ARI Reading Coach

Alabama State Department of Education; York (AL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Sumter County School System seeks an ARI Local Reading Specialist to drive reading achievement in line with the Alabama Literacy Act. The role focuses on coaching, data-driven instruction, and scalable professional learning for teachers.

Candidates must hold the Alabama Professional Educator Certificate, have a bachelor’s degree with reading science training, and at least two years of elementary or literacy teaching experience. Salary and terms are set by the Board.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and advanced coursework or professional development in science of reading.
• Alabama Professional Educator Certificate is required.
• Minimum of two years of elementary or literacy teaching experience.
• Knowledge of scientifically based reading research and dyslexia interventions.
• Strong knowledge of science of learning and early childhood education.
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal and time management skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with principal to design coaching plans using science of reading and data.
• Lead schoolwide professional development and monitor practice transfer.
• Model explicit, systematic science-of-reading instruction with detailed explanations and guided practice.
• Coach and mentor teachers daily through planned cycles and gradual release of responsibility.
• Use data to differentiate instruction per student needs and data points.
• Support teacher professional learning including ESE and content knowledge, per data-driven adjustments.
• Prioritize activities with highest impact on reading achievement, evidenced by logs and data.
• Monitor reading progress of all students at least three times per year and adjust instruction accordingly.

Skills

Science of reading knowledge

Data analysis

Communication skills

Professional development

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Alabama Professional Educator Certificate

Job description

SUMTER COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM

Title: ARI Local Reading Specialist

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. The required Alabama Professional Educator Certificate.

2. A bachelor’s degree and advanced coursework or professional development in science of reading, such as multisensory language instruction, or comparable alternative training approved by the Alabama State Board of Education.

3. A minimum of two (2) years of experience as a successful elementary or literacy teacher.

4. A knowledge of scientifically based reading research, special expertise inquality reading instruction and intervention, dyslexia-specific interventions, and data analysis.

6. A strong knowledge base in the science of learning to read and the science of early childhood education.

7. Excellent communication skills with outstanding presentation, interpersonal, and time management skills.

REPORTS TO:

Principal

SUPERVISES:

N/A

JOB GOAL:

In order to ensure that all students are reading on or above grade level by the end of third grade, the job of the ARI-funded local reading specialist (s) outlined in the Alabama Literacy Act will include the following as evidence by students reading achievement and growth.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Collaborating with the principal to create a strategic plan for coaching to support and measure the impact of reading instruction according to the science of reading, school baseline data, and data from approved early reading assessment system.
2. Facilitating schoolwide professional development and monitoring and measuring the impact of transfer to practice.
3. Modeling effective science of reading instruction for teachers that is explicit, systematic, inclusive of detailed explanations and more extensive opportunities for guided practice, error correction, and feedback.
4. Coaching and mentoring teachers daily via planned coaching cycles based on data and gradually releasing responsibility to teachers.
5. Facilitating data analysis discussions and supporting teachers by using data to differentiate instruction according to the needs of students by adhering to the framework of tiered instruction.
6. Fostering multiple areas of teacher professional learning, including exceptional students’ education and content area knowledge, and making adjustments based on data.
7. Prioritizing time for those teachers, activities, and roles that will give the greatest impact on student reading achievement, such as coaching and mentoring in the classrooms, as evidenced by coaching logs, student impact data, and site visit data.
8. Monitoring the reading progress of all students a minimum of three times per year and making recommendations for adjustment of instruction according to student specific needs identified from multiple data points and aligned with the science of reading as specified in the strategic plan for coaching.
9. Collaborating with regional specialist and attending professional leaning opportunities hosted by ARI, including all assigned Coaching Communities.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Nine months (187)

Salary and work year to be established by the Board.

EVALUATION

Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) local reading specialists will be evaluated according to the quantitative and qualitative data measures. Summative and formative student assessment data, surveys, and site visits reports will be used in determining local reading specialists’ effectiveness and that of overall program and process effectiveness. Support for local reading specialists will be provided by ARI regional literacy specialists according to specifications outlined in the Alabama Literacy Act 2019-523.

Approved by:_________________________________________ Date___________________

Reviewed and agreed to by:___________________________ Date: ____________