Occupation · SOC 25-2058
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
Teach academic, social, and life skills to secondary 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.
Median wage
$69,590
$47,930–$106,050
Projected growth
-1.6%
Declining
Annual openings
-260
per year
Employed (US)
162,780
Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
601 mapped
Core skills
InstructingLearning StrategiesReading ComprehensionSpeakingService OrientationCoordinationActive ListeningWriting
Knowledge areas
Education and TrainingEnglish LanguagePsychologyCustomer and Personal ServiceTherapy and Counseling
Technology & tools
Document management softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareDesktop publishing softwareElectronic mail softwareWeb page creation and editing software
Representative tasks
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.Teach personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of secondary school programs.Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs.Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.Meet with parents and guardians to provide guidance in using community resources and to teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.Provide additional instruction in vocational areas.Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.Provide interpretation and transcription of regular classroom materials through Braille and sign language.Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.Sponsor extracurricular activities, such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments and to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Classroom rules and behavioral expectations — establish and post under cooperating teacher guidance in a secondary special education setting.Student records and daily progress notes — maintain using district-approved templates with direct supervisory review.IEP meeting preparation — gather required assessment data and compile supporting documents under the direction of a lead special education teacher.Sensory-motor and language development activities — deliver pre-designed instructional strategies during co-taught secondary classroom sessions.Lesson objectives — write and display clear learning targets for each instructional period following department-provided formats.Classroom materials and adaptive equipment — organize and prepare before each scheduled class activity in a resource room environment.Positive reinforcement techniques — apply scripted behavior modification protocols to support socially acceptable conduct among secondary students with disabilities.Parent and guardian communication — participate in structured conferences alongside a mentor teacher to address students' academic or behavioral concerns.Electronic mail and office suite software — use to submit reports, correspond with team members, and document student information in school data systems.Active listening and observation — practice during IEP team meetings and multidisciplinary staffing sessions to build understanding of collaborative planning processes.
developing
Classroom behavioral policies — enforce consistently and adapt enforcement strategies when initial approaches are insufficient in a secondary special education classroom.Cumulative student records and required compliance reports — maintain accurately and submit on schedule in accordance with IDEA regulations and district policy.Individual Educational Plans — contribute substantive goal recommendations and coordinate input from parents, counselors, and testing specialists during annual review meetings.Differentiated instructional strategies for cognition and memory — select and implement routinely to address varied learning profiles across secondary students with disabilities.Unit and project objectives — communicate clearly to students using multiple modalities, adjusting language for differing comprehension levels in a resource or inclusion setting.Adaptive classroom environments — configure independently, sourcing assistive technology and materials to support upcoming lesson requirements.Social skills instruction — plan and deliver structured lessons using behavior modification and token economy systems to reinforce prosocial behavior among secondary students.Multidisciplinary team conferences — facilitate student-focused problem-solving discussions with parents, administrators, and social workers to resolve recurring academic or behavioral issues.Presentation and database software — use to track IEP goal progress, generate data visualizations, and prepare reports for administrative review.Instructional effectiveness — monitor through ongoing formative assessment and adjust pacing and delivery in response to observed student performance data.
proficient
School-wide behavioral expectations — align classroom policies with broader campus frameworks and independently resolve complex disciplinary situations involving students with significant disabilities.Comprehensive IEP documentation and legally compliant progress reports — author and manage across a full caseload in a secondary special education department.IEP development — lead collaborative planning with parents, general education teachers, psychologists, and agency representatives to design individualized programs addressing educational, physical, and social development.Specialized instructional techniques for perceptual-motor, language, and cognitive skill development — select, sequence, and evaluate autonomously for diverse secondary learners with low-incidence and high-incidence disabilities.Standards-aligned and individualized lesson objectives — design across long-range curriculum units, integrating transition goals for students approaching post-secondary pathways.Classroom and community-based learning environments — prepare and differentiate for a range of instructional formats including self-contained, co-taught, and community-integrated settings.Behavior Intervention Plans — develop and implement evidence-based strategies, monitoring fidelity and adjusting reinforcement systems in response to functional behavioral assessment outcomes.Parent-school partnerships — cultivate through proactive, culturally responsive communication and mediate conflicts between families and school teams to achieve durable resolutions.Complex student data systems — manage and query to generate compliance reports, track longitudinal IEP goal progress, and inform instructional decision-making.Multidisciplinary problem-solving — apply critical thinking and systems analysis to diagnose root causes of persistent learning or behavioral challenges and design comprehensive intervention plans.
advanced
Department-wide behavioral frameworks and crisis response protocols — design and institutionalize across a secondary special education program to ensure consistent, safe learning environments.District compliance systems for student records and mandated reporting — lead development and audit processes to ensure alignment with federal IDEA requirements and state regulations.Transition and IEP policy — shape school or district-level procedures through collaboration with special education directors, community agencies, and post-secondary institutions.Evidence-based instructional models — evaluate, select, and champion adoption of emerging special education practices across secondary classrooms, mentoring teachers in implementation fidelity.Curriculum frameworks for students with disabilities — architect scope-and-sequence documents that align individualized goals with state academic standards and post-secondary transition outcomes.Inclusive learning environment design — lead school-wide initiatives to restructure physical and instructional spaces in support of diverse learners across general and special education settings.Positive behavioral support systems — spearhead school-wide or district-level programs integrating tiered interventions, staff training, and data-driven decision-making structures.Family and community engagement strategy — establish and sustain formal partnership structures with parent organizations, advocacy groups, and social service agencies serving secondary students with disabilities.Special education technology infrastructure — evaluate and guide procurement of document management, assistive technology, and data platforms to advance program-wide instructional effectiveness.Special education teacher development — mentor, coach, and formally evaluate early-career and developing teachers, building departmental capacity and fostering a culture of reflective professional practice.
Also known as
61 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
MI Teacher (Mentally Impaired Teacher)Inclusion TeacherSelf-Contained Classroom SPED Teacher (Self-Contained Classroom Special Education Teacher)Life Skills TeacherLearning Disabled Teacher (LD Teacher)Cross-Categorical SPED Teacher (Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher)Special Day Class Teacher (SDC Teacher)Learning Support TeacherInstructor (Air Force 81T0)Handicapped TeacherSPED Teacher (Special Education Teacher)Teacher, Hearing ImpairedPhysically Impaired TeacherTeacher, Physically ImpairedEmotionally Impaired TeacherSecondary SPED Teacher (Secondary Special Education Teacher)Teacher, ResourceLip Reading TeacherHearing Impaired TeacherDeaf TeacherExceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher)Emotional Disability Special Education Teacher (ED SPED Teacher)SPED Resource Teacher (Special Education Resource Teacher)Resource SpecialistTeacher, Visually ImpairedResource Center TeacherInterrelated SPED Teacher (Interrelated Special Education Teacher)Resource Specialist TeacherSPED Itinerant Teacher (Special Education Itinerant Teacher)Visually Impaired TeacherInclusion Special EducatorSPED Math Teacher (Special Education Mathematics Teacher)SPED Inclusion Teacher (Special Education Inclusion Teacher)Teacher, Emotionally ImpairedInclusion SpecialistTeacher, Vocational TrainingLearning Disabilities Special Education Teacher (LD Special Education Teacher)Teacher, Learning DisabledSign Language TeacherRSP Specialist (Resource Specialist Program Specialist)