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Literacy Coach

Employer
Denali Borough School District
Location
Healy, Alaska
Salary
Salary is based on the District's Teacher's Negotiated Agreement

VACANCY NOTICE

March 20, 2020

Position:         Full-Time Literacy Coach 

Location:        Denali Borough School District

Duties:            Provide Instructional Support and Coaching for DBSD Teachers

Qualifications:

  • Valid Type A Alaska Teacher’s Certificate.
  • Provide instructional support and coaching to DBSD teachers as they work to improve literacy instruction and student literacy proficiency in all subjects and grade levels.
  • Support best practices in using data, provide analysis of school-wide trends in instruction, and make recommendations about potential next steps to address areas of need.
  • Provide support in instructional planning and delivery, analyzing data in order to adapt curriculum and sharing of best practices across all academic disciplines.
  • Support teachers across all disciplines in their delivery of evidence-based instructional practices and their integration of literacy strategies as appropriate in their content area.
  • Achieve goals set by the school board and administration, and ensures a collaborative, professional, and effective instructional staff, dedicated to and effective in implementing the mission and strategic plan of DBSD.
  • Plan and facilitate professional development for DBSD staff.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Salary:            Salary is based on the District’s Teacher’s Negotiated Agreement.

Start Date:     August 2020. 

Open/Closing Date: Open March 20, 2020, until filled

Application Process: An application can be filled out on the Alaska Teacher Placement Website at                 alaskateacher.com

Requirement: Three (3) letters of Reference are required with ATP application.

The Denali Borough School District is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood.

Mission Statement

Nurturing, empowering and inspiring today’s student to positively shape tomorrow’s world.

 

JOB DESCRIPTION

General Responsibilities

The Denali Borough School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students at all grade levels achieve proficiency in English Language Arts in order to graduate high school being college and career ready. 

The Literacy Coach (LC) will provide instructional support and coaching to DBSD teachers as they work to improve literacy instruction and student literacy proficiency in all subjects and grade levels. 

The primary role of the Literacy Coach is to work with teachers to support best practices in using data, provide analysis of school-wide trends in instruction and make recommendations about potential next steps to address areas of need.

As an advisor to teachers and principals, the LC is responsible for providing support in instructional planning and delivery, analyzing data in order to adapt curriculum, and sharing of best practices across all academic disciplines. The LC will support teachers across all disciplines in their delivery of evidence-based instructional practices and in their integration of literacy

strategies as appropriate in their content area.  The LC will plan and facilitate professional development for DBSD staff.

The responsibilities of the Literacy Coach extend beyond the school day. To maximize the amount of time during the school day that the LC supports teachers directly, they will be expected to complete planning and organizational tasks outside of regular school hours.  The LC will also be expected to attend professional development that occurs after school, on the weekends, and in the summer.

Achieves goals set by the school board and administration and ensures a collaborative, professional, and effective instructional staff, dedicated to and effective in implementing the mission and strategic plan of the Denali Borough School District.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Instructional Support: Supporting teachers with designing and implementing rigorous and culturally responsive strategies that meet the learning needs of all students
  • Provides instructional coaching in all academic areas which includes student-centered observation-feedback cycles with individual teachers focused on improving student literacy outcomes through effective instruction and assessment
  • Facilitates reflection and problem solving with teachers
  • Creates an environment that establishes and promotes continuous improvement for student literacy outcomes
  • Collaborates with teachers and provides specific strategies for improved instructional delivery with research-based instructional strategies and interventions to improve literacy achievement for all students
  • Assists teachers with implementation of Response-to-Intervention framework
  • Collaborates with the teacher support teams to develop and implement plans designed to assist struggling students
  • Co-teaches and/or models lessons as needed to support teacher development
  • Builds teacher capacity in ensuring all students have equitable access to rigorous learning opportunities that take individual student needs into consideration
  • Data Analysis and Utilization Support: Supporting teachers in understanding, analyzing and utilizing data to support equitable student access to learning
  • Establishes a culture that uses student data regularly to improve literacy instructional practices in all subjects and grade levels.
  • Builds teacher capacity in effectively using formative data to inform instruction
  • Collaborates and/or facilitates the analysis of interim and formative assessment data that informs instructional planning
  • Content and Curriculum Support: Supporting teachers in deepening their content knowledge while aligning standards, curriculum, and assessment
  • Makes recommendations on best practices for supporting curricular alignment in literacy across all grade levels and subjects (alignment to district curriculum and resources as well as to state and national standards in each content area)
  • Supports teachers in the internalization of unit and daily lesson plans
  • Reviews and provides feedback on teacher-developed lesson plans, unit plans and assessments
  • Professional Development: Providing ongoing professional development based on teacher, building, and district needs.
  • Collaborates with the District’s Instructional Coach to provide seamless support to the District’s Strategic Plan, by supporting instructional strategies anchored in Denali Learning and the EL Education model as our adopted partner to achieve.  Examples include but are not limited to the development of literacy instruction through expectations for High Quality Work by student and designing in-depth Expeditions as core curriculum anchors.
  • Attends district professional development sessions that happen both within and outside of regular school hours
  • Provides professional development to teachers during before or after school and during professional development times
  • Builds the capacity of teachers to support the improvement of student literacy outcomes
  • Collaborates with teachers and principals in determining appropriate resources and support for teachers
  • Leads teacher study groups to increase content and pedagogical knowledge as needed
  • Other work:
  • Support the District’s work under the CLSD Grant from the Alaska Department of Education
  • and Early Development
  • Coordinates with stakeholders and the leadership team as necessary to support teacher development and student growth
  • Maintains records of teacher support and submits to supervisor at requested intervals to document quantity, duration and type of teacher support
  • Assists the administration in interviewing and recommending teachers who have applied to the Denali Borough School District.
  • Provide a monthly report of activities to the Board of Directors and present to the Board, as requested by the superintendent, on topics related to the role of literacy coach.
  • Completes any additional duties as assigned by the Superintendent or designee

Equipment and Processes Used

  • Use technology, e.g., telephone, computer, printer, scanner, copier, teleconferencing equipment, et al.
  • Enter, manipulate, and extract data and learn new programs and data retrieval systems.
  • Ability to compose all forms of correspondence and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Demonstrated ability to foster cooperative program-family relationships, as well as collaboration with district administration, site staff, vendors, and colleges/universities.

Independent Decisions

Engages in numerous interactions and tasks on a daily basis requiring quick decision making about a host of issues and concerns related to the Denali Borough School District, its students, staff, and programs. 

Primary Working Contacts

  1. Principals
  2. Superintendent
  3. Teachers
  4. Students
  5. Parents
  6. Community

Supervision

The Literacy Coach does not supervise any employees and is explicitly excluded from the supervisory chain for other staff members.  This is intentional and is designed so that teachers working with the Literacy Coach can be open, honest, and vulnerable in any discussion and work with the coach 

Unusual Working Conditions

High demand for the ability to multi-task and maintain positive interpersonal relations with DBSD staff, students, parents, and district administration.

Evaluation

Annual written evaluation based on this job description and the Coaching Reflection Principles Rubric created by the FBNSBSD.

Qualifications

Education:  Bachelor’s Degree required with master’s degree preferred.  Appropriate type A Alaska teacher certificate required.  Educational focus and experience in instructional literacy practices required.

Experience:   Required - Five or more years of successful teaching experience. Experience implementing effective instructional practices, designing engaging lessons, using data and formative assessment in the classroom and implementing a multi-tiered system of support for students.  Preferred - Experience in professional development and leadership roles working with adults. Experience implementing effective instructional practices, designing engaging lessons, using data and formative assessment when developing staff support.  Experience with EL Education, including its models of instruction and curricular materials.

Knowledge: Required - Knowledge of effective literacy instruction and learning practices, professional collaboration, and current research in instruction and learning.  Preferred - Knowledge about EL Education, including its models of instruction and curricular materials.

Skills and Abilities: 

  1. Ability to read, analyze and interpret research, professional journals, technical procedures, federal-state laws and regulations. 
  2. Ability to write reports, school correspondence, and follow procedure manuals. Ability to present information effectively and respond to questions from varied groups, e.g., staff, students, district administration, community and other interested citizens.
  3. A deep understanding of theories of literacy, including the diagnostic teaching of reading and reading intervention 
  4. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
  5. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of personnel, student, and technical information.
  6. Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory in learning and instruction.
  7. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with parents-students, staff, and administrators. 
  8. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and writing.  
  9. Ability to perform duties in accordance with federal-state laws and regulations and school board policies.
  10. Ability to interact with others in a courteous and tactful manner, to meet deadlines, to flexibly re-prioritize work as needed, and to maintain confidentiality of records and oral information required.
  11. Ability to model DBSD character traits.
  12. Comfort and willingness to actively participate in school community
  13. Unquestioned integrity and commitment to the DBSD mission and willingness to serve the DBSD community
  14. Ability to plan, model, coach, and provide feedback to individual teachers and teams of teachers to improve teaching and learning

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