Middle School Literacy Specialist

JOB SUMMARY:

The Middle School Literacy Specialist is responsible for working collaboratively with teachers, in and out of the classroom setting, to provide academic support through individual work/group work with students. The Literacy Specialist shares instructional support and interventions to address all areas of reading to include: word work (phonics, phonemic awareness), vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and strategy instruction. Literacy support will also focus on writing: helping improve students' basic writing mechanics and skills, text generation, writing processes (planning, drafting, revising, etc.), and writing knowledge (understanding discourse and genre, purpose and audience, etc.). This position will work closely with the Director of the Center for Academic Success & Well-Being and the Middle School faculty and administration.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & TASKS:

• Develops strong working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and parents.
• Assess student achievement through multiple modalities (e.g. Deploy standardized assessment measures to identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students and groups, and develop an intervention plan based on the assessment findings).
• Stays current in instructional approaches to act as a resource to classroom teachers assessing student reading and writing performance and interpreting assessment results.
• Assisst with placing students in appropriate literacy intervention or enrichment experiences.
• Collaborates with teachers to identify the literacy needs of students, set learning goals and targets, and problem-solve to implement best practices for continuous academic growth with students.
• Develops supplemental materials to meet the focused needs of specific learners.
• Builds a warm and inclusive environment in conjunction with classroom teachers and other faculty members.
• Teaches individual and small groups of students to provide remediation or enrichment.
• Participates in curriculum discussions and professional development to support student literacy needs.

DEPARTMENTAL PREFERECES:

• ESE licensure, or similar 
• Experience working with students with learning differences and/or social and emotional difficulties in an independent school setting 
• Certifications through IMSE, Orton Gillingham, or similar
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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Master's Degree in Literacy Education, or similar advanced degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working in school setting.
• Maintain confidentiality of all school information.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing.
• Ability to connect with parents.
• Ability to coach teachers across multiple subject areas and areas of student needs.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks and projects.
• Ability to use and adapt to new technology and tools.
• Ability to simplify complex issues and analyze the problem.
• Ability to be a team player and collaborator.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to working as part of a team
• Ability to use independent judgment and decision-making.
• Anticipates and averts problems.
• Must be able to sit and stand for long periods. Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.
• Adequate physical mobility, dexterity, and strength to participate in a school environment and able to ambulate across campus.