High School Science Curriculum Designer

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 340,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most are teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Five core principles are embedded within these commitments - high quality, rigorous instruction, talented and empowered educators, safety and support, financial stability, and collective impact.

The Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Digital Learning is implementing the Curriculum Equity Initiative: a comprehensive support system for teachers with a modern, digital curriculum at its core. Once implemented, this digital curriculum will provide CPS students and teachers with access to high-quality, engaging, and culturally responsive learning materials.

The High School Science Curriculum Designer will work collaboratively with stakeholders, including subject matter experts (SMEs) and contracted partners, to inform the development of the curriculum and continuous improvement of the curriculum thereafter.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced curriculum writer with a strong background in High School Science, a deep knowledge of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) pedagogy and curriculum design, and experience managing projects and teams.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Direct high school science curriculum materials design work as part of a collaborative team of internal and external partners.
• Lead the effort to design three Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned year-long courses in physics, chemistry, and biology. Coordinate vendors working on each course as they develop the curricular materials.
• Provide support to vendor partners to ensure coherence within and across units and courses, responsiveness to internal and external reviews, cross-disciplinary alignment, consistency of pedagogical approach, and consistency in approach to student and teacher supports.
• Engage with cross-disciplinary departments such as the Office of Language and Cultural Education and the Office of Social Emotional Education to ensure that the HS Science Curriculum supports all students holistically
• Contribute to writing and revising science curricular materials with a focus on alignment to equity and content rubrics, which emphasize best practices in science teaching and learning.
• Train vendors on the CPS HS Science curriculum development process.
• Manage the work streams of the contractual partners to ensure alignment of materials to equity and content rubrics and to maintain pace of development on a rigorous timeline.
• Assist the Science Curriculum Designer in the development and implementation of NGSS-aligned curricular materials, ensuring that materials meet equity and content standards and emphasize best practices in NGSS-aligned science teaching and learning.
• Support and inform the development of curriculum-based professional learning.
• Collaborate effectively and extensively with internal and external partners, including content and specialty teams across CPS' Academic Offices, to ensure that Chicago's curriculum is developed in accordance with equity and content rubrics, which emphasize best practices in NGSS-aligned science teaching and learning.
• Demonstrate flexibility and creativity in the design and continuous improvement of the curriculum.
• Keep abreast of the current trends and best practices in pedagogy with digital curriculum and NGSS-aligned science teaching and learning. Represent the district as an expert on these and other related topics.
• Oversee the review/feedback process for the HS Science Curriculum, including coordination of teacher review teams, consensus building, conflict resolution, planning, and decision-making.
• Collaborate with other designers to develop and execute rubrics and processes for evaluating supplemental curricular materials submitted by internal and external partners for inclusion in the Skyline Curriculum in order to ensure that the curriculum continues to grow and expand while remaining aligned to Equity and Content rubrics.
• Manage the long-term collection, organization, and analysis of feedback from internal and external stakeholders both during and after curriculum development to ensure that the HS Science Curriculum is continuously growing and improving in alignment with the equity and content rubrics as well as Next Generation Science Standards and science best practices.
• Develop additional curricular materials such as instructional routines documentation, student handouts, lessons, or supplemental materials in order to improve and grow the HS Science Curriculum
• Act as a spokesperson and curriculum expert for the HS Science Curriculum in professional learning and marketing settings.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of the theories and practices associated with digital learning while supporting CPS' digital transition.
• Effectively engage with stakeholders to prioritize and communicate feedback to vendor partners for curriculum updates/revisions.
• Advise the internal and external teams supporting systems integration and user experience (UX) design to ensure a seamless, elegant experience for teachers, students and parents.
• Model the routine, intentional and effective use of technology in daily work, including communications, organization and management tasks.
• Manage multiple projects/sub-projects concurrently, monitor activity, progress, and time-related to project development requirements.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the High School Science Curriculum Design Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Type of Education Required:

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Science Education, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or a related Science discipline. Master's Degree in the field of Education preferred.
• Illinois (or reciprocal) Teaching Certificate preferred.

Type of Experience and Number of Years:

• Experience in science curriculum development and writing (2+ years preferred)
• 3+ years of experience in teaching secondary science (5+ years of HS Science teaching in a large urban setting preferred)
• Experience with educational technology and digital media

The High School Science Curriculum Design Specialist should have the following knowledge and capacities:

• Deep knowledge of equity issues in education and a deep commitment to providing access to high-quality, NGSS-aligned digital curriculum for all students.
• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience with:
  • Best practices for science teaching and learning
  • NGSS Curriculum Development frameworks (i.e., NGSS Ambitious Science Teaching, NGSS Storylines, STEM Teaching Tools)
  • The CPS High School Science Curriculum that has been previously published on the Knowledge Center (preferred)
  • WIDA ELD Standards (preferred)
  • Understanding by Design principles for curriculum design
  • Universal Design for Learning principles for instructional design
  • MTSS and SEL best practices
• Demonstrated experience in effective integration of technology in instruction.
• Deep knowledge of effective communication skills and problem-solving strategies.
• Evidenced success in collaborating with culturally and educationally-diverse teams.

Residency Requirement:

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of his or her CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.