Assistant Director of Special Education - Instructional Support

Austin Achieve Public Schools is a tuition-free, open-enrollment public charter school district preparing Austin youth to attend and excel at the nation's top colleges and universities. Our educators are passionate advocates for our scholars and their families, committed to closing the opportunity gap for underserved communities. At Austin Achieve, you are joining a network of individuals committed to excellence. We have ambitious plans to scale our system to serve the children in our communities better and are looking for educators who are ready to drive transformative change.

We are looking to hire an Assistant Director of Special Education - Instructional Support to strengthen the district-wide quality, implementation, and effectiveness of Special Education instructional services for scholars with IEPs.

The Assistant Director of Special Education - Instructional Support will support all campuses across the district with a focus on specially designed instruction, service delivery, teacher coaching, instructional planning, progress monitoring, accommodations, modifications, inclusive practices, and scholar outcomes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist the Senior Director of Special Services in the management and improvement of district-wide Special Education instructional programming
• Maintain primary responsibility for coaching and supporting Special Education teachers and paraprofessionals in the implementation of high-quality, IEP-aligned instruction
• Collaboratively work with Special Education teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate TEKS-based, scientifically research-based Special Education instruction in accordance with scholar IEPs
• Support Special Education teachers with lesson planning, instructional delivery, accommodations, modifications, progress monitoring, goal implementation, and data-driven instructional adjustments
• Support implementation of instructional models across Special Education settings, including resource, inclusion, co-teaching, Life Skills, behavior-supported settings, dyslexia services, and other instructional environments as applicable
• Consult/support with general education teachers, principals, campus leaders, intervention staff, and Special Education staff regarding instructional supports, accommodations, modifications, inclusive practices, and IEP implementation
• Support collaboration between Special Education and General Education to promote coordination of programs and provide the least restrictive environment, as appropriate to meet each scholar's individual needs
• Assist campus teams in developing service schedules and instructional models that support implementation of IEP services and scholar access to grade-level instruction
• Support teachers in using progress monitoring data, classroom performance data, benchmark data, MAP data, STAAR-related information, IEP goal data, and other instructional data to improve scholar outcomes
• Participate with Campus Instructional Leadership as a Special Education instructional leader to facilitate improving scholar outcomes
• Conduct classroom observations, coaching cycles, feedback conversations, T-TESS evaluations, modeling, planning support, and data review with Special Education teachers, and provide coaching and support to paraprofessionals as appropriate.
• Develop/facilitate professional development for Special Education staff, general education staff, paraprofessionals, and campus leaders related to specially designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, progress monitoring, inclusive practices, co-planning, behavior supports, and effective service delivery
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director of Evaluations and Assessment to assist the Response to Intervention/MTSS process in reviewing intervention data, instructional needs, referral concerns, and supports for scholars with suspected or identified disabilities
• Support campus teams in identifying instructional barriers that may impact IEP implementation, service delivery, scholar progress, or access to the least restrictive environment
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director of Special Education - Operations and Compliance to ensure instructional recommendations are appropriately documented in IEPs and implemented consistently across campuses
• Support and communicate regularly with campus-based SpEd Chairs/Leads to identify instructional trends, staff support needs, service delivery barriers, and opportunities for stronger implementation
• Monitor PTO balances, absence trends, excessive absences, and PTO overages for assigned Special Education instructional staff to identify concerns that may impact service delivery, staffing, or IEP implementation
• Serve as a district-level point of support for instructional concerns involving scholars with IEPs, including concerns related to service delivery, teacher support, instructional quality, accommodations, modifications, and goal progress
• Facilitate parent training options and opportunities on topics related to IEP implementation, accommodations, progress monitoring, instructional supports, and supporting scholars with disabilities

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree preferred
• At least 3 years teaching experience in Special Education required; experience in Special Education leadership, instructional coaching, curriculum support, or program development strongly preferred
• Thorough knowledge of IDEA, IEP implementation, specially designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, progress monitoring, inclusive practices, and instructional best practices for scholars with disabilities
• Demonstrated ability to coach teachers, support paraprofessionals, analyze instructional data, model effective practices, and lead adult learning
• Previous success working with scholars with disabilities
• Previous success working with second language learners and scholars from diverse backgrounds
• Native Spanish fluency is desired but not required

Knowledge and Skills:

• Deep-seated belief in the mission and vision of Austin Achieve
• Be willing to do "whatever it takes" to ensure all scholars learn
• Hold all scholars to the highest expectations to ensure college readiness
• Strong time management, organizational, and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet tight deadlines
• Strong understanding of Special Education instruction, IEP implementation, TEKS alignment, specially designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, progress monitoring, and inclusive practices
• Strong coaching, communication, planning, and relationship-building skills
• Ability to observe instruction, identify root causes, provide clear feedback, and support implementation over time
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Special Education staff, general education teachers, campus leaders, intervention teams, families, and district leaders
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and a desire to continually improve as a leader through feedback, coaching, and professional development
• Helps build and maintain a strong Special Education departmental culture rooted in professionalism, trust, collaboration, and transparency.

Statement of Non-Discrimination: In keeping with our beliefs and goals, no employee or applicant will face discrimination/harassment based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or veteran status. People of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.