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Special Education Teachers, Middle School

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

Related: Special Education Teachers, Elementary School Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten Special Education Teachers, Preschool Special Education Teachers, Secondary School Teaching Assistants, Special Education

Industries: Education

Summary
Details

Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
Collaborate with other teachers that provide instruction to special education students to ensure that the students receive appropriate support.
Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
Organize and label materials and display students' work.
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.
Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments and to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs.
Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
Collaborate with other teachers that provide instruction to special education students to ensure that the students receive appropriate support.
Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.
Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs.
Meet with parents and guardians to provide guidance in using community resources and to teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.
Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
Provide additional instruction in vocational areas.
Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.
Teach students personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.
Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.

Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Speaking
- Talking to others.

Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

95440/yr

Currently Employed

1,680

Yearly Projected Openings

140

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:

Stress Tolerance
Adaptability/Flexibility
Dependability
Cooperation
Integrity
Self Control

Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged
Assistive listening devices
Binocular light compound microscopes
Braille devices for the physically challenged
Cassette players or recorders
Childrens science kits
Compasses
Computer mouse
Desktop calculator
Desktop computers
Digital camcorders or video cameras
Document camera
Enteral feeding administration sets
Game pads or joy sticks
Gas burners
Goggles
Hand held camcorders or video cameras
Keyboards
Laboratory beakers
Laboratory hotplates
Laboratory scalpels
Laminators
Laser printers
Letter or symbol boards for the physically challenged
Medical gas cylinders or related devices
Medical or surgical suction tubings
Microphones
Mobile medical services first aid kits
Notebook computers
Page turners for the physically challenged
Personal computers
Photocopiers
Protective gloves
Scanners
Tablet computers
Telecommunication devices TDD or teletypewriters TTY for the physically challenged
Televisions
Touch screen monitors
Video cassette players or recorders
Visual presenters
Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged
Wheelchairs
Writing aids for the physically challenged