AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 25-2055.00
Will AI replace Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten?
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten: AI can already handle 16 of 30 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten, from most to least exposed. 16 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpret or transcribe classroom materials into Braille or sign language. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Administer standardized ability and achievement tests to kindergarten students with special needs. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Control the inventory or distribution of classroom equipment, materials, or supplies. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Modify the general kindergarten education curriculum for students with disabilities. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Organize and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their perceptual skills. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise kindergarten programs. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare, administer, or grade assignments to evaluate students' progress. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments or to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Confer with other staff members to plan, schedule, or conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Organize and supervise games or other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, or social development. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Plan or supervise experiential learning activities, such as class projects, field trips, demonstrations, or visits by guest speakers. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Present information in audio-visual or interactive formats, using computers, televisions, audio-visual aids, or other equipment, materials, or technologies. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, or teacher training workshops to maintain or improve professional competence. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Confer with parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or administrators to resolve students' behavioral or academic problems. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor teachers or teacher assistants to ensure adherence to special education program requirements. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare assignments for teacher assistants or volunteers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 28 of 30. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) publishes no national employment or wage figure for this O*NET occupation.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Special Education Teachers, Elementary School 85% skill overlap, about 5 months to move Exposure40
- Special Education Teachers, Preschool 84% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure56
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education 79% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure41
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure40
- Teaching Assistants, Special Education 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure37
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and AI
Will AI replace Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten?
AI already handles 16 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 57 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten?
57 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 28 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Interpret or transcribe classroom materials into Braille or sign language; Administer standardized ability and achievement tests to kindergarten students with special needs; Control the inventory or distribution of classroom equipment, materials, or supplies. They are three of the 16 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/special-education-teachers-kindergarten
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