Long Term Substitute (Mid-March-June) .5 Reading Specialist/.5 ML Teacher, Carlton 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.

.5 Reading Specialist

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

.5 Multilingual Learner Teacher

What You’ll Do:

As a collaborative member of the Multilingual Learner team, the ML Teacher will be responsible for providing direct language instruction to English Learners that serves as a powerful lever to increase English proficiency, academic language acquisition, and student achievement.

Role Responsibilities:

• Teaches ELD classes to ML students of all proficiency levels that are aligned to WIDA Can-Do Descriptors, Common Core Standards, and provide students with rigorous opportunities to engage in critical thinking and language learning in all domains.
• Plans curricula and daily lesson plans that are accessible, scaffolded, and utilize complex texts.
• Promotes a positive classroom environment that celebrates the diversity of the student population and fosters a love of learning.
• Demonstrates a commitment to excellence, equity, and high expectations for all students by building on the strengths that students bring to the language learning process
• Leverages extensive knowledge of first and second language acquisition in planning and collaborating with general education teaching colleagues, co-plans and co-teaches, as assigned by building principal
• Communicates regularly and proactively with parents and families in a culturally proficient manner
• Evaluates each student's formative progress in English skills (listening speaking, reading, and writing) and prepares progress reports
• Serves as an advocate for the needs of the English Learners on grade level and instructional teams
• Works under the general supervision of the building principal, ML Director, and/or other designated administrator, to review student proficiency levels, appropriate ML services, and ML data
• Collaborate with the ML team and HMLS colleagues in providing culturally responsive teaching practices to all students.
• Attend and contribute to progress meetings, such as Language Acquisition Team, in using data and evidence to track students' progress.
• Provide a welcoming environment to all students, especially new students throughout the school year.
• Communicate with families frequently.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

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 mistakes and challenges and uses them as opportunities for professional development. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree (Required); Master’s Degree (Preferred)
• Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure in ESL for the appropriate grade level (reading specialist licensure is a plus).
• Dual Certification (appropriate grade level or Special Education) a plus
• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (Required within 1-year of start date)
• Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
• Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by the District, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities.
• Minimum of 2 years teaching experience and working in an urban public school or charter school setting preferred.
• Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment highly desired.
• Proficiency with technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites (Remind preferred), Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) desirable.
• Three or more years of successful teaching literacy at the elementary level
• 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
• Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States 

Special consideration for English Language Development Teachers: Teachers who provide English Language Development to our federally designated English Learners are required to provide services wherever the need for services exists within the entire district of Salem. While teachers may work at one building for the majority of their career, the district may shift ELD teachers to different school buildings within their license area to meet the needs of our federally designated English Learners.

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.