Read Ohio Literacy Coach

East Central Ohio Educational Service Center; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

East Central Ohio Educational Service Center seeks Read Ohio Literacy Coaches to support Mahoning County schools with building- and classroom-level literacy coaching aligned to Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement.

You will collaborate with administrators, literacy coaches, educators and community partners to deliver evidence-based language and literacy instruction, monitor implementation, and help develop coaching plans to improve reading outcomes across districts.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education with reading or literacy endorsements on state license.
• 3–5 years of successful classroom teaching that includes reading/literacy instruction in grades K-12.
• Completion of a professional development program in evidence-based language and literacy instruction.
• Expertise in improving student learning through evidence-based reading/literacy strategies.
• Experience providing and coaching structured literacy instruction.
• Evidence of creating professional development materials for language and literacy development.
• Experience coaching and mentoring classroom teachers.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily intensive literacy coaching to school-based personnel to build capacity in evidence-based literacy instruction.
• Monitor district, school and classroom data to support literacy leadership teams.
• Model effective coaching and feedback practices for instructional staff.
• Develop and monitor building-level literacy improvement plans aligned to state plans.
• Deliver professional development in evidence-based literacy strategies and support implementation.

Skills

Coaching

Mentoring

Feedback

Data-driven instruction

Collaboration

Education

Master's degree in education

Reading or literacy endorsement

Tools

Professional development materials

Coaching tools

Job description

Responsibilities

In coordination with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement through the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, the East Central Ohio ESC is adding to its team of Read Ohio Literacy Coaches to provide support in Mahoning County. Coaches will be responsible for:

• Providing appropriate support at the building & classroom level related to language and literacy instruction that is aligned with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement
• Building collaborative relationships with building-level administrators and staff, school-based literacy coaches, educators and community partners
• Effectively identifying needs of identified schools and educators to develop a coaching service delivery plan that supports local literacy improvement plans to improve reading outcomes and support implementation of professional learning in evidence-based literacy instruction and high quality instructional materials
• Providing systems (building-level) and instructional (classroom-level) coaching to support the implementation of a multi-tiered system of support for literacy
• Supporting the statewide literacy coaching initiatives and the integration of coaching supports with regional systems of support, including state support teams and educational service centers

Eligibility & Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, with either reading or literacy endorsements on state license
• 3 to 5 years of successful classroom teaching that includes reading/literacy instruction in grades K-12
• Completion of a professional development program or course in evidence-based language and literacy instruction
• Expertise in how to improve student learning through the implementation of high-quality evidence-based reading/literacy strategies
• Experience providing and coaching structured literacy instruction
• Evidence of previously producing professional development materials specific to language and literacy development
• Experience with coaching and consulting skills, including mentoring and providing feedback about instruction to classroom teachers
• Knowledge of how to analyze and use student and adult implementation data to drive instruction
• Experience collaborating with and leading others
• Experience facilitating and interpreting screening measures for identifying students at-risk for reading difficulties

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in reading or literacy education, or master’s degree in a related area
• TESOL endorsement and/or experience working with English Learners
• Completion of a professional development program accredited by the International Dyslexia
• Association (accreditation or accreditation plus level)
• Experience working with administrators
• Experience facilitating or participating in the Ohio’s Improvement Process
• Experience designing and implementing district-wide or school-wide multi-tiered system of supports
• Experience providing instruction to individuals with dyslexia or individuals with risk factors for dyslexia
• Successful experience as a provider of professional development and technical assistance specific to evidence-based language and literacy development

General Responsibilities

Literacy coaches will work at the direction of the Ohio Department of Education to coordinate and provide literacy services to school districts, community schools and STEM schools with the lowest rates of proficiency in literacy, focused on providing cohesive, sustained, intensive, classroom-focused supports in addition to support for building and strengthening literacy systems. Coaches will work collaboratively with building and district-level personnel, community partners and regional service providers. Coaches will support schools in identifying needs, implementing evidence-based language and literacy practices and monitoring effectiveness in order to support students in becoming proficient readers.

School & District Level (85% of Time)

• Provide daily intensive support to school-based personnel (including instructional coaches, administrators, educators, etc.) to build their capacity in support evidence-based language and literacy instruction
• Monitor district-level, school-level and classroom level data to help provide targeted support to literacy leadership teams, coaches and teachers
• Model effective coaching and feedback practices
• Facilitate and support analysis of a literacy-specific needs assessment
• Assist administrators in developing, implementing and monitoring a building-level literacy improvement plan, including an implementation plan for the reading components of a multi-tiered system of supports, aligned to Ohio’s Plan to Rise Literacy Achievement and the requirements of Ohio’s literacy policies
• Provide support in selection and de-selection processes of high-quality instructional materials, programs, and practices for literacy
• Facilitate professional development in evidence-based strategies for effective literacy instruction
• Provide feedback and support to instructional coaches and/or peer coaching teams regarding coaching practices, implementation plans and goal setting
• Meet regularly with teacher-based teams and building-level teams to review data and implement changes and adjustments to instruction and classroom practice
• Maintain coaching logs and document coaching services

Regional & State Level (15% of Time)

• Collaborate with other literacy coaches to support implementation of Ohio’s coaching model
• Participate in regional literacy networking opportunities and support district and school involvement
• Communicate consistent messaging regarding Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement
• Participate in coaching, mentoring and evaluation activities with supervising regional literacy coaching coordinator
• Participate in ongoing training, support and networking to support implementation of Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement and development as a literacy content expert
• Maintain feedback loop with ODE and participate in monitoring related to coaching activities

Knowledge, Skills & Dispositions

A thorough understanding of the following is essential:

• Reading acquisition, assessment and instruction
• Effective strategies for language and literacy instruction, aligned with the science of reading
• Explicit and systematic reading instruction
• Ohio’s Learning Standards in English language arts and literacy
• Instructional coaching practices and strategies for supporting adult learners
• Data-driven decision making to support all learners through a multi-tiered system of support

Skills

• Delivering explicit and systematic reading instruction in grades K-5 and intervention grades 6-12
• Administering assessments and measures of essential early literacy skills, interpreting results and using data to drive instruction
• Administering system fidelity assessments, interpreting results to set goals, identify additional professional learning needs, and recommend changes to improve schoolwide and/or classroom instructional practices
• Ability to rapidly acquire new skills and information
• Ability to provide and receive effective instructional feedback
• Ability to effectively prioritize, schedule, manage and organize multiple daily tasks to achieve goals
• Ability to identify problems and develop appropriate solutions
• Use effective written and oral communication skills, including the ability to engage in difficult and candid conversations with a variety of stakeholders

Dispositions

• Sense of urgency for literacy achievement
• Motivating others to perform at high standards
• High degree of professionalism to ensure and protect the confidentiality of educators and students
• Strong work ethic, self-directed and reliable, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• High quality interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to and interact with peers and colleagues
• Persistent despite obstacles
• Ability to orchestrate change
• Valuing lifelong learning
• Belief that a coach can make a difference, despite the nature of the challenges
• Desire to grow professionally
• Belief that all students can become proficient readers

Application & Contract Information

These grant-funded positions will be eligible for 190-day contracts for the 2026-2027 school year.