Job Description:
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer
Bargaining Unit: East Granby Administrators Association
12-month position.
To ensure vertical and horizontal alignment across general education core instruction, tiered interventions, and specialized student services. Acting as the districts strategic "Navigator," the Director bridges Tier I instruction and Special Education to establish a cohesive, inclusive PreK-12 continuum of support. Working under the operational authority and oversight of the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the primary objective of this role is to optimize Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) implementation and execute compliant, effective Special Education processes that minimize the unnecessary over-identification of students for special education services.
Core Responsibilities
Integrated Academic & Support Systems
- Systemic MTSS Alignment: Partner closely with building principals to strengthen, monitor, and scale prevention-focused instructional systems across all schools.
- Tiered Instruction Fidelity: Align Tier I general education instruction with specialized Tier II and Tier III intervention protocols to secure a seamless continuum of student support.
- Fidelity Monitoring: Establish benchmarks, rubrics, and oversight mechanisms to ensure the high-fidelity implementation of MTSS district-wide.
Special Education Oversight
- Compliance Management: In alignment with and under the direct operational authority of the COO, execute, monitor, and enforce compliance across all local, state, and federal special education statutory requirements, including IDEA regulations.
- Referral Protocols: Review eligibility determinations, initial referral patterns, and evaluation metrics to identify systemic trends and ensure pre-referral intervention compliance.
- Timeline Oversight: Systematically audit specialized education documentation, individualized education programs (IEPs), and statutory timelines.
- Program Development: Lead the design and implementation of innovative, high-quality, in-district specialized programming to systematically reduce reliance on out-of-district placements.
- Building Support: Actively consult with and support building-level teams in developing legally defensible, student-centered IEPs.
Planning & Placement Team (PPT) Leadership
- Under the operational authority of the COO, serve as the primary district-level administrative representative and designee for out-of-district student placements at PPT meetings.
- High-Leverage PPT Facilitation: Chair or co-chair high-leverage or complex PPT meetings as assigned by leadership to ensure baseline compliance and procedural consistency.
- Trend Analysis: Track district-wide special education identification trends and state disproportionality indicators to continuously refine general education intervention strategies and inform operational reporting to the COO.
Coaching & Professional Alignment
- Coaching Infrastructure: Oversee, evaluate, and refine district instructional coaching models and structures.
- Priority Alignment: Ensure that building-level instructional coaching cycles remain tightly aligned with broader district academic goals and strategic priorities.
- Professional Learning (PL): Collaboratively support the design and delivery of district-wide professional learning opportunities directly tied to improving instruction at all levels, Tier 1 through Special Education.
- Induction Systems: Provide oversight for the state-mandated TEAM Mentorship program and initial teacher induction requirements.
Data & Continuous Improvement
- Data-Driven Analysis: Regularly analyze comprehensive district datasets, including student referral, special education identification, behavioral metrics, and MTSS intervention outcomes.
- Action Planning: Translate data insights into actionable, school-level plans designed to strengthen general education safety nets and specialized supports.
- Principal Partnerships: Work collaboratively with building principals to maintain balanced, equitable, and cohesive instructional environments that protect principal instructional autonomy while scaling central office supports.
Qualifications & Requirements
Advanced Degree: Master's degree or higher from an accredited institution in Educational Leadership, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction, or a closely related field.
- Connecticut Certification: Must hold, or be immediately eligible for, a Connecticut State Department of Education Intermediate Administrator and Supervisor Certificate (Endorsement 092).
- Certification in a special services area is preferred.