SUMMARY: The Certified Academic Language Therapist specializes in multisensory structured language teaching for students identified with dyslexia or the characteristics of dyslexia. This role provides diagnostic systematic multisensory language intervention that enhances accuracy knowledge and independence for students with written-language disorders.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Reviews detailed assessment reports and conducts academic skills evaluations for documentation purposes.
- Integrates visual auditory and motor processing with direct understanding of the structure of the English language providing a solid foundation in written language skills.
- Provides expert skilled one-to-one or small-group intervention to develop accurate and fluent reading with comprehension.
- Enables understanding and application of the structure of the English language (phonology morphology syntax semantics pragmatics and orthography) to create the foundation for age appropriate oral and written language including reading accuracy fluency and comprehension spelling and written expression.
- Creates a Student Reading Improvement Plan (SRIP) or Response to Intervention (RtI) plan including a recommendation for an approved intervention program.
- Utilizes the Dyslexia Screening and Needs Assessment Profile to administer reading assessments that will identify students with dyslexia or characteristics of dyslexia.
- Collaborates with the classroom reading teacher to ensure consistency in the use of reading strategies utilized during the intervention and in the classroom.
- Serves as a resource to classroom teachers by providing support and instruction in Structured Literacy through analyzing data lesson protocols planning and the implementation of routines and procedures.
- Collaborates with administration on scheduling of students.
- Monitors the reading progress of current students in a dyslexia-specific intervention and makes recommendations for the adjustment of instruction according to student-specific needs.
- Reports regularly and punctually to assigned work location and notifies supervisor of impending absence in a timely manner.
- Performs other duties/responsibilities appropriate to student intervention differentiated instruction and/or content training needs of the staff and district.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Current Mississippi teaching certificate
- Masters degree and advanced coursework or professional development in the science of reading.
- Minimum two (2) years of teaching experience as an elementary or literacy teacher.
- Commitment to ongoing professional development and adherence to ethical standards in education and therapy.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Environment: Standard office and school settings to include classrooms gyms libraries cafeterias and recreational areas; moderate travel; exposure to potentially stressful environments; regularly perform inside and/or outside with potential for exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
Physical: Sufficient physical ability to perform moderate lifting up to 25 pounds; regularly required to walk sit or stand for prolonged periods of time; may require climbing stooping kneeling or crouching.
Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents.
Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction; the noise level in the work environment is moderate.