Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Position Purpose 

• Responsible for day-to-day operations of the school program including but not limited to the coordination, supervision, development, and implementation of the delivery of special education services.

• Primary responsibility of Educational Directors is the improvement of instruction and student outcomes.  Consequently s/he will spend the majority of his/her time on matters of staff development, curriculum and instruction, supervision and training, school environment, and implementation of the treatment model. 

• Serves as a member of the Agency leadership team(s) and participates in Agency committees and activities specific to the therapeutic day school programs as well as serves as a member of Agency QI committees, specifically Outcomes.

• Demonstrates competence in and commitment to Agency treatment philosophy, training models and organization structures; serves as a trainer as needed/appropriate.

• Represents the Agency to outside sources.

Essential Functions

• Oversees and provides training, supervision, and/or consultation as appropriate, for curriculum development and instructional programming and academic interventions by classroom teachers within the school programs.

• Demonstrates competence in and commitment to Agency treatment philosophy, training models and organizational structures.  Works with classroom teachers and related staff to develop individual plans to work with students.

• Leads school improvement and curriculum and instruction activities, including school and agency accreditation efforts and maintenance of approval status. 

• Works with Directors of Career and Technical Education, Day School Programs, and School Psychologists to ensure that curriculum content and instructional methods are individualized and appropriate to the special needs of the students.  Works with classroom teachers to prepare credit recovery plans for credit deficient students.

• Oversees training and execution of school intervention programs, coordinates state testing and other relevant student academic assessments. Collects data, prepares reports, and participates and reports to the Allendale Outcomes Committee.

• Works with Senior Vice President of Educational Services to prepare budget proposals, coordinate purchases, and maintain subscriptions.

• Works with School Administrative Team and Senior Vice President of Educational services to ensure appropriate assessment and delivery of staff development opportunities and training; provides leadership for school special events.  Participates in annual teacher recruitment activities as needed.

• As a member of the School Administrative Team works with others to ensure adequate day-to-day staffing coverage and student behavior management.  Is proficient in clinical supervision, trauma informed care, Agency Behavior Intervention Program, Rule 384, TCI (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention) as well as other foundation skill training for direct service staff. 

• Provides supervision and performance evaluation of assigned staff. Teams with other Directors to ensure comprehensive classroom and school environment supervision are delivered in a best practice and consistent manner to all classroom and "specials" staff.  Reviews lesson plans, schedules, staffing reports, report cards, oversees curriculum development and monitors IEP compliance.

• Approves and processes payroll and expenses, facilitates staff requests for time off.  Addresses staff performance concerns and/or disciplinary issues in accordance with agency policy and in consultation with the Vice Presidents of Educational Services and Human Resources.

• Chairs IEP and other staffing meetings as needed. Maintains strong relationships with parents, school districts, educational surrogates, residential treatment staff and significant others to the students.

• Maintains proficiency in ISBE rules and regulations governing private nonpublic special education school programs.  Assists Vice President in ensuring compliance with ISBE expectations and reporting.

• Is a member of School Administrator Team and participates in weekly meetings.  Collaborates effectively with other Agency leadership groups to ensure cohesive service delivery and strong identification with and support from overall Agency mission. As part of a larger organization, collaborates effectively with other Agency leadership to ensure a cohesive service delivery model.  Facilitates involvement and a sense of connectedness to larger agency.

• Develops strong relationships with community groups and volunteers as appropriate.

• Maintains knowledge of current field trends; maintains membership in appropriate internal and external committees and professional organizations.  Attends appropriate training programs and professional conferences.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Qualifications Required:

1.       Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and/or Special Education or related field.

2.       Illinois LBS1 license

3.       Illinois Administrative license/endorsement.

4.       Valid driver's license w/a good driving record.

Qualifications Desired:

1.       Prior supervisory experience specific to classroom instruction delivery and curriculum development.

2.       Three years' experience with special student populations identified with emotional and/or behavioral disabilities

3.       Experience with curriculum development and student assessment protocols.

4.       Knowledge of ISBE/IDEA rules and regulations.

5.       Familiarity in educational environment accreditation and school improvement models.

6.       Familiarity with computerized systems/software