Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 147,200 people employed as special education teachers, secondary school in the United States. The median annual salary is $62,120. Entry level employees earn approximately $47,230 per year and senior employees earn approximately $100,310 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

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

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