Teacher-English Language Arts Interventionist 9-12 (Anticipated)

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 5,100 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools’ strategic plan, “Moving Forward Together,” builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students’ well being.

Our Equity Commitments are pledges we are making to address systemic equity challenges.

• We intentionally build a community that is anti-racist, inclusive, and culturally responsive.
• We ensure that students, families, and staff get the support they need to be successful.
• We seek out and incorporate the voices of those impacted, with a commitment to include those who have been excluded in the past.
• We promote access and inclusion for all students, staff, and families.
• We respect, embrace, and honor the diversity of our students, families, staff, and community.
• We reflect on our own behavior to minimize harm to others.
• We create a culture of acceptance and empathy so that everyone feels valued and is able to contribute to our community’s success.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us as well as some of our recent accomplishments.

Literacy Interventionist Overview

The Literacy Interventionist assists students who have been identified as at-risk with literacy intervention to provide a continuum of support and help them get on grade level. The interventionist utilizes district approved interventions to deliver lesson plans, evaluate and assess student performance. The interventionist meets with teachers, interprets student progress, and informs parents/guardians about student strengths, weaknesses, and progress. Lastly, the interventionist collaborates with identified teachers who share the at-risk students served and develops a transition plan between the intervention classroom and the regular classroom.

The Literacy Interventionist is responsible for supporting student achievement in the area of Literacy/foundational reading skills, with special attention to Tier II and III instruction. The Interventionist provides individual, small group or whole group instruction to students who are struggling academically (identified as needing Tier II and/or III instruction). The interventionist will be responsible for administering appropriate assessments and developing/delivering instructional plans designed to meet students’ developmental needs in literacy. This position is also responsible for monitoring, reporting, and communicating student progress and performance.

Responsibilities

Under the direction of District directors and the school principal:

• Provides high quality literacy instruction to individual students and small groups
• Uses data to provide instruction to students and to bring their skills to grade-level
• Collaborates with teachers, administration, and families to help identify best practices for individual and small groups of students
• Uses identified research-based interventions focused specifically on individual student needs
• Maintains data-based documentation of continuous monitoring of student performance and progress
• Provides data to school teams and participates in decisions about student progress
• Communicates with teachers, administration, and families regarding student progress
• Assists with identifying students for placement in intervention groups
• Participates in meetings with teachers, administration, and families to discuss student placement and progress
• Provides diagnostic assessments for students as needed
• Collaborate with the Instructional Coach/Expert Teachers, school and district leaders to lead and participate in ongoing and job-embedded professional development
• Collaborate with teachers, principals, and academic directors in determining appropriate Tier II/III resources and materials for future purchases.
• Serve as a resource in identifying appropriate research-based interventions to improve student learning and achievement
• Work teacher work year plus 5 additional days (paid per diem) for training and planning with the Academic Department.

Eligibility and Qualifications

• Demonstrate that you are culturally competent in your teaching, teamwork, and leadership practices
• Commitment to support the implementation of culturally responsive and anti-racist teaching practices to promote equity for all students
• Completed at least three years of successful teaching experience (urban experience a plus)
• Experience as an interventionist preferred
• Deep understanding of Science of Reading and all components of a strong structured literacy program
• Ability to build strong, supportive relationships with students, teachers, and families
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred
• A Master’s degree from an accredited college or university preferred

Additional Qualifications

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• High expectations for self and others
• Ability to organize workload independently and set priorities