POSITION IDENTIFICATION
TITLE Special Education Improvement Consultant
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 1811
GRADE 45
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Director, Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning
GENERAL FUNCTION
The primary duty of the Special Education Improvement Consultant is to facilitate school improvement resulting in increased academic achievement for students with disabilities in identified districts or schools based on data from the annual Special Education District/School Profile and other data sources. The Special Education Improvement Consultant assists schools and/or districts in analyzing their student achievement and performance data to determine root causes for areas of concern, facilitating the development or review/revision of a school improvement plan, and identifying appropriate resources for implementing the school improvement plan.
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A Master’s degree in Education is required. A Master’s degree in Special Education is preferred.
Experience: Five years successful special education experience in public education is required. Knowledge of current effective teaching, effective schools, and successful school reform research, particularly as it relates to students with disabilities, is required. Knowledge of and experience in special education processes, laws, and regulations is required. Knowledge of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP), Missouri state assessments, and special education legislation is preferred.
Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills, and organizational skills, particularly in planning, are required. Computer literacy is required. Knowledge and skills in secondary education, elementary education, and/or P-12 education is required. The ability to establish rapport and effective working relationships with department staff, local school district personnel, and Regional Professional Development Center staff is required. The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.
Other: The nature of the position frequently requires attendance at evening and/or weekend activities, including national, state, and local conferences and meetings. Travel is necessary. This position transports a laptop, a projector, and quantities of informational brochures unassisted to professional development sessions located both on- and off-campus.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Supports the needs of schools and school districts in the region, particularly for identified priority schools as defined by DESE, schools with priority needs as based on the Division of Special Education (DSE) identification and/or identification through regional collaborative data review by working collaboratively with the Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning team, providing consultative and technical assistance, and facilitating school improvement processes.
2. Provides service and support to schools identified as having priority needs by providing service to unaccredited and provisionally accredited districts and to DESE designated Priority Schools, and teaming with others in analyzing disaggregated Special Education student performance data.
3. Helps to improve student performance by teaming with Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning staff on initiatives to support districts in planning and sustaining professional development.
4. Contributes to the improvement of performance of students with disabilities by serving as a resource to support the development and implementation of data-based District/School Comprehensive School Improvement Plans (CSIP) and/or Building Improvement Plans (BIP), including professional development plans, and helping districts/buildings identify both academic and financial resources to implement improvement plans.
5. Serves as a resource by providing and/or facilitating technical assistance to schools as a result of corrective actions required from the Division of Special Education monitoring report and referring districts to the Compliance Section in DSE for assistance with compliance requirements.
6. Develops content for technical assistance documents and/or WEB documents.
7. Assists districts and/or schools in achieving Special Education performance goals by delivering professional development when deemed most appropriate.
8. Shares expertise by collaborating with colleges and universities in the region regarding embedding DSE-developed modules in the content of undergraduate and graduate courses which prepare teachers and administrators for working with students with disabilities.
9. Assures communication and documentation of work performed by providing a monthly log, quarterly school case files, and appropriate data to DESE.
10. Advises the Director, Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning and other senior administrators on the status of ongoing programs and projects by preparing and presenting reports to the Director and a variety of advisory groups.
11. Contributes to a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.
12. Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses required by the Director, Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning.
13. Contributes to the success of the Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning by performing all other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISION
The Special Education Improvement Consultant is supervised by the Director, Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning and generally exercises no supervision of others.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES
REVISED JULY 2019
