Primary ELAR Curriculum Manager

Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more fair world.

Founded in Houston in 1994 and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, we are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. KIPP Texas is a team and family with an unwavering commitment to creating classrooms, offices, and communities rooted in belongingness, academic success and joy.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students.

Job Description

The Opportunity
The Manager of Curriculum, Primary ELAR role is an exciting opportunity for an individual who has deep content knowledge of Early Primary school ELAR (PreK - 2nd Grade), has a passion for curriculum and instruction, leverages content-based coaching strategies and techniques to build the capacity of instructional leaders, is committed to advancing social justice and culturally relevant pedagogy, and is eager to influence the future of primary school ELA curriculum and instruction across KIPP Texas and beyond.

The Manager of Curriculum & Achievement, Primary ELA will play a critical role at the state-level in an effort to drive improved student results by ensuring that every student has access to rigorous, excellent, grade-level curriculum that will be implemented in KIPP schools in our Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio regions.

General Role Description
● Curriculum Design: Using Amplify Texas ELAR & Creative Curriculum as base curriculum, designs strong instructional guidance for teachers and instructional coaches to facilitate strong implementation and internalization of curriculum
● Curriculum Adoption & Selection: Executes a scientific method for selecting curriculum tools and
resources necessary for teaching and learning experiences
● Curriculum Vetting: Executes a researched-based vetting process to ensure that curriculum is aligned to grade-level standards and expectations, error-free and publish ready
● Curriculum-Instruction Connection: Supports instructional teammates in designing and reviewing professional learning materials designed to equip leaders and teachers with the knowledge and
skills to internalize and execute the curriculum

● Assessments: Creates high quality, aligned, standards based formative, end of cycle and interim assessments to support mastery of content objectives and seeks feedback from key stakeholders along the way.
● Data Analysis: Frequently and consistently progress monitors and analyzes a variety of qualitative and quantitative data at the school, region and state-levels to identify strengths and gaps in the curriculum itself while also strategically providing revisions and course corrections to the curriculum implementation pathway.
● Professional Development: If needed, plan, review and/or facilitate virtual and in-person professional development on curriculum, instruction and assessment analysis to ensure all regions are on a path to implement the curriculum with fidelity and achieve academic goals.

Key Responsibilities
The Manager of Curriculum & Achievement responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
● Develop and/or adapt ELAR curriculum based on feedback from the stakeholders, including course overviews, pacing calendars, unit plans, lesson plans and assessments aligned to the KIPP Texas ELA Vision.
● Ensure all ELAR curriculum & assessments are top-quality and aligned to a college-ready bar and Texas state standards before students engage with them.
● Conduct ongoing progress monitoring and data analysis (state-wide and region-specific) to make necessary adjustments to curriculum materials.
● Review ELAR professional development materials for regional academic teams, instructional coaches and teachers, including unit and lesson internalization, instructional best practices, and responding to data
● Build relationships with principals, assistant principals, teachers, and regional academics teams across the state to solicit feedback on the ELAR curriculum.
● Collaborate with other KIPP Texas academics teams (student support services, assessment & achievement) to ensure curriculum and supporting materials are accessible for ALL students, including students with IEPs and multilingual learners.
● Stay up-to-date on best practices in primary ELAR instruction and model best practices for
instructional coaches as needed.

Qualifications

Qualifications
● Bachelor degree required
● Teaching or administrative certification is a plus
● Content or subject knowledge certification is preferred
● Completion of the Texas Reading Academies (or equivalent certification) is highly preferred

Content and Pedagogical Expertise
● Strong understanding of the the Science of Teaching Reading and it’s impact on Foundational Literacy curriculum and instructional
● Exceptionally high standards for students’ potential, and an unyielding belief that ALL students can achieve at high levels
● Deep knowledge of primary ELAR (including TEKS), with a strong understanding of the full K-12 ELAR continuum
● Deep knowledge of Pre-Kindergarten and best practices in Early Childhood Education.
● Master ELAR teacher, coach and instructional leader - at the primary (PreK - 2nd Grade) level. Strong understanding of and prior experience with curriculum development, including but not limited to: alignment between objectives, learning experiences and assessment; principles of backwards planning; essential questions to drive inquiry

● (Preferred) Experience coaching teachers and/or leaders to improve instruction through
observation & feedback; can identify targeted impact statements (action steps) based on
observations to improve instruction efficiently and effectively

Technical Skills
● Detail oriented and obsessed with accuracy, especially in the areas of curriculum and assessments
● Meets deadlines and timelines aligned to the academic calendar and needs of the organization
● Ability to create own work plan and can project plan around multiple priorities and fast-paced deadlines
● Able to succinctly present summaries and updates
● Can work across multiple modes of communication (virtual and in-person) to impact others and achieve goals
● Advanced understanding of Microsoft Office suite and (preferred) Adobe Reader and Google Drive
● (Preferred but not required) Able to fluently navigate Amplify Texas ELAR, Creative Curriculum, and Illuminate or other similar assessment and data analytics platforms

Communication, Interpersonal and Team Skills
● Builds and maintains strong relationships across a variety of levels and stakeholders
● Strong verbal and written communication skills; tailors message for the audience, context, and mode of communication
● Builds consensus and resolves conflicts; exhibits willingness to have difficult conversations
● Skillfully navigates systems and structures at various levels in a large district
● Comfortable with ambiguity and can translate abstract ideas into concrete work plans and products

Problem Solving and Systems-Level Thinking
● Understands how various systems, departments, shareholders and stakeholders interact to achieve short and long term goals
● Makes decisions using data and takes initiative to solve problems and create stakeholder buy-in
● Exhibits flexibility and a solutions-oriented mindset when faced with shifting priorities, demands, and timelines
● Identifies and prioritizes mission-critical issues and offers innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems
● Exhibits consistent focus on goals and results and sets clear metrics for success

Leadership Skills
● Motivates, inspires, and moves other adults to action to achieve ambitious goals
● Builds coalitions and works collaboratively with diverse stakeholders at all levels, including but not limited to state leaders, regional leaders, school leaders, coaches, teachers and students
● Establishes clear expectations, deliverables and deadlines across organizational layers

Empathy and Commitment to Cause
● Deep belief in the mission and values of KIPP and commitments to improving student achievement
● Passionately believes that all students can achieve at high levels

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is based on years of experience, degree of education, and level of expertise.

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance,  fertility, and disability plans starting as low as $25/month.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.