Job Description
Organization Overview
Excel Academy is a network of 5 schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island that prepares students in grades 5-12 to succeed in high school and college and engage productively in their communities. The majority of our 1,700 students identify as Latinx or Hispanic and will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Families choose Excel because our students consistently outperform their peers in growth and achievement and are 5x more likely to graduate from college.
At Excel, we believe that every student—regardless of race, zip code, or economic status—deserves access to a free, high quality holistic education. During their middle school journey with us, students grow at a pace faster than most peers in their state. This is possible through a combination of high expectations, rigorous instruction, and individualized support. At our nationally ranked high school, students achieve at the highest level and are poised for success in their chosen college or career path.
About our Team
Everyday, our team members choose to be positive, drive their own growth, uplift one another, and hold the highest possible beliefs for what students can achieve.
About the Role
The Network Speech Language Pathologist position is designed to encompass all aspects of supporting students with speech and language needs, including referral, learning and instruction, and compliance.
Salary: 60 - 95k commensurate with experience
This position works across two Excel MA campuses and will report to a member of the network student supports team. The Network SLP will perform a variety of essential responsibilities, including (but not limited to):
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
Direct Support of Student Learning: Ensure students receiving special education and/or 504 accommodations make significant academic gains towards meeting their IEP or 504 plan goals, in line with the school’s Big Goals
- Plan and provide speech and/or language therapy to students on caseload
- Support students’ development in pragmatic, receptive or expressive language, language memory, articulation, etc. as dictated by their learning profile and IEP
- Ensure that implementation of any Speech and Language services is in compliance with student IEP requirements
- Provide speech and language support in the context of students’ content classes
- Support and innovate methods of intervention to support students’ progress in language development and content classes (assistive technology, accommodations, explicit strategies)
- Collect and keep progress monitoring data on all students
- Communicate regularly with Learning Specialists and core teachers to ensure that students receive meaningful and pertinent instruction
Administrative Responsibilities: With support of Learning Specialists, manage administrative aspects of providing a special education service
- Child Find Responsibilities
- Monitor GLT discussions of at-risk students, especially when special education referral or assessment is likely
- Use screening tools to determine current speech/language skills, and share data with Child Study Team/Specialists
- Evaluation and IEP Process Responsibilities
- Act as part of an evaluation and diagnostic team for new and three-year evaluations, or for articulation screens
- Schedule testing, coordinate with learning specialists, write comprehensive evaluation report of results, attend evaluation meetings and present findings
- Use assessment tools to determine student present levels of educational performance, eligibility for special education services and for speech and language services, and to develop recommendations for the student’s IEP team if appropriate. More specifically:
- CELF, TOWL, TOPS, TONL, CASL
- Contribute to all required paperwork (e.g. IEPs, 504s, IEP Progress Reports etc.) ensuring deadlines are met and information is accurately recorded
- Write IEP goals that align with service delivery, monitor and report on progress towards goals each Trimester / Marking Period
Family Relations: With support of school administrators, manage relationships between Excel and families on issues related to Speech and Language therapy
- Maintain and document regular contact with families of students receiving services, informing them of successes and setbacks, and always acting as an available resource for questions/concerns
- Gather feedback from families of Special Education students with end-of-year evaluation surveys
Support for Teachers: Instruct/assist teachers on issues related to Speech and Language, specifically:
- Consult with Learning Specialists to support instruction for students with speech and language needs, and support their creation of effective accommodations (as dictated by IEPs)
- Work with general education teachers as needed to ensure that language needs within the classroom are met
- Communicate effectively with teachers on an ongoing basis regarding needs and progress of Special Education students
Community: Serve as a productive member of the Excel community
- Align student support services with the school’s mission and educational philosophy
- Cultivate key relationships within the student supports department at school locations you serve; escalate concerns and needs to ensure that they do not serve as barriers to your success with students
- Collaborate with special education teachers and other service providers in line with student IEPs and to ensure that students are able to make meaningful progress; escalate concerns or mismatched services to IEP team chairs or to your direct supervisor
- Participate in generating and upholding Excel Staff norms
- Follow the appropriate protocol when absent to request coverage
- Meaningfully participate in Friday meetings, school and Department Professional Development meetings
- Communicate frequently with the families of your students, attend Family Conferences
- Do whatever it takes to ensure that the mission of the school is fulfilled.
Qualifications
- Massachusetts Speech Language Pathologist license required, or ability to acquire before starting
- Preference will be given to applicants who share points of intersection with our students, such as speaking Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic at an advanced level, being first generation college graduates, or having grown up low-income;
- A commitment to and belief in all students and the mission of Excel Academy Charter Schools, including Excel’s values and educational model;
- A commitment to addressing racial and economic inequity in education;
- The ability to focus and thrive in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment;
- The ability to work effectively in a team environment and the willingness and desire to support others in doing their best work; and
- An openness to change, a willingness to problem-solve, and an interest in receiving feedback for continuous improvement.
