EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING NEEDED:

• Must hold a valid Washington State Teaching Certificate. Strong background in English Language Arts including an endorsement in Language Arts at the elementary or secondary level.
• Work as a team player and maintain positive working relationships with staff, parents and students
• Preference given to candidates who have actual teaching experience with highly capable students
• Bilingual/bicultural Spanish/English applicants encouraged to apply
• Coursework, training, and experience in teaching exceptional children, especially those with advanced academic abilities and/or those children who are twice exceptional
• Knowledge of teaching English Language Learners, especially those who are underrepresented in highly capable programs
• Exemplary communication skills - writing, email, presentation, conferencing - with parents of highly capable students
• Ability to create and modify existing curriculum to meet the needs of accelerated learners
• Ability to manage a classroom where students’ instructional needs are divergent and individualized
• Utilize curriculum compacting, workshop model and computer/internet sources to meet the wide range of students’ academic needs
• Demonstrated skills to work with students with unique social and emotional needs
• Knowledge of middle school and high school accelerated courses and provide assistance in counseling parents and students for proper placement.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Teaching 6th - 8th grade accelerated ELA courses
• Provide professional development for teachers assigned to accelerated classes in ELA, math and science for the purpose of differentiation of instruction and acceleration of curriculum.
• Responsible for at least one after school activity involving highly capable students
• Organize appropriate field trips for highly capable students
• Organize MS High Cap Parent/Student events and meetings, including correspondence
• Assist advisory teachers, counselors and classroom teachers with social/emotional needs of the high cap students
• Oversee program development, grant budgeting, and programming in compliance with the OSPI High Cap Grant
• Work with High Cap Program Director and Middle School Counselors to assess new students and to place identified students into Middle School highly capable classes.
• Provide proper documentation to the High Cap Program Director for grant purposes
• Work with high school counselors to place identified students into appropriate high school courses, especially in accelerated programming