LANGUAGE FACILITATOR at Craven County School District in Havelock, NC

CRAVEN COUNTY SCHOOLS

Language Facilitator

Job Description

POSITION: Language Facilitator for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing REPORTS TO: Hearing Impaired Teacher/Director of Accountability and Exceptional Children TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: 10 months

PAY GRADE: 56 FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt

NATURE OF WORK

The Language Facilitator’s primary role as a member of the educational team is to facilitate communication between D/HH students and classroom teachers, administrators, peers, and other school staff.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Monitors D/HH students’ understanding of all auditory information within the educational setting and facilitates communication between D/HH students and general education teachers, students, and other school staff as appropriate in the student’s preferred communication mode(s).
• Previews classroom setting (including lighting, placement, availability of captioning, etc.) and modifies physical environment as needed to ensure the provision of equal access to visual and auditory information for D/HH students.
• Previews instructional lessons and materials to ensure accurate facilitation of instructional content.
• Collaborates with the teacher of the D/HH and other school staff to ensure the needs of students are met, and serves as a liaison within the school environment, promoting positive and cooperative relationships.
• Monitors student comprehension and provides instructional reinforcement as needed, under the direction of the Teacher of the D/HH. Introduces and explains vocabulary, repeats and reinforces classroom instruction, fosters appropriate classroom communication strategies and student self advocacy skills, coordinates the provision of lecture notes, and performs other tasks as appropriate to ensure D/HH students have equal access to auditory information in the regular education classroom, under the direction of the teacher of the D/HH, and in accordance with student IEPs. The language facilitator is not a tutor, teacher, or teacher assistant.
• Assists in monitoring of monitoring of amplification and/or IEP progress as appropriate, documenting progress and concerns through logs, as determined by the educational team.
• Gradually leads student toward more responsibility for his/her own education and communicative competence. Expectations for language facilitators at the primary level are more comprehensive than at the intermediate level, with the goal of gradually phasing out the service to an individual student as appropriate.
• Serves as a member of the educational team(s) involved with particular D/HH student(s), and participates as appropriate in the Individual Education Program (IEP) process, inservicing and consulting with regular education staff and students regarding language facilitation service, teaming with appropriate teachers and staff, and providing direct language facilitation service to learners.
• Follows all school policies as stated in individual school handbooks and performs other duties required of all building staff as directed by the building principal to promote the safety and welfare of all students in the school, as long as duties do not interfere with the primary role of facilitating communication for D/HH students.
• Demonstrates professionalism, applying appropriate codes of conduct to the educational setting.
• Assists teachers and administration with duties that contribute to the enhancement of the classroom environment while not interfering with the primary duty of language facilitation.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

• Working knowledge of typical language development.
• Understanding of the potential impact of hearing loss on communication, development, and learning, particularly in the areas of language and literacy.
• Knowledge of current federal and state legal mandates related to students with hearing loss, particularly procedural policies and confidentiality requirements.
• Skills in the communication mode(s) used by the deaf or hard of hearing student(s) with whom s/he would be working and appropriate strategies to facilitate understanding of auditory communication.
• Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written forms, with competence in English grammar and mechanics (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation) and strong interpersonal skills.
• Desire to continue development of knowledge, skills, and abilities in the field, and the completion of appropriate staff development training to attain further knowledge, skills, and abilities, including the completion of Individual Growth Plans as appropriate.
• General background in liberal arts, science, and math to allow understanding of content in K-12 curriculum areas.
• Ability to work with students of varying maturational, communicative, cognitive, and functional educational levels.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Two-year degree or equivalent
• Experience working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students with varying communication needs within the public school setting (preferred).
• Specialized training or the willingness to participate in training in the use of assistive devices, amplification, and language facilitation techniques.

Evaluation: Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board and local policy on evaluation of personnel.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job. As such, it is not intended to contain all of the duties and qualifications required of an employee in a single position (job). Consequently, it is not to be perceived as a position (job) description or as identification of essential functions as required by ADA.

**By submitting your application you are indicating that you have read the above position description of the job for which you are being recommended. In addition, you are indicating that you are aware of the essential duties of the position and that you can perform the essential functions of the job. You agree to perform each of the duties identified on this job description and understand that failure to perform any of the duties may lead to reprimand up to and including dismissal by the Craven County Schools Board of Education.

*In compliance with Federal Law, Craven County Schools administers all education programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.

Your signature below indicates that you have read the above position description of the job for which you are being recommended. In addition, you are indicating that you are aware of the essential duties of the position and that you can perform the essential functions of the job. You agree to perform each of the duties identified on this job description and understand that failure to perform any of the duties may lead to reprimand up to and including dismissal by the Craven County Schools Board of Education.

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Signature Date

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