Early Literacy Specialist, Waypoint Academy - $100,000/year USD

Crossover; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Health, dental, vision benefits

Job summary

Waypoint Academy in Dripping Springs, Texas, is seeking an Early Literacy Specialist to serve as a full-day K–3 Guide. You will lead AI-powered core learning, set daily goals, and help students build motivation and independence.

The role involves delivering short, targeted literacy interventions, identifying gaps from data, and collaborating with campus teams to adapt to schedules and student needs. Relocation may be available.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any subject or higher.
• Three years of direct work with children ages 4–9 in teaching, coaching, tutoring, camps, or similar.
• Two years teaching reading to K–3 within the last five years.
• Recognized structured-literacy training or coursework (e.g., LETRS, IMSE, Orton‑Gillingham, Wilson, Fundations, UFLI Foundations, CERI, Neuhaus, SIPPS) or a master's in reading instruction/literacy.
• Willingness to work in person at Waypoint Academy in Dripping Springs, Texas, and relocate if needed.

Responsibilities

• Guide K–3 students through AI-powered core learning while holding daily goals.
• Deliver focused 15–20 minute structured-literacy interventions for small groups.
• Use data and diagnostic checks to identify reading gaps and adjust instruction.
• Collaborate with campus team and adapt to changing schedules and needs.
• Support a full-day student experience with transitions, lunch, and recess.

Skills

Reading instruction

Structured literacy training

Data-driven instruction

In-person teaching

Relocation willingness

Education

Master's degree in reading or literacy

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Lexia

Amira

Reading platforms data

Job description

Required: recognized structured-literacy training or a master's degree in reading or literacy, plus recent K–3 reading instruction.

• In-person at Waypoint Academy in Dripping Springs, Texas. Relocation support may be available.
• $100,000 salary, paid weekly, with day-one health, dental, and vision benefits.
• A full-day K–3 Guide role with targeted reading-specialist work.

This is not a traditional reading-intervention position. You will spend about 90% of the school day as a Guide, helping K–3 students complete AI-powered learning goals, build motivation and independence, manage frustration, and develop life skills. About 10% of your time will be spent delivering short, targeted structured-literacy interventions for specific phonics and decoding gaps.

Your reading expertise will be the sharpest tool in a much broader student-facing role. You will be with children throughout the day, including learning blocks, workshops, transitions, lunch, and recess. There is no standard planning period or fixed pull-out schedule.

What You Will Be Doing

• Guide K–3 students through AI-powered core learning, holding daily goals as non-negotiable while helping students work through frustration, distraction, and other blockers.
• Build strong relationships and run an energetic full-day student experience, including morning launch, life-skills workshops, transitions, lunch, recess, and closing routines.
• Use app data, brief diagnostic checks, and observed reading errors to identify specific phonics or decoding gaps.
• Design and deliver focused 15–20 minute structured-literacy interventions for small groups, then check that students can apply the strategy independently.
• Collaborate with the campus team and adapt quickly as schedules, staffing, and student needs change.

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Spending most of the day in reading pull-out groups or working only with struggling readers.
• Following a fixed published reading program without adapting instruction to the specific gap in front of you.
• Replacing the learning apps as the primary instructor or doing students' work for them.
• Working from a traditional specialist schedule with a standard planning period and limited responsibility outside reading blocks.
• Passively supervising students during learning time, lunch, recess, workshops, or transitions.

Early Literacy Specialist Key Responsibilities

Help K–3 students complete ambitious daily learning goals, build independence and motivation, and close specific foundational-reading gaps through short, targeted structured-literacy interventions.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in any subject
• At least three years working directly with children ages 4–9 in teaching, coaching, tutoring, camps, youth programs, children's theater, or a similar child-facing setting
• At least two years teaching reading to K–3 students within the last five years
• Completed recognized structured-literacy training or coursework, such as LETRS, IMSE, Orton‑Gillingham, Wilson, Fundations, UFLI Foundations, CERI, Neuhaus, SIPPS, Really Great Reading, or an equivalent program; a master's degree in reading instruction, literacy, or reading education also qualifies
• Willingness to work in person at Waypoint Academy in Dripping Springs, Texas, and relocate if needed
• Willingness to spend most of the day in a full‑day Guide role, with reading intervention representing a smaller part of the schedule and no standard planning period
• Strong live presence with young learners, including the energy, warmth, clarity, and judgment to maintain high standards while helping students persist
• Ability to use student data to identify reading gaps, explain measurable outcomes, and adjust support or instruction
• Legally authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship

Nice‑to‑have Requirements

• Experience with multiple structured literacy frameworks (e.g., Orton‑Gillingham and UFLI) with a clear rationale for when each applies
• Measurable reading gains across a full cohort, not just intervention caseloads. You can name the metrics and the numbers.
• Familiarity with adaptive reading platforms (Lexia, Amira, Reading Eggs, or similar) and using their data to drive instructional decisions
• Experience in non‑traditional school settings: micro‑schools, outdoor education programs, Montessori, or similar environments

About Waypoint Academy

Nature‑based school that blends rigorous academics with real‑world challenges.

Working with us

This is a full‑time, W2 employee position with immediate access to benefits (https://support.crossover.com/article/7581-w2-benefits-u-s-paychex-paid-only). All roles are year‑long positions. The compensation level for this role is $100,000 USD/year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.