Special Education Teachers, Middle School

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Education & Library
• O*NET-SOC code: 25-2057
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
• Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
• Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
• Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
• Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
• Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
• Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
• Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
• Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
• Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
• Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.

Tools and technology

Apple macOS, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Word, Alternative computer keyboards, Assistive amplification systems, Audio tape recorders or players, Blackboard software, Braille slates

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten
• Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
• Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
• Special Education Teachers, Preschool
• Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
• Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Special Education Teachers, Middle School — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.