The Stoughton Area School District is accepting applications for a 1.0 FTE Elementary Academic Coach-K-3 Literacy Focus effective at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Reports To: Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Coordinates with Building Principals

Summary: The Academic Coach is a newly redesigned position that emphasizes collaboration, coaching, and professional learning. The Academic Coach is a highly qualified professional educator who provides collegial, job-embedded support to support high-quality literacy, science-based literacy instruction across content areas. Coaches accomplish this by collaborating with leaders and teachers, engaging in practices such as co-planning, modeling instruction, co-teaching, and observing and providing feedback to classroom teachers. The Academic Coach also demonstrates the application of skills and knowledge related to working with adult learners through leading professional learning in support of school and district areas of academic focus and inclusive instructional design and delivery. As with other district-level roles, this position may be asked to provide services in other schools per district needs.

1. Coaching/Professional Learning:

• Works primarily in grades K-3 across the district to help strengthen instruction by engaging with teachers in intensive job-embedded coaching activities such as providing demonstration lessons, observing and providing feedback to classroom teachers in effective practice, conducting coaching cycles, and data analysis and planning at grade-level Collaborative Meetings.

• Develop, facilitate, and participate in high-quality professional learning for staff members that strengthens teachers' capacity to increase student outcomes in reading and leads to greater reflection, mutual learning, and collective efficacy.

• Use knowledge of our ELA curricula (Wit & Wisdom and Magnetic Reading Foundations at Grades K-2; Wit & Wisdom and Sonday System at Grade 3) to support lesson preparation using curriculum-based planning protocols.

• Analyze data, identify trends, and support teachers to adjust instruction based on data with an emphasis on closing current opportunity gaps for historically marginalized students.

• Communicate a belief in all students' abilities to become successful.

• Collaborate with K-12 Academic Coaches and Interventionists as part of a K-12 team.

2. Equity and Inclusion:

• Implement strategies to ensure equity of access to equitable instruction for all students, including those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

• Advocate for and implement culturally responsive teaching practices to address the unique needs of each student.

• Support the development and maintenance of an inclusive and culturally affirming learning environment.

3. Family and Community Engagement:

• Help organize and participate in family literacy events to strengthen the home-school connection and community involvement.

4.. Documentation and Reporting:

• Communicate with leadership teams and school on school-wide progress related to school improvement goals related to coaching.

• Contribute to regular reports to school and district leadership and relevant stakeholders on the effectiveness of coaching.

Other Duties

1. Demonstrate ongoing enhancement of personal knowledge base in contemporary practices, relevant content and district initiatives.

2. Collaborate with job-alike professionals, administration, educators and colleagues within and beyond the system.

3. Support universal screening process (three times a year) across the district

Education and/or Experience:

1. Hold a current Wisconsin Professional Educator License-Early Childhood (Birth-Grade 3) or Elementary and Middle School (Kindergarten-Grade 9) or corresponding licensure (required).
2. Hold a Reading Teacher (316/1316) and/or Reading Specialist (317/5017) (preferred).
3. The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of successful classroom teaching at the Elementary level. Experience at the K-3 level is strongly preferred.
4. Understanding of the Science of Reading, including foundational skills acquisition and/or willingness to participate in professional learning to acquire knowledge.
5. Understanding of principles and application of Universal Design for Learning instructional planning (UDL) and instructional access points.
6. Possess strong interpersonal relationships or skills, including respect for multiple perspectives.
7. Demonstrate excellent communication skills to work effectively with educators, administrators, staff and the community.
8. Model credibility with peers and administrators; respected as a model in the profession.
9. Demonstrates knowledge of educator effectiveness standards for all staff and educators.

Language Skills: Excellent communication skills to work effectively with educators, administrators, and other staff. Must be able to read, document and present information clearly to individuals and also in group settings.

Major Competencies:

• Communication Proficiency

• Decision Making

• Ethical Conduct

• Personal Effectiveness/Credibility

• Problem Solving/Analysis

• Thoroughness

• Time Management

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms. The position requires some periods of standing while teaching/training. The employee frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus..

Environment: This job operates in a professional indoor environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and printers/scanners. This position will have frequent interactions with persons who are often working with children and is required to drive to conduct work.

Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contains a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.