Employment Opportunities at TCA

Special Education Teacher

Twin Cities Academy (9-12th) is seeking a full-time special education teacher for the 2024-2025 school year as part of a team implementing high-quality programming for middle and high school students with various disabilities. The candidate will join a supportive, established team of teachers and student support specialists. Caseload of 15-20 students, substantial support with due process functions, including full writing of IEPs and Evaluations so teachers can focus on instruction. Emphasis on math instruction for replacement and supplemental classes.

Qualifications:

Required: Bachelor’s degree, MN teaching license, or the ability to obtain a waiver. The school will support a waiver for the best-qualified person if needed. Please submit a resume if you have interest in the position.

Preferred: EBD/SLD/ABS/DCD License. Experience working in education, particularly in an urban environment, Master’s degree. Experience with data-driven instructional practices. Experience with special education and accompanying due process. Secondary education experience is valued.

Institution Description:

Twin Cities Academy is an urban, college preparatory, public charter school located in East Saint Paul, and serving students in grades 6-12. The school’s mission emphasizes academics, justice, and leadership with a stong focus on diversity and equity for staff and students. We believe that all students can learn and should have the opportunity to attend a post-secondary institution. We have an over 20-year history of success in providing quality secondary school education. Excellent paraprofessional staff, collaborative environment, significant support with due process protocols, organization, and paperwork. Please visit the school’s website at www.twincitiesacademy.org to learn more about our school.

We are seeking a committed, flexible educator dedicated to assisting students to find post-secondary success.

Working Conditions (physical/ sensory requirements and environmental conditions)

This is sedentary to light work requiring the exertion of up to 25 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move objects, including the human body, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects; work requires stooping, reaching, standing, walking, fingering, grasping, and repetitive motions; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information through the normal spoken word; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer data, inspections involving small defects and/or small parts, operation of machines, determining the accuracy and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; the worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions and may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens.

This description of this job is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Apply:

To formally apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and MN file folder number to hr@twincitiesacademy.org and complete the application by copying and pasting the following link into a new browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu7xwrpbusPdPSxIDV9CrelazWmCO_1dgSnNOWonxQjzGfdw/viewform

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00 – $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Special Education Paraprofessional

Apply:  To formally apply, please send a cover letter and resume to hr@twincitiesacademy.org and complete the application here or copy and paste the following link into a new browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu7xwrpbusPdPSxIDV9CrelazWmCO_1dgSnNOWonxQjzGfdw/viewform

Position Reports To: Assistant Director of Special Education, and through Assistant Director of Special Education to Executive Director and School Board

Minimum Qualifications: 

• High School Diploma or AA degree, higher degrees valued
• Experience working with students, preferably in an urban environment
• Training, or willingness to complete training, in Crisis Prevention Instruction (CPI)
• Willingness to learn about various disabilities that that interfere with learning, and strategies for assisting students to overcome these challenges and learn

Focus Areas for the 2024-2025 School Year:

• Collaborating with general education and special education staff to know students, share concerns, share strategies, and plan for student success 
• Assisting students in a way that:
  • Supports both SPED and school-wide behavioral and social-emotional learning programs
  • Promotes skill development and independence
  • Supports and complements the routines and lead of the primary educator in the room
  • Communicates questions, needs, and celebrations directly with other staff members
• Delivering required support services to students with IEPs, and support others as able

Essential Job Functions: 

Preparation and Collaboration: 

• Develop thorough knowledge of the students with whom you work, using the Individual Educational Program (IEP), most recent evaluation, and case manager conversation as starting points, then using available resources to learn about the disabilities you will experience
• Learn the Minnesota and TCA expectations for instructional support staff by completing mandated training and participating in continuing education provided
• Ensure that you understand the Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP) for any child with whom you work, and acquire the skills needed to work with that child effectively
• Attend assigned meetings with other TCA staff, actively participating in pursuing and sharing knowledge in general and about specific students
• Participate fully in coaching and training opportunities, both school-wide and for the paraprofessional role, as assigned.
• Initiate timely and regular communication with case managers and teachers regarding individual students and general concerns 
• Initiate regular conversation with classroom teachers about their preferences for division of labor for any particular day, lesson, or activity
• Check email on a regular basis as that is the main method of communication
• Ask the Assistant SPED Director for what you need to do a great job
• Inform the Assistant SPED Director of both problem areas and exemplary work in the program areas to which you are assigned.

Support for Student Skills :

• Initiate classroom interactions with students to accomplish the goals outlined in the IEP, providing scaffolding to help students learn to engage in learning in both general education and special education classrooms. 

• Promote student independence in generalizing academic and behavioral skills across all school environments and gradually reducing scaffolding, in collaboration with the case manager
• Follow Positive Behavior Support Plans (PBSP) in the process of providing support.
• Re-teach content that has been taught by the primary teacher in the classroom.
• Break work down into small steps (and routines where possible) for students, teach the routine, and prompt student to apply the routine to each assignment
• Plan and implement for equity and relationship-building in the classroom
• Follow student cues for developing a relationship with each student, and be the leader in initiating steps toward a working relationship toward academic participation and progress
• Provide a variety of opportunities for students to practice the skills and content taught, using your imagination to find ways to repeat information in ways that capture the attention of the student
• Help students use technology productively through teaching, reminders, and examples
• Work with students 1:1 and in small groups to give individual attention and support
• Redirect student attention when attention wanders or behaviors interfere with learning
• Provide positive reinforcement to students by noticing and commenting positively on accomplishments, even small ones, initiating positive general conversation as appropriate, and thanking them for ordinary courtesies and cooperation. Aim for a 5 to 1 ratio of positive comment to correction
• Meet the needs of students with legally-mandated para assistance first, then expand assistance to other students in the classroom, first students with and then students without IEP’s
• Monitor and document student progress as requested by the case manager and/or PBIS training

General:

• Participate in Crisis Management (CPI) Training annually, and use these strategies when responding to a student in crisis, including prompt completion of all documentation
• Participate in additional required skills training as assigned
• Request training you need to do an excellent job in your position
• Supervise and oversee special education students as assigned, holding them accountable to building-wide standards
• Participate in the school-wide staff evaluation process
• Maintain professional boundaries and appropriate confidentiality at all times
• Adhere to the provisions of the TCA Staff Handbook and Employment Agreement
• Participate in the mission and vision of Twin Cities Academy

Required Skills: 

• Ability to be consistent, calm and positive during all student interactions, which may include during times of verbal and physical escalations
• Ability to deal with students in a warm and confident manner
• Ability to remain flexible to changes in assignments or situations
• Ability to nurture independent application of self-management and academic skills in students
• Willingness to learn and implement new skills
• Ability to complete required components of the job in a timely manner, including all documentation, training and fidelity checks 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of staff and students in a multicultural environment 
• Strong collaboration and initiation skills
• Basic knowledge of special education disability categories, legal compliance with special education law, and behavior analysis, including how antecedents and consequences affect student behavior
• Skills in handling confidential information
• Skills in computer technology necessary to fulfill the requirements of the job
• Understanding of special education disability areas and legal compliance with special education law regarding behavior