Elementary Instructional Coach - JOB ID# 12474

Instructional Coach- Reggio Magnet School fo the Arts

CREC Reggio Magnet School of the Arts (RMS) is seeking an Instructional Coach to join a team of educators fully committed to the belief that every student can and must learn at high levels. RMS is a full-day interdistrict magnet school serving students PreK-Grade 5. Inspired by the Italian Reggio Emilia philosophy, the curriculum is designed to respect a child's point of view and encourage students to control the direction of their learning. Reggio educators pair high challenge with loving support as they guide students through differentiated learning experiences designed to meet the needs of all students.

Job Description

Duties include :

Professional Development

a. Coach / mentor classroom teachers in all aspects of differentiated literacy and math instruction, including use of student assessments to group students, management of effective whole- and small-group instruction, and individual activities to meet specific student needs

b. Provide feedback and suggestions for instructional improvements during coaching

c. Support teachers to implement strategies for working with struggling readers, English language learners, SPED students, as well as for extending learning for students above grade level

d. Design school-based professional development as necessary

e. Assist teachers in formulating their own goals for professional development

Curriculum and Instruction

a. Provide teachers with clear and specific information on how to implement a range of effective instructional strategies

b. Assist teachers in analyzing instruction to determine its effectiveness and using that information to further drive instruction

c. Be competently knowledgeable of the Connecticut Language Arts Framework, other curricular resources to assist teachers in their implementation

d. Assist teachers to integrate formative assessment into instructional practice

Mentoring / Coaching

a. Meet regularly with the District Literacy and Math Coordinator, Principal, and others to assess the progress and effectiveness of teachers’ instructional practice

b. Create an atmosphere of trust and collaboration among staff to promote professional growth and accelerate the achievement of all students

c. Attend training, conferences, workshops, meetings at the school, district, and / or other level (e.g. grant requirements) as applicable

d. Help teachers meet the goals for student progress set by the district, District Literacy Coordinator, District Math Coordinator, Principal, and the faculty as a whole. The coach functions as a colleague, is not part of school administration and does not participate in any way in the evaluation of teacher performance

e. As a mentor and coach to classroom teachers, the Instructional coach will spend a substantial portion of the day working with teachers in classrooms, but will also work directly with students. The coach will also meet privately with teachers to plan lessons and assess student progress, perform demonstration lessons and do co-teaching, organize assessments and data.

Data Management

a. Prior to data meetings, prepare and analyze data to maximize efficiency of teacher’s use of data meeting time

b. At each of these data meetings, review benchmarking and formative data on all students

c. Coach teachers in the identification of salient patterns in the data

d. Identify students at risk and the nature of their needs

e. Identify students in need of challenge and enrichment to plan for their needs

Qualifications

a. Experience and skill as a literacy coach or mentor

b. Excellent communication skills

c. Minimum of five years prior teaching experience; strong preference for individuals with experience in varied positions, including reading teacher (102) and classroom teacher (013)

d. Strong people skills; an ability to win the respect and trust of fellow teachers.

e. Advanced degree preferred, Reading Consultant (097)

f. Understanding of scientifically based literacy research and evidence-based practices for teaching the range of literacy skills and assessing student progress toward achievement of benchmarks; a demonstrated ability and willingness to learn and stay current