Specialist, Elementary - Reading (2817)
Specialist, Elementary - Reading (2817)
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Job Description
The Natick Public Schools Seek a
Reading SpecialistTeacher Elementary
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 Pre-K through age 22. We are an innovative supportive and high-performing 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 and where connectedness and belonging are valued and actively cultivated. We are home to families that speak almost 60 different languages and our student population is approximately29% Students of Color and 71% White students. With a graduation rate of 97% and 90% of our students attending post-secondary 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 strengths-based 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
Teacher Reading Specialist Elementary
Location
Memorial
Reports To
Building Principal
Work days/FTE
School Year 183 days/1.0 FTE
Salary/Benefits
Salary and benefits per contract with the Education Association of Natick Unit A
Benefits Eligible
Yes
JOB GOAL: Profile of a Natick Educator
The Reading Specialist facilitates the growth of students literacy skills as they share ideas with teachers about help for struggling readers determining best materials and ideas that enhance reading instruction and assessment.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Bachelors degree required Masters preferred
Professional Certification:
- MA DESE licensure in Reading
- MA DESE SEI Endorsement
- Additional certification in special education and/or ESL highly desirable
- Trained in a Multi Sensory Systematic Approach to Reading
- Certification in Wilson Reading or Orton Gillingham preferred
Specialized Knowledge:
- Ability to identify both formal and informal assessments that measure students reading skills
- Ability to evaluate/analyze formal and informal data in order to provide recommendations based on data
- Knowledge of best practices in teaching reading to individuals and small groups with a highly systematic approach
- Thorough understanding of and commitment to the principles and practices of diversity equity inclusion and social justice as they relate to student engagement and opportunity
- Experience designing and implementing Tier 1 Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions within an MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) framework.
- Proficiency in scaffolding instruction for diverse learners including students with IEPs ELLs and those with dyslexia or other reading difficulties.
- Experience coaching and mentoring classroom teachers in literacy instruction.
- Ability to lead professional development and facilitate data meetings or PLCs focused on literacy.
- Responsible for coordinating and managing the schedules of reading interventionists to ensure targeted academic support for students.
- Uses student data to prioritize services assign personnel effectively and monitor intervention impact.
- Knowledge of and training in evidence-based reading programs (e.g. Wilson Fundations Orton-Gillingham Heggerty).
- Strong skills in collaboration with classroom teachers special educators and interventionists.
Strategies for engaging families in supporting literacy at home.
Preferred Experience:
- Teacher training in reading programs and/or extensive experience with teaching highly systematic reading approaches.
- Experience teaching in a diverse public school preferred
- Experience working with students with disabilities/special abilities preferred
- Experience working with students who are English language learners preferred
- Experience with Google Suite (Drive Docs Sheets Slides Classroom etc.) and PowerSchool preferred but will train the right candidate
Skills
- Demonstrated aptitude for work to be performed
- Bilingual skills especially in Spanish and Portuguese are highly desirable
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Candidates should have a passion for working with students families and colleagues
- Candidates must be flexible and collaborative
- Candidates must be able to multitask in a fast-paced supportive environment that nurtures student growth
- Candidates must be organized and able to meet ongoing time-sensitive deadlines for work production
- Such 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.
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.
Resource to classroom teachers
- Discuss and share ideas with teachers about help for struggling readers materials and ideas that enhance reading instruction and assessment
- Hold collaborative planning sessions to develop lessons and strategies for working with students. These are held either on a systematic regular basis (once a week during planning time) as needed or on the fly
- Serve as a mentor to new teachers by modeling providing feedback and coaching
- Demonstrate strategies (especially those that are new) for teachers observe and provide feedback
- Participate in observations (teachers observing each other) for professional growth
- Lead study groups (reading a professional book or article and then discuss)
- Provide professional development for teachers as part of the school staff development program; also teach classes that teachers can take for credit
- Work with teachers in planning and conducting professional development in the schools
- Provide a friendly ear for teachers who want to talk about issues problems or ideas that they have about reading instruction
Resource to allied professionals parents other community members volunteers and tutors
- Work closely with the principal in setting a schedule and making decisions about professional development
- Work with special educators and serve on instructional support or pupil personnel teams
- Work with librarians speech therapists counselors and psychologists
- Serve as a resource for parents (communicate with parents providing and accessing information); conduct workshops on how they can work with their children; provide workshops for parents of preschool students
- Work with volunteers (provide training sessions coordinate schedules recruit)
- Collaborate with Title I teachers where applicable
Coordinator of the reading program
- Assist in the writing of the curriculum
- Look for and assist in the selection of new materials (including development of criteria for determining quality of those materials); assist in the piloting of new materials
- Serve as a leader on curriculum committees
- Coordinate schedules for reading specialists and classroom teachers
- Maintain a literacy center or location for various literacy materials
Contributor to assessment
- Assist in the development of assessment instruments (retelling protocols and running records) and selection of assessment instruments
- Conduct assessments for individuals or groups of students (i.e. assess all entering first graders)
- Assist in interpretation of test results with teachers and parents
- Coordinate testing schedules
- Share results of assessments with the public
Instructor
- Provide instruction for individuals or small groups of students especially those identified as struggling readers
- Such instruction tends to be supplemental to that provided by the classroom teachers
- Collaborate with classroom teachers to identify specific student needs (individual or small groups) and deliver appropriate short-term or long term instruction
- Work on a short-term basis with targeted students then provide a program for classroom teachers to follow
- Work in either small group or in-class settings or both
- Provide instruction using research supported programs (i.e. Reading Recovery Junior Great Books).
Equity
- Works with district and school leadership to combat systemic barriers that limit students equitable access to opportunity.
- Identifies and addresses bias and its impact on rigor and opportunity for students
- Updates policies and equitable access procedures as needed
Any other duties 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. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the job satisfactorily and if requested reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship.
While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to:
- move about the classroom school school grounds office and/or off-site locations.
- On some occasions it may be necessary to move quickly across even or uneven surfaces;
- remain in a stationary position for periods of time;
- operate a computer and other school/office productivity machinery (i.e. iPad copy machine computer printer assistive technology etc.);
- read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids;
- position oneself to maintain files and access school/classroom/office materials;
- communicate with others so that information received and given is understood and accurately communicated;
- communicate and collaborate effectively with students parents and other staff members in person via video conference on the telephone and/or in writing;
- observe details at close range
- in the school setting ensure the safety of students;
- multitask and meet multiple demands from several people;
- may need to teach and support students with life skills development such as eating cleaning and toileting
- lifting up to and including 25 lbs
- the noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.
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 pregnancy-related conditions physical and intellectual differences immigration status homeless status or any other class protected by law.
Required Experience:
Unclear Seniority
Employment Type
Full-Time
