Elementary Teacher

JOB TITLE:Elementary (K-4th) Teacher

FLSA CLASSIFICATION:Exempt (Professional), salaried employee

WORK DAYS:184 days (does not include holidays)

STANDARD HOURS PER DAY:7 hours per day

WORK YEAR: The work year for the Teacher is set annually in a school calendar adopted by the Board of Education. Teachers work in schools that operate on one calendar; a balanced school year calendar.

SALARY SCHEDULE & BENEFITS: The Teacher is paid on the "Teachers" salary schedule, and is eligible for benefits on the "Teachers" benefits schedule. Starting salary $50,800 (BS)/$51,800 (MS) with 0 years of experience.

REPORTS TO: The Teacher reports to the building Principal and/or other building administrators.

SUPERVISES: The Teacher supervises the instructional assistants who may be assigned to the Teachers classroom for that given period of time.

GENERAL SUMMARY: The K-4 Elementary Teacher is a highly skilled and dedicated professional responsible for fostering a nurturing and academically rigorous learning environment for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The Teacher delivers evidence-based instruction aligned with Indiana Academic Standards, with a strong emphasis on foundational literacy skills rooted in the science of reading. This includes systematic and explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Teacher designs and implements daily lesson plans that ensure comprehensive coverage of the K-4 curriculum in all subject areas (English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc.) throughout the academic year. Utilizing a variety of instructional methods and techniques, the Teacher differentiates instruction to meet the diverse needs of individual students, continuously assesses learning, and provides targeted remediation and enrichment to ensure every students success.

Essential Functions

• Instructional Planning and Delivery (with Science of Reading Emphasis):
• Collaborates with administrators, grade-level teams, and literacy specialists to plan and implement instruction aligned with Indiana Academic Standards and district-approved curriculum.
• Develops comprehensive daily lesson plans that integrate the science of reading principles for literacy instruction, including:
• Systematic and explicit phonological awareness activities.
• Direct instruction in phonics (letter-sound correspondences, decoding, encoding).
• Strategies to build reading fluency (accuracy, rate, prosody).
• Explicit vocabulary instruction in context.
• Evidence-based comprehension strategies.
• Presents lessons using a variety of research-based instructional methods and techniques, ensuring effective coverage of the K-4 curriculum across all subject areas in a timely manner.
• Understands, implements, and effectively utilizes adopted curricula, instructional materials, and digital platforms that align with the science of reading and best practices for K-4 education.
• Prepares differentiated instruction, assignments, and assessments for learning, consistently considering students readiness levels and learning styles.
• Student Assessment and Progress Monitoring:
• Monitors, assists, corrects, re-teaches, and remediates student performance with a specific focus on early literacy development, ensuring continuous student progress in foundational reading skills.
• Diagnoses and analyzes student progress using a variety of formative and summative assessments, including early literacy screeners and diagnostic tools, for the purpose of providing appropriate, data-driven instruction based on the developmental stages and needs of K-4 students.
• Evaluates and consistently provides timely and specific feedback to students during whole-group instruction, small-group sessions, individual conferences, and via digital platforms, particularly regarding their literacy development.
• Classroom Management and Environment:
• Utilizes proactive and positive classroom management techniques conducive to an effective and supportive classroom climate for young learners.
• Effectively manages student behavior in the classroom and throughout the building, administering appropriate, developmentally-appropriate discipline when necessary to achieve proper behavior.
• Student and Family Engagement:
• Shows sensitivity to students, parents, and the community, promoting a positive self-esteem and growth mindset in all students.
• Counseling students when academic difficulties or behavioral problems arise, seeking assistance for problems which are beyond the Teachers skills or expertise, particularly concerning early intervention for reading difficulties.
• Maintains a professional and collaborative relationship between school and parents.
• Maintains consistent contact with parents through parent-teacher conferences, telephone, written communications, and District-approved platforms, providing clear updates on student progress, especially in reading and early literacy.
• Encourages parental involvement through school and online/virtual activities, actively connecting home and school to support student learning and development.
• Professional Responsibilities:
• Participates in an active and cooperative effort with other faculty and staff to plan, implement, and evaluate instruction and instructional programs for continuing school improvement, with a focus on K-4 best practices and literacy initiatives.
• Actively participates in faculty meetings, staff development activities, and personal professional growth opportunities focused on the acquisition of new and improved skills and knowledge, particularly in the areas of the science of reading, early childhood development, and K-4 pedagogy.
• Conducts standardized tests in accordance with State guidelines, District policies, and the Principals expectations, including mandated reading assessments.
• Maintains all records as required, including but not limited to grade books, attendance records, and student progress reports, with meticulous attention to literacy data.
• Assigns grades, recommends promotion or retention, and/or participates in decisions regarding students placement in appropriate classroom situations for the ensuing year, always considering foundational skill development.
• Assists in the protection of students both on campus and online/virtually, and students property when on campus.
• Supervises students in various school settings.
• Responsible for keeping up to date on current technology, as job appropriate, being used in the District. With the support of the District, attends training to ensure skill level in various technologies is at the level required to perform in current position.
• Responsible for timely and accurate information they maintain as part of their job responsibilities.
  

Non-essential Functions

• Shares, with other teachers and school staff, the responsibility for monitoring halls, study areas, and the lunchroom.
• Performs related duties, such as sponsoring a student club or organization, coaching a team, or supervising after-school activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the building Principal.
  
  

Entry-level Requirements

• EDUCATION/TRAINING: Bachelors Degree from an accredited college or university is required. A Masters Degree in Elementary Education or Reading/Literacy is preferred.
• EXPERIENCE: Satisfactory completion of student teaching in a K-4 setting and all coursework required by the college/university and required by the Division of Professional Standards (Indiana Department of Education) for an Indiana Teachers License. Demonstrated understanding of the science of reading principles and their application in early literacy instruction is highly desirable.
• CERTIFICATIONS &/OR LICENSES: Current and valid Indiana Teachers License with an Elementary Generalist (K-6 or P-3) endorsement is required (or eligibility for an Emergency Permit, if the District is willing to submit a request for an Emergency Permit). Specific coursework or professional development in the science of reading is strongly preferred.
• OTHER: Ability to perform the essential functions and to fulfill the physical/sensory/environmental requirements of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) is required. A strong commitment to student success, a collaborative spirit, and a passion for fostering a love of reading in young children are essential.
  
  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The duties and responsibilities of the Teacher primarily involve talking to, listening to, and interacting with students. Physical movement throughout the school building and classroom to personally engage with students and staff is very important.

This job typically involves some combination of walking, standing and sitting, and may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (l2-20 pounds). However, this job does not require heavy lifting or other physical abilities often associated with manual labor.

Proficient use of technology is important in order to effectively provide instruction and communicate with families in order to effectively accomplish job responsibilities.

SENSORY REQUIREMENTS: The ability to communicate verbally in person/virtually, is very important. The ability to present instructional lessons and to explain ideas in ways that are readily and fully understood by students is very important. Monitoring student behavior may require visual and/or auditory perception and discrimination.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Tasks are regularly performed without significant exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, animals/wildlife, toxic/poisonous agents, violence, disease, or pathogenic substances.