HIGH SCHOOL Literacy Coach

POSITION DESCRIPTION FY26

Overview and Background

The Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio seeks high-qualified literacy coaches to support implementation of Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement in identified schools across the state. Under state law, the Department directs literacy coaches to provide literacy support to school districts, community schools, and STEM schools with the lowest rates of proficiency in literacy. Coaches will implement Ohio’s Literacy Coaching Model (see Appendix C of Ohio's Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, and forthcoming implementation playbook) by providing both systems and instructional coaching to support the implementation of a multi-tiered system of support for literacy.

Coaches will:

• Collaborate with a team of literacy coaches at the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio who are embedded in individual school districts across a variety of counties in northern Ohio. 

• Report to a regional coaching coordinator with open and consistent communication skills 

• Use a variety of reporting systems to communicate the literacy coaching work at the designated site. 

• Provide appropriate literacy coaching support at the building and classroom level in schools that are identified as being in the bottom 20% of schools in Ohio. Coaches will provide support related to language and literacy instruction that is aligned with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement and Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts.

• Build collaborative relationships with the coaching coordinator, building-level administrators and staff, school-based literacy coaches, educators and community partners.

• Effectively identify literacy needs of identified schools and educators to develop a coaching service delivery plan that supports local literacy improvement plans to improve reading outcomes and support implementation of professional learning in evidence-based literacy instruction and high-quality instructional materials.

• Provide systems (building-level) and instructional (classroom-level) coaching to support the implementation of a multi-tiered system of support for literacy.

Qualifications

The following are minimum qualifications for the Literacy Coach:

• A master’s degree in education, with either reading or literacy endorsements on state license.

• A minimum of seven (7) years of successful classroom teaching that includes reading/literacy instruction in grades K-12.

• Completion of a professional development program or course in evidence-based language and literacy instruction. (LETRS, Aim Institute, Top Ten Tools, Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Literacy course, Wilson certification, Orton Gillingham dyslexia certification, etc) 

• Competition of the Ohio Science of Reading Course, and the Ohio Dyslexia Course

• Expertise in how to improve student literacy learning through the implementation of high-quality evidence- based reading/literacy strategies.

• Experience providing and coaching structured literacy instruction.

• Evidence of previously producing professional development materials specific to language and literacy development.

• Experience with coaching and consulting skills, including mentoring and providing feedback about instruction to classroom teachers.

• Knowledge of how to collect, analyze and use student and adult implementation data to drive instruction.

• Experience collaborating with and leading others.

• Experience facilitating and interpreting screening measures for identifying students at-risk for reading difficulties.

The following are the preferred qualifications:

• A master’s degree in reading or literacy education, or master’s degree in a related area.

• Completion of a professional development program accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (accreditation or accreditation plus level).

• Experience collaborating with administrators.

• Experience facilitating or participating in continuous improvement cycles such as the Ohio Improvement Process or a collaborative problem-solving model.

• Experience designing and implementing district-wide or school-wide multi-tiered system of supports with an understanding of academic and behavioral integration.

• Experience providing instruction to individuals with dyslexia or individuals with risk factors for dyslexia.

• Successful experience as a provider of professional development and technical assistance specific to evidence-based language and literacy development.

General Responsibilities

Literacy coaches will work at the direction of the Literacy Coaching Coordinator to provide literacy services to school districts, community schools and STEM schools with the lowest rates of proficiency in literacy, focused on providing cohesive, sustained, intensive, classroom-focused supports in addition to support for building and strengthening literacy systems. Coaches will work collaboratively with building and district-level personnel, community partners and regional service providers. Coaches will support schools in identifying needs, implementing evidence-based language and literacy practices and monitoring effectiveness in order to support students in becoming proficient readers.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The following are the major duties and responsibilities of the position:

SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEVEL (85% OF TIME)

• Provide daily intensive support to school-based personnel (including instructional coaches, administrators, educators, etc.) to build their capacity to support evidence-based language and literacy instruction aligned to the science of reading.

• Collect and monitor district-level, school-level, and classroom-level data to help provide targeted support to literacy leadership teams, coaches and teachers.

• Model effective coaching and feedback practices by using Ohio’s Coaching Implementation Playbook.

• Facilitate and support analysis of a literacy-specific needs assessment