Reading Specialist/instructional Coach

Summary
BFIS’s Vision for Learning prioritizes empowering students and staff to seize their potential
and learn deeply. As a Reading Specialist / Instructional Coach, your role is multifaceted:
you’ll provide leadership, support, and mentoring in the implementation of best practices and
effective strategies for deep learning by building teacher capacity, strengthening our teacher’s
ability to facilitate learning and simultaneously increasing our students’ academic success and
agency.
The Reading Specialist / Instructional Coach is part of the Teaching and Learning Team and
collaborates and consults with teachers, the Leadership Team, and the Teaching and
Learning Team to ensure the written, taught and assessed curriculum is anchored in
standards, informed by data, uses a UbD framework and is aligned schoolwide. The
successful candidate will bring pedagogical knowledge and have experience and a strong
background in education and instructional design. A strong candidate will also have
experience working with international schools and will be familiar with an American curriculum
and teacher and educational leader standards.

Directly Reports to Associate Head of School and collaborates with Curriculum Coordinators in all sections, the Whole School Support Lead, the Director of Creativity, Technology and Innovation, All Staff, and the Leadership Team.

Roles and Responsibilities

As a Reading Specialist / Instructional Coach you will work closely with the leadership team and various stakeholders to breathe life into our
school’s vision, mission, and Vision for Learning.

Support Curriculum Development and Implementation:

● Collaborate with teachers to develop and refine curriculum, including assisting with unit
design, curriculum mapping, and assessment of intended learning outcomes and lesson
plans.
● Ensure alignment with standards and the UbD framework.
● Promote evidence-based practices and best instructional strategies.
● Use design principles and innovative thinking to improve systems and processes that
enhance student learning.

Enhance Teacher Capacity and Assessment:

● Analyze student data to identify areas of need, make programmatic decisions, and to
assess the impact of instructional strategies on student learning.
● Assist teachers in conducting student assessments, analyzing data, and developing
action plans based on analysis.
● Lead school-wide data-analysis sessions (Measures of Academic Progress, DIBELS,
WIDA, etc.) and support the development of action plans based on the analysis.
● Provide ongoing professional development for staff, modeling effective teaching
practices.

Reading Specialist Responsibilities:

● Promote a love of learning, reading, and writing through school-wide projects and
events.
● Provide staff with guidance related to the teaching and development of foundational
literacy skills (aligned with the growing body of evidence related to the science of
reading).
● Collaborate with teachers to differentiate instruction and implement interventions for
diverse literacy needs.
● Conduct assessments to identify reading needs, and develop personalized reading plans
in conjunction with lead teachers and the Whole School Support Team (WSST).

Instructional Coaching:

● Work collaboratively with teachers, learning leaders, and the WSST team to support
professional learning goals through coaching cycles and action research groups.
● Coordinate and lead professional development sessions focused on evidence-based
literacy strategies, including phonemic awareness, phonics instruction, fluency,
comprehension, guided reading, and vocabulary development.
● Support high-quality instruction in classrooms through modeling, co-planning,
co-teaching, visiting classrooms and providing feedback to teachers.

Professional Learning and Collaboration:

● Demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional learning that leads toward
enhanced personal and collective professional capacity and contributes to a culture of
innovation and growth.
● Lead and attend meetings to share research, identify instructional objectives, and plan
teaching opportunities.
● Collaborate with grade-level and department leaders, Coordinators, the Director of
Creativity, Technology and Innovation, and the Teaching and Learning Team.
● Serve on the Bilingual and Multilingual Committee.

Community Engagement

● Participate in school co-curricular programs, program improvement efforts, and engage
with community and parent groups.
● Facilitate parent coffees/learning opportunities related to literacy development.
● Work closely with families to support literacy development at home and create a
literacy-rich environment.
● Assume other professional responsibilities as assigned by the Leadership Team.

Skills and Requirements

● Demonstrable passion for lifelong learning, academic excellence, and responsible global
citizenship
● Proven ability to work independently and as a team player with a ‘can-do’ attitude.
● Ability to engage in multiple tasks, to lead and inspire individuals and the diverse groups
of our learning community to lead change successfully.
● Proven ability as an innovative, organized, results-oriented, self-motivated, energetic,
creative problem solver.
● Experienced, and knowledgeable in working with the developmental and
social-emotional needs of ES and MS Students.
● Possess a strong understanding of research and trends in the science of reading,
expertise in literacy-based pedagogy, and experience using student data to inform
effective reading instruction and intervention.
● Knowledge of US Common Core Standards for reading and writing
● Internationally minded outlook with a sensitive understanding and respect for other
perspectives, cultures, and languages
● Working knowledge and experience of conceptual and inquiry-based approaches design
thinking and visible thinking routines.

Qualifications

● A bachelor’s degree and appropriate teaching certification with five (5) years of relevant
experience
● Certification in Instructional Coaching / Specialized training in Curriculum & Instruction,
Literacy / Reading Specialist or related area
● Experience in instructional design and curriculum development
● Experience in coaching adult learners individually, in small groups, and as a whole
school
● Experience in an international school setting and expertise with one or more of the IB
programs
● Experience in using a curriculum based on explicit literacy skill development, such as
Orton and Gillingham, Fundations, UFLI, etc.
● Desirable: Experience in Adaptive Schools and Cognitive Coaching protocols

Accommodation

Housing search assistance

Flights/Transport

Transportation allowance from home of record

Utilities

Settling in allowance

Moving Allowance

Shipping baggage allowance

Medical

Health insurance

Other

Financial support for advanced degrees (Master/PhD)

Bonus

Contract extension bonuses