Onboarding plan

High School Special Education Teacher Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)

A practical, printable plan to take a new high school special education teacher from first day to full productivity.

Updated By the Career Education Institute Curriculum Team
High School Special Education Teacher onboarding at a glance

Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.

Before day one

  • Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
  • Verify required credentials: State special education license, Content endorsement (as applicable)
  • Prepare equipment and access: IEP software; transition assessments; assistive technology; job coaching tools
  • Assign a buddy or preceptor
  • Enroll the new hire in High School Special Education Teacher training so foundations are covered before or during week one

Week one: orient and protect

  • Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
  • Follow behavior plans
  • Check job site safety
  • Protect student records
  • Follow mandatory reporting laws
  • Shadow an experienced high school special education teacher through a full shift
  • Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)

Days 1–30: learn

Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.

  • Supervised practice: write a transition plan students own
  • Supervised practice: set up a community work experience
  • Supervised practice: prepare a student for the age of majority
  • Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
  • 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins

Days 31–60: contribute

Goal: handle a regular workload independently.

  • Teach and co-teach classes: independently
  • Write IEPs with transition plans: independently
  • Teach life and job skills: independently
  • Coordinate work experiences: independently
  • Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
  • Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
  • 60-day check-in

Days 61–90: own

Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.

  • Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
  • Begin cross-training on a secondary task
  • Agree on a credential goal (for example, State special education license)
  • Discuss the career path: Special Education Teacher → Transition Specialist → Special Education Coordinator
  • 90-day review

Competency checklist

Skill or taskTrainedObservedSigned off
Write a Transition Plan Students Own
Set Up a Community Work Experience
Prepare a Student for the Age of Majority
Transition planning
IEP writing
Co-teaching
Life skills instruction

How to measure onboarding success

  • Time to independent classroom work
  • Observation and evaluation scores
  • Licensing or compliance findings
  • First-year retention

How High School Special Education Teacher training maps to this plan

  1. Introduction to the High School Special Education Teacher Role
  2. A Day on the Job
  3. Essential High School Special Education Teacher Vocabulary
  4. Core Duties and Responsibilities
  5. Common Tasks, Step by Step
  6. Tools, Equipment and Technology
  7. Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
  8. Skills Employers Look For
  9. Launching Your High School Special Education Teacher Career
  10. Final Knowledge Check
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