1:1 Special Education Teaching Assistant: Dedicated Adult Support (Southeast Campus)

Highline Academy Southeast

www.highlineacademy.org

Dedicated Adult Support (DAS) - Special Education 

Job Description:

MISSION: We exist to foster a diverse community of youths and adults striving together for academic, personal, and civic excellence.

VISION: Creating inclusive excellence in public education.

Assignment: Teaching Assistant

Our staff is the heart of our organization, the ones who bring the mission to life for our students. We expect our staff to care about the whole child, manage classrooms with strength and nurture, and collaborate effectively with teammates and families. We look for people with strong communication skills, a dedication to doing everything it takes to make a difference for each child, and a growth mindset. 

Position Schedule: Special Education 1:1 Dedicated Adult Support is a paid, year-round salaried position. Their student contact days (176), professional development days, and parent conference days add up to a 186-day work year. Teaching Assistants are expected to be on campus and ready for students by 7:30 am and to stay until 3:30 each day school is in session, and until 2:00 on Fridays during early release days. One week of professional development occurs every summer before school begins and counts as part of the accounted professional development days.

HIGHLINE OVERVIEW: Highline Academy is a community of diverse youth and adults striving together for academic, civic, and personal excellence. Founded in 2004, Highline is committed to inclusive excellence. In 2013, we launched our second school in Green Valley Ranch. Our students come from 50 countries, speak 26 languages, and represent a full range of socioeconomic backgrounds and prior educational experiences. Our diverse and integrated community has already begun to achieve excellence. Highline students have consistently outperformed district and state averages. Strong faculty and student retention rates reflect the school’s positive culture and strong community. 

Highline has a commitment to a liberal arts education which includes Art, Music, Spanish and P.E. instruction for our students. We have high expectations for all learners, with an understanding that some need more or different instruction. We have Performance Group teachers at each grade level, which enables us to provide small-group instruction in the core content areas of math and language arts. Additionally, we have a robust intervention program with additional supports available as students show they need them. We are a fully inclusive organization for students with special needs, who are integrated into the general education classrooms.  Highline designed a character education program called REACH. This teaches, practices, and celebrates the REACH values of responsibility, empowerment, aspiration, citizenship, and honesty. All our students are taught to Reach Out to support and care for their classmates and community, Reach In to learn about themselves and reflect on their learning, and Reach Up to achieve their best academically. We are a student-first, growth-mindset organization, and we expect all employees to model these values. All Highline employees are expected to read and follow all policies as written in the employee handbook and to review it annually for updates.

What we are looking for: 

Our DAS 1:1 team are the experts in their students. As a member of the grade-level team they support, we lean on our DAS Teaching Assistants to help create a successful learning environment, support student regulation, implement behavior intervention plans, and promote student engagement for holistic student growth. We are looking for a grounded individual, experienced in implementing a variety of tools to support student regulation, committed to consistency, and a strong collaborator.

Major Responsibilities: All Highline Dedicated Adult Support must show clear competency and reliable practice of the following indicators:

• Create a Positive Classroom Culture and Climate


• Practice Restorative Justice Protocols


• Practice effective student management in all school areas, inside and outside


• Demonstrate Effective Collaboration and Engagement with students and colleagues


• Demonstrate thoughtful reflection, learning, and development

All Highline Dedicated Adult Support staff are also expected to demonstrate the Highline Internal Commitments for Professional Practice.

• We will take responsibility for student learning by valuing diversity, needs, and learning styles, and by sharing ownership. 


• We will commit to being clear and purposeful in our objectives and instruction while continuing to reflect on and revise learning strategies by frequently monitoring student assessment data and using it as a tool for learning. 


• We accept and embrace diversity within our community of faculty, students, and parent/guardians by valuing each other for who and where we all are in life as learners and as people, and we commit to providing a safe place for all to succeed. 


• We will communicate directly, intentionally, and promptly, and we will do so gracefully, without judgment and for positive, proactive purposes. 


• We will create an environment that empowers faculty, students, and parents/guardians to actively participate in student success. 


• We will build a focused, sustainable adult community by prioritizing what is most essential to student success and staying aligned with Highline’s goal.


• We will consistently model and enforce Highline’s academic and behavioral expectations. 
  

Dedicated Adult Support Responsibilities: 

Dedicated Adult Support (DAS) serves as one-to-one (1:1) paraprofessionals for students in Special Education. 

 What DAS do:

• Provides services to one or more individual students as outlined in their Individual Education Program (IEP), including supporting academic, health, daily living, and social-emotional and behavioral needs.


• Monitors classroom activities, assignments, and/or materials under the direction of the classroom teacher and/or special educator for the purpose of supporting and reinforcing classroom objectives and meeting learning goals.


• Provides daily living procedures such as toileting, diapering, feeding, and personal hygiene as trained.


• Provides medically invasive (e.g., tube feeding, catheterization, suctioning) following universal precautions and as trained and directed.


• Lifts and transports students using appropriate equipment and technique according to Denver Public Schools’ training.


• Supports implementation of students’ individual behavior intervention plans, crisis/safety plans, and health care plans.


• Implements student accommodations and modifications as outlined in their IEP in both academic and non-academic settings throughout the school day.


• Under the supervision of a special education teacher and/or special service provider, collects data on students’ individual IEP goals.


• Communicates and coordinates with students and families about routine educational issues at the direction of the supervising special education teacher and/or special service provider.

DAS will need the following skills and requirements to be successful in the role

Qualifications:

• High School Degree or Equivalent;


• Experience appropriate to the assignment, with experience with students with disabilities required, especially supporting students' mental health and regulation needs 


• Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT) or experience providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is not required but highly preferred


• Commitment to serving children with disabilities with patience and compassion;


• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the Highline mission.


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  Must be able to respond safely and effectively to students’ behavioral and safety needs, including frequent standing and walking; running when necessary; and assisting with physical support, lifting, and other approved crisis-response interventions, in accordance with training and school protocols.

  
  
  
  


• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
  

Minimum Requirements:

• Must complete Denver Public Schools’ approved written and physical exams and trainings covering de-escalation and physical restraint training, on an annual basis.


• Complete required training within 60 days of initial hire.
  


• Lead racial and educational excellence and work to dismantle systems of oppression and inequity in our community, while believing in and supporting all students so they feel seen and heard and have access to high-quality education. 


• Live and work in Colorado with a permanent home address while working with us.  


• Have the ability, with or without accommodations, to meet the physical demands of the position.


• Be able to run, walk quickly, bend, kneel, crouch, sit on chairs or the floor, stand, grab or hold with one or both hands.  


• To be able to lift up to 50lbs without difficulty


• To maintain appropriate demeanor and professional classroom behavior when working with children and adults

• The ability to sit for extended periods during group training


• The ability to support children to de-escalate, including restraining using DPS-approved methods (training and certification will be provided)


• Specialized training in invasive procedures, such as tube feeding and catheterization, will be provided as required by the assignment.
  

Salary Range: $37,000-$45,000*

*Please see attached salary scale based on years of experience.

Benefits: This is a salaried position and eligible for all benefits

• State Retirement System: Colorado PERA/PERA 401K


• Life Insurance


• Paid-Time Off


• Short-Term Disability


• Health


• Gap Insurance


• Dental


• Aflac


• Vision

Highline is an equal opportunity employer. This means that Highline provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.