Scholar Support Specialist

This position receives an additional stipend to support the developing and delivering of summer professional development as well as behavior meetings that take place before/after regular school hours. 

SUMMARY: FWPS believes that meeting the needs of the whole child is of paramount importance and believes that addressing the Social Emotional needs of our scholars is an essential means to reaching that goal.  The Scholar Support Specialist supports the establishment of SEL systems of support tied to our MTSS framework while building staff capacity in providing these SEL.  The Scholar Support Specialist will work in direct collaboration with district Behavior Specialists, district SEL Facilitators, building administrators, and building PBIS teams. 

The function of this position is to ensure the development of systems district-wide while working directly with buildings to provide additional individual student supports.  Additionally, this role will support capacity building amongst district staff around key SEL topics such as: conflict resolution, de-escalation strategies, trauma-informed practices, and restorative practices by developing and implementing professional development system-wide.   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: This list is meant to be representative, not exhaustive, and incumbents are expected to perform all duties as assigned or directed. Some incumbents may not perform all the duties listed while in other cases related duties may also be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions, consistent with applicable law.

• Establish and nurture an environment that promotes cultural competence and equitable treatment of staff, students, and patrons of the district.
• Collaborate with district MTSS team to develop systems and structures that support tiered SEL interventions across district including assessments, intervention identification, implementation, and analysis of effectiveness.
• Collaborate with district departments to develop and implement staff professional development that builds staff capacity in SEL including:
  • Conflict resolution
  • De-escalation strategies
  • Restorative practices
  • Trauma-informed practices
• Collaborate with district Behavior Specialists, building PBIS teams and building administrators to support implementation of SEL MTSS framework for interventions.
• Provide professional development for school site staff around SEL strategies of support.
• Provide direct, individualized coaching to support buildings and teachers in developing their own social-emotional capacity as well as implementing best practices to promote SEL particularly in the areas of:
  • Conflict resolution
  • De-escalation strategies
  • Restorative practices
  • Trauma-informed practices
• Collaborate with Behavior Specialists, building administrators, and building PBIS teams around the development and implementation of specific site professional development.
• Assist site staff with identification of students who need additional SEL supports (Tier II/Tier III)
• Provide monthly resources around conflict resolution, de-escalation strategies, restorative practices, and trauma-informed practices for staff to support implementation of strategies
• Support the implementation of SEL curriculum, identified interventions, and other SEL best practices at individual school sites.
• Research outside SEL resources to support development and implementation of SEL programming and intervention.
• Provide direct individual, small group supports as needed including supporting Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBAs), the creation of Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), and supporting student threat assessments.
• Observe and coach teachers on the fidelity of implementation of tiered social emotional and behavioral supports for scholars
• Teach demonstration lessons for SEL supports and interventions.
• Attend site SST and PBIS Team meetings as needed with Behavior Specialists.
• Collaborate with building administrative teams and PBIS teams to assess and further develop implementation of SEL and restorative practices by monitoring data, observing implementation of SEL supports, and providing feedback.
• Disseminate data to internal departments as needed for progress monitoring of program implementation
• Identify best practices for SEL data management
• Stay current on best practices for SEL instruction, intervention, and progress monitoring.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor's Degree in appropriate field
Minimum of three years demonstrated classroom or clinical experience

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
Washington State Teacher's Certificate or Washington State Educational Staff Associate Certificate (or ability to obtain one)
Knowledge of and experience with MTSS structures and framework
Experience designing and implementing professional development
Experience with SEL supports
Experience in conducting FBAs, BIPS, Threat Assessments
Demonstrated knowledge and experience in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships
Demonstrated skill in coaching, advising, and partnering with leadership representatives across the organization
Ability to be a trusted advisor while maintaining the highest level of confidentiality
Demonstrated skill in effective oral and written communication
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to take initiative and be a self-starter, multi-faceted thinking
Demonstrated team player with experience working within a culturally diverse workplace. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Master's degree in related field
Special Education, Counseling, or Social Work certification
Experience in providing training for adult learners

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Criminal background clearance
Valid driver's license and proof of insurance and access to reliable transportation
Must be willing to attend evening and weekend meetings

KNOWLEDGE OF:
SEL Best Practice

ABILITY TO:
Plan, organize, and administer assigned areas of responsibility
Operate technology hardware and software necessary to perform assigned duties/responsibilities
Write/present in a clear and concise manner for broad public appeal and interpretation
Analyze complex situations and synthesize diverse information carefully and adopt an effective course of action
Interpret, apply, and explain administrative and board policies, laws, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements that pertain to areas of responsibility
Plan, organize, and prioritize work to meet multiple schedules and deadlines, and manage simultaneous tasks, with many interruptions
Work independently with minimum direction and supervision; work under pressure
Use effective customer service skills to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships in a multicultural and multiracial community of district personnel, community members, and external companies and agencies in the course of performing assigned duties

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS:  
This position is evaluated by and reports directly to the Executive Director for Equity, Scholar, and Family Success  
Position interacts regularly with district Behavior Specialists, Teaching for Learning personnel, Office of Equity Leadership, Special Education and General Education Directors, Building Administrators.  Position also interacts with various other certificated and classified staff throughout the district. Contacts with individuals outside of the district include but are not limited to parents, students, partner agency representatives, other school district representatives, and outside vendors; and occasional contact with local, state and federal government officials, outside social services organizations, and various community groups.

 REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES RELATED TO CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND EQUITY:
Knowledge/awareness of own cultural identity and how this influences behavior, and desire to learn about the cultural identity of others.
Ability to establish and nurture an environment that promotes cultural competence and equitable treatment of staff, students, and patrons of the District.
Ability to understand and hold self and others accountable for promoting the Federal Way Public Schools' commitment to "Each Scholar: A Voice. A Dream. A Bright Future." 
Ability to recognize that each person is a unique individual even as we celebrate their group cultural heritage.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee will constantly sit, stand and walk, bend neck and back, and use hands for repetitive grasping and pushing/pulling, hear and speak.  The employee is frequently required to squat, kneel, use hands for fine manipulation, knee stand and push/pull.  The employee will occasionally be required to climb stairs/ladder, lift and reach overhead, and lift/carry.  The employee must constantly lift/carry up to 10 pounds and must frequently lift /carry up to 20 pounds.  The employee will occasionally lift/carry a maximum of 35 lbs.  The employee is occasionally required to push/pull a maximum weight of 200 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in indoor conditions and regularly works near video display. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  The employee must adjust to frequent interruptions in their work schedule.  Evening and weekend work may be required. The employee may be required to travel (by car and/or plane) to a variety of locations.

WORK SCHEDULE:
This is a school year position, 180 days, 7.5 hours per day, some flexibility for evening or weekend classes is required

REPRESENTATION
Federal Way Education Association (FWEA) FWEA_CBA_22-24.final.pdf (fwps.org)

 
LEVEL OF COMPENSATION
Federal Way Education Association (FWEA) Salary Schedule.
This position includes the following benefits prorated based on FTE � Medical, dental vision, wellness leave, life insurance, retirement, professional development dollars. 
Disclaimer

All employment open positions are made available on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or veteran status.

CLASSIFICATION HISTORY
Created:  05/2022

Job descriptions are written as a representative list of the ADA essential duties performed by the entire classification. They cannot include, and are not intended to include, every possible activity and task performed by every specific employee.