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.
Also known as: Blind Teacher, Braille Teacher, Cross-Categorical SPED Teacher (Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher), Deaf Teacher, Education Specialist, Emotional Disability Special Education Teacher (ED SPED Teacher), Emotionally Impaired Teacher, Exceptional Children's Teacher (EC Teacher), ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- 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.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- 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.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.
- Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.