Reading Specialist

The Ivy Street School is a small, year-round, private residential special education school committed to advancing equity and access for young people living with disabilities. We serve neurodiverse adolescents ages 13-22. We support the whole child through a student-first model that is driven by collaboration, a willingness to think big, and a commitment to knowing our students well.

We believe that every student is exceptional and at Ivy Street, we work tirelessly to create the educational and therapeutic conditions for our students to thrive. As a community, we are focused on the immediate needs of our scholars with an unwavering eye on their future needs and the concrete plans to achieve it. Our multidisciplinary team works to create rich and meaningful experiences that will nurture learning and prepare our students for their transition into adulthood and independent living. While our classrooms have four walls, we consider Boston our second classroom and our students are often making meaning and deepening learning throughout the city.

Job Description: We are seeking a motivated, organized, and intellectually curious Reading Specialist to join our Team. This Team member will support individual students and classrooms, as well as the Education Department as a whole. The ideal candidate must have experience working with students with complex learning and social/emotional needs and a commitment to developing relationships and strong rapport with our students. This individual should have experience in developing and monitoring IEP goals. This position requires a commitment to flexibility and collaboration, and an understanding and appreciation for the whole student, recognizing their reading, academic, social, and clinical abilities and challenges, and thinking creatively and collaboratively about how to best support with reading goals and service delivery to maximize student growth.

Responsibilities include:

· Provide individual and small group reading instruction, in both a pull-out and push-in model, for students with autism, intellectual and health disabilities, and mental health diagnoses between the ages of 13 and 22 in the school based on MA Curriculum Standards.

· Provide instruction for phonemic awareness, phonemics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

· Assessment and evaluation of reading problems using formal and informal tools.

· Lead elective blocks in reading, writing, or other individual areas of expertise and interest.

· Completing academic testing for students with Three Year Evaluations or on Extended Evaluations.

· Proficient in data collection techniques and reporting.

· Experience as an IEP team member (developing IEP contents, measurable goals, etc.).

· Employ a variety of teaching techniques to ensure student engagement and mastery.

· Take a student-centered and individual approach to working with students, including thinking creatively about how to best engage them.

· Commitment to rapport and relationship building with students to build effective relationships that maximize progress

· Communicate and collaborate effectively with parents, teachers, clinicians, and all related service providers, demonstrating the ability to understand their perspective, and work collaboratively with other team members.

· Support the development of phonemic awareness and phonics: principles, knowledge, and instructional practices.

· Experience with specific reading programs, including Wilson and Orton Gillingham.

· Experience working with Lindamood-Bell Visualization and Verbalizing, Read Naturally, and other reading tools

· Experience and understanding of assistive technology tools and techniques to support with reading instruction.

Qualifications/Certifications/Licensure:

• Teaching Certification (Preferred)
• Reading Certification

· Bachelor’s degree required

· Master’s degree in Reading and/or Special Education highly preferred

· Comfortable working in a school environment with students with a variety of strengths and needs

· A valid driver’s license is preferred but not required

· A background check, drug and alcohol test will be performed prior to start

· Wilson or Orton Gillingham Certification preferred

· CPR, Crisis Prevention Intervention, and First Aid required, offered upon hire