Reports to: Instructional Supervisor
Location: Secondary School Buildings (grades 6-12)
Supervisor Responsibilities: None
Terms of Employment: 196 Days
Salary Range: Follows the Teacher Union Contract Salary Schedule
The Secondary Literacy Instructional Coach is designed to provide sustained, job-embedded professional learning that strengthens literacy instruction and improves student achievement across all secondary grade levels (6-12). Aligned with the Michigan Department of Education's Coaching Model Framework, the secondary literacy instructional coach serves as a non-evaluative thought partner, co-learner, and facilitator of teacher learning, working collaboratively with educators to implement evidence-based literacy practices grounded in the science of reading while supporting full compliance with Michigan's K-12 Literacy and Dyslexia Law (Public Act 146).
The coach works directly with teachers through classroom-based coaching cycles that include co-planning, modeling, observation, demonstration lessons, and reflective feedback to enhance literacy instruction across all core content areas. In addition, the coach provides building-level leadership by supporting implementation of the district's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), facilitating the collection, analysis, and use of secondary literacy screening and progress-monitoring data, and helping educators identify and respond to the needs of all learners, particularly students exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia. By deliberately balancing individualized teacher coaching with systemic literacy leadership, the coach builds educator capacity, strengthens instructional practices, and advances equitable literacy outcomes for every student.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Note: These duties and responsibilities are judged to be "essential functions" in terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The statements below are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not an exhaustive list of all duties.
Core Direct Coaching Activities
The coach will consistently engage in partnership with teachers to enhance classroom environments, utilize research-informed strategies, and execute standard-aligned practices through five distinct activities:
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Conferencing: Lead one-on-one, non-evaluative conferences with teachers to determine collaborative goals, analyze critical elements of lessons taught by both the coach and teacher, examine/select appropriate texts, and design data-driven equitable instruction.
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Modeling: Provide in-class demonstrations to show how appropriate pacing, intentional scaffolding, and evidence-based materials contribute to student engagement, giving teachers the opportunity to observe and document student literacy behaviors.
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Co-Planning: Collaborate with teachers to build mutual relationships where both parties are equal contributors; ensure plans delineate clear learner outcomes, incorporate grouping options, and deploy outcome-based assessments.
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Observing: Conduct focused classroom observations to document specific student literacy behaviors, monitor building-wide implementation trends to inform professional development, and provide feedback on instructional pacing, scaffolding, and objectives.
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Applying Assessment Literacy: Model how to administer diagnostic, screening, progress monitoring, and achievement assessments, and guide teachers on using data to modify instruction.
Systemic Literacy Leadership
The coach will serve as a foundational literacy leader within the building by executing the following collaborative tasks:
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Professional Development: Design and facilitate highly targeted, team-level, grade-level, content-level professional learning opportunities centered on the science of reading.
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Special Education Collaboration: Collaborate closely with special educators regarding specialized literacy instruction and scaffolding for students who have intensive or special needs.
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Vision & Program Management: Partner with school administrators to establish a unified school-wide literacy vision, continually refining and managing the building’s overall literacy program.
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District-to-Building Liaison: Act as a critical intermediary by attending district-level workshops and translating state/district literacy initiatives into actionable plans for building-level stakeholders.
Application of Adult Learning Principles
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Establish Trust & Rapport: Cultivate a low-stakes, trusting environment through active grade-level / department-level meeting participation and strategic resource-finding so teachers can take instructional risks without fear of evaluation.
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Deep Self-Reflection: Guide educators to reflect deeply on their own practice, intentionally diagnosing both the benefits and hidden obstacles related to implementing new literacy strategies.
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Prioritize Integration: Help teachers seamlessly mesh new literacy knowledge with existing practices by providing explicit, clear explanations of how new strategies compare to routines they currently use.
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Model Science of Reading Practices: Model explicit and intentional instructional routines that support both word recognition and language comprehension across core disciplines (English language arts, math, science, and social studies).
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Embed Disciplinary Text Scaffolding: Train secondary teachers to guide student comprehension by designing daily lesson activities to be used explicitly before, during, and after reading content-specific texts.
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Increase Secondary Reading Density: Collaborate with staff to maximize active student reading and discussion time within class periods to combat historical secondary deficits in reading practice.
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Provide Non-Evaluative Feedback: Conduct classroom observations and offer supportive, non-evaluative feedback to teachers to ensure evidence-based reading curriculum resources are implemented with integrity.
MTSS Framework & Assessment Systems
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Identify Secondary Characteristics: Assist staff in recognizing secondary indicators of dyslexia risk, including laborious reading, low performance on English language arts assessments, and text-based avoidance behaviors.
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Implement Universal Screening: Lead the administration of valid and reliable secondary screening tools, including oral reading fluency assessments coupled with comprehension tasks.
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Intensify Tier 2 and Tier 3 Interventions: Formulate and adapt Individualized Intensive Intervention Plans alongside multidisciplinary teams, utilizing code-emphasis synthetic phonics that explicitly teach the structure of the English writing system.
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System Fidelity Auditing: Lead building leadership teams in administering the Reading-Tiered Fidelity Inventory (R-TFI) to continuously evaluate and refine school-wide literacy and behavioral support systems.
Professional Learning & Data Systems
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Deliver Job-Embedded Professional Development: Design and facilitate differentiated, content-focused professional learning sessions covering dyslexia characteristics, structured literacy instructional strategies, and MTSS infrastructure.
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Braid Data and Technology: Work collaboratively with technology, data, and evaluation staff to manage educational application data warehouses and ensure rapid integration of assessment results with instructional supports for teachers and families.
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Support School Improvement Teams: Serve as an active member of the building and district school improvement teams, developing comprehensive reports to communicate student achievement data and systems-thinking solutions to stakeholders.
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Education: Master’s degree required, specifically in literacy, reading, or a closely related instructional leadership field with a documented focus on evidence-based literacy practices.
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Certifications & Training: Valid Michigan teaching certificate required. To complement the degree, a Michigan Reading Specialist (BR) or Reading (BT) endorsement is highly preferred; comprehensive training in Structured Language and Literacy (SLL) and the Science of Reading (such as MDE LETRS cohorts or IDA-accredited programs) is highly preferred and expected if the advanced degree is in a general leadership field.
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Experience: Minimum of ten (10) years of successful classroom teaching experience with previous instructional coaching or literacy leadership experience required.
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Continuous Growth: Documented commitment to continually engaging in advanced professional development surrounding evidence-based literacy instructional strategies
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Specialized Literacy Knowledge: Must demonstrate an advanced, in-depth knowledge of reading and writing processes, acquisition, and secondary disciplinary literacy structures.
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Assessment Proficiency: Advanced capability to recognize the varied purposes of assessments (screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, achievement), select tools matching those purposes, and interpret results.
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Adult Learning Mastery: Proven, deep knowledge of adult learning principles, with demonstrated success in building collaborative, flexible relationships across diverse staff groups.
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Environment Design: Demonstrated ability to create highly literate learning environments, showing an understanding of how physical classroom arrangement, material accessibility, routines, and motivational factors (choice and purpose) drive learning.
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Systems Knowledge: Strong, demonstrated background in implementing an integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and standards-based grading practices.
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Data Literacy: Recent and relevant expertise in achievement data analysis, data management, and data interpretation, with specific preferred experience utilizing secondary data warehouses and systems like DIBELS, NWEA, or College Board assessments.
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Interpersonal Skills: Excellent written, verbal, and customer service communication skills, with a proven ability to exercise independent judgment and work collaboratively with individuals from highly diverse backgrounds.
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Problem-Solving Skills: Demonstrated capability to summarize systems thinking, identify complex instructional barriers, and offer evidence-based solutions grounded in accurate data.
The employee shall remain free of any alcohol or non-prescribed controlled substance in the workplace throughout his/her employment in the District.
Grand Ledge Public Schools District shall provide equal opportunity and shall not discriminate in matters of employment or enrollment on the basis of age, religion, race, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, color, national origin, gender/sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, height, weight or marital status in its programs, services or activities.
