Ela/Eld/Literacy Curriculum Developer

Organization Summary

PBLWorks, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Novato, California, is the industry leader in providing professional development, products, and resources related to Project Based Learning (PBL). At PBLWorks, our vision is for all students — no matter where they live or what their background — to have access to quality PBL instruction to deepen their learning and achieve success in college, career, and life.

PBLWorks has launched an exciting new division focused on curriculum development. The new division creates K-12 Open Educational Resource (OER) PBL units that teachers can use to achieve impact and equity for all students, especially Black and Brown students. Offering high-quality and ready-made PBL curriculum to educators at no charge will increase access to high quality PBL curriculum and increase the likelihood that teachers implement high quality projects, and increase impact for all students. PBLNow curriculum units will work seamlessly with PBLWorks professional learning services to support teachers, schools, and districts in enacting high quality PBL experiences.

Position Summary

The ELA/ELD/Literacy Curriculum Developer is responsible for supporting the development, writing, editing and revision of high-quality curriculum materials to support teachers in implementation of Project Based Learning. The position mainly involves coaching writers, developing performance assessment materials, and editing, reviewing, and refinement of PBLWorks curriculum, tools and resources. The Curriculum Developer will be involved to some degree in all aspects of supporting development of PBLNow curriculum, including lesson plans, student worksheets, and assessment materials. The role requires recurring meetings with other team members, and scheduled meetings with writers and consultants, most of which will occur between 8am and 5pm (time zone dependent on the writer).

The curriculum materials the developer will focus on K-12 ELA, organized into units of 4-5 weeks of instruction (grade-level dependent), and focusing on a diverse range of topics with themes related to social, environmental and racial justice. The materials will be supplemental, interdisciplinary, open educational resources (OER).

Please apply by February 21st, 2024 for consideration for this role.

Key Responsibilities:

Curriculum Development and Writing

• Develop formative and summative performance outcomes and assessments, rubrics, and teacher guidance for utilizing assessment practices.

• Routinely coach writers in development of unit materials:

  • Host synchronous 1:1 and small group zoom coaching sessions.

  • Provide regular and timely asynchronous feedback to writers focused on lesson content, materials creation, and lesson refinement.

  • Provide support for writers on accessing texts, images, videos, and other assets to use in units

  • Develop original documentation that provides unit writers with direction and guidance for writing unit materials.

• Write, edit, and revise new and existing student and teacher materials in order to strengthen alignment to outcomes, improve teacher PBL practice and implementation, and advance the organizational racial equity imperative.

• Provide feedback on the overall design for curriculum materials at PBLWorks, to include pedagogical strategies, structure, length, topic selection, and other factors in alignment with best practices for PBL defined by PBLWorks and the broader field.

• Recruit writers and connect with experts in the field of literacy, English Language Arts, and Writing Instruction, and Digital Media Production

Project collaboration

• Follow project plans for all assigned projects, including meeting deadlines and milestones, coordinating work across team members, and adjusting work based on organizational priorities.

• Communicate clearly and effectively with team members and contractors about progress, deadlines, challenges, and solutions.

• Respond constructively to suggestions, feedback, and editing of your writing and curriculum development.

• Assist with the implementation of curriculum and professional development pilots in partner school districts. Provide consultation to professional learning team in development of curriculum-based workshops. Assist in collecting and reviewing data from pilots to inform the development and revision of curriculum materials.
  

Contribution to PBLWorks’ Mission, Vision, and Racial Equity Imperative

• Work with other PBLWorks team members to further our mission, vision, core values, racial equity imperative, and strategic plan.

• As a collaborative team player, support PBLWorks colleagues, and contribute to the full breadth of the organization’s work and culture.

• Engage in ongoing individual and collective learning about how to advance racial equity through Project Based Learning for all students, especially Black and Brown students

• Other duties as assigned

Requirements, Skills and Abilities

The successful candidate will bring this experience to the role:

• Two or more years experience developing curriculum as a writer and editor of student and teacher facing materials in ELA / ELD across the K-12 grade bands, for use by a wide audience (beyond one’s own classroom).

• Two of more years experience designing performance and portfolio assessment, using performance outcomes to develop units, and developing guidance for teachers implementing assessments.

• Deep knowledge of

  • Project Based Learning, preferably gained through first hand experience as a PBL teacher, coach or leader.

  • College and career-readiness standards in ELA and language development, including the Common Core Standards and WIDA Framework.

  • Research-informed practices in foundational literacy, secondary literacy, literacy intervention & remediation.

  • Research-informed for supporting multilingual learners, frameworks for language instruction, and curricular approaches for language development.

  • Culturally relevant & responsive teaching practices and designing for equity

• Two or more years of K-12 classroom teaching experience.

• Lived experience in or work experience with communities of color

The successful candidate will possess these skills and abilities:

• Commitment to advancing racial equity and bringing high-quality Project Based Learning to all students, especially Black and Brown students.

• Outstanding verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.

• Exceptional organizational and multitasking skills.

• Ability to work effectively in virtual environments with staff and consultants.

• Self-starter, able to work without close supervision.

• A collaborator who enjoys working across teams to achieve a common goal.

• Competent with Word, Excel, Google Apps, and willing to learn additional technology tools adopted by the organization.

• Experience authoring into content management systems and designing in Adobe Suite (InDesign, InCopy, Photoshop) is desired.

• Mission-driven individual who is excited about supporting a community of professionals to impact students around the world.

The successful candidate will reflect these attributes:

• Integrity, a positive attitude, and self-direction.

• A team player who can work effectively with peers and other associates within a collegial, yet demanding, work environment.

• Strong work ethic and a passion for PBLWorks' mission and commitment to working collaboratively.

Reporting Relationships

The Curriculum Developer works with other disciplinary lead developers, and reports directly to the Director of Curriculum Design.

Location

This position is a remote assignment. Occasional travel may be required for team meetings and events (3-5 times per year).

Compensation & Benefits

The Curriculum Developer role is a full-time exempt position with full health benefits (including medical, vision, and dental), generous retirement contributions of 6-12%, life and disability insurance. The target pay rate for this role is $100,315; the starting pay range is $100,315 - $105,595.

Please apply by February 21st, 2024 for consideration for this role.

This is a fixed term position until December 2025.

Additional Requirements

Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks) participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. We will only use E-Verify once a newly hired employee has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.

The health of our staff and our partners is of paramount importance. As such, PBLWorks follows all current local, state, and federal guidance regarding vaccinations. PBLWorks currently requires the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines for all employees facilitating PBLWorks services and strongly recommends full vaccination for all employees (regardless of work location). Accommodations or exceptions can be requested for medical or religious reasons.

As a company, we celebrate and embrace diversity. We actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in every hiring process. PBLWorks is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, veteran status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability (in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act).