Job Description:

Location: West Fargo High School
Department: Special Education
Reports To: Building Principal
Term: Non-continuing contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year. Potential for renewing 188-day contract beginning with 2026-27 school year. Follows the school calendar.
Schedule: Mon-Fri Full-time

SUMMARY: The Career Development Educator provides instruction, guidance, and support to learners across Career Development courses and CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs, with an emphasis on serving learners receiving Special Education services.
 
This position supports learners in building future-ready skills, exploring career pathways, and engaging in work-based learning opportunities. The educator collaborates closely with Special Education teams, case managers, related service providers, and community partners. The educator maintains required vocational and transition documentation and supports learners’ academic, social, and career development in alignment with federal, state, and district expectations.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and requirement satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (Other duties may be assigned)
Collaboration:
Collaborates with Special Education programs to schedule learners into Career Development and workshop courses.
Attends IEP (Individualized Education Program) meetings and works with case managers, counselors, and CTE staff.
Coordinates with agencies and job coaches to support work-based learning.
Attends Special Education Department Meetings.
Develops positive, effective working relationships with learners and staff.
Engages with other district staff in the professional learning community process.
Communication:
Communicates learner progress, program expectations, and worksite needs to stakeholders.
Uploads required documents and manages data for vocational and transition services.
Maintains communication with supervisors, job coaches, and community partners
Connects and shares ideas through appropriate/applicable formats to express thoughts and ideas with integrity.
Utilizes effective communication skills to facilitate connection and sharing of thoughts and ideas in multiple formats with diverse audiences.
Establishes and clearly articulates procedures and routines that promote efficiency and appropriate use of time.
Clearly communicates the instructional purpose of each lesson and makes connections to prior learning.
Engages learners in meaningful direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice.
Utilizes questions, discussions, and dialogue that promote critical thinking about diverse perspectives, viewpoints, and experiences.
Compassion:
Supports learners with diverse academic, social, and career-readiness needs.
Assists learners in problem-solving challenges in CTE courses or worksites.
Proactively seeks to understand the ideas, opinions, and skills of others.
Empowers learners to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic learners, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
Understands the complexities of cultural and global issues and how they relate to employee and learners’ experiences.
Partners with others to resolve potential controversy and conflict through respectful discussion.
Creativity:
Designs engaging career development lessons including job-seeking skills and simulated business tasks.
Implements creative instructional strategies to support individualized learning.
Connects with team members and shares ideas in an effort to improve the overall learner and employee experience.
Utilizes creative, critical thinking skills when faced with challenges.
Designs assessments that are aligned to the standards and learning targets and provides frequent opportunities for authentic and meaningful assessments.
Establishes a culture that values high expectations, work ethic, and a growth mindset.
Critical Thinking:
Analyzes learner data, course performance, and assessment results to guide instruction.
Reviews CTE course progress and provides interventions for struggling learners.
Reasons, interprets, and analyzes information to generate new knowledge and understanding.
Demonstrates knowledge of content and pedagogy; explicitly connecting key concepts to develop learner skills.
Reflection:
Participates in PLCs (Professional Learning Communities), professional training, and transition-planning meetings.
Reflects on program effectiveness and learner outcomes to guide improvement.
Demonstrates understanding of the diverse social, emotional and developmental learning needs of learners.
Maintains communication with supervisor and director regarding general feedback, career advancement opportunities, and areas of growth opportunities.
Resilience:
Manages programs including PAES (Practical Assessment Exploration System) and job-site coordination.
Adapts to evolving learner, program, and worksite needs.
Maintains composure while dealing with stressful situations.
Proactively seeks out resolutions and takes initiative to resolve knowledge gaps.
Responsibility:
Teaches Career Development courses I–IV across programs and grade levels.
Maintains PAES lab systems, supplies, and learner documentation.
Manages work-based learning tracking, billing verification, and reporting.
Supports Career Development Club and related fundraising tasks.
Monitors grades for special-population learners in CTE courses.
Supports summer work programs including communication, training, and record keeping.
Utilizes district guaranteed and viable curriculum including the scope & sequence of academic and social emotional learning targets along with the defined proficiency scales.
Plans a program of study that meets the individual needs, interests, and abilities of the learners.
Utilizes district behavioral plans as a backbone to promote positive learner behavior.
Fosters a safe and equitable learning environment.
Utilizes the district protocol for maintaining information on learner progress.
Utilizes knowledge of applicable federal and state laws regarding education and learners.
Creates an environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the maturity and interests of the learners.
Guides the learning process toward the achievement of curriculum goals and, in harmony with the goals, establishes clear objectives for all lessons, units, projects and the like to communicate these objectives to learners.
Completes documentation, data entry, and reporting for students in Career & Technical Education who are part of special populations, including those with disabilities or who face barriers to program access or success.
Develops and updates career-readiness materials that support learners who benefit from differentiated instruction, culturally responsive resources, or additional academic scaffolding.
Communicates with learner, families, and school teams to address participation and engagement needs for learners who may be historically underserved or underrepresented in CTE pathways.
Reviews course, program, and performance data to identify trends impacting learners from a variety of linguistic, socioeconomic, or educational backgrounds who may require added support.
Coordinates with case managers, counselors, and CTE staff to ensure that accommodations, learning supports, and transition services are effectively implemented for learners needing targeted assistance.
 
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of this role, the employee is regularly required to reach with hands and arms.
While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of this role, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, bend, talk, and hear.
The specific vision abilities required for this role include close and peripheral vision.
The employee may be required to lift up to ~30 pounds.
The employee must work with the public and various WFPS staff while simultaneously managing several competing demands.
The employee may come in contact with bloodborne pathogens or other bodily fluids on rare occasions.
The employee will work in an environment that has a quiet to loud noise level.
 
Education and/or Experience:
North Dakota Teaching License with qualifications in one or more areas of Special Education.
Bachelor’s Degree in Education or related field.
Master’s Degree in Special Education, Career & Technical Education, or related field is preferred.
Experience working in a Special Education classroom is preferred.
Experience working with learners with complex behaviors is preferred.
Prior teaching experience is preferred.
Experience supporting secondary transition services, career development, or vocational programming is preferred.
Experience participating in IEP meetings with an emphasis on transition planning is preferred.
Experience coordinating or supporting work-based learning, job sites, or community partnerships is preferred.
Experience with Career & Technical Education programs, PAES labs, or similar career-readiness models is preferred.
Ability to manage documentation, data collection, and reporting related to vocational or transition services is preferred
 
Language Skills:
Ability to read, write, and comprehend simple instructions and short correspondence in the English language.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally, expressively, and reactively.
 
Other Skills and Abilities:
Exercise confidentiality, discretion, and good judgment.
Adhere to the assigned work schedule by maintaining regular and punctual attendance.
 
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
None.

Salary: Positions follow the 2025-2027 Teacher Salary Schedule

To Apply: Please complete the application and include up-to-date, relevant submissions of your resume, letter of interest, and three letters of recommendation. Please also include your transcripts and a copy of your licensure through ESPB, if available.