Special Education Teachers, Middle School
Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.
Key Tasks
- Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Teach students personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Collaborate with other teachers that provide instruction to special education students to ensure that the students receive appropriate support.
- Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
- Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
- Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.
- Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
- Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
- Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs.
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
- Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
- Meet with parents and guardians to provide guidance in using community resources and to teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.
- Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
- Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.
- Provide additional instruction in vocational areas.
- Organize and label materials and display students' work.
- Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
- Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
- Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
- Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments and to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs.
- Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.
- Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
- Track students' progress on computer-based programs, such as reading fluency and comprehension.
Skills
Knowledge
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Abilities
Work Activities
Work Context
How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
100%
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
91%
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
91%
Conflict Situations
How frequently are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
90%
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
87%
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
83%
Duration of Typical Work Week
Number of hours typically worked in one week.
82%
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities
How important is it to coordinate or lead others (not as a supervisor or team leader) in accomplishing work activities in this job?
80%
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
80%
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
79%
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People
How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
74%
Time Pressure
How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
73%
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?
72%
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
72%
Telephone Conversations
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
72%
Health and Safety of Other Workers
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
69%
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers
How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
67%
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
65%
Spend Time Standing
How much does this job require standing?
65%
Frequency of Decision Making
How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
63%
Written Letters and Memos
How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?
62%
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working in an environment that is not environmentally controlled (like a warehouse without air conditioning)?
56%
Public Speaking
How frequently does your job require public speaking (one speaker with an audience)?
55%
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
53%
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?
51%
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?
49%
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
47%
Exposed to Contaminants
How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
42%
Consequence of Error
How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?
41%
Spend Time Walking or Running
How much does this job require walking or running?
40%
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People
How frequently does this job require the worker to deal with physical aggression of violent individuals?
39%
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures?
39%
Spend Time Sitting
How much does this job require sitting?
36%
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
35%
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?
29%
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions
How often does this job require working in extremely bright or inadequate lighting conditions?
28%
Outdoors, Under Cover
How often does this job require working outdoors, under cover (like in an open shed)?
28%
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
24%
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment (like a car)?
21%
Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings
How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings?
19%
Level of Competition
To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
19%
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body
How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
18%
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling
How much does this job require kneeling, crouching, stooping or crawling?
18%
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions
How often does this job require working in cramped work spaces that requires getting into awkward positions?
14%
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment?
14%
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance
How much does this job require keeping or regaining your balance?
13%
Work Schedules
How regular are the work schedules for this job?
12%
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?
11%
Degree of Automation
How automated is the job?
8%
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous conditions?
5%
Exposed to High Places
How often does this job require exposure to high places?
3%
Exposed to Whole Body Vibration
How often does this job require exposure to whole body vibration (like operating a jackhammer or earth moving equipment)?
3%
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles
How much does this job require climbing ladders, scaffolds, poles, etc.?
3%
Exposed to Radiation
How often does this job require exposure to radiation?
0%
In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment
How often does this job require working in an open vehicle or operating equipment (like a tractor)?
0%
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
0%
Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection
How often does this job require wearing specialized protective or safety equipment such as breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suits, or radiation protection?
0%
Education
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Interests
Social
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
Artistic
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts,
Investigative
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the f
Conventional
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or hum
Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, t
Enterprising
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertis
Work Styles
Work Values
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