Location: Human Resources-BPS

Academic - Teacher

Boston Public Schools seeks an exceptional ELEMENTARY ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) TEACHER who is highly qualified and knowledgeable to join our community of teachers, learners and leaders. This is an exciting opportunity for teachers who desire to serve where their efforts matter.  In BPS, the teachers and leaders are committed to the vision of high expectations for achievement, equal access to high levels of instruction, the achievement of academic proficiency for all students, and the closing of the achievement gap among subgroups within the schools.  BPS is a great place for those who seek to work in an environment that supports their creativity and innovation, and respects their skills and abilities as a teacher.

The ESL Teacher will work in designated schools and teach English as a Second Language to English Language Learners at the elementary/K-8 school level who are not reaching their annual English acquisition goals and who may be lagging behind their peers in meeting grade level content standards due to language limitations.  English Language Learners are enrolled in most Boston Public Schools.  Their academic performance and the rate at which they are acquiring academic English must be accelerated in order to benefit from rigorous academic programs and meet grade level promotion requirements.

REPORTS TO:  Principal/Designated Supervisor

RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. TEACH:  English as a Second Language
Provide individualized and small group Elementary English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction to   English Language Learners.

Collaborate and communicate with the ELL student's content teacher(s) to align instruction and support to both the ELL student's English language development and their classroom instructional needs (instructions, vocabulary, reading and writing support, and clarification of assignments).

Collaborate and communicate with the school's instructional leadership team, instructional coaches and administration to ensure ELL students receive language support and other forms of academic assistance.

Work with up to two schools a week delivering push-in/pull-out ESL lessons to students with varying levels of English proficiency.

Assist with the oversight and delivery of MEPA and MELA-O administration.
Prepare for and assist with organization of ELL student's transition meetings for those ready to transition out of ELL services.

2. EQUITY AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS:  Demonstrate a commitment to excellence, equity, and high expectations for all students with an emphasis on building on the strengths that students bring to the teaching/learning process and closing the achievement gap between ELL as a subgroup ELL within the school.

3. PROFESSIONALISM:  Model professional behavior that addresses job responsibilities, district policies and procedures, and the expectations of professionals working in a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and economically diverse community.

4. SAFE, RESPECTFUL, AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE AND RESPONSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITIES:  Build and maintain safe, fair, and respectful learning environments that celebrate the diversity of the student population.

5. PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILY:  Initiate and maintain consistent communication and develop constructive partnerships with families communicating about student progress and ways the families can support the student at home.

6. PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILY AND COMMUNITY:  Initiate and maintain consistent communication and develop constructive partnerships with community members, and agencies, building on their strengths and recognizing them as co-educators.

7. INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION:
Plan instruction and employ strategies that address the wide range of learning, behavioral, and communication styles of the student population.

Plan and deliver lessons utilizing the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes, and Boston Public School English Language Plan, and deliver appropriate lessons for varying levels of English proficiency.

Demonstrate cultural proficiency and use effective and culturally relevant instructional practices.
Integrate technology into the classroom as an instructional tool and for personal productivity.

8. CONTENT KNOWLEDGE:
Have extensive knowledge of the content including, but not limited to, key concepts and facts, relevant research, methods of inquiry, and communication styles specific to the respective discipline(s).

Demonstrate understanding of standards-based education, including local and state content frameworks, and mandated district-wide curriculum for literacy, English Language Development, and English Language Arts.

Implement aspects of Readers and Writers workshop model that match the language proficiency level of students.

Demonstrate an understanding and fluency with the BPS ESL Curriculum and the Massachusetts DOE English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes (ELPRO).

9. MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS:  Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather data to monitor student mastery of instructional content, to improve instruction, and to assess the comparative performance of subgroups within the classroom.   Assist classroom teachers in the administration of all mandated state and local assessments for English language learners whenever appropriate.

10. REFLECTION, COLLABORATION, AND PERSONAL GROWTH:  Reflect on practice in collaboration with administrators and colleagues, monitor personal and professional growth, and pursue professional development in needed areas.


QUALIFICATIONS--REQUIRED:
1. Hold a valid Massachusetts Teaching License in ELL (formerly ESL) PreK-6 and 5-12.
2. Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and Highly Qualified according to NCLB.
3. Ability to meet the Dimensions of Effective Teaching established by the Boston Public Schools as outlined above.
4. Education:  Hold a Bachelors degree.
5. Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.
6. Attend district and state-sponsored professional development opportunities sufficient to stay current with changes in ELL instruction and improvements in ELL teaching strategies.
7. Able to model excellent spoken and written English for students learning English in school.

QUALIFICATIONS--PREFERRED:
Is a MELA-O Administrator (QMA).
TERMS:  BTU, Group I