Special Education Teacher Assistant

A Step Up Academy • Full-time • Wyncote, PA, US • 1d ago

Job Description: Teacher Assistant

Reports To: Classroom Teacher

Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Calendar: Instructional Calendar

Job Summary: The Teacher Assistant works directly with students ages 4-21 with autism spectrum disorder and other qualifying exceptionalities within A Step Up Academy's highly specialized educational environment. Students served by ASUA often present with complex communication, behavioral, sensory, social-emotional, adaptive, and academic needs requiring intensive educational programming, individualized support, and consistent implementation of evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices.

The Teacher Assistant serves as an essential member of the classroom team and is responsible for actively supporting the classroom teacher in the planning, preparation, implementation, and delivery of educational programming while providing direct instructional, behavioral, social-emotional, communication, and adaptive support to students throughout the entire school day.

Teacher Assistants work continuously and directly alongside students in classrooms, community settings, vocational experiences, and school activities. Responsibilities include implementing individualized instructional programs, facilitating communication, supporting positive behavior plans, teaching adaptive and daily living skills, assisting with therapeutic carryover, maintaining student safety, collecting instructional and behavioral data, and helping create a highly structured learning environment where students can achieve maximum independence.

Teacher Assistants are expected to know each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP), communication system, sensory needs, accommodations, and instructional programming to ensure consistency and fidelity throughout the school day.

When the classroom teacher is absent, the Teacher Assistant is expected to assume responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the classroom for short-term absences unless otherwise directed by administration. During longer-term teacher absences, Teacher Assistants may continue providing classroom leadership and instructional support while working collaboratively with substitute teachers, administrators, or other assigned educational staff to ensure continuity of programming.

Certifications and Qualifications:

Pennsylvania Certification in Special Education (Public or Private School), degree in an educational program, or enrollment in an approved educator preparation program preferred.
Experience working with students with autism spectrum disorder and/or developmental disabilities preferred.
Current (dated within one year) Act 34, Act 114, and Act 151 clearances.
Ability to successfully complete all ASUA-required safety, crisis prevention, behavior management, and instructional training.

Essential Duties:

Teacher Assistants, under the direction of and in collaboration with the Teacher, are responsible for supporting the successful implementation of all aspects of classroom programming while actively engaging students throughout the school day. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Assist the Teacher in planning, preparing, organizing, and implementing instruction aligned with ASUA curriculum, alternate academic standards, and individual student IEP goals.
Provide direct academic instruction in one-to-one, small group, and whole-group instructional settings.
Modify instructional materials and teaching strategies under the direction of the Teacher to maximize student engagement and success.
Implement individualized accommodations, specially designed instruction (SDI), communication supports, visual supports, sensory supports, and classroom routines with consistency and fidelity.
Implement Positive Behavior Support Plans under the direction of the Behavior Interventionist, Behavior Specialist, Behavior Director, and classroom Teacher.
Utilize proactive behavior support strategies, reinforcement systems, de-escalation techniques, and crisis response procedures consistent with ASUA philosophy, CP, and Ukeru training.
Actively supervise students throughout all instructional and non-instructional portions of the day while maintaining continuous awareness of student safety.
Provide frequent physical support for students including positioning, prompting, mobility assistance, transitions, adaptive equipment, playground supervision, community instruction, vocational activities, and personal care as required.
Provide adaptive and functional life skills instruction including toileting, toilet training, feeding, dressing, hygiene routines, handwashing, brushing teeth, communication, organization, and independence skills according to student IEPs and instructional programming.
Support student participation in related services by implementing therapeutic recommendations from Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Vision Specialists, Behavior Specialists, and other providers throughout the school day.
Assist students in utilizing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems, visual supports, assistive technology, and communication devices consistently throughout daily routines.
Collect accurate academic, behavioral, communication, and functional skill data as directed.
Assist the Teacher in maintaining instructional records, data collection systems, communication logs, progress monitoring, and classroom documentation.
Assist with completion of progress reports and other student documentation under the direction of the Teacher.
Maintain classroom organization, instructional materials, visual supports, and learning environments that are clean, safe, engaging, and conducive to learning.
Collaborate with teachers, related service providers, behavioral staff, administrators, and families to promote consistency across all environments.
Participate in IEP meetings, multidisciplinary meetings, and professional development as directed.
Assume responsibility for classroom instruction, classroom routines, student supervision, and implementation of daily programming during short-term teacher absences unless other arrangements have been made by administration.
Continue supporting classroom programming during extended teacher absences under the direction of administration and in collaboration with assigned substitute teachers or educational staff.
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of and commitment to ASUA's mission, philosophy, collaborative service delivery model, trauma-informed care, positive behavior supports, and child-centered educational practices.
Travel between campuses as directed.
Duties may be performed within classrooms, community settings, vocational training environments, playgrounds, cafeterias, adaptive physical education settings, transportation activities, and other instructional environments.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

Perform homeroom, arrival, dismissal, lunch, recess, transportation, and club responsibilities as assigned.
Ensure classrooms, instructional materials, bulletin boards, technology, and common areas remain clean, organized, safe, and visually supportive of student learning.
Read, understand, and comply with the Employee Handbook and all updates.
Attend all mandatory meetings, professional development activities, trainings, and school events, including those occurring outside regularly scheduled hours as outlined in the Employee Handbook.
Demonstrate professionalism, flexibility, accountability, initiative, teamwork, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Teacher, Head of Schools, or other appropriate administrator.

Competencies Required:

Strong understanding of autism spectrum disorder and the educational, behavioral, communication, sensory, and adaptive needs of students with significant disabilities.
Commitment to ASUA's collaborative, trauma-informed, child-centered philosophy and interdisciplinary educational model.
Ability to actively engage students using a variety of evidence-based instructional strategies.
Ability to build positive, supportive relationships while maintaining high behavioral and instructional expectations.
Strong communication and collaboration skills with teachers, related service providers, administrators, families, and support staff.
Ability to implement Positive Behavior Support Plans and therapeutic recommendations with consistency and fidelity.
Ability to effectively collect and document instructional and behavioral data.
Ability to maintain organization while managing multiple priorities throughout a fast-paced educational environment.
Ability to remain calm, professional, and solution-focused during crisis situations.
Ability to independently supervise students while maintaining safety at all times.
Ability to handle multiple, simultaneous, and complex responsibilities with minimal supervision.
Ability to work under pressure and respond appropriately to verbal aggression, physical aggression, elopement, self-injurious behavior, property destruction, and other challenging behaviors utilizing approved CPI and Ukeru procedures and ASUA behavioral philosophy.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires significant physical stamina and the ability to actively engage with students throughout the entire school day.

Frequent standing, walking, sitting on floors, kneeling, squatting, bending, reaching, climbing stairs, lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds, pushing, pulling, moving classroom furniture and adaptive equipment, and physically assisting students are essential job functions.

Teacher Assistants must be physically capable of responding rapidly during behavioral crises, maintaining close proximity to students, safely implementing approved CPI procedures, supporting student transitions, assisting with mobility, playground activities, community instruction, vocational programming, adaptive physical activities, and daily living routines.

The ability to run short distances, maintain continuous movement throughout the day, provide physical prompting and support, and safely supervise students with significant behavioral and adaptive needs is an essential function of this position.

Adequate vision, hearing, coordination, balance, manual dexterity, and stamina are required to safely support student learning, communication, behavior, and overall well-being.

Safety and Health:

Knowledge of universal hygiene precautions.
Adherence to all ASUA safety procedures, infection control protocols, emergency procedures, crisis intervention practices, mandated reporting responsibilities, and student supervision expectations.
Ability to continuously maintain awareness of student safety while protecting student dignity, promoting independence, and supporting positive behavioral outcomes.
Ability to consistently implement approved Positive Behavior Support Plans, safety procedures, and CP & UkeruI techniques under the direction of educational and behavioral leadership while maintaining a calm, supportive, and professional demeanor during crisis situations.
Commitment to maintaining a safe, clean, organized, and therapeutic learning environment for all students, staff, and visitors.

Equipment/Material Handled:

The Teacher Assistant shall utilize and maintain a variety of instructional materials, curriculum resources, adaptive equipment, sensory materials, assistive technology, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, visual supports, classroom technology, behavior support materials, adaptive seating and positioning equipment, and educational resources that shall be maintained, inventoried, sanitized, stored appropriately, and used responsibly.

The Teacher Assistant must demonstrate proficiency with classroom technology, electronic data collection systems, communication platforms, instructional technology, student documentation systems, assistive technology, AAC devices, and all educational software and technology utilized by ASUA

Work Environment:

The Teacher Assistant works within ASUA's school, a highly specialized educational environment serving students ages 4 through 21 with autism spectrum disorder and other complex developmental disabilities. Students may require intensive academic instruction, significant communication support, behavioral intervention, adaptive skill instruction, personal care assistance, sensory regulation supports, and comprehensive supervision throughout the school day.

Responsibilities are performed throughout classrooms, therapy spaces, sensory environments, cafeterias, playgrounds, vocational training areas, transition programming, adaptive physical education, community-based instructional activities, transportation routines, and other educational environments. The Teacher Assistant is expected to actively engage with students across all school activities and instructional routines while supporting the implementation of educational, behavioral, therapeutic, communication, and social-emotional programming.

Daily responsibilities require continuous collaboration with teachers, behavior specialists, related service providers, administrators, and families while managing changing schedules, intensive student support needs, sensory-rich environments, competing priorities, and highly individualized educational programming. Teacher Assistants spend the majority of the workday actively interacting with students through direct instruction, behavior support, communication facilitation, adaptive skill instruction, physical prompting, community participation, and implementation of therapeutic recommendations.

The Teacher Assistant must demonstrate flexibility, organization, professionalism, sound judgment, initiative, and the ability to remain calm and effective during challenging situations. Independent problem-solving within assigned responsibilities is expected while maintaining continuous communication with the classroom teacher and supervisory staff. Interruptions, schedule changes, and crisis situations are routine, requiring the ability to quickly adapt while maintaining consistency, student safety, and fidelity to individualized educational and behavioral programming.

A Step Up Academy reserves the right to update, revise or change this job description and related duties at any time.

Pay: $50,000.00 per year

Benefits: