Job Description
TITLE : Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) Coach
WHO WE ARE :
Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is a student-focused, innovative educational organization committed to academic excellence.
Our mission is to empower and educate all students to think critically, creatively, and responsibly, to embrace diversity, and to pursue their dreams with a purpose.
We are a family of excellent public schools in which every student has the opportunity to succeed and the power to create their own future.
Led by forward-thinking leadership and our commitment to prioritizing students, racial equity, and authentic engagement with our families, team members, and communities, our staff have diverse opportunities to develop their careers in a challenging but rewarding environment.
We are an organization for people who are passionate about education and who are committed to the Indianapolis community.
SUMMARY OF OPPORTUNITY :
The Unified Student Supports team is looking for an experienced instructional coach with special education certification and / or a coach with significant experience in growing teachers’ application of specially designed instruction.
The SDI Coach plays a key role in ensuring that instruction, regardless of the least restrictive environment, addresses students’ Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, accounts for their disability, provides modifications or adaptations to content, and maximizes access to the general education curriculum.
As a member of the Unified Student Supports Team, you will receive excellent benefits, opportunities to grow within your role and the organization, and collaborative and supportive colleagues who put students first.
WHAT YOU’LL DO :
The following outlines what your core duties and responsibilities will be for this position and provides a sample overview of what your day-to-day may look like.
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Serve as the first and strongest advocate for racial and ableness equity and student-centered approaches to instruction, intervention, and student engagement
Utilize the IPS district coaching framework, with fidelity, to enhance teachers’ ability to foster high expectations, rigorous learning environments, and student achievement
Demonstrate thorough knowledge of special education and general education instructional best practices relating to services and academic supports necessary for student success
Ability to problem-solve, support, and model instructional strategies
Ability to work collaboratively with teachers, building leaders, and USS members
Experience in aligning teacher moves to student outcomes in order to translate the critical connection for teachers experiencing the coaching cycle
Ability to relate, motivate, and inspire teachers to strive to new heights
Provide weekly updates to USS admin on coaching data to inform systematic professional development (for the district, LC, or school)
Mentor new Teachers of Record on organizational, academic and culture / climate systems and best practices that allow the teacher to maximize the learning environment
Communicate effectively, and in a timely manner, with school staff, parents and guardians, USS and district staff
Attend I-TEAM, MTSS, and / or RDA meetings, periodically or when requested, in order to provide academic (SDI) and intervention or enrichment recommendations for the problem-solving teams
Build capacity of special educators and co-teaching pairs by participating in and facilitating school, LC, and district professional learning opportunities that target the need of assigned schools and teachers
Facilitate PLC meetings for special and general educators to ensure SDI, UDL, and similar best practices are taught, practiced, monitored, and reflected on
Monitor and support with student transitions (bridging) and transition planning with an emphasis on instructional needs and supports that may need modification due to the transition
Assist Learning Community staff and school principals in setting and attaining goals for student achievement, as well as all goals and big bets identified by the USS team
Work with building leadership to discuss, strategize and problem solve student academic instruction and supports
Ensure MTSS is the backbone of all special education programming, intervention planning and monitoring, strategic data response, etc.
Assist in the coordination and articulation of the district’s special education programs and services across and between grade levels
Advocate for and model strong school-family partnerships to ensure students have as few barriers to academic achievement as possible
Consistently contribute to a positive team culture by being direct and transparent and helpful and collaborative, while prioritizing a customer service orientation
Other duties as assigned by the USS administrative team
Day In the Life Overview
On a regular day, as the SDI Coach, you might :
Support teachers with their preparation of rigorous, engaging lessons and other instructional materials to meet the individual needs of all students
Facilitate a walkthrough or paired observation to identify strengths and areas of development in special educators’ and / or co-teaching teams’ instructional practices
Engage in a debrief conversation with a special educator, highlighting instructional practices or moves to be implemented in future lessons while ensuring an opportunity for the teacher’s personal reflection, practice, and feedback
Review student data (NWEA, class or content CFA, etc.) to draw correlations between instructional practices and student mastery
Review coaching data (via the IPS district coaching framework) to determine priorities for the week’s SPED PLC or faculty meeting
WHAT YOU’ll BRING : SKILLS AND MINDSETS
As an ideal candidate for this role, you will be able to achieve the following :
Highly-developed communications skills (written / verbal) and interpersonal savvy
Results / action-orientation; project management skills
Racial equity mindset and other critical indicators related to DEI
Organizational agility; developed negotiation skills
Unquestionable personal code of ethics, integrity, diversity and trust
Able to successfully navigate within varying degrees of ambiguity in a fast-paced environment
Strong strategic analysis skills
Ability to be creative in developing alternatives to meet students’ iInstructional needs
A track record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with and among a diverse group of actors
Close attention to detail coupled with the ability to exercise good judgment
Proactive nature; able to anticipate conflicts before they arise
Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively
Ability to execute meetings, calls and emails with professionalism, courtesy and accuracy
Personal qualities of maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and diligence
Ability to effectively allocate and prioritize time to several tasks to ensure completion of all
EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION, AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
Certification or ability to be fully certified by the Indiana Department of Education in special education or
Hold or eligible for Indiana administrator and / or special education director license
5 to 7 years of experience as a skillful practitioner and evidence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to execute this role at a high level
Working knowledge of federal and state special education laws, rules, and practices including IDEA and Article 7
FLSA CLASSIFICATION :
Exempt
ELIGIBILITY FOR REMOTE WORK :
Not eligible
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS :
The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; talk or hear.
The employee frequently is required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to sit; reach with hands and arms;
and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.