Coach.Literacy - Margaret Allen MS

Literacy Coach

At the direction of the principal and in collaboration with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Literacy Coach builds teachers' capacity in literacy by facilitating job-embedded teacher development and conducting coaching cycles. In collaboration with administrators, teachers and central office staff, the Literacy Coach supports the goal of building teacher capacity to meet system-wide and local school initiatives to increase student learning in literacy (e.g., reading, writing, listening, speaking, and using language effectively).

What you will do:

• The literacy coach champions the framework for MNPS ELA Literacy Instruction and supports implementation of the adopted ELA curriculum materials. In collaboration with the school leadership team, the literacy coach utilizes multiple sources of data to set school-wide pedagogical goals and develop, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of the plan to support literacy instruction. The literacy coach provides professional development for teachers in research-based best practices to implement the adopted MNPS ELA curriculum materials using information shared during Curriculum and Instruction meetings (e.g. MTSS Network Meetings, Literacy Coach meetings, etc.). The literacy coach partners with families, community members, and school-stakeholders to support the vision of the literacy plan.
• The literacy coach engages with teachers and administrators in ongoing analysis of classroom and student level data to inform instruction. The coach utilizes group level data to make programmatic decisions, monitor student progress and further support professional learning.
• The literacy coach supports teachers and their work with students through Professional Learning Community sessions focused on four main components: facilitating unit and lesson planning using the adopted ELA curriculum materials, analyzing student work to look for evidence of student thinking, rehearsing high leverage teaching practices, and analyzing classroom video to improve pedagogical practice.
• The literacy coach builds the capacity of individual teachers by engaging in one-on-one coaching cycles with literacy teachers that consist of collaborative planning/pre-conferences, observations/modeling/co-teaching/videotaping, and collaborative reflection and debrief.
• Supports the literacy development of individual students in a variety of ways which may include: modeling literacy best practices with whole and small groups, providing skills-based interventions or standards-based remediation, and administering diagnostic assessments to determine student needs. Literacy coaches should spend no more than 25% of their time providing direct instructional support to students.
• The literacy coach exhibits professionalism by: committing to implementation of adopted ELA curriculum materials and integrity to the framework for MNPS ELA Literacy instruction; continuous engagement in professional growth and efforts to strengthen their professional teaching knowledge, skills, and strategies; participating in and promoting district-level professional development and assisting in the facilitation of district level professional development offerings; attending and participating in all required meetings; maintaining a collection of professional materials related to effective literacy instruction and current research; maintaining all required documentation of coaching and instructional support; promoting productive relationships with and among school and district staff.

Education Qualifications:

• Master's Degree from an accredited institution in reading or with reading coursework Preferred

Experience Qualifications:

• 5 years of successful teaching experience Required
• Meets highly effective rating (4 or 5) on the most recent evaluation Required

Skills and Abilities:

• Admission to the Metro Nashville Public Schools K-12 Literacy Coach Pool
• Demonstrates appropriate use of tools, especially instructional technology, to enhance and extend instruction; maintains proficiency in instructional technologies.
• Submission of a comprehensive lesson plan or video showcasing the candidate teaching a Tier 1 ELA or literacy lesson; or, a comprehensive coaching plan or video showcasing a conference with a teacher/colleague or a small or large group professional development session.
• Submission of three letters of reference from current principal, colleague, and a teacher the candidate supported that speak to the candidate's literacy skills, knowledge and expertise as well as interpersonal skills.
• Mandatory attendance required at the summer MNPS Literacy Coach Institute training.
• Strong background in literacy instruction.