The posting
As a Transition Coordinator with The Menta Education Group, you will prepare students aged 14-22 to embrace life after school in a behavioral, emotional and social capacity. You will bridge the critical gap between school and adult life by implementing an "outside-the-school-walls" mindset that centers on fostering student independence, building robust community networks and navigating the real world.
Bourbonnais, IL.
General Staff Hours 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Occasional Responsibilities beyond work hours.
Responsibilities
- Supervision & Behavioral Management: Supervise students in groups and individually, monitoring behavior to ensure alignment with programmatic expectations.
- Student Counseling: Counsel students on personal, social, behavioral, or academic issues affecting their educational progress.
- Person-Centered Planning: Ensure every student actively leads or participates in their own Individualized Education Program (IEP) transition meetings. Utilize assistive technology, visual choice boards or person-centered tools to provide a voice for students with limited or non-verbal communication.
- Goal Realism & Guidance: Manage complex dynamics where a student's post-secondary dream conflicts with parental wishes or current skill realities. Apply strategies like "failing safely" (e.g., career-testing, job shadowing and temporary classes) alongside stepping-stone goals to gently navigate reality without crushing student ambition.
- Student Evaluations: Evaluate individual student abilities, interests and personality characteristics using tests, records, interviews and professional sources.
- Multi-Faceted Assessment: Administer age-appropriate formal and informal transition assessments evaluating independent living, travel/transit skills, and actual work behaviors to formulate compliant, measurable post-secondary goals.
- IDEA Compliance: Apply strong knowledge of Individualized Education Act (IDEA) transition mandates to draft audited, highly scrutinized goals and dynamically pivot plans based on assessment data.
- Rigorous Progress Tracking: Utilize robust organizational systems such as digital tracking tools, rubric-based feedback from job coaches, and student self-monitoring checklists to track and document progress when students are off-campus at work-based learning sites.
- Community Site Development: Develop and maintain strong relationships with community sites, public transit systems, and external agencies.
- Work-Based Opportunities: Develop work-study programs, internships, and volunteer opportunities for students to gain competitive experience while completing their high school curriculum.
- Agency Connections: Manage the "Service Cliff" by facilitating warm handovers introducing families directly to agency contacts and connecting students with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), and developmental disability boards.
- Business Empathy & Partnerships: Proactively engage local business owners, pitching inclusive hiring benefits and demonstrating how a transitioning student adds tangible value to their workforce.
- Workplace Learning Labs: Safely intervene when work-based placements experience friction, behavioral incidents, or employer misunderstandings.
- Student Independence Coaching: Use workplace mistakes as a live curriculum, coaching students on how to navigate portals, look up records, request legal accommodations,and repair professional relationships independently rather than filling out paperwork for them.
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred.
- Background in education or social work preferred.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Demonstrate deep, compliance-centered knowledge of transitioning students as per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates.
- Transition & Coaching Experience: Documented knowledge and/or experience placing and coaching students in jobs, as well as assisting them in transitioning to college, career, and independent life.
- Systemic Mindset: Demonstrated ability to constantly focus on the "real world," utilizing community agency networks, public transit routes, and outer-community resources.
- Behavioral & Performance Knowledge: Knowledge of human behavior, performance, and specific student needs (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD).
- Professional Soft Skills: High level of professionalism, strong decision-making skills, and the ability to communicate calmly, transparently, and effectively in writing across varied audiences, including resistant families, school teams, and litigious stakeholders.
Compensation & Benefits
- In accordance with the Pay Transparency amendment to the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003, information about pay ranges and employee benefits can be found at the following links:
- Compensation Information:
- Salary Range $40,000 to $75,000 annually
- https://menta.com/compensation-arizona-and-illinois/
- Our benefits package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid time off (PTO); and a 403(b) retirement plan with an employer match. For more information visit: https://menta.com/employee-benefits-full-time/
About Menta Academy Bourbonnais
At Menta Academy Bourbonnais, our team is all about helping kids be their best in three key areas:
• Developing a love of learning.
• Gaining the tools necessary to shine academically.
• Becoming good people beyond the classroom.
We've set up our classes to be lively and engaging so every student can have a shot at both learning and behaving well each day. We're here to support each student's unique learning journey and make sure they're set up for success in school and beyond.
We are dedicated to supporting each child tirelessly, ensuring they receive the assistance and resources necessary to overcome obstacles, attain academic success, leave a lasting imprint on their communities, and unleash their complete potential.
Accreditation
Menta Academy Bourbonnais is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education as a nonpublic educational facility (14-7.02) for special education students in kindergarten through age 22. It offers elementary, middle and high school programming to children with diverse learning needs.
Menta Academy Bourbonnais is NCA accreditation through Advanced Education.
Approved Free and Reduced Lunch Provider under Illinois State Board of Education.
Professional Associations and/or Partnerships
The Menta Education Group affiliates are members/partners with CEC, CASE, Autism Speaks, ASBA, AAPSEC, AASA, CCSSO, SEAA, ASCD, and many more associations that focus on the education of children with disabilities.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Menta Education Group (“Menta”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, gender identity and gender expression), color, national origin, religion, age, pregnancy or related conditions, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability or any other basis protected under federal, state or local law. Any individual needing assistance in making an application for any opening should contact Menta’s office.
