Department Head, ELL (2773)

The Natick Public Schools Seek an

ELL Department Head 

Start date: 08/25/2025

We invite you to explore a career with Natick Public Schools. 

The Natick Public Schools educate approximately 5,300 students from Pre-K through age 22. We are an innovative, supportive, and high-performing district whose outstanding staff provides high quality services for our diverse students and their families from Natick and Boston. Natick Public Schools is a community dedicated to all students achieving high standards in a safe, trusting, respectful environment where learning is exciting, dynamic, and engaging. We are home to families that speak almost 60 different languages and our student population is approximately 29% Students of Color and 71% White students. With a graduation rate of 97% and 82% of our students attending post-secondary schools, we are proud of our commitment to excellence in educating students to be informed and successful citizens of a global world. 

We enthusiastically welcome educators to our district who seek and thrive in a diverse environment that focuses on the whole child in a strengths-based approach. Please partner with us in our mission to support the diversity of our school community, promote and deliver equitable practices for all of our staff, students, and families, and create meaningful connections that enable everyone to feel included and thrive.

Education: 

• Masters Degree and a minimum of three years teaching and/or administrative experience.

Professional Certification: 

• DESE Certification: 
• Valid Massachusetts Teaching License in subject area and within the 9-12 grade span.
• Supervisors license preferred

Specialized Knowledge: 

• Adolescent development
• Best practices in pedagogy for multilingual learners
• Best practices for supervising adults
• Best practices for supporting English-language learners in the general education classroom

Preferred Experience: 

• Minimum of three years teaching and/or administrative experience
• Prefer experience teaching in a diverse high school

Skills

The ideal candidate:

• Demonstrates a passion for working with students, families, and colleagues
• Multitasks in a fast-paced, supportive environment that nurtures student growth
• Effectively recruits and supports staff growth
• Meets ongoing, time-sensitive deadlines for work production
• Effectively presents information and responds to questions from groups of administrators, staff and the general public
• Plans professional development that supports faculty learning and growth
• Analyzes student data and adjusts practice accordingly
• Applies current research and theory in English language learning to practice
• Celebrates a diversity of cultures
• Understands the learning processes of adolescents and develops programs which appropriately reflect these stages
• Demonstrates understanding of applicable educational theories and leads staff in applying effective methods of curriculum design, implementation and evaluation.  

The ideal candidate is:

• Flexible
• Collaborative
• Organized
• Culturally responsive

The ability to speak another language at the conversation level, especially in Spanish and Portuguese, is highly desirable.

Alternatives to the above qualifications as the Superintendent may find appropriate and in conformity with state certification requirements.

• Phone, intercom, personal computer and software applications as outlined above, scanner, copy machine, calculator, camera, printers and fax machine.

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.

General Leadership Responsibilities

• Contributes to the district’s vision for multilingual learning  through regular collaboration with other K-12 ML educators
• Attends high school department head and leadership team meetings
• Engages in work to support the high school’s mission and goals
• Works with high school staff and administration to actively promote a positive school climate.  
• Represents the ML department at public forums (i.e. School Committee, ELPAC meetings, PTSO, etc.). 
• Engages in various and appropriate professional development activities to remain current in the field of certification and provides information and resources gained on multilingual learning to staff.
• Works with the principal, the Assistant Director for Multilingual Learning  and other district administrators to implement  initiatives.

Leads ML Staff to Effectively Instruct Students

• Hires, supervises, supports, and evaluates ML staff to promote professional growth
• Leads the high school ML PLC 
• Selects high quality ML instructional materials
• Facilitates the writing of ML curriculum
• Ensures that the department's curriculum and instructional practices are culturally responsive
• Uses data to effectively guide the instructional practices of the ML department

Serves as the High School’s ELL Program Coordinator

• Implements DESE guidance to ensure compliance
• Creates Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) for all ELL students, communicating plans to students’ teachers, and monitoring progress and outcomes.
• Engages in progress monitoring for former MLs 
• Manages placement and exit determination at the end of each school year, in collaboration with students’ teams
• Manages the new student registration process for multilingual learners including the screening and placement of new students 
• Manages and maintains all federally-mandated and state-mandated records pertaining to students’ ML students

Supports General Education Staff to Effectively Support Multilingual Learners

• Coaches general education staff on effective SEI practices, and appropriate accommodations and modifications
• Provides professional development to general education staff, including for new teachers,  on best practices for supporting MLs
• Trains staff in technological resources for communicating with families who speak another language

Supports Multilingual Learners

• Advocates for, and supports ML students through regular collaboration with general education  teachers, support staff, administration and caregivers.
• Monitors ML students’ attendance and intervenes with families to create constructive solutions.
• Attends CST and IEP meetings for ML students

School-Based Managerial Responsibilities

• Maintains a fiscally responsible department budget
• Manages the ML course sections and student enrollment during the annual course registration process
• Serves as the ACCESS testing coordinator for the high school
• Integrates all district and school requirements and School Committee policies are into practice

Teaching

• Teaches up to three classes.

Any other relative duties as assigned.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: 

• Move about the classroom, school, school grounds, and off-site locations. 
• On some occasions, it may be necessary to move quickly across even or uneven surfaces; 
• Remain in a stationary position, standing or sitting, for periods of time; 
• Reach with hands and arms and sit, stoop, kneel, or crouch; 
• Frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and use hand and arm strength to grasp tools;  
• Operate a computer and other school/office productivity machinery (i.e., a Ladybug projector, iPad, copy machine, computer printer, assistive technology); 
• Input information into a computer; 
• Read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids; 
• See and hear on a continuous basis in order to ensure the safety of students as well as speak frequently to provide instruction;
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with students, parents, and other staff members in person, via video conference, on the telephone, and/or in writing;
• Multitask and meet multiple demands from several people;
• Lifting up to and including 25 lbs
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.

Must have the use of sensory skills in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees and the public through the use of telephone and personal contact as normally defined by the ability to see, read, talk, hear, handle or feel objects or controls.

Supervises all employees in the department.  Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; providing positive reinforcement where appropriate and disciplining employees where appropriate; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

• Formal application
• Rating of education and experience
• Oral interviews 
• Reference check
• Strong record of work performance in current and previous roles required
• Successful completion of Criminal Records Check (C.O.R.I.), Sexual Offender Record Check (S.O.R.I.), and fingerprints.

The Natick Public Schools do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other class protected by law.

Date Updated:  04/10/2025