SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES COORDINATOR EXTENDED SERVICES

Position Overview

Under general supervision, monitors and tracks the provision of school district special education for adherence to state and federal special education mandates; monitors the evaluation, education and recordkeeping of students receiving special education and related services for compliance with required deadlines; documents and records data; analyzes and interprets data submitted from various juvenile special education program sources and prepares reports for instructional staff and administrative staff; acts as part of a team to design, implement, evaluate and improve the special education services of the school district and the individual facility; serves as a resource and makes recommendations to administrative staff to help to establish and improve the special education services at the facility; assists educators in evaluating and improving teaching methods and classroom strategies for students with disabilities; acquires and transfers academic and special education records to and from other juvenile justice facilities, or other public, state or local agencies serving students with disabilities; serves as a subject matter expert with regard to the compliance of records and education plans with state and federal special education mandates.

Essential Functions

• Monitors and enters special education related data such as the student's Individual Education Plan IEP.
• Participates in educational staff and student conferences to determine the IEP for instruction and placement of an individual student in the appropriate instructional program.
• Interprets and prepares reports for instructional staff and administrative staff, with regard to IEP's and related records for students in a juvenile justice facility that receive special education services.
• Evaluates and improves special education services at a juvenile justice facility.
• Serves as the person responsible for acquiring and distributing authorized academic records related to special education services.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires possession of a current and valid Professional Educator License, issued by the Illinois State Board of Education, with a Learning Behavior Specialist I endorsement.

Preferred Qualifications (In Order of Significance)

• Prefers working knowledge of the methods techniques and strategies used in the instruction and development of juveniles with intellectual physical or other defined developmental disabilities.
• Prefers working knowledge of agency programs and services objectives activities and operational systems.
• Prefers working knowledge of the impact that disabilities have on the cognitive physical emotional social and communication development of an individual.
• Prefers ability to evaluate a student, select behavioral objectives to meet the student's needs, and to guide and direct family and facility staff regarding the necessary training and educational development of a student.
• Prefers ability to prepare written documentation related to student performance and education.
• Prefers ability to 'relate' to students with extreme and profound emotional impairments.
• Prefers ability to exercise patience and tolerance of a wide range of behavior.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires the ability to pass an IDOC/IDJJ background check.
• Requires ability to pass a drug screen. The use of unauthorized drugs by an employee, regardless of position held, is prohibited.
• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.
• Requires ability to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to stay current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.
• The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency

The mission of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is to build youth skills and strengthen families by promoting community safety and positive youth outcomes. Over 900 staff members from across various departments—security, programming, education, mental health, and more—collaborate with the understanding that youth are physically, emotionally, and cognitively different from adults. The department provides extensive services to young people through a developmental, treatment-focused model of care that builds youth resiliency, engages families, and promotes community safety at the five youth facilities it operates across the state. IDJJ serves and houses approximately 150 youth and is responsible for approximately 500 youth on Aftercare in various Illinois’ communities.