Reading Specialist

Wayside • Framingham, MA

9d • $56,000 - $58,000

About The Position

Wayside Youth and Family Support Network is hiring a Reading Specialist for Wayside Academy in Framingham. The role works 40 hours per week in a 220-day K–12 setting and provides leadership, coordination, collaboration, and innovation in reading curriculum and instruction. The specialist uses varied methods and materials to address topics, IEPs, and learning styles, helping students develop reading skills in a physically safe and intellectually open learning environment consistent with special education best practices.

The Reading Specialist supports students and teachers through classroom observation, assessment, intervention planning, instructional demonstrations, material selection, remedial instruction, and staff development. The specialist also maintains the literature collection in coordination with the ELA teacher, evaluates and develops reading programming, advises Academy management, and participates in student and family engagement activities.

The position pays $56,000–$58,000 per year, plus a sign-on bonus paid in two installments: half after six months of employment and half after one year, prorated for part-time work. Training is provided upon hire in Motivational Interviewing, Courageous Conversations, the Attachment, Regulation and Competency Model (ARC), Trauma Informed Practice, MAP, TCI, CPR, and First Aid.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in the assigned area.
• At least one year of experience in an academic setting.
• Possess or be working toward an Academic Specialist License (Reading).
• Ability to work independently and self-direct projects, including proposing curriculum and lesson-planning solutions.
• Flexibility and creative thinking, including adapting to changing situations and responding when lessons or activities do not go as planned.
• Ability to teach, mentor, and coach others, including providing constructive feedback to teachers and aides on reading instruction.
• Dependability and persistence, with strong follow-through on assigned tasks.
• Good judgment regarding behavior intervention and student-support strategies.
• Ongoing commitment to professional development and to adopting evolving best practices, materials, and curricula.

Responsibilities

• Observe struggling readers in classrooms at teachers’ request.
• Help classroom teachers determine when reading intervention is needed and collaborate on instructional strategies.
• Assist teachers in selecting appropriate materials for corrective measures.
• Demonstrate new methods and materials, including through team teaching.
• Interpret and share internal and external assessment results with teachers.
• Develop and implement remediation plans for struggling readers.
• Maintain the literature collection in conjunction with the ELA teacher.
• Plan and conduct periodic evaluations to determine whether the reading program needs changes.
• Plan and develop special reading projects with teaching staff.
• Serve as a resource to Academy management on reading instruction and curriculum.
• Provide leadership in developing and implementing the reading program.
• Assess the reading capabilities of newly enrolled students.
• Address students’ remedial instructional needs through collaboration with Academy staff, occasional small-group instruction, and staff development in content-area reading strategies.
• Attend scheduled program functions and parent engagement opportunities.
• Participate in scheduled student engagement activities.

Benefits

• Sign-on bonus, paid half after six months and half after one year of employment; prorated for part-time employment.
• Training upon hire in Motivational Interviewing, Courageous Conversations, Attachment, Regulation and Competency Model (ARC), Trauma Informed Practice, MAP, TCI, CPR, and First Aid.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level