Literacy Coach

JOB STATUS : Open Until Filled

GRADE LEVEL / TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT : Teacher Contract / 10 months (210 days)

FLSA STATUS : Exempt

WORK LOCATION : School Site

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR : Building Principal

GENERAL DESCRIPTION : The Reading Specialist / Literacy Coach provides school-based leadership to advance literacy development for all students at the assigned school.

The Reading Specialist / Literacy Coach supports either middle or elementary schools by building teacher capacity and understanding of the English / language arts curriculum and instructional practices aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning.

The Reading Specialist / Literacy Instructional Coach is responsible for ensuring high-quality instruction in classrooms through modeling, co-planning, co-teaching, and providing non-evaluative feedback to teachers.

The Reading Specialist / Literacy Coach supports teachers and administrators through professional development, coaching, and providing appropriately aligned resources to foster student academic success.

This is not a supervisory position and does not include evaluation of colleagues.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Monitors the instructional program provided by English / language arts classroom teachers and provides ongoing professional learning support and coaching to help teachers improve performance and achieve literacy-related objectives;
• Supports teachers in ensuring the alignment of their lesson plans and instruction to the appropriate Virginia Standards of Learning and the Curriculum Framework;
• Facilitates teachers’ use of high-impact, evidence-based instructional strategies, including differentiated instruction for diverse learners.
• Stays abreast of the latest English / language arts research, innovations, program trends, and methodologies and implements new strategies as appropriate for the school’s student population.
• Works with new teachers to ensure they have materials and competencies necessary for success;
• Observes classroom English / language arts instruction regularly and provides follow-up consultation and written non-evaluative feedback to teachers;
• Provides direct support to individual and small groups of students as warranted;
• Analyzes and uses student performance data to identify and respond to the literacy-related professional learning needs of individuals and groups of teachers;
• Assists administrators in proactively identifying school strengths and areas for improvement in English / language arts and recommends responses that maximize student achievement in reading and literacy development.
• Works well in a fast-paced environment; demonstrates flexibility and adaptability with a sense of urgency and zeal for ensuring that all students in the school meet grade level expectations (at a minimum) in English / language arts and attain the foundational literacy skills that lead to college, career and civic readiness;
• Models professionalism, engages in reflection, self-led continuous improvement, seeks out feedback and provides constructive feedback to colleagues;
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS :

• Postgraduate Professional License with an endorsement as a Reading Specialist;
• Minimum five years of successful teaching experience with at least three years of teaching reading or English / language arts at the appropriate grade level span;
• Experience working in diverse settings;
• Must be able to provide school-level leadership in regards to curriculum, pacing, and resources to support classroom instruction with a deep understanding of the progression of the knowledge, skills, and processes of education as defined in the Virginia Standards of Learning;
• Proven ability to analyze data at the student, class, and school levels and be able to help teachers use this data to tailor their instruction and ultimately increase academic performance;
• Must have comprehensive knowledge of child growth and development, large and small group instructional strategies, and the theory and pedagogy related to literacy instruction;
• Must have extensive experience with innovative teaching techniques, instructional materials, and current trends in the area of English / reading;
• Demonstrated ability to train teachers in the dimensions of reading : phonemic awareness, phonics / word study, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension;
• Must have the ability to coach teachers in meeting the diverse needs of students.

GENERAL DEFINITION AND CONDITIONS OF WORK : Work requires frequent standing, sitting, walking, light lifting up to 10 pounds, vocal communication for expressing or exchanging ideas, hearing to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and visual acuity for preparing and analyzing written or computer data.