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Occupation AtlasSpecial Education Teachers, Secondary School

O*NET · 25-2058.00

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 called Blind Teacher · Braille Teacher · Cross-Categorical SPED Teacher · Cross-Categorical SPED Teacher (Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher) · Deaf Teacher · EC Teacher · ED SPED Teacher · Education Specialist
65 more

Emotional Disability Special Education Teacher (ED SPED Teacher) · Emotionally Impaired Teacher · ESE Teacher · Exceptional Children's Teacher (EC Teacher) · Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher) · Handicapped Teacher · Hearing Impaired Teacher · High School Learning Support Teacher · HS SPED Teacher · HS SPED Teacher (High School Special Education Teacher) · Inclusion Coordinator · Inclusion Special Educator · Inclusion Specialist · Inclusion Teacher · Interrelated SPED Teacher · Interrelated SPED Teacher (Interrelated Special Education Teacher) · LD Special Education Teacher · LD Teacher · Learning Disabilities Special Education Teacher (LD Special Education Teacher) · Learning Disabled Teacher (LD Teacher) · Learning Specialist · Learning Support Teacher · Life Skills Teacher · Lip Reading Teacher · MI Teacher · MI Teacher (Mentally Impaired Teacher) · Physically Impaired Teacher · Reading Specialist · Remedial Math Teacher · Remedial Math Teacher (Remedial Mathematics Teacher) · Remedial Reading Teacher · Resource Center Teacher · Resource Specialist · Resource Specialist Teacher · Resource Teacher · RSP Specialist · RSP Specialist (Resource Specialist Program Specialist) · SDC Teacher · Secondary School SPED Teacher · Secondary School SPED Teacher (Secondary School Special Education Teacher) · Secondary SPED Teacher · Secondary SPED Teacher (Secondary Special Education Teacher) · SED High School Teacher · SED High School Teacher (Serious Emotional Disability High School Teacher) · Self-Contained Classroom SPED Teacher · Self-Contained Classroom SPED Teacher (Self-Contained Classroom Special Education Teacher) · Severe Emotional Disorders High School Teacher · Sign Language Teacher · Special Day Class Teacher (SDC Teacher) · Special Educator · SPED Inclusion Teacher · SPED Inclusion Teacher (Special Education Inclusion Teacher) · SPED Instructor · SPED Instructor (Special Education Instructor) · SPED Itinerant Teacher · SPED Itinerant Teacher (Special Education Itinerant Teacher) · SPED Math Teacher · SPED Math Teacher (Special Education Mathematics Teacher) · SPED Resource Teacher · SPED Resource Teacher (Special Education Resource Teacher) · SPED Teacher · SPED Teacher (Special Education Teacher) · Teacher · Transition Teacher · Visually Impaired Teacher

Job Zone 4 — Considerable Preparation NeededHolland code SIA35 skills on file

Compare with another occupationCompare with Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Job Zone

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Zone 4: Considerable Preparation Needed

Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree plus several years of work-related experience, knowledge, or training.

Job Zone is O*NET's rating of how much education, experience and training an occupation typically needs — a property of the work, not of anyone doing it.

Occupational interest profile

SIASocial · Investigative · Artistic — the three strongest interests, in order

  • S Social7.00
  • I Investigative3.81
  • A Artistic3.76
  • C Conventional3.52
  • R Realistic2.39
  • E Enterprising1.93

RIASEC (Holland) interests on O*NET's 0–7 scale: what the work draws on, not what any individual prefers. Hover a row for what each dimension means.

Education and experience

The education level respondents say the job requires, and the most common answer for experience and training.

  • Bachelor's Degree42%
  • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate15%
  • Master's Degree42%
Related work experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (32%)
On-site or in-plant training
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (43%)
On-the-job training
Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (30%)

Typically associated skills

All 35 O*NET skills, most important first. Importance (1–5) says how much a skill matters here; level (0–7) says how much of it the work calls for, with O*NET's example of a nearby level. Neither is a proficiency rating of a person.

  • Learning Strategiesbasic4.14.8Level 4 looks like: Identify an alternative approach to help trainees who are having difficulties
  • Instructing4.14.0Level 4 looks like: Instruct a coworker in how to operate a software program
  • Reading Comprehensionbasic4.04.0Level 4 looks like: Understand an email from management describing new personnel policies
  • Speakingbasic4.04.0Level 4 looks like: Interview applicants to obtain personal and work history
  • Active Listeningbasic3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Answer inquiries regarding credit references
  • Monitoringbasic3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Monitor a meeting and revise the agenda to ensure important topics are discussed
  • Social Perceptiveness3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Be aware of how a coworker's promotion will affect a work group
  • Writingbasic3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Write an email to staff outlining new directives
  • Coordination3.93.9Level 4 looks like: Work with others to put a new roof on a house
  • Service Orientation3.93.9Level 4 looks like: Make flight reservations for customers using an online booking site
  • Critical Thinkingbasic3.83.9Level 4 looks like: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses
  • Time Management3.83.4Level 4 looks like: Allocate the time of subordinates to projects for the coming week
Show the other 23

Tasks

33 core · 7 supplemental

What people in this occupation do, as O*NET records it, core tasks first by importance (1–5).

  1. Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.4.6
  2. Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.4.6
  3. Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.4.5
  4. Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.4.5
  5. Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.4.4
  6. Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.4.4
  7. Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.4.4
  8. Teach personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.4.3
  9. Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.4.3
  10. Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.4.3
  11. Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.4.3
  12. Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.4.2
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  1. Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.4.2
  2. Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.4.2
  3. Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.4.2
  4. Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.4.1
  5. Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.4.1
  6. Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.4.1
  7. Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.4.1
  8. Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.4.0
  9. Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.4.0
  10. Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.4.0
  11. Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.4.0
  12. Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.4.0
  13. Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.3.9
  14. Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of secondary school programs.3.9
  15. Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.3.8
  16. Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs.3.8
  17. Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.3.7
  18. Meet with parents and guardians to provide guidance in using community resources and to teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.3.6
  19. Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.3.5
  20. Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.3.3
  21. Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.3.2
  22. Provide additional instruction in vocational areas.3.8
  23. Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.3.6
  24. Provide interpretation and transcription of regular classroom materials through Braille and sign language.3.5
  25. Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.3.1
  26. Sponsor extracurricular activities, such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.2.9
  27. Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.2.8
  28. Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments and to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs.2.8

Knowledge

Bodies of knowledge the work draws on.

  • Education and Training4.85.8
  • English Language4.64.9Level 4 looks like: Edit an article for a news website
  • Psychology4.24.9Level 4 looks like: Understand the impact of alcohol on human responses
  • Customer and Personal Service3.94.4Level 4 looks like: Be responsible for 10 children at daycare
  • Therapy and Counseling3.64.5Level 4 looks like: Provide job counseling to the unemployed
  • Administrative3.54.3Level 4 looks like: Type 30 words per minute
  • Computers and Electronics3.53.8Level 4 looks like: Use a computer to format a document
  • Mathematics3.44.1Level 4 looks like: Analyze data to determine areas with the highest sales
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  • Administration and Management3.33.0Level 4 looks like: Monitor progress of a project to ensure timely completion
  • Public Safety and Security3.33.1Level 4 looks like: Inspect a building site for safety violations
  • Sociology and Anthropology3.34.0Level 4 looks like: Write an article about cultural differences
  • Law and Government3.13.2Level 4 looks like: Prepare documents and title papers for the purchase of a new house
  • Communications and Media2.92.7
  • Personnel and Human Resources2.92.8
  • Geography2.63.3Level 4 looks like: Find a specific country on a world map
  • Biology2.42.9
  • History and Archeology2.42.5Level 1 looks like: Take a class in US history
  • Philosophy and Theology2.43.4Level 4 looks like: Understand another culture's religious practices
  • Medicine and Dentistry2.32.1Level 1 looks like: Use a band-aid
  • Foreign Language2.22.0Level 1 looks like: Say "please" and "thank you" in a foreign language
  • Telecommunications2.21.4Level 1 looks like: Send an email
  • Transportation2.21.7Level 1 looks like: Ride a train to work
  • Chemistry2.11.8Level 1 looks like: Use a common household bug spray
  • Design2.12.1Level 1 looks like: Draw a straight line 4 3/16 inches long
  • Engineering and Technology2.11.6Level 1 looks like: Install a door lock
  • Economics and Accounting2.01.3Level 1 looks like: Answer billing questions from credit card customers
  • Physics2.01.7Level 1 looks like: Use a crowbar to pry open a box
  • Production and Processing1.91.6Level 1 looks like: Put a computer back into its packing materials
  • Fine Arts1.81.6Level 1 looks like: Attend a popular music concert
  • Mechanical1.81.3Level 1 looks like: Replace the filters in a furnace
  • Sales and Marketing1.81.4Level 1 looks like: Sell cakes at a bake sale
  • Food Production1.61.4Level 1 looks like: Grow herbs in the kitchen
  • Building and Construction1.50.8Level 1 looks like: Choose the proper type of wood for adding a deck onto a house

Abilities

Enduring capacities the work calls for.

  • Oral Expression4.04.0Level 4 looks like: Give instructions to a lost motorist
  • Problem Sensitivity4.03.9Level 4 looks like: Notice from a subtle difference in a client's mood that something is bothering them
  • Speech Clarity4.04.1Level 4 looks like: Make stadium-wide announcements during a sporting event
  • Deductive Reasoning3.93.9
  • Inductive Reasoning3.93.9Level 4 looks like: Determine the prime suspect based on crime scene evidence
  • Oral Comprehension3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Understand a coach's oral instructions for a sport
  • Speech Recognition3.94.1Level 4 looks like: Identify a former customer's voice over the phone
  • Written Comprehension3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Understand an apartment lease
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  • Written Expression3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Write a job recommendation for a subordinate
  • Information Ordering3.83.4Level 2 looks like: Follow the correct steps to make change
  • Near Vision3.83.8
  • Fluency of Ideas3.63.3Level 4 looks like: Think of as many ideas as possible for the name of a new company
  • Category Flexibility3.03.5Level 3 looks like: Classify flowers according to size, color, and smell
  • Originality3.03.8Level 4 looks like: Redesign job tasks to be interesting for employees
  • Selective Attention3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Answer a business call with coworkers talking nearby
  • Far Vision2.93.1Level 4 looks like: Read the slides on a presentation from across a room
  • Flexibility of Closure2.93.0Level 2 looks like: Detect that your phone is ringing while at a concert
  • Memorization2.92.9
  • Speed of Closure2.92.9Level 3 looks like: Recognize a song after hearing only the first few notes
  • Time Sharing2.93.0Level 3 looks like: Watch street signs while driving at 30 miles an hour
  • Auditory Attention2.82.5Level 2 looks like: Listen to a lecture while people nearby are talking
  • Number Facility2.82.9Level 3 looks like: Calculate a discounted price
  • Perceptual Speed2.82.9Level 2 looks like: Sort mail according to ZIP codes with no time pressure
  • Mathematical Reasoning2.62.9
  • Visualization2.62.8Level 2 looks like: Imagine how to place paper in a printer so that the letterhead comes out on top
  • Visual Color Discrimination2.32.0Level 1 looks like: Separate laundry into colors and whites
  • Hearing Sensitivity2.01.9Level 2 looks like: Notice a doorbell ringing
  • Trunk Strength2.02.0Level 2 looks like: Sit up in an office chair
  • Depth Perception1.90.9
  • Gross Body Coordination1.91.0Level 2 looks like: Get in and out of a truck
  • Multilimb Coordination1.90.9
  • Static Strength1.91.1Level 1 looks like: Push an empty shopping cart
  • Gross Body Equilibrium1.80.8
  • Stamina1.80.8Level 1 looks like: Walk 1/4 mile
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness1.60.6
  • Explosive Strength1.60.6
  • Finger Dexterity1.60.9
  • Wrist-Finger Speed1.40.4
  • Manual Dexterity1.3—
  • Dynamic Strength1.1—
  • Extent Flexibility1.1—
  • Peripheral Vision1.1—
  • Spatial Orientation1.1—
  • Control Precision1.0—
  • Dynamic Flexibility1.0—
  • Glare Sensitivity1.0—
  • Night Vision1.0—
  • Rate Control1.0—
  • Reaction Time1.0—
  • Response Orientation1.0—
  • Sound Localization1.0—
  • Speed of Limb Movement1.0—

Work activities

Kinds of activity the work is made of.

  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.75.1Level 4 looks like: Report the results of a sales meeting to a supervisor
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.65.5Level 4 looks like: Maintain good working relationships with almost all coworkers and clients
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.54.9Level 4 looks like: Test electrical circuits
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.54.9Level 4 looks like: Plan and adjust a personal to-do list according to changing demands
  • Working with Computers4.53.9Level 4 looks like: Write software for keeping track of parts in inventory
  • Documenting/Recording Information4.44.2Level 4 looks like: Document the results of a crime scene investigation
  • Getting Information4.34.2Level 4 looks like: Review a budget
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.24.3Level 4 looks like: Select the location for a major retail store
Show all 41
  • Thinking Creatively4.24.6Level 4 looks like: Adapt popular music for a high school marching band
  • Training and Teaching Others4.24.5Level 4 looks like: Teach a social sciences course to high school students
  • Assisting and Caring for Others4.14.2Level 4 looks like: Help a medical patient find in-home assistance or healthcare
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.14.0Level 4 looks like: Interpret how foreign tax laws apply to U.S. exports
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.14.9Level 4 looks like: Keep current on changes in maintenance procedures for repairing sports cars
  • Processing Information4.04.2Level 4 looks like: Calculate the adjustments for insurance claims
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies3.94.1Level 4 looks like: Develop the plan to complete the merger of two organizations over a 3-year period
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards3.94.1Level 4 looks like: Evaluate a complicated insurance claim for compliance with policy terms
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.94.3Level 4 looks like: Judge the suitability of food products for an event
  • Analyzing Data or Information3.74.0Level 4 looks like: Determine the interest cost to finance a new building
  • Coaching and Developing Others3.64.4Level 4 looks like: Provide on-the-job training for administrative workers
  • Developing and Building Teams3.63.7Level 4 looks like: Lead an assembly team in an automobile plant
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People3.63.8Level 4 looks like: Determine the value of property lost in a fire
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization3.53.4Level 4 looks like: Present information to potential clients about available services
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others3.53.7Level 4 looks like: Get two subordinates to agree about vacation schedules
  • Scheduling Work and Activities3.53.8Level 4 looks like: Prepare the work schedule for salesclerks in a large retail store
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others3.43.5Level 4 looks like: Organize the cleanup crew after a major sporting event
  • Performing Administrative Activities3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Complete tax forms for a small business
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public3.33.9Level 4 looks like: Sell shoes in a crowded shoe store
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others3.33.4Level 4 looks like: Recommend a new software package to increase operational efficiency
  • Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates3.02.9
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information2.82.4Level 1 looks like: Estimate the size of household furniture to be shipped
  • Performing General Physical Activities2.72.5Level 1 looks like: Walk between workstations in a small office
  • Selling or Influencing Others2.52.2Level 1 looks like: Convince a coworker to assist with an assignment
  • Handling and Moving Objects2.33.0Level 4 looks like: Arrange books in a library
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials2.21.6Level 1 looks like: Check that doors to building are locked
  • Monitoring and Controlling Resources2.22.0Level 1 looks like: Work as a server responsible for keeping track of utensils
  • Controlling Machines and Processes2.11.8Level 1 looks like: Operate a cash register
  • Staffing Organizational Units2.12.1Level 1 looks like: Work in a position that has minimal staffing requirements
  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment2.01.5Level 1 looks like: Specify the lighting for a work area
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment1.81.2Level 1 looks like: Drive a car
  • Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment1.81.7Level 1 looks like: Use display settings to adjust a television picture
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment1.71.3Level 1 looks like: Make simple, external adjustments to a door hinge with ordinary hand tools

Work context

The conditions most characteristic of the work, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale.

  • Contact With Others5.0
  • E-Mail5.0
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.9
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities4.6
  • Freedom to Make Decisions4.5
  • Conflict Situations4.3
  • Physical Proximity4.3
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.2
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.2

Technology

20 tools

Software used in this work. In demand: among the tools job postings for this occupation name most. Hot: often named in job postings across the economy.

In demand (2)

  • Microsoft Excelhot
  • Microsoft Outlookhot

Hot (10; 2 more marked hot above)

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Facebook
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Microsoft Word
Other tools (8)
  • Email software
  • Hand held spell checkers
  • Screen magnification software
  • Screen reader software
  • Text to speech software
  • Video editing software
  • Voice activated software
  • Web browser software

Related occupations

O*NET's own list of the occupations most related to this one, closest first.

  1. Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten
  2. Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
  3. Special Education Teachers, Middle School
  4. Special Education Teachers, Preschool
  5. Teaching Assistants, Special Education
  6. Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
  7. Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
  8. Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
  9. Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
  10. Tutors

ESCO equivalents

From the official ESCO–O*NET crosswalk, strongest match first. A broader occupation takes in this one; a narrower one is a part of it.

Closest occupations

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. ESCO occupations and skills are from the European Commission's ESCO classification, and the occupation crosswalk is the official ESCO–O*NET mapping by the ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA. This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. BlissPoint Analytics has modified all or some of this information: skill, task and descriptor ratings are rounded to one decimal, and ESCO occupations show Job Zone and interests copied from a crosswalked O*NET occupation. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.