Humanities Curriculum Specialist

Our Commitment to Equity & Inclusion

Achieving true equity requires you to look at all aspects, from both a larger systems perspective and an individual student perspective. You put differentiated and culturally relevant systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success. This requires you to understand the unique challenges and barriers faced by individual students or populations of students and you provide the support to help them overcome those barriers. You do this by establishing and maintaining cooperative working relationships with students and team members based on trust, understanding, and respect for the communities in which they identify.

You Live by our RIGHT Values

• Respect: We value each others’ diverse perspectives and experiences, communicate clearly and consistently, hold high expectations with empathy, and take time to really get to know others.
• Ingenuity: We challenge ourselves to find new solutions to the most difficult problems. We always welcome the opportunity to think creatively.
• Growth: We will undoubtedly face adversity. We commit to give and receive feedback and to be relentlessly reflective even in the most challenging problems.
• Honesty: We assume the best of others, provide authentic feedback & praise, reflect on our own strengths and areas for development, and act with courage to always do what is right over what is easy..
• Teamwork: You genuinely believe that ALL students can achieve excellence and that requires that you see the best in every person you interact with (students and team members alike) every day. We know that we are strongest and most successful when we work together.

Your Mission

You will support all PK-12 staff in the implementation of the network-wide language arts and social studies curriculum. This role will work directly with teachers on campuses providing classroom-based demonstrations, collaborative and one-on-one support, and facilitating teacher inquiry and related job-embedded professional development. You will focus on enhancing teachers’ ability to provide literacy instruction that builds students’ sense of engagement in the ownership of learning and ensures three pillars of rigor: conceptual understanding, procedure/fluency, and application. You will aspire to produce students who are able to read and listen with deep comprehension. Additionally, you will work with other relevant staff to collect and analyze data, interpret, and use it to guide instructional decisions.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Curriculum Resource Management

• Collaborate with the Director of Curriculum & Assessment and Deputy Superintendent to design key instructional planning materials for ELA teachers (i.e. Year long plan, planning guides, curriculum maps, scope and sequence documents, ‘Look fors,’ assessments, etc.)
• Serve as an adviser to ELA and social studies teachers and school leaders in the implementation of Network-adopted curriculum programs, and in the evaluation and selection of supplemental teaching materials.
• Stay abreast of developments in ELA and social studies education curriculum and instruction, and provide leadership in determining their appropriateness for inclusion in the Network’s instructional program.
• Strategically plan with the Academics Special Programs team to ensure that the diverse instructional needs of students are met in the Network’s ELA intervention program.
• Attend and participate in curriculum and instructional technology planning team meetings.
• Attend training, conferences, workshops, and meetings as appropriate to enhance job knowledge and skills.
• Perform routine administrative/office tasks as required, including but not limited to preparing reports and correspondence, copying and filing documents, entering and retrieving computer data.

Curriculum Implementation Coaching Support and Professional Development

• Share effective instructional strategies with teachers both individually and through in-service workshops.
• Co-teach or visit teachers in schools to model lesson instruction; observe teachers in the classroom as scheduled and/or as requested by principals.
• Work with the principals to create a school-wide focus on intervention goals for reading achievement.
• Provide opportunities for teachers to obtain appropriate professional development through workshops and courses.
• Provide professional leadership, consultation, and support of the Network’s language arts education teachers to help ensure the provision of effective classroom instruction and programming.
• Assist teachers and school leaders in meeting identified goals for intervention instruction that closes literacy gaps.
• Ensure all ELA teachers are able to provide small group or guided reading intervention support effectively.
• Ensure all ELA and social studies teachers are able to teach national and state standards-based lessons effectively.
• Design and deliver beginning-of-year intervention curriculum professional development to increase student achievement.

Assessment Development & Data Analysis

• Develop the Network’s ELA and social studies interims, exit tickets, and other assessments and necessary revisions throughout the year.
• Determine the Network’s criteria for intervention thresholds, primarily in reading/ELA.
• Analyze state and Network Elementary ELA assessment data to help target professional development needs.
• Provide testing support by providing teachers with standardized test preparation materials, analyze test results, and conduct related meetings and workshops.
• Compile data for and prepare various statistical, administrative, and professional reports as required by the Network and/or other agencies.

YOUR SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• None

YOU

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (required)
• Advanced degree from an accredited college or university (preferred)
• Three or more years of Elementary ELA and/or social studies teaching experience
• Two or more years of intervention support for students with diverse learning needs
• Familiarity with and ability to coach teachers on the Reading Mastery

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Varies based on experience
• Competitive salary based upon credentials and experience ranging from
• Health benefits including medical, dental, vision, and supplementary coverage with multiple plan options
• Employer-funded Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
• Employer-paid Long-term Disability and Life Insurance
• Paid local personal days, paid bereavement leave, and paid parental leave
• Participation in Texas Teacher Retirement System (TRS)