Academic Specialist English Social Studies

Job Description 1. ELA Instructional Coaching

• Serve as IOTA’s primary instructional coach for ELA teachers across all campuses at the middle and high school levels, including all ELA courses and literacy-focused content.
• Provide consistent, high-quality observation and feedback cycles to ELA teachers, using the coaching model to support gradual release of instructional responsibility and reflective practice.
• Strategically plan and facilitate Intellectual Preparation (IP) collaboration sessions to build ELA teacher depth in content knowledge, close reading, writing instruction, and standards-aligned pedagogy.
• Promote instruction that meets the demands of the Tennessee and Arkansas ELA Academic Standards through focused observations, co-planning, and differentiated coaching support.
• Model research-based ELA instructional strategies for teachers, including text-based discussion, writing across the curriculum, and evidence-based literacy practices.
• Collaborate with the ESL & RTI Compliance Specialist to ensure ELA instruction is scaffolded appropriately for ELL students and that language development is embedded in literacy instruction.
• Track the instructional growth of every ELA teacher coached, using observation data, assessment results, and teacher self-reflection to document progress and adjust coaching strategies over time.

• Develop and refine Social Studies curriculum unit plans, pacing guides, and instructional resources aligned to Tennessee and Arkansas state standards.
• Set expectations for Social Studies curriculum coverage within each school year across all campuses.
• Develop high-quality, reusable Social Studies instructional resources, including unit plans, document-based inquiry materials, primary source sets, and writing tasks, that teachers can access and implement across all campuses.
• Support Assistant Principals of Instruction in their coaching of Social Studies teachers by providing curriculum resources, content expertise, and instructional guidance as requested.
• Partner with APs of Instruction on Social Studies curriculum implementation fidelity through resource refinement and content support.

• Develop and/or refine ELA curriculum unit plans, pacing guides, and instructional resources aligned to Tennessee and Arkansas state standards.
• Set expectations for ELA curriculum coverage within each school year across all ELA courses, ensuring alignment between pacing, standards, and assessment.
• Collaborate with the Managing Director of Advancement & Academic Affairs to ensure ELA curriculum is integrated into IOTA’s academic platforms, including Common Curriculum and OTUS.
• Develop high-quality, reusable ELA instructional resources, including unit plans, text sets, discussion protocols, and writing tasks, that teachers can access and implement across all campuses.
• Monitor ELA curriculum implementation fidelity through classroom observations and data reviews, refining resources based on teacher feedback and student performance.

• Coordinate the design, scheduling, and quality review of ELA and Social Studies benchmark and interim assessments, ensuring assessments are rigorous, text-based, standards-aligned, and instructionally useful.
• Develop high-quality assessment items and tasks for ELA and Social Studies, including multiple-choice, extended response, and performance tasks, aligned to state testing formats and academic standards.
• Collaborate with the ESL & RTI Compliance Specialist on ELA assessment design to ensure appropriate accommodations and accessibility for ELL students are embedded from the start.
• Analyze ELA and Social Studies assessment and observation data to identify trends, surface instructional gaps, and recommend targeted next steps to teachers, school leaders, and the Managing Director of Advancement & Academic Affairs.
• Train teachers in data analysis practices, supporting PLC cycles that connect assessment results to instructional adjustments.
• Work in conjunction with the Managing Director of Advancement & Academic Affairs to coordinate with the Academic Specialists to ensure the full…