Bilingual Reading Specialist, Bentley Academy Innovation School, Salem Public Schools SY2024-2025

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan: 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

Bentley Academy Innovation School in partnership with the Multilingual Learner Department of Salem Public Schools launched a two-way immersion Spanish-English dual language program with two kindergarten classrooms during the 2020-2021 school year. The two-way immersion program will grow by one grade level each year. The school will add two 4th grade classrooms and a PreK classroom for school year 24–25. The goals of the program are for all students, regardless of language background, to become bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, to achieve academically in all subjects at high levels, and to exhibit the skills and disposition of sociocultural competence.

What You’ll Do:

The reading specialist position is an excellent opportunity for an experienced literacy specialist or classroom teacher with special expertise in literacy and a passionate interest in how children develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The primary goal of the reading specialist is to build student capacity to manage the demands of grade-level reading tasks in both languages, Spanish & English for students who are federally designated English Learners.

Purpose of Position:

To provide direct service to students who demonstrate the need for additional reading instruction and support in English and Spanish for students who are federally designated English Learners.

Role:

With focused work underway to support and improve core instruction, the district is intensifying its focus on refining and strengthening Tier 2 interventions in literacy. The Reading Specialist will administer diagnostic assessments, select interventions, deliver instruction, and monitor student progress. The role requires close coordination with classroom teachers and the Literacy Coach and other literacy specialists. 

Responsibilities:

• Administers and scores diagnostic reading assessments
• Shares data with classroom teachers/literacy coach
• In collaboration with the classroom teacher, develops plans for small group instruction (core or Tier II), including needs-based grouping, providing resources, and delivering targeted instruction
• With the principal and the literacy coach, develops a schedule that best meets the needs of the school
• Monitors student progress on a predetermined, regular basis
• Supports students in classes across the curriculum, including English, social studies/history, science, and other classes where inadequate reading skills interfere with student learning
• Participates in monthly job-alike meetings with other district reading specialists
• Engages in advanced training opportunities designed to strengthen content knowledge, pedagogy, and coaching skills as well as knowledge of Dual Language
• Supports the school data team in monitoring progress toward meeting grade-level and school-wide ELA goals

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree (Required); Master’s Degree (Preferred)
• Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure (reading specialist licensure is a plus)
• Bilingual Spanish/English (required)
• Three or more years of successful teaching literacy at the elementary level
• Experience working in a diverse, urban environment preferred
• Knowledge of and experience using SEI strategies and other approaches to differentiated instruction
• Extensive knowledge of the MA ELA curriculum frameworks/standards and commitment to learning National SLA curriculum frameworks/standards
• Strong content and pedagogical knowledge in ELA
• Deep understanding of foundational skills based instruction
• Experience with standards-based practices and effective use of student data
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with teachers
• Expertise in a variety of Tier I and Tier II interventions
• Experienced in matching student needs to appropriate core and Tier II interventions
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues
• Proficiency with technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites (Remind preferred), Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) desirable.
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Essential Attributes

• Holds an unwavering belief that every student in Salem can grow and succeed
• Skilled in providing equitable access to the curriculum, particularly in underserved populations
• Able to work collaboratively and flexibly as part of a building team
• Has a strong work ethic, is self-directed, and has the ability to work independently
• Self-reflects and accepts feedback with a growth mindset

Work Year: Teachers in Salem Public Schools work a 185 day school year (180 student contact days plus 5 professional development days. Please visit www.salemk12.org to view the 2023-24 district and/or school calendar.

Salary: Teacher salaries in the Salem Public Schools are determined by the Salem Teachers Union collective bargaining agreement. Salary information can be found in Appendix A. Use our new Salem Teacher Salary estimator here.

Benefits: The City of Salem offers Group Insurance Commission (GIC) benefits to all full-time employees. Click here for more information about our health benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.