Sam Houston Elementary Integrated PreSchool Teacher- Full Time Certified

Integrated Preschool Teacher (VPK and Special Education)- Full-Time Certified 

The position of Voluntary PreK teacher in an Integrated PreK (IPK) classroom has been established for the purpose of providing economically disadvantaged children, children with special education needs, and typically developing peer models with a high-quality general education preschool experience. The program targets kindergarten readiness skills through developmentally appropriate learning and peer socialization. This position is located at Sam Houston Elementary and will include the teaching of children ages 4 and 5 years. The instructional day for students for the next school year will be 7:45am-2:15pm on the typical Maryville City Schools schedule. The teacher will be responsible for working at least 7.5 hours daily in collaboration with preK teaching assistants. As this program is intended to provide direct special education services to students with disabilities in a general education setting, the desired candidate will be certified to provide instruction for both general education and special education preschool populations. However, candidates with a TN preschool endorsement for general education instruction only will be considered. Sam Houston Elementary has only one preK class in the school and Maryville City Schools has only three total IPK classrooms. This position includes a lot of autonomy and responsibility as well as frequent collaboration with special education staff, related service providers, administration, behavior support staff, and kindergarten teachers. 

Essential Functions: 

1. Establish and maintain a positive classroom environment, utilizing school-wide positive behavioral programming
2. Ensure safety of children and staff in the classroom.
3. Protect students, staff, equipment, materials, and facilities.
4. Provide a classroom environment that meets the academic, social, emotional, and physical demands of preschool children.
5. Follow a consistent routine which includes small and large group activities and high-quality instructional practices for this age group.
6. Assist in setup and cleanup of the classroom.
7. Assist with general routine care of children (may include teaching toileting)

1. Develop and implement appropriate lesson plans using the district selected preK curriculum as well as high-quality phonics-based instruction and other instructional materials as appropriate.
2. Work with families to provide supports for children at home.
3. Effectively manage teaching assistants assigned to the classroom
4. Maintain accurate and confidential records as required by the Voluntary PreK grant as well as childcare licensing.
5. Accurately assess students per district procedures and report as necessary.
6. Conduct parent conferences, home visits, and/or schedule site visits per district VPK procedures.
7. Communicate regularly with families about their child’s progress and provide consistent communication that promotes parent involvement.
8. Support the transition from PreK to Kindergarten with consistent and accurate communication and planning with administrators, special education staff, and kindergarten teachers.
9. Support students with IEPs by implementing IEP accommodations and supports
10. Assist in the development of VPK requirements which include, but are not limited to, the VPK application, preK calendar, assessment decisions, CLASS evaluations, etc.
11. Willingness to be evaluated per district procedures (TEAM), VPK procedures (presently CLASS), and early childhood licensing requirements.
12. Participate in ongoing professional development including staff meetings and PLC meetings.
13. Participate in morning and afternoon duties as assigned by the school’s administration.
14. Maintain a positive working relationship with team members and resolve issues in a professional manner. This includes displaying a positive, supportive, and problem-solving attitude to other duties assigned by administrators as necessary to the functioning of the program and/or school.
15. Creating and maintaining a classroom climate that is conducive to the learning process.

Desired Functions (as allowed by endorsement): 

1. Manage a caseload of students with a full range of disabilities including writing Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs). Average caseload is 4-5 students per school year.
2. Thorough knowledge of the principles and methodology of effective teaching of students with a variety of mild to moderate disabilities.
3. Serve as a team member in determining and implementing student accommodations, referral, eligibility, placement, and individual education program development.
4. Comply with local, state, and federal regulations regarding special education records, reports, and services.
5. Assess students’ needs and develop an individualized education program for students with disabilities supporting their transition from PreK to K.
6. Collaborate and coordinate with a variety of other special education staff members (examples include related service providers and the ChildFind program for preK)
7. Provide direct special education services per a student’s IEP.
8. Willingness to obtain a special education endorsement if not already obtained.

Educational Requirements: 

Minimum of a bachelor’s degree with at least one of the following endorsements: 

403 - Pre K-3 Early Child 

459 - Special Education Preschool/Early Childhood PreK-3, 

465 - Special Education Early Childhood PreK-1 

467 - Early Childhood Education PK-3 

468 - Early Development/Learning PK-K 

497 - PreK-4 

Preferred endorsements include: 

- 459- Special Education Preschool/Early Childhood PreK-3 

- 465 Special Education Early Childhood PreK-1 

- Dual endorsements in at least one of 403/467/468/497 (general education) AND at least one of 144/460 (special education) 

NOTE that applicants with a provisional license cannot be considered due to VPK grant requirements. 

Application Process: 
All interested parties should submit a letter of interest and a resume by April 25th to Molly Rice, Principal at Sam Houston Elementary, molly.rice@maryville-schools-org. Additionally, all applicants should complete the online application with Maryville City Schools. Selected candidates will be contacted if they advance to the next phase of the interview process. Interviews will be held the beginning of May with a team of administrators and teachers.    

FLSA: Exempt