Grade Level Lead (SY26-27, Middle School)

Veritas Preparatory Charter School•Springfield, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Grade Level Lead is a teacher leader responsible for fostering a strong adult and student culture, managing grade level teams to ensure they meet their grade-level goals, and building a community around the core values, vision, and mission of Veritas Prep. The Grade Level Lead receives a stipend for additional work outside of their teaching role and hours.

Requirements

Ability to collaborate across teams (culture, operations, etc.)
Ability to utilize data to make decisions
Ability to positively influence and support peers
Commitment to creating clear, simple systems for organization
Solutions-oriented mindset when navigating challenges
Excitement to grow one’s leadership skills with a community of other teacher leaders
Willingness to learn from and alongside other grade level leads
Ability to take feedback in order to improve one’s meeting facilitation skills
Ability to see themselves as a change agent who can influence the practices of peer
Commitment to anti-racism and ability to utilize the Veritas Anti-racism Standards to promote change

Responsibilities

Plan and facilitate effective weekly grade-level meetings with the culture team, grade level leads, and an Assistant Principal and/or Principal focused on Tier 1 culture systems and Veritas values.
Effectively communicate clear grade-level goals at each meeting.
Ensure space for multiple voices/perspectives at all grade-level meetings while also being transparent about decision-making, leading to concrete decisions, next steps, and progress toward goals.
Model a solutions-oriented mindset when tackling challenging issues and decisions.
Ensure assessment and consideration of preferences, traditions, and requirements (from The Management Center) as it relates to team meetings, workflows, and delegation.
Develop skills around facilitating difficult conversations.
Utilize an anti-racist lens when looking at data to help identify equity strengths and gaps: ensure student data compilations, meetings, and reports provide data for subgroups including but not limited to race, gender, language learners, and students with learning disabilities.
Collaborate with an AP and grade-level team to ensure orientation for staff and students runs smoothly and effectively.
Organize and lead monthly grade-level community meetings or other grade level team events that support and inspire a vision of academic excellence in collaboration with an AP.
Support the Operations Team in organizing and leading in-school family engagement events.
Grow, support, and model the Veritas vision around equity and anti-racism.
Set up brief, regular checkpoints with grade-level team members, ensuring they feel supported, heard, and seen.
Encourage team collaboration around anti-racism and equity work at Veritas using key tools such as the Veritas Anti-racism Standards and the Teaching for Equity Framework from Leading Educators.
Coordinate the grade-level calendar and ensure strong communication with team members around deadlines and important dates.
Leverage the strengths of team members by delegating project-based tasks, monitoring progress, and holding people accountable (i.e. the delegation cycle from The Management Center).
Collaborate with Operations Team to ensure classrooms have appropriate materials and supplies.
Work closely with the Director of Culture to reset tier 1 systems and procedures throughout the year as needed.
Ensure the grade level data bulletin boards are updated (Attendance/Homework Completion/Honor Roll).
Collaborate with the Director of Operations to support last-minute coverage needs.
Collaborate with the student success team to review data (referrals, Deanslist data, VIPER den, etc.) and problem-solve regarding grade-level in-class interventions.
Review student, family, and staff surveys to identify strengths, challenges, and next steps to address gaps.
Pull reports from student information systems for the weekly grade-level meeting and add to Grade Level Goals Tracker.
Collaborate with student success, operations, counseling, and the student support team to ensure important message are communicated to the grade level teams.
Ensure timely, appropriate, clear communication with grade-level team members, staff, students, and parents/families about new initiatives, important events, meetings, updates, deadlines, and announcements.
Check in with an AP to debrief grade-level meetings and ensure progress toward grade-level goals.
Check in on key procedures and routines for the grade and how they are aligned to school expectations and share reflections, glows, and grows with team members.
Openness to collaborate/share best meeting practices with Grade Level Leads across both Veritas schools.
Model positive, assets-based communication around student strengths and growth areas.