Reading Coach

2026-2027 School Year

Qualifications

1. Valid South Carolina certification in Reading, Elementary Education, or Early Childhood Education required.
2. Must hold or be eligible for the South Carolina Read to Succeed Literacy Coach endorsement or other SCDE-approved literacy credential.
3. Excellent communication and organizational skills.
4. Strong knowledge of effective instructional strategies, the Science of Reading, structured literacy, and evidence-based literacy practices.
5. Demonstrated ability to support adult learners through job-embedded coaching, professional learning, collaboration, and instructional feedback.
6. Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret student achievement, screening, diagnostic, and progress-monitoring data to guide instructional decisions.

Responsibilities

1. Attend all professional development as required by the SDE and the district.
2. Model evidence-based literacy instruction and intervention strategies through classroom demonstration lessons, co-teaching, small-group instruction, and side-by-side coaching support.
3. Work with all teachers at the school site to support literacy instruction across all content areas.
4. Train teachers in data analysis and using data to differentiate instruction.
5. Facilitate professional learning communities, teacher study groups, collaborative planning, and literacy-focused professional development.
6. Maintain ongoing instructional coaching cycles that include goal setting, observation, modeling, feedback, reflection, and progress monitoring using student achievement data.
7. Analyze student work to determine progress toward goals and identify next instructional steps.
8. Serve as a member of the school and district literacy leadership teams to support implementation of literacy goals and continuous improvement efforts.
9. Support implementation of Science of Reading and structured literacy practices aligned to district and state literacy goals.
10. Support teachers in implementing differentiated instruction and targeted interventions within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.
11. Maintain documentation of coaching activities, professional learning, implementation support, and student progress aligned to district and SCDE expectations.
12. Exhibit professionalism.

District Expectations and Services

1. Participate in the SCDE Read to Succeed Coach Institute or in an alternate coach program approved by the SCDE.
2. Attend all virtual meetings/training sessions determined necessary by the SCDE.
3. Meet monthly with administration to discuss coaching cycles, student progress (review data), issues, and concerns based on school and district goals.
4. Serve as a job-embedded, stable resource for PLOs to support professional learning standards.
5. Continue to participate in job-embedded professional development.
6. Train teachers in data analysis and using data to differentiate instruction.
7. Coach and mentor colleagues; maintain coaching records and a weekly calendar.
8. Support implementation fidelity of district-approved literacy curricula, assessments, interventions, and evidence-based instructional practices.
9. Coordinate literacy and instructional strategies across the school that will have the greatest impact on student achievement at both the school and district levels.
10. Lead and support school-based and district literacy leadership teams.
11. Collaborate with administrators, instructional personnel, interventionists, and district leaders to support schoolwide literacy improvement efforts.

Role Expectations and Limitations

The literacy coach shall serve as a job-embedded instructional support provider and shall not be routinely assigned duties that interfere with coaching responsibilities, including but not limited to substitute teaching, permanent test coordination, regular classroom coverage, or administrative duties unrelated to literacy improvement.