High School Special Education Teacher

The Mukwonago District, located approximately 25 miles southwest of Milwaukee, is seeking a knowledgeable and dynamic Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher beginning in August, 2025. Mukwonago High School has an enrollment of about 1,600 students in grades 9-12.

Interested candidates must complete the standard application on WECAN and upload the following attachments to be considered: a cover letter, a current resume, transcripts, teaching license, and three letters of recommendation.

Summary Of Job:

To inspire and engage students through dynamic instruction, foster a positive classroom environment, and contribute to the academic and personal growth of all learners. Responsibilities include lesson planning, classroom management, student assessment, and collaboration with colleagues to support school-wide initiatives. Strong communication skills, adaptability, and a commitment to student success are essential.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Plan and Deliver Instruction: Develop and implement engaging lesson plans aligned with curriculum standards and tailored to meet diverse student needs. Work with general and special education teachers to reinforce teacher-introduced content and help students in individual/small/large group lessons make connections to their learning.
• Deliver High-Quality Instruction: Utilize evidence-based teaching strategies to deliver content in a clear, engaging, and accessible manner. Differentiate instruction to meet the varied learning styles, interests, and abilities of all students.
• Lesson Planning and Curriculum Alignment: Design coherent and effective lesson plans that align with state or national standards, school curriculum, and learning objectives. Ensure that instructional goals are measurable and developmentally appropriate.
• Use of Technology and Resources: Integrate technology and a variety of instructional materials to enhance student learning, encourage creativity, and support digital literacy.
• Data-Driven Instruction: Use formative and summative assessments to gather data on student performance. Analyze data to inform instruction, provide targeted interventions, and improve student outcomes.
• Encourage Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Promote higher-order thinking skills through questioning techniques, collaborative learning, and real-world application of concepts.
• Foster Student Engagement: Create a welcoming learning environment that promotes curiosity, participation, and student ownership of learning. Adapt teaching methods to maintain interest and support academic growth.
• Assess Student Progress: Demonstrate an understanding of students' instructional goals and work to successfully implement goals within the classroom. Evaluate and monitor student learning through formal and informal assessments, providing timely feedback and adjusting instruction as needed.
• Classroom Management: Create and maintain a respectful, safe, and supportive classroom environment that promotes active learning and student engagement. Develop, implement, monitor, and consistently refer to and follow students' behavior intervention plans.
• Support Learning Needs: Identify and address learning differences, implementing accommodations or modifications as required. Respond to crisis situations as determined by the building principal and the individual needs of students.
• Communicate Effectively: Maintain regular communication with students, parents/guardians, and colleagues regarding student progress, behavior, and classroom activities.
• Collaborate with Staff: Work collaboratively with fellow teachers, administrators, and support staff to develop interdisciplinary lessons and contribute to school initiatives. Maintain a cooperative and professional relationship with colleagues, administrators, and support staff. Contribute to a positive and collaborative school culture
• Maintain Professional Records: Keep accurate records of attendance, grades, and other student information as required by school policies and regulations.
• Professional Development: Participate in ongoing professional learning opportunities and stay current with educational best practices and standards.
• Model Professionalism: Uphold school policies and demonstrate ethical behavior, integrity, and a commitment to the school's mission and values.
• Engage in School Community: Attend and participate in staff meetings, school events, and parent-teacher conferences.
• IEP Responsibilities: Deliver specially designed instruction aligned to students' IEPs, monitor the progress of students' learning around this instruction, communicate with appropriate stakeholders students' progress, and make adjustments as needed. Write IEPs that are compliant with state and federal law. Schedule, plan and lead annual IEP meetings.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree or degree appropriate to the position; Teaching License or Certification from the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Professional Skills:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret course text and materials.
• Ability to clearly communicate unit/lesson objectives and content.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from parents or members of the community.
• Ability to effectively present information to peers, parents, public groups, and the community.
• Ability to work cooperatively with peers.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions.

Physical Abilities:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time.
• Occasionally requires sitting for long periods and occasional balancing, stooping, and kneeling.
• Moves or assists students transferring into and out of wheelchairs or adaptive equipment. Ensure the safety of students inside and outside of the building.
• Provides personal care and healthcare tasks for students when needed, including toileting, feeding, catheterization, and g-tube feeding
• Participate in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention training to assist school staff with the verbal and physical de-escalation of students
• Bending at the neck and at the waist is frequently required.
• The use of the fingers and hands to grasp and feel small objects is also frequently required.
• Frequently required is the ability to lift up to 25 pounds and occasionally required is the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Close vision, depth perception, the ability to adjust focus, and the ability to read printed material are required.
• Constantly required is the ability to communicate through speaking and listening to express and understand ideas and thoughts.
• Driving the school-district vehicles to transport students when necessary

Applicants should have experience working with students with diverse needs ranging in all ability levels. Experience with co-teaching and strong inclusion models is preferred. Candidates must hold a valid Wisconsin DPI teaching license (Cross-Categorical preferred) and have a strong desire to make a positive impact on students with learning and/or behavioral needs. Candidates should be able to successfully case manage students identified with special educational needs, as well as successfully co-plan and co-teach with classroom teachers to meet the needs of students. They should be solution focused with the ability to work in co-teaching environments; collect, track, and use data to drive instruction by adapting teaching methods, instructional materials and assessment strategies to meet the varying needs and interests of individual learners; create behavior plans; and develop IEPs for students.

Candidates should also be able to provide a secure, comfortable, respectful, and inviting learning atmosphere that motivates and challenges students to achieve at their highest level.

Candidates must possess strong classroom management skills in line with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and demonstrate a good command of teaching skills that incorporate student-owned strategies toward independent learning. In addition, a history of collaborative working relationships with other staff members is essential.

The finalist for this position will join a dedicated group of teachers to work collaboratively within the department and other professional learning communities to improve student learning. The final candidate will also be expected to be involved in the school community beyond the classroom through coaching, advising, and committee work.

Work Environment:

Work is primarily performed in a classroom environment, which typically includes moderate noise from students and computers. Work includes participating in conferences with parents regarding student progress. Work is occasionally performed outdoors in a variety of weather conditions as well.

Drug-Free Workplace:

The employee shall remain free of any alcohol or illegal substance in the workplace in compliance with Policy 3122.01 throughout his/her employment in the District.

This description has been prepared to assist in properly evaluating various classes of responsibilities, skills, working conditions, etc., present in the classification. It is intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and characteristic levels of work difficulty that will be required of positions that will be given this title. It is not intended as a complete list of specific duties and responsibilities. Nor is it intended to limit, or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees. The use of a particular expression or illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties not mentioned that are of a similar kind or level of difficulty.

The Mukwonago Area School District does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, sex or sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, national origin, creed, arrest or conviction record, ancestry, member of military reserve, or any other reason prohibited by state or federal law.