Reading Specialist

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network • Framingham, MA

4d • $56,000 - $58,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Wayside Youth and Family Support Network is hiring a Reading Specialist for Wayside Academy in Framingham. This 40-hour-per-week role provides leadership, coordination, collaboration, and innovation in reading curriculum and instruction so students can benefit from the K–12 reading curriculum in a 220-day setting. The Reading Specialist uses varied methods and materials suited to topics, IEPs, and learning styles to support students in developing reading skills. The role contributes to a physically safe and intellectually open learning environment aligned with special education best practices, working collaboratively with Academy staff, teachers, and management.

The position also supports staff through demonstrations, coaching, and professional development in reading instruction and content-area strategies. The specialist assesses students’ reading capabilities and needs, develops and implements remediation plans, and works with teaching staff to evaluate and improve the reading program. The role includes participation in scheduled program functions, parent engagement opportunities, and student engagement activities.

Wayside describes itself as a youth- and family-serving agency supporting more than 6,000 youth and families annually across Central, Eastern, and Northeastern Massachusetts. The employer offers a $2,000 sign-on bonus, with half paid after six months and half after one year of employment; the bonus is prorated for part-time work. The salary is $56,000–$58,000 per year.

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 solutions related to curriculum and lesson planning.
• Flexibility and creative thinking, including the ability to adapt to changing situations and respond when a lesson or activity does not go as planned.
• Ability to teach, mentor, and coach others and provide thoughtful instruction and constructive feedback.
• Dependability and persistence, with strong follow-through on assigned tasks.
• Good judgment in behavior intervention and student support strategies.
• Ongoing commitment to professional development and seeking new approaches based on evolving best practices.

Responsibilities

• Observe struggling readers in the classroom at teachers’ request.
• Help classroom teachers identify the need for reading interventions and collaborate on instructional strategies.
• Assist classroom teachers in selecting appropriate corrective reading materials.
• 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.
• Lead the development and implementation of 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.
• Work independently and follow through on assigned tasks.
• Teach, mentor, and coach teachers and aides, including providing constructive feedback on reading instruction.

Benefits

• $2,000 sign-on bonus, prorated for part-time employment; half paid after six months and half after one year.
• Tuition and training reimbursement.
• PTO package with three wellness days.
• Nine paid holidays.
• Up to three weeks of vacation in the first year.
• Free training and CEUs.
• Medical benefits.
• Financial health supports.
• Career development opportunities.

What This Job Offers

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