Whether you’re fresh out of college or a veteran teaching who needs a change, it always feels good to be prepared for an upcoming interview.
Interview questions range, especially when it comes to being a special education teachers. We do so much and it rarely feels like we have enough time in a day… let alone enough time to thoroughly explain our teaching procedures and strategies in a one hour interview.
Stress no more! Get ready to feel confident and prepared at your next interview for a special education teaching position.
Below is a list of 58 (and growing!) interview questions for special ed teachers, and a few questions you could potentially ask the interview team.
Tell us more about yourself. What is your experience teaching?
What is something you struggle with, and how do you handle it?
What is one of your biggest strengths? Weaknesses?
What makes you the best fit for this position?
Why do you want to work for this district/school?
What is your experience with ____ classroom setting?
Why did you want to become a special education teacher?
Tell me about a difficult situation you were presented with.
How would you get students engaged to participate in lessons?
How would you handle a student who refuses to complete work?
Explain how you would plan for and differentiate a lesson.
How do you plan to adapt lessons to meet the state standards?
How do you plan to adapt lessons to allow your students to access grade level content?
How do you meet a wide variety of needs for the students you support?
Tell us about how you lesson plan.
Describe a lesson that failed and how you handled it.
Explain how you will keep communication open with parents.
How will you communicate with parents?
How will you communicate with services (OT, PT, Speech, etc.)?
How do you foster positive relationships with parents?
What types of data do you use in the classroom?
How do you take data?
How often will you collect data on IEP goals and objectives?
What are the benefits of progress monitoring?
Explain how you will use data collected to guide you in lesson planning.
Explain how you will use data collected to guide you in writing an IEP.
Are you able to provide leadership in the role as a ___ teacher?
How would you utilize support staff in the classroom?
How will you communicate with paraprofessionals in your classroom?
How will you manage the other adults in your classroom?
How would you direct a paraprofessional who does not follow instruction?
Explain how you would handle a disagreement with support staff.
How do you feel about working with support staff who have more experience than you?
What is your classroom management style?
How will you handle different levels of classroom behaviors?
How will you address teaching hygiene and other life skills?
How will you handle discipline in your classroom?
What would you do if you had a student refusing to follow all directions?
How do you motivate a student who is reluctant to learn?
Explain how you would de-escalate a situation.
Do you have any experience with writing a Manifestation Determination or a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)?
How would you handle a situation with a parent who is upset at an IEP meeting?
What do you do if a parent disagrees at an IEP meeting?
What would you do if a parent calls or emails you upset about something that happened at school?
Explain how you would handle a parent confronting you about another student in class.
How would you approach a co-teaching situation?
In your opinion, what is the most important part of the IEP?
Explain the major parts of a student’s IEP.
How do you implement inclusive practices?
Explain the IEP process.
Describe the referral process from beginning to end (end being a student receiving services).
What is your experience teaching with technology?
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? 10 years?
What is the last professional development book you read or are currently reading?
What will you bring to the team?
How would you utilize related service providers in the classroom?
What curriculum are you familiar with?
How do you feel about all of the paperwork?
The following questions are for you to ask the interview team at the end of an interview.
Does the district provide any type of mentor program?
What professional development opportunities are available for teacher growth?
What is the school culture like?
How is the culture of the school fostered school-wide?
How does administration support the teachers?
Who is responsible for scheduling and running the IEP meetings?
Looking for interview tips to nail the job? Check out my guest blog post over at Full Sped Ahead here.
