English Language Arts Curriculum Designer

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third largest school district in the United States, serving over 360,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them 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. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership and continuous learning.

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

The English Language Arts Curriculum Designer will be held accountable to the following responsibilities:

• Collaborate effectively and extensively with internal and external partners, including content and specialty teams across CPS' Academic Offices, to ensure Chicago's curriculum is developed in accordance with all articulated quality standards.
  
  
• Oversee the review/feedback process for the ELA Curriculum, including coordination of teacher review teams, consensus building, conflict resolution, planning, and decision-making.
  
  
• Ability to lead and effectively communicate with development teams to focus effort and resources toward the achievement of expected results.
  
  
• Coordinate the development and distribution of formal curriculum development and evaluation guidance, including the ELA Rubric.
  
  
• Demonstrate flexibility and creativity in the design and continuous improvement of the curriculum.
  
  
• Train stakeholders on the curriculum evaluation processes and utilization of rubrics and other guidance/evaluative tools.
  
  
• Effectively engage with stakeholders to prioritize and communicate feedback to external partners for curriculum update/revision.
  
  
• Advise the teams supporting systems integration and UX to ensure a seamless, useful experience for teachers, students and parents.
  
  
• Ensure contractual partners accurately customize the curriculum for ELA and effectively integrate ELA themes, inquiry skills, and an interdisciplinary approach to instruction.
  
  
• Model the routine, intentional and effective use of technology in daily work, including communications, organization and management tasks.
  
  
• Keep abreast of the current trends and best practices in pedagogy with digital curriculum and represent the district as an expert on these and other (related) topics.
  
  
• Work on 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 ELA Curriculum Development Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Type of Education Required:

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in English. Master's degree preferred.
  
  
• Illinois (or reciprocal) Teaching Certificate
  
  

Type of Experience and Number of Years:

• 5+ years of experience in curriculum design/development (writing).
  
  
• 5+ years of direct experience in an ELA role.
  
  
• Several years of experience in educational technology or digital media.
  
  
• Deep knowledge of effective communication skills and problem-solving strategies.
  
  
• Evidenced success in collaborating with culturally and educationally-diverse teams.
  
  
• Five or more years of instructional experience in K-12 Education (large urban setting preferred)
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Deep knowledge of equity issues in education and a deep commitment to providing access to high-quality digital curriculum for all students.
  
  
• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience with:
  
  
  • ELA Common Core Standards
    
    
  • WIDA ELD Standards
    
    
  • 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
  
  

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.