Multilingual Learner Instructional Coach, Salem Public Schools SY2023-2024

District

About Salem Public Schools

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public School educators are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. We seek individuals who are able to serve all of our students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Salem Public Schools has a clear equity statement and core values that guide and drive our work as an anti-racist organization. Applicants who have experienced working in urban schools and have bilingual skills are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

This is an exciting opportunity for a teacher who has a strong pedagogical knowledge of language acquisition and who is passionate about teaching recent immigrants and long-term language learners. The successful candidate will be comfortable making connections with children representing a range of needs and maintaining a positive and respectful environment through effective classroom routines. The successful candidate will also possess an unwavering belief in the power of school communities to make a difference in the lives of children. The successful candidate will also demonstrate an ability to facilitate adult learning and be able to use data-driven methods to support teachers in improving their instructional practice. This individual will work under the general supervision of school principals and assistant principals as well as the Multilingual Learner Director. She/he will be evaluated following the professional standards articulated in the Massachusetts Teacher Rubric.

Role Responsibilities

• Coaches teachers on how to improve their teaching practice in areas related to English language development, making content accessible and comprehensible, classroom management, lesson and unit planning, and equitable learning and assessment practices for all students.
• Teaches ELD (English Language Development) classes to EL students as needed; lessons that are aligned to WIDA Standards, Common Core Standards, and provide students with rigorous opportunities to engage in critical thinking and language learning in all domains
• Co-teaches content classes along with a content certified teacher as needed; in order to make the content linguistically accessible for ELs based on their appropriate WIDA Levels
• Plans curricula and daily lesson plans that are accessible, scaffolded, and utilize complex texts
• Promotes a positive classroom environment, including social emotional learning into their lessons and classroom, that celebrates the diversity of the student population and fosters a love of learning
• Demonstrates a commitment to excellence, equity, and high expectations for all students by building on the strengths that students bring to the language learning process
• Leverages extensive knowledge of first and second language acquisition in planning and collaborating with general education teaching colleagues
• Communicates regularly and proactively with parents and families in a culturally proficient manner
• Evaluates each student's formative progress in English skills (listening speaking, reading, and writing) and prepares progress reports
• Serves as an advocate for the needs of federally designated EL students, as well as all Multilingual Learners, on grade level and instructional teams
• Supports the coordination and implementation of ACCESS for ELLs testing at multiple schools
• Works under the general supervision of the building principal, Multilingual Learner Director, and/or other designated administrator, to review student proficiency levels, appropriate ELD services, and data
• Additional duties may be assigned

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree (Required); Master’s Degree (Preferred)
• Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure in ESL and preferred a dually certified ESL/ELA licensure.
• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (Required within 1-year of start date)
• Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by the District, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities.
• Minimum of 2 years teaching experience and working in an urban public school or charter school setting preferred.
• Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment highly desired.
• Secondary license in content area or Special Education, also preferred
• Proficiency with technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites (Remind preferred), Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) desirable.
• Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
• Dual certification is a plus
• Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.