Special Education ARD Facilitator - (Immediate)

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

Every member of the Team & Family at KIPP Texas Public Schools plays a critical role in ensuring our students have the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose - college, career and beyond. Our educators are passionate advocates for their students and their families, working tirelessly to ensure that our students have access to opportunity. In our classrooms and across the KIPP family we embrace, honor and celebrate our differences across several characteristics that construct our unique identities in our little and big KIPPsters. We are especially committed to attracting and developing individuals who share the life experiences of our students because we believe the best work we do is grounded in the realities and experiences of our families and KIPPsters. You are dedicated to constant learning and proactively provide academic and cultural support to your school and team.

As a KIPP Texas Public Schools ARD Facilitator, your core responsibilities include:

• Schedules, or assists in scheduling, Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meetings and notifies parents of the ARD meeting, including distributing of ARD calendar to appropriate ARD Committee members in a timely fashion; ensures that Individual Transition Plan elements are completed in the applicable cases; notifies all appropriate school personnel of ARD meeting/ARD schedule changes.

•  Ensures that federal/state timelines are met with respect to functions of ARD Committee meetings: requests for additional assessments and required timelines set by ARD Committee.

• Writes and monitors ARD paperwork and submits ARD paperwork by the compliance due date.

• Completes required documentation and reports required by the special education department by due dates (e.g. transportation forms, extended service year (ESY) forms, October snapshot, etc).

• Maintains current state assessment rosters and submits referral sheet (additional testing, re-evaluation, etc.) including those for related services. Maintains communication between assessment personnel and related service providers.

• Maintains systematic communication between special and general education personnel with respect to ARD meetings and decisions, IEPs, student accommodations, and instructional concerns and progress.

• Completes appropriate ARD supplements and collects appropriate data (i.e., ESY regression, individual educational plan (IEP), behavior improvement plan (BIP, etc.).

• Follows beginning, middle, and end of year procedures and submits appropriate summer program student recommendations.

•  Assists campus administrators in maintaining compliance with all federal, state and local policy as it applies to students with disabilities.

•  Maintains thorough documentation regarding any significant concerns with ARD committee procedures.

•  Attends special education department staff meetings and relevant staff development.

•  Maintains positive relationships with school staff, parents, and community members.

• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
• Special Education certification.
• Three years teaching experience including experience teaching students with disabilities
• Satisfactory outcome of a background check. Employees are responsible for a non-refundable fingerprinting fee (approximately $50.00).

Competencies:

• Unwavering commitment to KIPP Texas mission, students, families, and community
• Special Knowledge/Skills Understands the function of the Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) 
• Committee meeting and an understanding of special education law and procedures.
• Strong record of helping students achieve academic success, primarily with students in educationally underserved communities
• Desire to continuously learn and increase effectiveness as an ARD Facilitator and professional; offer and receive constructive feedback
• Willingness to be flexible and to go above and beyond to meet the needs of KIPP Texas students

Additional Information

• Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors
• Maintain emotional control
• Prolonged sitting, standing and walking
• Work with frequent interruptions
• Moderate lifting and carrying
• Prolonged use of computer

Compensation and Benefits

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance, and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.