Reading Specialist, Middle School

ABOUT MERIDIAN PCS

Meridian is a PreK-8th grade school located in Washington DC’s vibrant U Street Corridor. Our mission is to inspire a passion for learning in our students and to help them build their self-confidence and self-respect through academic achievement. 

Our 650+ students are a diverse mix of African-American, Latino, Asian, African, and White students. Almost 30% of our students are English language learners, and we have one of the largest Hispanic populations in DC charter schools. We are committed to building a community of teachers and staff who reflect the rich diversity of our student body.

Meridian is committed to serving families from our local communities; and one-third of our students live within a half mile of the school. The U Street Corridor was once the heart of black culture in DC and offers a tangible historical archive for our students, and Columbia Heights is one of the most racially and economically diverse neighborhoods in the District. We are also proud of the fact that Meridian is a school of choice for parents— all eight wards of the city are represented among our student population.

Meridian’s strengths include two beautiful and historic campuses, with nearby outdoor and recreational grounds; state of the art technology for students and teachers; updated and aligned curricula; an academic program laser-focused on student growth, achievement, and social-emotional development; extensive professional development and support for teachers and leaders; and a school culture grounded in student achievement, collaboration, and student-centered learning.

Join us as we continue to take Meridian from good to great! For additional information about Meridian visit mpcs-dc.org. 

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are hiring a Middle School Reading Specialist for school year 2024-2025. A Reading Specialist at Meridian is a master teacher of small group intervention instruction. The focus of the Specialist is to implement a student-centered system of intervention that effectively works to close the gaps in English Language Arts. The goal of the Specialist is to support the RTI program and prevent students from being placed in other support services as well as support accelerated learners to ensure they are achieving and learning at the highest levels.

The Reading Specialist is a student- and teacher-facing role working alongside teachers providing resources, instructional supports, and technical assistance so they can best support specific students. Energetic, enthusiastic for reading, and with deep ELA content knowledge, the ideal candidate will be unequivocally determined to improve student achievement with a proven track record of raising student outcomes.

Primary job responsibilities include: 

• Provides and delivers focused reading intervention instruction to students in small groups and one-on-one settings through push-in and pullout for the purpose of improving student outcomes and achievement;
• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of ELA instruction and reading interventions;
• Serves as a content specialist to assist in the development and implementation of ELA instruction;
• Understands and interprets assessment data, both formal and informal, to inform instructional decisions and flexible student grouping;
• Facilitate data meetings in a high level data environment ensuring that both students and teachers understand their data and are constantly progressing towards goal;
• Ensures that instructional decisions are based on analysis of student level data;
• Designs effective intervention lessons to deliver to students;
• Frequently monitors progress of students receiving intervention services in order to adjust instructional practice and student grouping;
• Communicates and collaborates with classroom teachers about alignment between classroom instruction and intervention;
• Collaborates with the Principal and Instructional Coaches as required to provide curriculum implementation guidance to teachers;
• Participates as a member of the school data team;
• Establishes and maintains good rapport with students, employees, community members and vendors;
• Maintains a high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality; and,
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

An ideal candidate possesses the following education and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university with a focus on English, literacy, or reading instruction. Advanced degree in education preferred; 
• A minimum of three years of effective ELA instruction in K-12 setting with proven academic outcome results;
• Strong content knowledge in ELA and Common Core ELA standards;
• Demonstrated results in improving student outcomes and achievement in ELA or reading;
• Demonstrated competencies in the areas of instructional strategies, classroom management, learning assessment and diagnostics and research related to student learning and pedagogy;
• Extensive knowledge in ELA curriculum and support resources including technology-based activities that assist and facilitate student progress and web-based activities; and,
• Ability to communicate effectively with students, school personnel, and parents; and an ability to work cooperatively with others.
• Ability to set goals with students and motivate the students to reach their goals. 

SALARY AND BENEFITS

A recent TNTP Insight Survey of our teachers placed our staff’s satisfaction with compensation in the top quartile of all charter schools in DC. We also lead the charter sector in compensation transparency, and publish our salary scales for teachers, apprentice teachers, and dedicated aides here.

Meridian teachers and staff are compensated competitively for their time and have opportunities to earn additional income through leadership opportunities at the school level, offering extracurricular clubs and sports for students, and facilitating tutoring programs.