Westwood Public Schools

Elementary Literacy Specialist

The Role:

The Westwood Public Schools seeks an Elementary Literacy Specialist to join our caring and innovative community.  Our ideal candidate is committed to collaborating with classroom educators, using a data-driven approach to intervention, and building reading skills through instruction that is culturally responsive. The literacy specialist works collaboratively with the child study team to identify students in need of support, design effective interventions and monitor progress.  The literacy specialist also collaborates with the district-wide elementary literacy team to conduct literacy assessments, analyze MCAS data,  and design and implement professional development for classroom teachers.

Our District:

Westwood is a welcoming suburban community with an exceptional track record of supporting and celebrating its public schools.  As a district, we are committed to creating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, and we understand that a diverse team allows us to serve our community better. We welcome and encourage individuals of every race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status to seek opportunities within our school district.

You will join the strong professional learning community of the Westwood Public Schools. In our mission to prepare students for college, career, and civic life, we work collaboratively to provide rich and rigorous curriculum, high-quality instruction, trusting relationships, and authentic educational experiences.  We hold true to our core district values of academic excellence and a commitment to improvement; curiosity and tenacity; and respectful relationships in a caring, collaborative community. 

Required Qualifications

• Current Massachusetts license as a reading specialist
• Elementary classroom experience preferred
• Master's degree required
• Experience with explicit, foundational reading instruction required - familiarity with Fundations and Heggerty preferred
• SEI endorsement
• Demonstrated commitment to celebrating diversity, pursuing equity, and promoting integration 
• Familiarity with trauma-sensitive educational practices

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Provide direct literacy intervention and instruction for students who are below grade-level benchmarks.
• Support the development of  literacy skills within grade level classrooms through co-teaching, model lessons, and development/modification of literacy materials
• Provide literacy assessment and ongoing analysis of data
• Assist administrators and teachers in designing appropriate intervention programs
• Assist administrators and teachers in identifying appropriate literacy materials for all students
• Demonstrate caring and concern for all students by establishing a culture of high expectations for learning and behavior
• Implement a variety of instructional strategies and learning materials based on students’ diverse needs, and integrate technology to increase learning
• Assess student understanding of learning objectives with student self-assessments, frequent formative measures, and periodic summative measures
• Collaborate with colleagues to analyze student work, draw conclusions, develop interventions and extensions, and implement new teaching strategies based on assessment data
• Integrate social emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching into the classroom and foster a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning community
• Partner with families to support students' progress
• Make positive contributions to the larger school community
• Implement Individual Education Programs and 504 Accommodation Plans, contribute to team meetings, and collaborate with special education and support staff members
• Fulfill professional responsibilities by communicating effectively, using good judgment, meeting deadlines, engaging in professional development, reflecting on performance and making positive changes to improve student learning, being receptive to feedback, and completing assigned duties 
• Assume other responsibilities assigned by the building principal in accordance with collective bargaining provisions

Job Environment:

Work takes place in classrooms and other building rooms/areas, including offices, auditorium, gym, lunchroom and hallways, within a school building setting, primarily indoors. Job takes place in a high-performing school district with high expectations.

Physical Requirements:

• Requires sufficient vision to read printed documents and to view detail on a computer screen for extended periods.
• Requires frequent standing, walking, sitting, bending, and reaching, as well as carrying and occasionally lifting up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to speak in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in normal conversation, on the telephone, and in the classroom.
• Ability to hear sounds clearly up to twenty feet.
• Travel among buildings may be required.

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.

The Westwood Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.