The director of academic support provides leadership and day-to-day management of a comprehensive academic support program serving students in the lower, middle, and high school divisions. This individual leads a team that includes student success coordinators, reading and math interventionists, testing center coordinators, and tutors. The role demands a collaborative and student-centered leader who can cultivate strong partnerships among faculty, students, and families to ensure that students are supported and positioned for success.
Key Responsibilities
Program Leadership & Strategic Vision
- Oversee the Academic Support program across Lower, Middle, and High School divisions
- Lead program and initiate new programs and improvement efforts for each school year
- Facilitate bi-weekly team meetings with student success coordinators, interventionists, and tutoring staff to review student concerns, share updates, align on priorities, and ensure coordinated delivery of services across all divisions
- Lead weekly At-Risk meetings for middle and high school
- Develop and implement professional development opportunities for staff, including training for teachers on high-stakes testing protocols and accommodation procedures
- Represent the Academic Support program in academic and strategic planning meetings
Section 504 Coordination & Compliance
Serve as the school's designated representative overseeing 504 eligibility determinations, annual reviews, and reevaluations in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act across all divisions.
- Supervise Student Success Coordinators in the facilitation of initial eligibility meetings, annual reviews, and reevaluations, ensuring procedural integrity and consistency across all divisions
- Ensure documentation expiration timelines are being monitored and that families are receiving proactive communication at least three months in advance of expiring evaluations
- Oversee the accurate and timely maintenance of finalized 504 plans
- Ensure teacher accommodation references and documentation quick guides are kept current and accessible to staff following each 504 meeting
- Provide guidance and support to Student Success Coordinators attending Solly School ILP/504 meetings, ensuring compliance standards are met
Psychoeducational Evaluation & Eligibility Review
- Read and interpret recommendations from psychoeducational evaluations, psychological assessments, and medical reports to determine 504 eligibility and minor adjustments
- Maintain working knowledge of current assessment instruments and their relevance to eligibility determinations
- Guide Student Success Coordinators in understanding and applying evaluation data when facilitating eligibility meetings and drafting 504 plans
Confidentiality, Ethics & Legal Compliance
- Maintain strict confidentiality of all student records and educational information in full compliance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and applicable state privacy regulations
- Ensure all Academic Support team members are trained on and adhere to FERPA requirements, confidentiality protocols, and appropriate information-sharing boundaries with faculty, staff, and outside providers
- Apply ethical decision-making frameworks when navigating sensitive student situations and and competing stakeholder interests
- Model and uphold professional ethical standards consistent with the school's mission and applicable professional codes of conduct
- Ensure secure storage, access controls, and proper retention and disposal of confidential student documentation across the program
Student Success Coordinator Oversight
- Supervise Student Success Coordinators across all divisions, ensuring consistent, high-quality support is being delivered to students on their caseloads
- Monitor the effectiveness of student check-ins, intervention, and progress documentation
- Review student progress data regularly to identify needs and make programmatic adjustments
- Ensure cross-functional collaboration between Student success coordinators among counselors, teachers, and outside providers is occurring systematically and effectively
- Oversee transition support processes for students moving between divisions, including incoming admissions reviews and senior college accommodation planning
Testing Center Oversight
- Support the Testing Center Coordinator, providing guidance on operations, staffing, and administration of standardized and classroom-based testing
- Assist in the administration of key assessments, including iReady, MAP, Milestones, ERBs, ACT, PSAT, and AP exams
- Review and approve testing accommodation schedules for mid-term and final exams, ensuring alignment with athletics and other school calendars
- Support AP exam proctoring and assist with coordinating exam schedules and student folders
Tutoring Program Oversight
- Provide leadership and direction over the school's tutoring program, ensuring it operates in alignment with the broader Academic Support program goals and student needs.
- Supervise tutors setting expectations for scheduling, family communication, accountability, and program quality
- Review program data and tutor caseloads to ensure students are receiving appropriate and consistent support
- Ensure tutoring services are integrated with 504 plans, intervention strategies, and recommendations from Student Success Coordinators
- Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the tutoring program and make recommendations for staffing, structure, or process improvements as needed
Reading & Math Interventionist Oversight
- Supervise reading and math interventionists across divisions, setting clear expectations for caseload management, progress monitoring, and documentation of student outcomes
- Review interventionist data and student progress to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention delivery and make adjustments to student groupings, frequency, or approach as needed
- Ensure interventionists are collaborating with Student Success Coordinators, classroom teachers, and outside providers to align intervention strategies with 504 plans and broader academic support goals
Admissions & Transition Support
- Review lower, middle, and high school admissions files to ensure incoming students with identified needs are appropriately supported and connected with academic support services
- Attend grade-level promotion meetings and rising-grade transition meetings for middle and high school students.
- Support the coordination of transition orientations and preview day experiences for students entering new divisions, ensuring 504 plans and support needs are communicated to receiving teams
- Evaluate course scheduling recommendations for students with 504 plans, ensuring alignment between student needs and academic programming
- Make recommendations for students for summer programs; oversee the summer communication process, including recommendations for summer programs and outreach to families with expiring documentation
Data, Reporting & Communication
- Oversee the collection and analysis of student progress data across the Academic Support program, including grades, teacher feedback, intervention outcomes, and testing center usage
- Ensure student meetings, progress notes, action plans, and barriers are being documented consistently and accurately by all members of the academic support team.
- Serve as the primary point of escalation for complex or sensitive parent and teacher concerns related to accommodations and academic support services
Other Duties As Assigned
Qualifications
Required
- Master’s degree in Education, Special Education, School Psychology, Psychology, or a related field; Doctoral degree preferred
- Minimum 5 years of experience in academic support, special education, or a related student services role
- Thorough ability to read and interpret psychoeducational, psychological and medical evaluations
- Strong working knowledge of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, including eligibility determination, plan development, and compliance obligations
- Demonstrated experience managing or supervising a team of education professionals
- Exceptional organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to collaborate effectively across academic, counseling, athletic, and administrative departments
Preferred
- Experience in a PreK-12 independent or private school setting.
- Familiarity with standardized testing coordination (AP, ACT, PSAT, ERB, iReady, MAP) and accommodation request processes.
- Experience with diagnostic assessment and academic intervention frameworks (e.g., Wilson Reading System, IXL).
- Proficiency with school information systems (e.g., FACTS, Schoology).
Required
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Masters or better in Education
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
