19. Academic: Implements all procedures as written in each individual’s Teaching Plans. Ensure that all education staff are also trained to proficiency on the implementation and data collection of all teaching plans.
20. Academic: Accurately collects data and ensures that classroom staff collect data for all Teaching Plans at the time of the instructional session.
21. Academic: Authors and ensures that quarterly reports and ESY report are submitted to supervising Behavior Analyst by assigned due date, per each student’s IEP annual date.
22. Academic: Maintains materials for student IEP objectives in clean, functional, working order.
23. Academic: Uses and maintains adaptive equipment or augmentative devices needed for students.
24. Academic: use of incidental teaching opportunities across all classroom students.
25. Academic: Ensures that all data are filed in a timely manner in the appropriate casebook and/or permanent file, as assigned.
26. Case Management: Ensures the creation and maintenance of all materials required for the implementation of the Teaching Plans and BSP for assigned students.
27. Case Management: Maintains organization of each assigned case(s) program books (e.g., case book, academic book, communication log).
28. Case Management: Enters all behavioral data for clinical and academic targets for all case(s). Updates graphs and coversheets by due date for review meetings or as assigned by supervisor.
29. Leadership/Supervisory Skills: Maintains appropriate communication with team members including residential staff and students’ families. Documents all communications outside of Melmark (e.g., parents or school district reps) in the communication log for each student.
30. Leadership/Supervisory Skills: Provides classroom staff with appropriate supervision including feedback tool implementation and delivery of supervision tools according to schedules of implementation.
31. Leadership/Supervisory Skills: Completes all necessary documentation including incident reports, progress reports and daily body checks and data review summary documents.
32. Leadership/Supervisory Skills: Conducts regularly scheduled classroom meetings that include training of staff and a forum to discuss questions or concerns.
33. Leadership/Supervisory Skills: Uses, maintains and trains classroom staff on the use of student specific adaptive equipment, communication systems and other student specific materials.
34. Employee Responsibilities: Maintains professional and positive attitude when being asked to be flexible with changes in programming.
35. Employee Responsibilities: Attends all required trainings, including but not limited to BSP/IEP trainings, All Education meetings, Education departmental meetings, and All Staff meetings.
36. Employee Responsibilities: Maintains necessary certifications (e.g., teacher certification, CPR/First Aid, approved crisis curriculum, etc.).
37. Employee Responsibilities: Communicates information in a timely manner and records medical information and unusual incidences immediately. Provides documentation of significant events as requested in special circumstances (e.g., Behavior Incident Reports (BIR), Accident/Injury Reports (A/I), seizure reports, or statements related to staff or client concerns).
38. Employee Responsibilities: Ensures that all staff maintain an appropriate level of functional engagement with assigned students at all times (e.g., activities of daily living, meaningful leisure activities, community outings, etc.).
39. Employee Responsibilities: Assists with morning and afternoon bus transport, ensures that all staff follow proper transportation procedures for all individuals, such as on community outings, and adhere to all systems (i.e., van sign-out procedures).
40. Employee Responsibilities: Refers parent inquiries and concerns regarding incidents outside of one’s expertise to the appropriate supervisor.
41. Employee Responsibilities: Maintains all program environments, including vans, according to safety standards and informs the supervisor of any hazards which may exist.
42. All other reasonable duties as assigned by Supervisors.

Melmark is a multi-state human service provider with premier private special education schools, professional development, training, and research centers. We are committed to enhancing the lives of individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families by providing exceptional evidence-based and applied behavior analytic services to every individual, every day.