Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
Teach academic, social, and life skills to secondary school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.
Meet the Writer: O*NET Occupational Analysts
Annual Salary
$69,590/ year
Median wage · BLS🇺🇸 USA
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Teach personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.
- Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
- Meet with parents and guardians to provide guidance in using community resources and to teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.
- Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.
- Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
- Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
- Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs.
- Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of secondary school programs.
- Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
- Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
- Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
- Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
- Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.