25- 26 Inclusive (Special) Education Coordinator - Bright Star Schools

ABOUT US:

Bright Star Schools is a free, publicly funded and open enrollment non-profit organization with nine public charters in urban Los Angeles. Across all of our Bright Star sites, over 90% of our students are eligible for free and reduced lunch.

Our mission is to provide holistic, inclusive support for all students to achieve academic excellence and grow their unique talents so that they find joy in higher education, career, and life. Bright Star students will become leaders who act with integrity and champion equity to enrich our communities and the world. The framework to our success is our core operating principles, which are Integridad, Ubuntu, Kohyang (고향), and Growth.

Our educators join a family that is passionate and committed to developing all students to become well-rounded citizens. We offer small class sizes, comprehensive teacher support, and numerous collaboration opportunities across the organization and within school sites. We strongly believe in teacher voice, and we work to increase teaching practice and effectiveness through our data-driven and feedback-derived professional development.

SUMMARY OF ROLE: The Inclusive Education Coordinator will work closely with the Vice President of Inclusive Education, Inclusive Education Coordinators Lead Inclusion Specialist Teachers (Special Education Teachers), Related Service Providers, and school site administrators to plan and execute a comprehensive system-wide level plan to increase student achievement for our students with special needs. The Inclusive Education Coordinator is responsible for building leader and teacher capacity in person to a cluster of school sites, as well as remotely responding to the org-wide needs of Inclusion Specialist Teachers (Special Education Teachers) and Special Day Class Teachers at Bright Star Schools. The Special Education Coordinator plays a critical role in building the capacity of school leaders and Instructional Specialist Teachers (ISTs) to ensure compliance with special education policies and procedures, strengthen inclusive practices, and foster a culture of collaboration. This role is essential in ensuring that students are provided equitable access to education and the necessary support for students with disabilities to achieve their full potential.

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Inclusive Education

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following, as well as, other duties and responsibilities that may be assigned.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least five years of successful Special Education teaching or School Psychology experience
• At least two years of leadership experience
• Experience in development, preparation, and presentation of professional development preferred.
• Strong instructional background with expertise in K-12 common core content and curriculum, modifications, and accommodations, differentiated instruction and inclusive teacher strategies.
• Specific knowledge of Special Education law, LAUSD compliance practices, and Welligent (IEP database).
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and use of mentoring language
• The ability to work effectively with adult learners
• The ability to skillfully offer and receive constructive feedback to facilitate change
• The ability to organize and prioritize projects and tasks
• The ability to seek resources and solutions to effectively solve problems
• Holds a growth-mindset for self, colleagues, and students.
• Experience supporting multiple schools and working across various teams to build capacity.
• Experience with behavior interventions

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Clear CA Education Specialist Credential

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WORKPLACE:

• Demonstrate the highest standards of honesty, integrity, flexibility, and responsiveness
• Establish a flexible work schedule that may extend beyond traditional school hours
• Handle information in a confidential manner in accordance with established policies and legal requirements (FERPA, HIPAA, etc)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to travel between nine school sites across Los Angeles (Mid City/West Adams, Koreatown, and Valley) as needed
• Normal, routine levels of activity related to bending, carrying, climbing, hearing, lifting, reaching, sitting, standing, vision and walking, and may also involve above-average levels of activity at times that can't always be anticipated

HOURS: Full-Time

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following, as well as, other duties and responsibilities that may be assigned.

COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP

• Foster a culture of inclusion and accessibility for students with disabilities.
• Collaborate with SST, Vice Presidents of Inclusive Education, Lead ISTs, ISTs, School Psychologists, principals, and related service staff to support students with disabilities across all instructional settings.
• Collaborate with site administrators to ensure compliance, oversee IE instructional programming, ensure appropriate behavioral and social-emotional support, and manage IEP caseloads and staffing needs.
• Build district-wide systems and procedures and guidance documents to support organization, compliance, and accountability (i.e., IEP development, scheduling, timelines, and service tracking)
• Support school teams in providing families with the necessary resources and knowledge to advocate for their children effectively
• Attend weekly IE Admin meetings and IE Coordinator meetings.

SCHOOL SITE SUPPORT

• Attend New Teacher Development Program mentor training and forums throughout the year to improve coaching practice, develop mentoring language, and facilitate the inquiry cycle of the mentoring process
• Establish and maintain a trusting, confidential, and non-evaluative relationship with teachers to help develop their autonomy as professionals
• Assist teachers in reflecting on practice, analyzing student work, and using data to enhance student achievement for students with IEPs.
• Provide constructive feedback with next steps to accelerate teacher development
• Model, as appropriate, innovative teaching methodologies such as co-teaching, co-planning, student and demonstration lessons e.g., co-planning, modeling, co-teaching, student work analysis, and observation
• Provide consultative support in IEP drafting and meeting facilitation
• Lead or co-facilitate weekly IE PLC meetings with IE teams at each school site.
• Provide ongoing development for school leaders and ISTs to strengthen their ability to implement special education best practices.
• Develop and facilitate learning opportunities focused on leadership in special education, ensuring school leaders are confident in their role in driving inclusive practices and monitoring the effectiveness of their program.
• Assist school leaders in increasing their coaching capacity through consultations on special education practices, compliance, and instructional strategies.
• Train IE teams to facilitate IEP meetings that promote meaningful collaboration between staff and families
• Provide case consultation as requested
• Support high-profile needs at school sites

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

• Design and facilitate Inclusive Education professional development based on trends, compliance, and legal updates (e.g., Inclusive Education PLCs, IE Cadre, retreats, and new teacher PD).
• Provide training and guidance for leaders and teams on drafting and implementing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) to support student success.
• Provide school leaders with consultative support on coaching ISTs and developing their instructional leadership.
• Provide coaching support to ensure leaders feel confident and competent developing their IE teams members
• Design, Facilitate, and Participate in SST Professional Learning Communities
• Collaborate with lead ISTs and site Administrators in the planning and implementation of professional development for site staff as requested

COMPLIANCE, DOCUMENTATION, & REPORTING

• Attend professional development and on-going training opportunities (LAUSD, CDE, etc.) to remain informed of compliance best practices; disseminate key learnings to site teams.
• Support school teams in maintaining special education compliance, ensuring all federal, state, and local legal mandates and timelines are met.
• Ensure that school teams are trained to deliver and document services accurately and track progress in Welligent.
• Maintain access to CALPADS and maintain availability to collaborate with the data team to ensure school site compliance related to child find.
• Maintain access to enrollment projections and maintain availability to collaborate with the enrollment team to ensure school site compliance related to child find.
• Utilize Welligent reports and other data-tracking metrics to monitor site-specific compliance data and communicate findings to site teams in alignment with org-wide systems for monitoring compliance.
• Train leaders, ISTs, and related service providers to navigate the Welligent system to access and analyze 300 reports, Master Calendar Reports, and other pertinent informaton.
• Develop training for IE teams on interpreting compliance data and using it to drive programmatic decisions.
• Facilitate corrective actions stemming from LAUSD oversight, WASC, DVR feedback, and directives from CSD and CDE to school sites.
• Create guidance documents and toolkits to assist school teams in maintaining compliance.
• Assist school teams in conducting compliance audits and self-assessments to ensure continuous improvement.
• Attend IEP meetings as needed.

INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT & COLLABORATION

• Collaborate with content directors to support in making curriculum accessible to all learners.
• Foster a collaborative culture among general education teachers and ISTs, ensuring they have the resources and strategies needed to accommodate and/or modify instructional materials.
• Assist ISTs in designing and identifying instructional materials that align with student IEP goals and support overall student learning
• Work with the VP of Inclusive Education, school leaders, content directors, and educators to refine and enhance special day class structures.
• Assist school leaders in designing and conducting instructional walkthrough practices to assess and improve inclusive education implementation.
• Collaborate with SST and school administrators to implement policies and school structures that facilitate the improvement of Inclusive Education programming
• Use knowledge of equity principles to deepen a teachers' application of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and IEP goals within instruction
• Support leaders in developing instructional coaching practices to enhance teachers' ability to serve students with diverse needs effectively.

Please note:

Effective, January 1, 2025: Under Education Code section 44939.5, you must provide a complete list of all prior employment with any school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school, including part-time and substitute roles. You can provide your complete prior employment history within the work experience section of the application. Failure to disclose this information may be considered dishonesty in the hiring process or during employment.

COMPENSATION/BENEFITS:

• Status: Full Time, 12 month position equivalent to an administrative calendar

• Location: Los Angeles, CA (Traveling mostly between 3 schools within the grade level band assigned; some remote work)

• Benefits: Health, dental, vision, STRS retirement matching, life insurance, short-term disability,

optional 403b plan, gas mileage reimbursement between work sites, sick and vacation paid time off,

and holidays.

Salary Range: BSS salary is commensurate with experience and education