Middle School Science Teacher

Reports to: Middle - High School Principal Job Goal: To create a rigorous, engaging, and safe learning environment, fostering student curiosity in scientific concepts and inquiry. To implement the school-approved curriculum, utilizing hands-on laboratory activities to teach life, earth, and physical sciences while supporting the social-emotional growth of early adolescents. Qualifications: 1) Must meet all licensure and highly qualified requirements as set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Education (i.e. General Science 5-8, Middle School Science 5-8, and SEI Endorsement) 2) Prior successful classroom work experience as a science teacher at the middle school level. Performance Responsibilities: 1) Knowledge of and the ability to implement the MA Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) curriculum standards and guiding principles for teaching science for grades 5-8 according to the district curriculum. 2) Designs effective and rigorous standards-based units of instruction consisting of well-structured lessons with measurable outcomes. 3) Plans and implements lessons with appropriate student engagement strategies, pacing, sequence, activities, materials, resources, technologies and grouping. 4) Uses instructional practices that reflect high expectations regarding content and quality of effort and work. 5) Provides tiered instruction and scaffolds; differentiates instruction to accommodate diverse learning styles, needs, interests, and levels of readiness. 6) Participates in the selection and requisition of books, instructional aids, and instructional supplies; and monitors inventory. 7) Uses a variety of informal and formal methods of assessments to measure student learning, growth, and understanding. 8) Analyzes data from assessments and draws conclusions to improve student learning; provides feedback on how students can improve their performance. 9) Evaluates student progress in science utilizing school wide rubrics. 10) Creates and maintains appropriate standards of behavior, mutual respect and safety to provide a collaborative learning environment that motivates students to take academic risks, challenge themselves, and claim ownership of their learning. 11) Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected. 12) Collaborates and engages with families regularly about student learning, performance and strategies for supporting student learning and development both at home and at school. 13) Demonstrates the capacity to reflect on and improve the educator’s own practice, using informal means as well as collaboratively with staff, to gather information, analyze data, examine issues, set meaningful goals, and develop new approaches in order to improve teaching and learning. 14) Maintains professional competence through in-service days and learning opportunities by the district, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities to improve quality of practice. 15) Collaborates and shares responsibility with colleagues to implement goals and initiatives of the school and district, including examining student work, analyzing student performance, and planning appropriate interventions. 16) Supervises students in out-of-classroom activities during the assigned working day. 17) Meets professional obligations with respect to punctuality, attendance and routine duties. Evaluation: Performance of this job will be evaluated annually, in accordance with accepted district guidelines/procedures in alignment with state mandates and expectations. Terms Of Employment: 182 days per year