Acceleration Specialist

Colchester Public Schools
                        Acceleration Specialist
                             Job Description

Overview:
This position will address instructional learning gaps that may have been intensified by
the COVID-19 pandemic. The Acceleration Specialists will be funded through the
2023/24 academic year, and will target a specific set of students at the elementary level
who have knowledge or skill gaps that formed during a period of interrupted instruction
that create a barrier to accessing the core curriculum.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
  ● Consultation with Faculty
         o Works with classroom teachers and instructional coaches to identify
            learning targets associated with upcoming units/lessons.
         o Works with school leadership/intervention teams to identify students in
            need of accelerated instructional supports
                ▪ Students with documented progress struggle in accessing the core
                   curriculum
                ▪ Student who need support because they have entered Colchester
                   Public Schools from another district/state/county
                ▪ Students who experienced interrupted attendance and progress
                   due to the pandemic
                ▪ Students who may have been fully remote in 2020-2021
         o Gathers learning materials and resources in order to pre-teach students
            receiving acceleration support
         o Works with classroom teachers to identify learning goals and monitor
            progress of students receiving acceleration support
         o Monitors and reports on student progress using formative assessment
            data, curriculum-based measures, and standardized assessment data
         o Works with leadership/intervention teams to progress monitor and
            determine a student’s need for acceleration support
  ● Professional Growth and Responsibility
         o Meets with principal and Dir. of Teaching and Learning to discuss
            approaches to acceleration and acceleration strategies
         o Coordinates with Teacher Leaders to attend PLC meetings when PLCs
            discuss/learn about upcoming units
         o Works with the instructional coaches, as necessary, to understand
            instructional frameworks and curriculum documents
  ● Planning and Instruction
         o Manages a caseload of 30-35 students selected by school teams
         o Plans a consistent meeting schedule with individual or small groups of
            students in need of accelerated instruction
        o Plans learning activities for individual or small groups of acceleration
           students that is aligned with upcoming units of study or lessons and the
           needs of the students
        o Plans rigorous learning tasks that prepare acceleration students to access
           and engage with the core curriculum
        o Provides instruction that pre-teaches/re-teaches students the content or
           skills needed to access the core curriculum
        o Uses assessment information to drive instructional planning
   ● Teacher/Parent Relationships
        o Confers, as necessary, with parents, to foster a constructive
           parent/teacher relationship
        o Works with the classroom teacher to informs parents of a student’s
           progress

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
  ● Keeps abreast of developments in assessments, techniques, philosophy, and
     content in the professional literature relating to mathematics and best practice
  ● Takes advantage of courses, workshops, and in-service training
  ● Understands how students learn and develop
  ● Understands how students differ in their approaches to learning

Position Qualifications:
  ● Certification as a teacher issued by the CT State Department of Education
  ● More than 3 years of exemplary performance/experience as an elementary
      teacher
  ● Strong communication skills

Other Requirements:
   ● Ability to work a work day that may not follow the regularly scheduled school day
   ● Background check
   ● Screening for Tuberculosis (TB)

Terms of Employment:
School calendar year

Evaluated by:
Principal