26-27 Lower School Learning Specialist

About the role

The Quad Preparatory School is seeking a Lower School (grades K-5) Learning Specialist to provide personalized support to students who require additional academic assistance. This role involves working closely with clinical, psychosocial, and classroom-based academic staff to implement individualized plans for students.

Responsibilities

• Provide personalized educational support for students whose needs cannot be met in the regular classroom setting.
• Follow the guidance of the clinical, psychosocial, and classroom-based academic staff in working with each student in accordance with each child’s academic and social-emotional education plan.
• Support students in all of their goals for both academic and social-emotional development.
• Contribute to planning cross-curricular inquiry-based projects with a collaborative, integrated team of educators and therapists.
• Implement curriculum and instructional activities driven by student learning styles and multiple assessment alternatives and maintain portfolios of student work to illustrate and record progress and achievement.
• Propose strategies and programs that serve the needs of each student who is showing difficulty with reading, writing, language skills, and/or math skills.
• Support teachers in methods of using new/specific resources in the classroom; propose strategies and programs that serve students with learning differences; collaborate with teachers to monitor learning progress and provide teachers with strategies to support students outside of scheduled sessions.
• Determine when a student needs more or less time with intense instruction and recommend next steps.
• Maintain records of all strategies and programs used for students.
• Conduct regular assessments to document the growth of students in areas needing support, and to support teachers in periodic benchmark assessments schoolwide.
• Empower students to take charge of their learning by providing all necessary scaffolding, modeling, materials, and resources, and consistently maintaining a high level of expectation for student success.
• Collaborate with other academic staff and psychosocial staff members to plan, integrate, and facilitate cross-curricular, inquiry-based projects.
• Communicate with parents and guardians to provide feedback on pupils’ academic and social-emotional progress through parent-teacher conferences, written reports, phone calls, and emails.
• Follow the professional code and policies of the school and conduct oneself in a way that promotes the mission of the school.
• Utilize Google Suite, in particular Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets.
• Attend all faculty and staff meetings, professional development sessions, and required special events (e.g., open houses, Curriculum Night, Carnivale).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Masters in education, special education, or a related field.
• Minimum two years of paid experience working with children in grades K-5.
• Minimum two years of paid experience working with children with special learning needs.
• Training with Orton Gillingham Methodology or Program that falls under that umbrella.
• At least three years experience as a learning specialist or special education teacher in an elementary setting.
• Experience with multisensory math.
• Master’s degree in education or special education.
• Experience working with twice-exceptional youth.
• Orton-Gillingham certification.
• Training with SRSD, Writing Revolution, and/or Project Read.

Benefits

• Generous and comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, student loan repayment, retirement plan contribution, group life plan, disability insurance, and parental leave.
• Work-life balance with generous preparation periods throughout each week, limiting the number of after work hours needed.
• Opportunities to build a private practice or tutor non-Quad Prep students onsite during after school hours at low-cost reduced rates.

Pay

Annual Salary Range: $68,000-$96,000

Schedule

This is a full-time exempt position in an educational facility that is open eight hours a day. Teachers, psychosocial teachers, and staff clinicians work ten months out of the year according to the academic calendar (late August to late June). Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required, anticipate at least three of these events throughout the year. In general, though, hours are Monday-Friday 8am - 4pm.