The Natick Public Schools Seek an
ELLDepartment Head
Start date: 08/25/2025
We invite you to explore a career with Natick Public Schools.
The Natick Public Schools educate approximately 5300 students from PreK through age 22. We are an innovative supportive and highperforming district whose outstanding staff provides high quality services for our diverse students and their families from Natick and Boston. Natick Public Schools is a community dedicated to all students achieving high standards in a safe trusting respectful environment where learning is exciting dynamic and engaging. We are home to families that speak almost 60 different languages and our student population is approximately 29 Students of Color and 71 White students. With a graduation rate of 97 and 82 of our students attending postsecondary schools we are proud of our commitment to excellence in educating students to be informed and successful citizens of a global world.
We enthusiastically welcome educators to our district who seek and thrive in a diverse environment that focuses on the whole child in a strengthsbased approach. Please partner with us in our mission to support the diversity of our school community promote and deliver equitable practices for all of our staff students and families and create meaningful connections that enable everyone to feel included and thrive.
Job Title | Department Head ELL | Location | High School |
Reports To | Assistant Director of Multilingual Learning and HS Principal | Work days/FTE | 183 days/1.0 FTE |
Salary/Benefits | Salary and benefits per contract with the Education Association of Natick | Benefits Eligible | Yes |
JOB GOAL |
Responsible for maintaining a program of high quality curriculum instruction and assessment in the high school ML department and for being a productive and supportive member of the schools leadership team. |
QUALIFICATIONS |
Education:
- Masters Degree and a minimum of three years teaching and/or administrative experience.
Professional Certification:
- DESE Certification:
- Valid Massachusetts Teaching License in subject area and within the 912 grade span.
- Supervisors license preferred
Specialized Knowledge:
- Adolescent development
- Best practices in pedagogy for multilingual learners
- Best practices for supervising adults
- Best practices for supporting Englishlanguage learners in the general education classroom
Preferred Experience:
- Minimum of three years teaching and/or administrative experience
- Prefer experience teaching in a diverse high school
Skills
The ideal candidate:
- Demonstrates a passion for working with students families and colleagues
- Multitasks in a fastpaced supportive environment that nurtures student growth
- Effectively recruits and supports staff growth
- Meets ongoing timesensitive deadlines for work production
- Effectively presents information and responds to questions from groups of administrators staff and the general public
- Plans professional development that supports faculty learning and growth
- Analyzes student data and adjusts practice accordingly
- Applies current research and theory in English language learning to practice
- Celebrates a diversity of cultures
- Understands the learning processes of adolescents and develops programs which appropriately reflect these stages
- Demonstrates understanding of applicable educational theories and leads staff in applying effective methods of curriculum design implementation and evaluation.
The ideal candidate is:
- Flexible
- Collaborative
- Organized
- Culturally responsive
The ability to speak another language at the conversation level especially in Spanish and Portuguese is highly desirable.
Alternatives to the above qualifications as the Superintendent may find appropriate and in conformity with state certification requirements.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED |
- Phone intercom personal computer and software applications as outlined above scanner copy machine calculator camera printers and fax machine.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB (not limited to) |
The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.
General Leadership Responsibilities
- Contributes to the districts vision for multilingual learning through regular collaboration with other K12 ML educators
- Attends high school department head and leadership team meetings
- Engages in work to support the high schools mission and goals
- Works with high school staff and administration to actively promote a positive school climate.
- Represents the ML department at public forums (i.e. School Committee ELPAC meetings PTSO etc..
- Engages in various and appropriate professional development activities to remain current in the field of certification and provides information and resources gained on multilingual learning to staff.
- Works with the principal the Assistant Director for Multilingual Learning and other district administrators to implement initiatives.
Leads ML Staff to Effectively Instruct Students
- Hires supervises supports and evaluates ML staff to promote professional growth
- Leads the high school ML PLC
- Selects high quality ML instructional materials
- Facilitates the writing of ML curriculum
- Ensures that the departments curriculum and instructional practices are culturally responsive
- Uses data to effectively guide the instructional practices of the ML department
Serves as the High Schools ELL Program Coordinator
- Implements DESE guidance to ensure compliance
- Creates Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) for all ELL students communicating plans to students teachers and monitoring progress and outcomes.
- Engages in progress monitoring for former MLs
- Manages placement and exit determination at the end of each school year in collaboration with students teams
- Manages the new student registration process for multilingual learners including the screening and placement of new students
- Manages and maintains all federallymandated and statemandated records pertaining to students ML students
Supports General Education Staff to Effectively Support Multilingual Learners
- Coaches general education staff on effective SEI practices and appropriate accommodations and modifications
- Provides professional development to general education staff including for new teachers on best practices for supporting MLs
- Trains staff in technological resources for communicating with families who speak another language
Supports Multilingual Learners
- Advocates for and supports ML students through regular collaboration with general education teachers support staff administration and caregivers.
- Monitors ML students attendance and intervenes with families to create constructive solutions.
- Attends CST and IEP meetings for ML students
SchoolBased Managerial Responsibilities
- Maintains a fiscally responsible department budget
- Manages the ML course sections and student enrollment during the annual course registration process
- Serves as the ACCESS testing coordinator for the high school
- Integrates all district and school requirements and School Committee policies are into practice
Teaching
- Teaches up to three classes.
Any other relative duties as assigned.
WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS |
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to:
- Move about the classroom school school grounds and offsite locations.
- On some occasions it may be necessary to move quickly across even or uneven surfaces;
- Remain in a stationary position standing or sitting for periods of time;
- Reach with hands and arms and sit stoop kneel or crouch;
- Frequently use hands to finger handle or feel; and use hand and arm strength to grasp tools;
- Operate a computer and other school/office productivity machinery (i.e. a Ladybug projector iPad copy machine computer printer assistive technology);
- Input information into a computer;
- Read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids;
- See and hear on a continuous basis in order to ensure the safety of students as well as speak frequently to provide instruction;
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with students parents and other staff members in person via video conference on the telephone and/or in writing;
- Multitask and meet multiple demands from several people;
- Lifting up to and including 25 lbs
- The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.
Must have the use of sensory skills in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees and the public through the use of telephone and personal contact as normally defined by the ability to see read talk hear handle or feel objects or controls.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES |
Supervises all employees in the department. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organizations policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training employees; planning assigning and directing work; appraising performance; providing positive reinforcement where appropriate and disciplining employees where appropriate; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
SELECTION GUIDELINES |
- Formal application
- Rating of education and experience
- Oral interviews
- Reference check
- Strong record of work performance in current and previous roles required
- Successful completion of Criminal Records Check (C.O.R.I. Sexual Offender Record Check (S.O.R.I. and fingerprints.
The Natick Public Schools do not discriminate on the basis of age race creed color religion nationality sex sexual orientation gender identity disability pregnancy and pregnancyrelated conditions physical and intellectual differences immigration status homeless status or any other class protected by law.
Date Updated:04/10/2025