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Reports to: Coordinator, Special Education 

Division: Special Education 

Our ideal candidate 

You are a committed professional with a nurturing and patient demeanor who enjoys working with children and young adults in need of advanced behavioral supports. You work well independently and are also a team player who listens well and contributes to a positive and efficient work environment on behalf of colleagues, students, families, and the community. You represent the Santa Barbara County Education Office with integrity and professionalism. 

General description 

Provide specialized assistance to teachers and staff in providing intensive behavioral intervention to students with varying levels of physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, multiple disabilities, emotional disturbance, and/or severe orthopedic, visual, or hearing impairments, in classroom and/or community settings. 

Specific duties and responsibilities 

• Implement intensive behavioral support and instructions to selected students one-on-one or in small groups. 
• Provide support to special education staff by implementing visual, behavioral, social, and or communications strategies that enhance student performance and behavior. 
• Support individual students in subject matter throughout the school day; prepare and may develop age- and grade-appropriate instructional aids and exercises to support behavioral intervention and subject matter being taught. 
• Participate in consultations with staff on behavioral interventions for students on site and in school settings; may attend Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings as necessary to observe the connection between intervention and educational goals. 
• Provide input to special education staff on student performance, progress, and behavior. 
• Collect and chart behavioral data and keep appropriate records for teachers; maintain confidentiality of student information. 
• Develop and use incentives as positive reinforcement; exercise constant supervision of children; assess the need for and use appropriate discipline in accordance with grade level and student’s ability to understand discipline. 
• May monitor classroom activities during brief absence of a teacher; observe, monitor, and redirect the behavior of students within approved procedures; reinforce positive behavior using behavior modification techniques determined by the teacher. 
• Document students’ academic and behavioral progress and performance for teachers, using the individualized education plan as a guide; record information in support of assessments and to assist in charting progress toward academic and behavioral goals; share data with teacher and other staff as requested. 
• Assist administrative staff with the preparation and presentation of in-service training sessions; assist in organizing, and participate in meetings to share information about behavioral intervention programs. 
• Prepare and maintain a variety of files and records for classroom or assigned program. 
• Accompany students from one location to another; assist with loading and unloading of assigned students onto buses or other transportation; assure safety of students, following health and safety rules. 
• May dispense medicines and assist students with personal hygiene tasks. 
• Perform other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position. 

Requirements 

Education: Possession of a high school diploma and passing score on a rigorous assessment examination demonstrating knowledge and ability to assist with instructing children/students in reading, writing, and mathematics; 48 or more semester units of higher education will substitute for the competency assessment exam. 

Experience: one year of experience working in a classroom environment that included students with special needs and/or that involved responsibility for implementing positive behavioral supports. 

Knowledge of: 

• principles and practices of age-appropriate child development and guidance applicable for an educational setting 
• autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders and disabilities. 
• principles of applied behavior analysis 
• subjects taught in schools served by SBCEO, including arithmetic, grammar, spelling, language and reading sufficient to assist students with individual or group studies. 
• teaching and instruction methods 
• documentation requirements for special education students and programs 
• basic clerical and record-keeping processes. 

Skill in: 

• using personal computers, audiovisual, and other equipment to support learning, record information, and send communications 
• working productively and cooperatively with teachers, students, and parents in formal and informal settings. 

Ability to: 

• assist teaching staff with implementation of behavioral supports 
• assess the needs of individual students and develop behavioral support techniques and materials to meet those needs 
• work with students who have severe developmental delays and behavior challenges 
• apply principles of positive reinforcement, applied behavior analysis, and discrete trial teaching 
• manage students’ verbal and physical behavior in a constructive manner 
• learn instructional methodologies such as, but not limited to, discrete trial teaching 
• interact with teachers, parents, and specialists in order to carry out assigned duties 
• oversee students, administer assignments and tests, and perform general clerical tasks 
• demonstrate sensitivity to a diverse population of students and parents 
• relate positively to students in a way that builds confidence, provides them with strategies to manage their own behavior, and helps them achieve learning goals. 

Some positions in this classification may require proficiency in a language other than English or basic competency in American Sign Language. 

Licenses and certificates 

May require a valid first aid card and/or certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI). 

Some positions in this classification may require: 

• Valid California Class C Driver’s License and insurance coverage as required by law. 
• Enrollment in the California Department of Motor Vehicles Government Employer Pull Notice Program as a condition of employment. 

Working conditions 

Work is performed indoors and outdoors with some, yet infrequent exposure to health and safety considerations. Requires the ability to perform indoors in an office, classroom, or home environment engaged in work of primarily a sedentary to a moderately active nature. Requires near visual acuity to read and write printed materials and computer screens. Requires hearing and speech ability for ordinary and telephonic conversation, to converse with individuals and small groups. Requires the ability to move about office, classroom/home environs, and school grounds, to tutor, assist with presentations, and reach work materials. Requires sufficient manual and finger dexterity to demonstrate teaching aids, to point out important words/figures to students, and to operate personal computers. Requires the ability to lift, carry, push, and move supplies, fixtures, wheelchairs, etc., of light-to-medium weight (under 50 pounds) on a regular basis, and heavy weight (under 75 pounds) without labor saving equipment on an intermittent basis. Requires the ability to work at multiple school sites. 

Series 

Instructional 

Salary range 66

 

Approved by the Personnel Commission:	August 23, 2007
Revised:  Revised:	June 30, 2022  May 1, 2024 (salary reallocation only)