Student Services Coordinator

The Student Services Coordinator works in conjunction with the school’s instructional leaders to ensure that the school provides the academic, emotional, and physical services for students who require additional support to thrive within the schools’ core academic programs.

Why Ascend

Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving nearly 6,000 K-12 students in 16 schools. We exist to serve every student – to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.

Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.

Ascend invests in employees by providing ongoing professional development, coaching, and career pathways in our schools. We are proud to provide a generous benefits package, which includes flexibility in our healthcare plan, and 403(b) matching starting at year one. At Ascend, we care about our workforce’s mental health and offer services covered by insurance and additional time off for our staff to utilize for their personal care.

For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools’ model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.

The Student Services Coordinator is responsible for and takes ownership of all aspects of special education. Additionally, the Student Services Coordinator will:

• Coordinate staff professional development in the areas of special education, 504s, tiered system of support, ENL and other related services
• Support the SETSS teachers, ENL teachers, Integrated Co-teachers, and other instructional staff
• Implementing IEPs and managing the provision of direct services by related service providers approved by the New York City Department of Education
• Prepare student individualized education plans in consultation with staff and families to ensure success for all scholars
• Create, implement, and review 504 plans in consultation with staff and families to ensure success for all scholars
• Serving as the school’s primary contact with the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education, and directly manage the relationship, ensuring school compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and maintaining accurate and up-to-date records and other documentation
• Designing differentiated instruction, including small group instruction, and administering rigorous, standards-based assessments to serve students needing special services
• Ensuring that all teachers know of, understand, and implement all classroom accommodations and modifications required by IEPs and 504 plans
• Working with the school’s certified special education professionals and counselors to share best practices across schools in the Ascend network and resolve any school-based crises expeditiously
• Ensuring that all staff members implement, and monitor at risk tiered support through weekly data-driven meetings and planning sessions with the support of the school-based teams, including coordinating professional development of special education
• Manage the provision of direct services by related service providers approved by the New York City Department of Education
• Utilize formal and informal assessment data to drive instruction and ensure student mastery of standards
• Create and maintain strong relationships with students and families
• Partner with the assistant principal and students services team to ensure that all students, including those with exceptionalities, have the access and support needed to achieve
• Plan, execute, and monitor grade level RTB Tier 1 and Tier 2 meetings and processes, including progress monitoring and individual student plan implementation
• Actively participate in grade-level meetings, student support team meetings, RTI/RTB meetings, collaborative planning, and professional development, including an annual summer institute
• Take on additional responsibilities that drive the achievement of targeted academic and cultural results

Staff and reporting relationships

The Student Services Coordinator reports directly to the principal. Additional collaboration occurs with other members of the leadership team and the Ascend network.

• A master’s degree and special education certification is required
• Full-time classroom experience and a demonstrated track record of propelling students’ academic growth and mastery
• At least two years of teaching as special education teacher with a proven track record of elevating student achievement, preferably in urban schools
• Demonstrate an unwavering belief that all students can achieve at high levels and that scholars with disabilities are as capable of greatness as general education scholars
• Manifest a total commitment to do whatever it takes to prepare all of the school’s students for college
• Demonstrate a record of producing dramatic student achievement gains as a teacher
• Have exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Be committed to education standards, statewide testing, and accountability
• Be prepared to invest in building relationships with students
• Have a “can do” attitude and be a team player, relentless in the pursuit of the school’s academic objectives; hard-working and willing to take feedback and engage in a process of self-improvement

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $80,000 - $105,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.