Director of Planning and Instruction

Basis Ed•Scottsdale, LA

About The Position

The Director of Planning and Instruction (DPI) is a senior instructional leader responsible for ensuring high-quality curriculum implementation, effective instructional practices, and strong academic outcomes across the school. The role serves as a core member of the school management team and provides strategic and hands-on leadership in instructional planning, coaching, assessment, and data-informed decision-making. Within the school leadership structure, the Director of Planning and Instruction is explicitly identified as part of on-site school management, alongside the Head of School and other directors, with a primary focus on instructional coherence and academic systems. The role also commonly encompasses instructional coaching and leadership responsibilities that are considered core to the director role, rather than add-on duties.

Requirements

Bachelors or Masters degree
Significant classroom teaching experience with demonstrated instructional excellence
Experience in instructional leadership, coaching, or academic administration
Strong knowledge of curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment
Demonstrated ability to analyze data and translate findings into instructional action

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of curriculum and instructional practices across grade levels and content areas.
Ensure alignment between curriculum, instruction, and assessments to support rigorous academic outcomes.
Promote research-based instructional strategies and high-impact teaching practices.
Serve as a primary instructional thought partner to school leaders and teaching staff.
Oversee and/or directly provide instructional coaching to teachers, instructional coaches, grade-level leads, and department chairs where appropriate.
Support the design and execution of coaching models, including classroom observations, feedback cycles, and instructional planning.
Lead or support professional learning aligned to schoolwide instructional priorities.
Clarify expectations and structure for instructional coaching, recognizing coaching as a core leadership responsibility of the role.
Lead academic planning processes including scope and sequence planning, instructional calendars, and assessment timelines.
Coordinate instructional initiatives across departments and grade bands to ensure coherence.
Support data-driven planning through the analysis of formative, benchmark, and summative assessment results.
Partner with school leadership to set instructional priorities and academic goals.
Oversee the implementation and use of internal and external assessments.
Support teachers and leaders in analyzing student data to inform instructional adjustments.
Monitor trends in student performance and identify areas for intervention or enrichment.
Ensure assessment practices align with state and BASIS expectations.
Collaborate closely with the Head of School, Director of Academic Programs, Director of Student Affairs, and other leaders to support whole-school effectiveness.
Serve as a key point of contact for instructional initiatives and academic planning.
Communicate instructional expectations clearly to staff and provide regular updates on progress toward academic goals.
Support and/or supervise academic leadership roles such as department chairs, grade-level leads, and instructional coaches, depending on school structure.
Contribute to the evaluation and continuous improvement of instructional programs.
Ensure fidelity of implementation for curriculum and instructional frameworks.