Horizons Summer Reading Specialist

The Horizons Reading Specialist plays an integral role in the reading achievement of our students. While the Horizons program balances both the academic and personal growth elements of achievement, we know that early literacy development plays a huge role in future achievement and individual confidence. We purposefully select our classes so that two-thirds of admitted students are identified as being below-grade level in one or more key academic subjects. The Reading Specialist will support our at-risk students by carefully assessing individual needs, creating individualized or small group lessons to support struggling readers, and working collaboratively with classroom teachers to ensure that students are making reading gains throughout the 6-week program. 

Responsibilities

Below is a summary of the main responsibilities of the role. 

• Work with the Director of Academic Success to identify appropriate assessments to use in the program that inform instruction and show student progress across the 6-week summer program. 
• Review district data, where available, for early information about at-risk students. 
• Collaborate with classroom teachers on the structure and format for reading intervention time.
• Create reading lessons/guided reading plans/phonics support based on the needs of the student(s) identified to execute during the reading block. 
• Progress monitor students throughout the summer; share updates with the classroom teacher in a streamlined format to maximize collaboration. 
• Administer pre- and post-assessments to assess reading growth over the 6-week summer program to share with students’ school districts and Horizons; analyze the data to inform instructional decisions both during the summer and after the summer ends. 

Anticipated Hours

• We are seeking to hire 1 full-time Reading Specialist. Compensation will vary accordingly. 
• The Horizons Program runs from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. The full-time Reading Specialist will have a rotating schedule between 8:30 am and 12:00 pm, working with students in our Grades 4-6 classes. After 12:00 pm, the Reading Specialist will support with lunch and participate in afternoon swimming.

The ideal applicant will demonstrate the following:

• Commitment to the Horizons mission and deep belief in the potential of each child; experience teaching with the Horizons program highly preferred.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with children and adults.
• Hold an advanced degree in education; reading specialty highly preferred.
• Experience working as a reading or literacy specialist, working with struggling readers.
• Knowledge of reading growth and phonics assessments to match the best assessment to our program needs.
• Proven track record of helping struggling readers make significant reading growth.
• Strong organization and systems; can manage multiple projects and adapt to challenges and changes without dropping balls.