Cycle 2 Teacher (Grades 3-5)

Position Type: Full-Time, 190-Day Position

Salary & Benefits: Salary per Riverview Charter School Salary Schedule; eligible for South Carolina PEBA insurance and retirement benefits

Reports To: Director of Lower Grades (Grades 3 and 4), Director of Upper Grades (Grade 5)

Position Summary

Riverview Charter School (RCS) seeks reflective, collaborative, and content-strong educators to serve as Cycle 2 Teachers (Grades 3-5). Cycle 2 teachers guide students through a critical stage of academic and social development as they deepen their understanding of culture, identity, independence, and responsibility through a three-year interdisciplinary study of American history and the developing scientific world.

Aligned to Riverview’s mission and philosophy of learning by doing, Cycle 2 teachers design rigorous, experiential learning opportunities that challenge students academically while nurturing their growth as thoughtful, engaged members of a diverse learning community. Expectations for this role reflect the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Five Core Propositions and support both generalist and content-specialist teaching models.

Cycle 2 Conceptual Framework

In Cycle 2, students explore human culture and environments through American history, science, and integrated literacy and mathematics. Culture is understood as the broader social context of a child’s experience—family, state, region, ethnicity, and emerging social identity.

Students examine history as a narrative in which they are active participants, learning to view events through tri-cultural perspectives—Native American, European American, and African American. As students develop greater independence, they explore themes of freedom, conflict, cooperation, and interdependence across human and natural systems, building connections between historical, scientific, geographic, and technological development.

Instructional Model & Assignment Structure

• Grade 3: Teachers serve as self-contained instructors, teaching all core subjects.
• Grades 4-5: Teachers serve as content specialists:
• One teacher teaches Mathematics and Science
• One teacher teaches English Language Arts and Social Studies
  

Teachers deliver instruction using a balance of whole-group and intentional small-group instruction, with a strong emphasis on differentiation, enrichment, and academic challenge.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Commitment to Students and Their Learning
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 1)

• Create inclusive, responsive classroom environments that honor student identity, culture, and voice.
• Support increasing student independence, responsibility, and academic ownership.
• Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners, including advanced and gifted students.
• Apply best practices in gifted and talented education to extend and deepen learning for high-performing students.
• Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 2)

• Design and implement rigorous, standards-aligned instruction using the Understanding by Design (UbD)framework.
• Ensure vertical alignment across Grades 3-5 with a clear focus on mastery of grade-level expectations.
• Integrate reading, writing, research, inquiry, and problem-solving across content areas.
• Connect instruction to real-world contexts through experiential and service learning.
• Management and Monitoring of Student Learning
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 3)

• Use a variety of assessments, including SC READY, i-Ready, MAP, classroom assessments, and performance tasks.
• Prepare students for increased testing stamina, academic independence, and accountability expectations.
• Analyze assessment data to inform instruction, flexible grouping, intervention, and enrichment.
• Participate actively in data meetings and progress-monitoring discussions.
• Support students in curating portfolios that reflect Cycle 2 themes of culture and identity.
• Reflective Practice and Professional Growth
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 4)

• Engage in reflective practice to improve instruction and student outcomes.
• Participate in professional development aligned to content specialization, gifted education, literacy, and school priorities.
• Pursue or complete required endorsements and training, including gifted and talented education and LETRS, as applicable.
• Collaboration and Learning Community Membership
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 5)

• Collaborate with grade-level and content-area colleagues to ensure coherence and alignment.
• Work closely with special education staff, interventionists, ESOL, counselors, and administration to support all learners.
• Serve as mentors within the K-8 Buddy Program, modeling leadership and responsibility.
• Maintain consistent communication with families through weekly newsletters, conferences, and school events.
• Participate fully in schoolwide meetings, committees, service learning projects, and community engagement activities.
  
  

Assessment, SEL, & Student Support Expectations

• Responsive Classroom practices and social-emotional learning structures continue in Cycle 2.
• Students increasingly assume leadership roles and mentor younger peers.
• Service learning projects become more complex, student-driven, and reflective.
• Teachers support Riverview’s multi-tiered systems of support through collaboration and data-informed decision-making.
  
  

Qualifications

Required

• Valid South Carolina Elementary Education teaching certification.
• Commitment to completing and maintaining required endorsements and professional learning.
  
  

Preferred / Required Within Two Years

• Gifted and Talented Endorsement (required or must be completed by the end of the teacher’s second year teaching within Cycle 2).
• Experience or credentials in Mathematics and/or Science (particularly for Grades 4-5 content specialists).
• LETRS training or willingness to participate in LETRS (particularly for teachers of ELA).
• Experience working with students from diverse racial, cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds.
  
  

Professional Expectations

• Uphold Riverview Charter School’s mission, values, and commitment to equity and community.
• Model global citizenship and an expectation for lifelong learning for students.
• Maintain high standards of professionalism, collaboration, and ethical conduct.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Full-time, 190-day position.
• Class sizes aligned to school norms.
• Minimum of 75 minutes of daily collaborative planning time.
• Occasional evening and weekend commitments for family and community engagement events.
  
  

Application Information

Riverview Charter School is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We seek educators who are passionate about experiential learning, academic rigor, and developing students as thoughtful members of a democratic society.

Interested applicants should apply in accordance with Riverview Charter School’s hiring procedures.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. Responsibilities may be adjusted to meet the evolving needs of the school.