English as a Second Language Specialist

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

The ESL Specialist will work in the Language and Learning Lab to ensure our ESL students achieve excellence in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Additionally, the ESL Specialist will work closely with a variety of ESL experts and Rocketship team members to collaborate in designing key components of the Language and Learning Lab, then execute on that compelling vision. Specialists are responsible for working with students in sheltered blocks for additional support and intervention in speaking, listening, reading , writing, phonics and decoding, and reading comprehension. To do this effectively, the Specialist uses formative and summative data from WIDA to create lesson plans that meet each child’s needs while maintaining close communications with classroom teachers and families regarding the child’s progress. Additionally, the ESL Specialists will conduct a deep-dive analysis of annual WIDA data, then report the outcomes and action steps to teachers and school leaders on professional development days

Responsibilities

• Administer WIDA assessment to all ESL Students and serve as test coordinator for the test
• Create progress monitoring tools for speaking, listening, reading and writing, then use the tools to document each student’s progress on a weekly basis
• Ensure the school is language-rich by labeling the school with language notations across each space
• With a team SLs and experts, the ESL Specialist performs 6-week data analyses and produces 6-week action plans that correspond with Rocketship’s other formative assessment cycle
• Participate in Unit Planning meetings with classroom teachers to ensure Universal Design and ELL Principles are implemented into the Unit, then into daily plans
• Hold bi-monthly community meetings/open houses for families
• Report progress to families on a 6-8 week basis
• Design daily lessons that instruct students to achieve excellence in speaking, listening, writing, reading, public speaking and presentations
• This requires explicit vocabulary and idiom instruction.

Requirements

• Commitment to Rocketship’s mission, vision, and goals
• Previous experience managing and/or teaching groups of elementary-age students is strongly preferred
• Basic computer skills including troubleshooting and an ability to communicate about technical difficulties
• Fluency in English
• Bachelor’s Degree
• TN Elementary K-6 teaching credential or a full credential to transfer in from out of state
• TN English as a Second Language K-12 Endorsement (to be ESL Specialist)

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Compensation:

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy. For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.

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