Job Description:

Location: District Wide – Secondary Level
Department: Special Education
Reports To: Director of Special Education
Term: Renewing 188-day contract beginning with the 2025-26 school year
Schedule: Mon-Fri Full-time

SUMMARY: The Special Education Teacher of the Comprehensive Student Support Program + (CSSP+) is responsible for providing specialized instruction to learners enrolled in a highly structured and intensive support program. This role focuses on creating an engaging, nurturing, and safe learning environment that fosters learners’ academic, social, emotional, and physical development.
 
CSSP+ is a small-group, high-support program designed for learners with complex developmental profiles. The educator in this role delivers intensive interventions in academics, functional skills, communication, and adaptive behaviors, equipping learners with the skills necessary for successful post-secondary outcomes.
 
In alignment with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the CSSP+ Educator ensures compliance with all required documentation and procedures to support learners with disabilities in their educational settings.
 
This position involves close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), School Psychologists, Special Educators, and Administrators. The CSSP+ Educator leverages data-driven decision-making and an understanding of behavior as communication to develop and implement individualized programming within a small-group, structured learning environment.
The ideal candidate is adaptable, proactive, and compassionate, demonstrating strong teamwork and problem-solving skills while supporting a diverse group of learners and their families.
Why West Fargo? Please view this link to review training and district resource alignment efforts to support new special education teachers transition to West Fargo Public Schools. In this Padlet, you will find the new special education teacher support framework, training scope and sequence, and a pathway to SPED licensure among other resources. This program is heavily supported by district Behavior Specialists. Training in evidence-based crisis prevention and intervention strategies will be provided.
 
The CSSP+ Educator qualifies for a stipend of $2000, for three years, in addition to their contracted salary due to the uniqueness of the program.
To Apply: Please complete the application and provide a letter of interest, a resume, and three letters of recommendation. Please also include your transcripts and a copy of your licensure through ESPB, if available.
 
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and requirement satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (Other duties may be assigned)
Collaboration:
Fosters an environment that establishes respect and rapport between educator and learners.
Collaborates with a team, including outside providers, district administrators, cross-grade-level colleagues, paraprofessionals, and behavior technicians.
Collaborates with district staff to support learner behaviors through functions such as Individualized Education Program (IEPs) and more.
Proactively seeks to resolve issues for colleagues and learners by engaging with leadership on problem-solving discussions.
Develops positive, effective working relationships with learners and staff.
Engages with other district staff in the professional learning community process.
Communication:
Connects and shares ideas through appropriate/applicable formats to express thoughts and ideas with integrity using multiple formats for diverse audiences.
Clearly and effectively communicates, verbally and in writing, learner Individualized Education Programming (IEPs), assessments results, and eligibility by following state and district special education guidelines.
Routinely communicates progress with IEP team members and ensures all data-based decisions are communicated with care.
Utilizes effective communication skills to facilitate connection and sharing of thoughts and ideas in multiple formats with diverse audiences.
Establishes and clearly articulates procedures and routines that promote efficiency and appropriate use of time.
Clearly communicates the instructional purpose of each lesson and makes connections to prior learning.
Engages learners in meaningful direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice.
Utilizes questions, discussions, and dialogue that promote critical thinking about diverse perspectives, viewpoints, and experiences.
Compassion:
Empowers learners to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic learners, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
Understands that behavior is a form of communication and an opportunity to learn more about the learners’ needs and areas of instruction to focus on.
Understands the complexities of cultural and global issues and how they relate to employee and learners’ experiences.
Partners with others to resolve potential controversy and conflict through respectful discussion.
Proactively seeks to understand the ideas, opinions, and skills of others.
Creativity:
Connects with team members and shares ideas in an effort to improve the overall learner and employee experience.
Utilizes creative, critical thinking skills when faced with challenges.
Designs assessments that are aligned to the standards and learning targets and provides frequent opportunities for authentic and meaningful assessments.
Establishes a culture that values high expectations, work ethic, and a growth mindset.
Plans programming for individual and small groups of learners that is based on learner data implemented to meet each student’s individual ability and need.
Utilizes a variety of specialized teaching techniques, interventions, and assessments in order to assess and intervene with individualized programming that ensure learner progress.
Critical Thinking:
Reasons, interprets, and analyzes information to generate new knowledge and understanding.
Demonstrates knowledge of content and pedagogy; explicitly connecting key concepts to develop learner skills.
Proactively utilizes planning and organizational skills to address changes and challenges efficiently and effectively.
Uses subject matter expertise and data to drive meaningful change for colleagues and learners.
Proactively implements personalized, structured learning for the individual learner.
Reflection:
Demonstrates understanding of the diverse social, emotional and developmental learning needs of learners.
Maintains communication with supervisor and director regarding general feedback, career advancement opportunities, and areas of growth opportunities.
Utilizes frequent opportunities for visible learner engagement, self-assessment, and self-reflection.
Actively participates in on-going professional development opportunities.
Actively participates in the professional learning community process.
Resilience:
Maintains composure while dealing with stressful situations.
Proactively seeks out resolutions and takes initiative to resolve knowledge gaps.
Responsibility:
Teaches through the use of various multi-sensory techniques designed to stimulate students with specific learning problems.
Utilizes district guaranteed and viable curriculum including the scope & sequence of academic and social emotional learning targets along with the defined proficiency scales.
Plans a program of study that meets the individual needs, interests, and abilities of the learners.
Utilizes district behavioral plans as a backbone to promote positive learner behavior.
Fosters a safe and equitable classroom environment.
Utilizes the district protocol for maintaining information on learner progress.
Utilizes knowledge of applicable federal and state laws regarding education and learners.
Creates a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the developmental level and interests of the learners.
Guides the learning process toward the achievement of curriculum goals and, in harmony with the goals, establishes clear objectives for all lessons, units, projects and the like to communicate these objectives to learners.
Evaluates learner progress on a regular basis and maintains complete and accurate records in the form of progress reports.
Attends and participates in faculty meetings.
Assists in upholding and enforcing school rules, administration regulations, state and federal regulations and board policy.
 
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands and work environment 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 enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of this role, the employee is regularly required to reach with hands and arms.
While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of this role, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, bend, talk, and hear. The employee may frequently sit and rise from the floor.
The specific vision abilities required for this role include close and peripheral vision.
The employee may frequently lift up to ~25 pounds without assistance. 
The employee may occasionally lift up to ~50 pounds without assistance.
The employee may have to push/pull up to ~120 pounds while performing the duties of the role.
The employee may perform a two-person transport, restraint, or lift (with training provided).
The employee must work with the public and various WFPS staff while simultaneously managing several competing demands.
The employee may come in contact with bloodborne pathogens or other bodily fluids on rare occasions.
The employee will work in an environment that has a quiet to loud noise level.
 
Education and/or Experience:
North Dakota Teaching License with qualifications in one or more areas of Special Education.
Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education or similar area of study.
Master’s Degree in Special Education is preferred.
Experience working in a Special Education classroom is preferred.
Experience developing and implementing IEPs and positive behavior support plans is preferred.
Experience with positive behavioral supports is preferred.
Experience working with learners with complex behaviors is preferred.
Prior teaching experience is preferred.
Prior experience working in middle and high school settings is preferred.
 
Language Skills:
Ability to read, write, and comprehend simple instructions and short correspondences in the English language.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally, expressively, and reactively.
 
Other Skills and Abilities:
Exercise confidentiality, discretion, and good judgment.
Adhere to the assigned work schedule by maintaining regular and punctual attendance.
 
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
In collaboration with building and district administration, oversee Behavior Technicians and Registered Behavior Technicians.

Salary: Positions follow the Teacher Salary Schedule 2023-2025