Special Education Teacher resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A special education teacher resume that shows strong IEPs, measurable student progress and solid teamwork with families and staff — with the license, IDEA and instruction keywords school districts screen for.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
Special Education Teacher resume example.
Simone Bradley
Special Education Teacher, LBS I
Joliet, IL · simone.bradley@email.com · (815) 555-0147
Summary
Special education teacher with 7 years in resource, co-teaching and self-contained classrooms. I write clear, measurable IEPs, use data to adjust instruction and keep families part of every decision.
Experience
Special Education Teacher, Resource and Co-Teaching, Prairie Path Middle School · Aug 2021 – Present
- • Manage a caseload of 14 students with an IEP in grades 6–8, writing present levels, measurable IEP goals and accommodations
- • Co-teach 3 periods of 7th-grade ELA and math in inclusion classrooms and run small-group instruction in the resource room
- • Collect progress monitoring data every week; last year 11 of 14 students on my caseload met at least 80% of their annual IEP goals
- • Lead annual IEP meetings and coordinate reevaluations with the school psychologist, speech-language pathologist and families under IDEA
- • Write behavior intervention plans with the school's behavior team and keep student records confidential under FERPA
Special Education Teacher, Self-Contained K–2, Willow Run Elementary School · Aug 2019 – Jun 2021
- • Taught a self-contained class of 8 students in grades K–2 with autism and other disabilities, with 2 paraprofessionals
- • Built classroom routines with visual schedules and token systems that cut daily behavior incidents by about half by spring, based on our data collection
- • Trained and scheduled 2 paraprofessionals and sent weekly parent communication notes home
Education & certifications
M.Ed. Special Education, Lakeshore State University, 2019 · Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) · Special education endorsement: LBS I · CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Skills
IEP development · Case management · Progress monitoring · Differentiated instruction · Co-teaching · Small-group instruction · Behavior intervention plans · Data collection · Accommodations · Autism · Paraprofessional supervision · Parent communication
Simone Bradley
Special Education Teacher, LBS I
simone.bradley@email.com · Joliet, IL
(815) 555-0147
Summary
Special education teacher with 7 years in resource, co-teaching and self-contained classrooms. I write clear, measurable IEPs, use data to adjust instruction and keep families part of every decision.
Experience
Special Education Teacher, Resource and Co-Teaching — Prairie Path Middle School
Aug 2021 – Present
• Manage a caseload of 14 students with an IEP in grades 6–8, writing present levels, measurable IEP goals and accommodations
• Co-teach 3 periods of 7th-grade ELA and math in inclusion classrooms and run small-group instruction in the resource room
• Collect progress monitoring data every week; last year 11 of 14 students on my caseload met at least 80% of their annual IEP goals
• Lead annual IEP meetings and coordinate reevaluations with the school psychologist, speech-language pathologist and families under IDEA
• Write behavior intervention plans with the school's behavior team and keep student records confidential under FERPA
Special Education Teacher, Self-Contained K–2 — Willow Run Elementary School
Aug 2019 – Jun 2021
• Taught a self-contained class of 8 students in grades K–2 with autism and other disabilities, with 2 paraprofessionals
• Built classroom routines with visual schedules and token systems that cut daily behavior incidents by about half by spring, based on our data collection
• Trained and scheduled 2 paraprofessionals and sent weekly parent communication notes home
Education
Lakeshore State University
M.Ed. Special Education · 2019
Certifications
Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL)
Special education endorsement: LBS I
CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Skills
IEP development, Case management, Progress monitoring, Differentiated instruction, Co-teaching, Small-group instruction, Behavior intervention plans, Data collection, Accommodations, Autism, Paraprofessional supervision, Parent communication
Why it works
It shows caseload, grade band and setting right away, proves IEP work with a group goal-attainment result, and names the legal framework — IDEA and FERPA — that special education directors expect teachers to know.
Use this as your starting point
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Start from this exampleSample resume. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- New teacher
Newly licensed special education teacher with a student teaching placement in a K–5 resource room and a summer as a paraprofessional in extended school year. Trained in writing measurable IEP goals and progress monitoring.
- Experienced
Special education teacher with 7 years in resource, co-teaching and self-contained classrooms. I manage a caseload of 14, and 11 of 14 students met at least 80% of their IEP goals last year.
- Senior
Special education department lead with 13 years in K–8 who mentors new teachers, supports IEP compliance across a building and leads co-teaching training for general education staff.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
Caseload
Instead of: Worked with IEP students
Write: Managed a caseload of 14 students with an IEP in grades 6–8, writing measurable goals and accommodations
Progress
Instead of: Tracked IEP goals
Write: Collected weekly progress monitoring data; 11 of 14 students met at least 80% of their annual IEP goals
Co-teaching
Instead of: Co-taught classes
Write: Co-taught 3 periods of 7th-grade ELA and math and ran small-group instruction in the resource room
IEP meetings
Instead of: Went to IEP meetings
Write: Led annual IEP meetings and coordinated reevaluations with the school psychologist, SLP and families
Behavior
Instead of: Handled behavior
Write: Used visual schedules and token systems that cut daily behavior incidents by about half by spring
Team leadership
Instead of: Worked with aides
Write: Trained and scheduled 2 paraprofessionals in a self-contained K–2 classroom
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for special education teachers.
These come up often in special education teacher job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- Special education
- IEP
- IDEA
- IEP goals
- Case management
- Progress monitoring
- Accommodations
- Co-teaching
- Inclusion
- Differentiated instruction
- Small-group instruction
- Behavior intervention plans
- Data collection
- Autism
- Paraprofessional supervision
- FERPA
- Parent communication
- Special education endorsement
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for special education teachers.
Lead with license and endorsement
Name your state teaching license and special education endorsement exactly as issued, such as an Illinois PEL with an LBS I endorsement.
Give caseload, grades and setting
"Caseload of 14, grades 6–8, resource and co-teaching" tells a director where you fit in one line.
Show IEP results as a group
Goal attainment across your caseload shows the effect of your teaching without identifying any student.
Name the framework
IDEA, IEP, FERPA, progress monitoring and behavior intervention plans are terms districts screen for. Use them where they're accurate.
Show teamwork
Special education depends on general education teachers, related service providers, paraprofessionals and families. One bullet on how you work with them helps.
How does your special education teacher resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
Special Education Teacher resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Simone's cover letter, annotated
What license do I need to teach special education?
A state teaching license with a special education endorsement or certification. Names differ by state — in Illinois, for example, it's a Professional Educator License (PEL) with the Learning Behavior Specialist I (LBS I) endorsement. List yours exactly as issued.
How often are IEPs reviewed?
Under IDEA, the IEP team reviews each IEP at least once a year, and a reevaluation happens at least once every three years unless the parent and school agree it isn't needed. Mentioning that you lead annual reviews and coordinate reevaluations shows you know the process.
How do I describe student progress without breaking privacy?
Use caseload-wide numbers, such as "11 of 14 students met at least 80% of their IEP goals," and describe students by grade and setting only. FERPA protects student records, so leave out anything that could identify a child.
How do I move from general education to special education?
Highlight co-teaching, differentiated instruction, accommodations you've used and any IEP meetings you've joined, and list the endorsement you've earned or are completing.
How long should a special education teacher resume be?
One or two pages. One page is enough for most teachers; use two only if you have many years, multiple settings and leadership roles worth describing.