Reading Specialist

Reading Instructional Specialist - SPED Preferred

Job summary

An instructional specialist is an instructional leader with a proven track record of enhancing student achievement and possessing exceptional interpersonal skills. The Reading Instructional Specialist’s primary responsibilities will be to demonstrate effective instructional practices and possess deep content knowledge in bilingual education, collaborate with peers to develop and implement plans for RTI Tier I and Tier 2, coach interventionists and teachers through observation and feedback cycles, support curriculum development, staff development, and the successful implementation of departmental initiatives. The instructional specialist has the experience and content knowledge to implement effective student interventions, design an equitable and aligned curriculum, and coach interventionists and teachers on their instructional practices. The instructional specialist is an expert in content, data, and support tracking and analysis in order to improve student achievement. As a member of the school coaching team, the instructional specialist is responsible for communicating effectively with staff to set the tone for the building and model a culture of leadership, respect, and high achievement for both students and staff.

Primary Responsibilities

Collaboration

• Abide by the DC Bilingual Leading and Learning framework. 
• Collaborate with the coaching team to promote the school’s mission and vision. Promote respect for culturally and linguistically diverse families and children. 
• Participate in all school-wide initiatives to promote family engagement in all school activities. 
• Work collaboratively and professionally with families and other staff to promote the general health and well-being of all students. Support grade-level team(s) assigned by attending meetings, supporting the work and owning the student data, and co-planning and collaborating with grade-level teachers.
• Act as a coordinator and point of contact for external literacy partners, such as volunteers and tutoring partners.

Intervention

• Assess the needs of students and support teachers in creating and implementing an instructional plan for RtI. 
• Work directly with high-needs students to provide targeted instruction or intervention. Provide assessment support to teachers.
• Support with special education, including but not limited to attending IEP meetings, delivering SI hours, and supporting the writing and creation of IEPs.
• Support all aspects of the DIBELS assessment cycles, including scheduling, training support staff, ensuring accurate administration, analyzing results, and communicating data trends with instructional teams to inform targeted reading interventions.

Coaching

• Directly coach all literacy interventionists in determining which students will receive interventions and in planning and implementation of their interventions
• Be the primary coach for classroom culture and all contents for assigned teachers. Observe teacher practice and provide feedback according to the DCB Six-Step Coaching model and other coaching models in order to improve teacher practice and increase student achievement. 
• Support teachers and interventionists in literacy curriculum planning, development, and implementation. Responsible for providing data-supported targeted feedback and curriculum support to improve practice and increase student achievement. Work with the coaching team to develop a coaching schedule that promotes academic achievement. 

PD & Curriculum Development

• Responsible for research and development of an equitable (along lines of race, ethnicity, sex, sexuality, religion, ability, and more) curriculum, materials, assessment, and instructional practices, K-5 reading and literacy content programs, with the collaboration of the coaching team. 
• Supports the design and facilitation of August Training for new and returning teachers. Plan and facilitate targeted professional development for vertical team meetings. Collaborate with the coaching team to determine goals for PD, teacher growth, and student achievement in K-5
• Collect data to be used as evidence on Teacher Evaluations. 
• Develop action research and participate in departmental efforts to translate accepted research into practice. 
• Use research to promote alignment between early childhood programs.

All Staff

• Adhere to the No Nonsense Nurture expectations for managing student relations and behaviors. 
• Meet all expectations as outlined by the DC Bilingual Leading and Learning Framework. Abide by the DC Bilingual 7 Agreements. 
• Demonstrate dedication to the Professional Learning Community (PLC) by supporting school-wide initiatives and programs. 
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education or equivalent. 
• Masters Degree in Elementary Education or related
• DC Praxis Passing Score. 
• SPED Certification preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to work with students and families from diverse backgrounds. Preferred two or more years of experience (preferably in an urban or culturally diverse setting).

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Schedule & Attendance: M-F, 8am-4pm. 

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds at times.

DC Bilingual is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a drug-free workplace. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. DCB provides a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, short-term disability, and staff preference when enrolling their child(ren) into DC Bilingual.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education or equivalent. 
• Masters Degree in Elementary Education or related
• DC Praxis Passing Score. 
• SPED Certification preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to work with students and families from diverse backgrounds. Preferred two or more years of experience (preferably in an urban or culturally diverse setting).

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Schedule & Attendance: M-F, 8am-4pm. 

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds at times.

DC Bilingual is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a drug-free workplace. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. DCB provides a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, short-term disability, and staff preference when enrolling their child(ren) into DC Bilingual.