Behavior Coach

Position Type:
Leading - Campus Professional

Date Posted:
8/5/2024

Location:
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Closing Date:
08/19/2024
Behavior Coach

Reports to: Director - Psychological Services

PC# 20817-2
Grade 205
210 Days
Salary: $74,288 - $89,502
FLSA Status: Exempt

This is a grant-funded position and is contingent on availability of funds.

Position Purpose

Assists campuses in building capacity in educating school staff on how to best support all students in the least restrictive environment when challenging behaviors and social emotional skill deficits impact learning and the school environment. Provides general education and special education students with behavior modification or management experiences designed to help them fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical, and social growth. Evaluates critical needs of behavior classrooms districtwide (including SEAS, RISE, and ECSE). Develops or modifies behavior plans and prepares social skills or behavior-related lessons and other instructional materials. Provides ongoing intervention and monitoring of students designated to the caseload. Leads the Autism In-Home Training or another special education programs such as SEAS as needed. Serves as a primary instructor for Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (Crisis Prevention Institute Training) and Ukeru training.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Instructional & Program Support

• Provides a variety of behavioral strategies for administrators and teachers to support student needs, including conferencing, co-planning and co-teaching, demonstration of student behavior intervention strategies, focused classroom visits, assisting in the analysis of data to determine student behavior intervention needs, and professional learning.
• Assists campus educational staff members in the development and implementation of support plans that focus on teaching pro-social behaviors, replacement behaviors and coping skills in the least restrictive school setting.
• Develops and provides follow up to Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Behavioral Improvement Plan (BIP), and offers expertise in the development and implementation of BIPs for students.
• Models research proven techniques to staff in order to facilitate positive behavior change in special education settings and/or with special education students.
• Provides individualized support to students who are experiencing severe emotional, social behavioral, or mental health issues.
• Monitor the effectiveness of BIPs and recommends changes to positively impact student outcomes.
• Provides information, training, education, and consultation services with parents, teachers, administrators, and other relevant stakeholders to enhance student support.
• Maintains records of all student, parent, school staff, and community contacts in a timely manner; ensures confidentiality of such records.

School/Community Relations

• Coaches administrators and teachers throughout the District related to behavioral issues.
• Demonstrates short-term and long-interventions in working with students, families, and staff.
• Makes home visits as needed to gather information relating to students.
• Provides outside referral resources as needed such as the District's Family Resource Center (FRC), and acts as a liaison for the District with parents and/or community agencies providing ongoing case management.
• Participates in campus multidisciplinary team meetings to develop solutions for struggling students including Response to Intervention (RTI), Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD), Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meetings, Student Support Team (SST), Attendance Committee, Discipline Committee, and so forth.
• Plans, presents, and/or assists with family/community engagement program.

Crisis Support

• Provides intervention services to students, parents, and school staff in situations that are deemed crisis or critical by campus administrators.
• Provides systemic as well as individualized intervention strategies to reduce referrals for students with disabilities due to behavior issues.
• Coordinates with administration to effectively address critical needs that emerge on campuses.
• Provide campuses with approved de-escalation verbal and physical responses to be used during crisis as well as framework for preventing crisis behavior through classroom structure and intentional instruction in function-based replacement skills.
• Performs approved de-escalation verbal and physical responses during crisis and follow up with intentional instruction in function-based replacement skills.

Program Management

• Provides leadership in the organization, development, and delivery of programs and services to the student and parent/guardian.
• Compiles, maintains, and files all reports, records, and other required documents; uses and accesses Special Education Electronic Data Management System.
• Provides routine campus-wide and district-wide training concerning behavioral support strategies as requested.

Safety

• Performs preventive maintenance on tools and equipment and ensures equipment is in safe operating condition.
• Follows established safety procedures and techniques to perform job duties including lifting and climbing; operates tools and equipment according to established safety procedures.
• Corrects unsafe conditions in work area and promptly reports any conditions that are not immediately correctable to supervisor.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None.

Personal Work Relationships

• All Fort Worth ISD employees must maintain a commitment to the District's mission, vision, and strategic goals.
• Exhibits high professionalism, standards of conduct and work ethic.
• Demonstrates high quality customer service; builds rapport/relationship with the consumer.
• Demonstrates cultural competence in interactions with others; is respectful of co-workers; communicates and acts as a team player; promotes teamwork; responds and acts appropriately in confrontational situations.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Performs all job-related duties as assigned and in accordance to the Board rules, policies and regulations. All employees are expected to comply with lawful directives in rare situations driven by need where a team effort is required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of federal and state guidelines and District policies and procedures regarding special population student services and programs.
• Knowledge of Special Education principles, theories, testing, and proven methods of maximizing the educational experience of students with special needs; as well as differentiation of instruction necessary to create effective and productive student-centered learning environments.
• Knowledge of student needs, family dynamics, and the value of family life.
• Knowledge of prevention/intervention strategies, including behavior management interventions.
• Skill in professional learning, technical assistance, and consultation.
• Skill in coordinating, planning, organizing, and facilitating staff development.
• Skill in collecting and analyzing complex data.
• Skill in written and oral communication skills including ability to interact with and influence campus staff as well as parents.
• Skill at the intermediate level, working with Microsoft Office 365, especially Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Ability to effectively coach teachers, parents, and students.
• Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior including developing BIPs for students.
• Ability to present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations to students, parents, and District staff.
• Ability to provide information and assist office personnel, parents, and students related to District programs and activities.
• Ability to exercise judgment and creativity in making decisions.
• Ability to consider academic, social, and emotional needs of students in making decisions about academic settings and accommodations for individual students.
• Ability to empathize with students and their families, and to work effectively with students experiencing difficulty.
• Ability to exercise discretion regarding matters of a sensitive or confidential nature.
• Ability to use software to access databases, email, create spreadsheets, and do word processing.
• Ability to organize and coordinate work.
• Ability to engage in self-evaluation with regard to performance and professional growth.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with teachers, students, parents, and others contacted in the course of work.

Travel Requirements

• Travels to school district buildings and professional meetings as required.

Physical & Mental Demands, Work Hazards

• Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office equipment, including computer and peripherals; standard instructional equipment such as Promethean Board.
• Posture: Prolonged sitting; frequent standing; occasional stooping, squatting, kneeling, bending, pushing/pulling, and twisting.
• Motion: Frequent repetitive hand motions, including keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching; frequent walking.
• Lifting: Regular light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds); occasional heavy lifting (45 pounds and over); may be required to assist with positioning of students with physical disabilities, assist nonambulatory students, crisis intervention, and lift and move adaptive and other classroom equipment.
• Environment: Works in a school facility and classroom; may work outside; regular exposure to noise; requires frequent irregular and/or prolonged hours, including attendance at school and community meetings before and after school hours; regular district wide travel to student homes; this position may involve rare exposure to blood or body fluids.
• Attendance: Regular and punctual attendance at the worksite is required for this position; requires frequent irregular and/or prolonged hours.
• Mental Demands: Maintains emotional control under stress; works with frequent interruptions; requires frequent irregular and/or prolonged hours.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelor's degree from accredited college or university required;
  • Master's degree from accredited college or university in Education, Mental Health, Human Services, or a related field preferred.
• Certification/License: Requires one of the following licenses:
  • Valid Texas Teaching Certification;
  • Valid Texas School Counselor Certification;
  • Valid Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) or Licensed Psychologist (LP) granted by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council;
  • Valid Texas license as a Counselor (LPC) granted by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors; or
  • Valid Texas license as a Social Worker (LCSW, LMSW) granted by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners
• Experience:
  • 4 years' experience working with special populations (such as, ADHD, Autism, ID, LD, ED) in an educational or mental health setting required;
  • Experience with diverse student population, especially in a large multicultural urban district preferred;
  • Experience facilitating or presenting professional learning preferred.
• Language: Bilingual (English/Spanish) working proficiency preferred in some settings.

This is a grant-funded position and is contingent on availability of funds.

This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.