HS Learning Support Specialist

Employer: Concordia International School Shanghai

Location: Shanghai, China

• Degree, license, or endorsement in Special Education
• Masters or advanced degree, preferred

• Minimum 2 years successful full-time teaching experience in a Special Education/Learning Support program with relevant age/grade levels.

• Experience working successfully in an international school setting with a culturally diverse population, preferred.
• Familiarity with the American educational system- Common Core Standards and Individuals’ w/ Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• Experience with Teacher’s College (TC) Workshop and/or willingness to go to a TC Summer Institute, preferred.
• Experience with classroom inclusion practices, preferred.
• Experience with intervention models and practices.
• Experience with developing/working with a gifted and talented program, preferred.

• Demonstrate a passion for teacher and student success.
• Committed to teamwork and collaboration both within and across divisions. 
• Encourage teachers, help them develop their competencies, and introduce them to new resources and methods to facilitate student learning and differentiate for individual learning styles.  
• Provide professional development to individual teachers, grade-level teams, and/or special learning opportunities. 
• Be considered by colleagues as the go-to person for questions related to assigned areas.
• Be a highly skilled teacher grounded in knowledge of content and current best practice strategies related to teaching and learning.
• Understand how to interpret assessments related to special education programs 
• Understand specific disabilities and how to develop specialized plans to meet specific learning needs.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the developmental needs of students in the age group he/she is serving.
• Knowledge of and experience in using a variety of assessments and applying differentiated learning techniques.
• Plan differentiated lessons according to a student’s academic and ability levels, teach targeted intervention lessons, assess, and report on student progress using a progress monitoring system.
• Work with students alongside of teachers in the classroom and direct students in activities.
• Effective communicator within a diverse community, both orally and in writing. 
• Emotionally intelligent, able to balance ambition with humility and effectively build relationships.  
• Demonstrates commitment to school improvement. 
• Work collaboratively with individual teachers and grade level teams.
• Desire and ability to design, create and present professional development opportunities to support schoolwide goals. 
• Ability to quickly attain proficiency in required technology (e.g. PowerSchool, Teams, Canvas, Atlas Rubicon, Microsoft Suite), preferred.
• Has understanding and experience in working with an MTSS or RTI process, preferred.

• Planning and Preparation
  • Demonstrate knowledge of current trends in specialty area and professional development
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the school’s program, and levels of teacher skill in delivering that program
  • Establish goals for the instructional support program appropriate to the setting and the teachers served
  • Demonstrate knowledge of resources, both within and beyond the school 
  • Plan the instructional support program, integrated with the overall school program
  • Develop a plan to evaluate the instructional support program
• The Environment
  • Create an environment of trust and respect
  • Establish a culture for ongoing instructional improvement
  • Establish clear procedures for teachers to gain access to instructional support 
  • Establish and maintain norms of behavior for professional interactions
• Delivery of Service
  • Collaborate with teachers in the design, of and in some cases teaching, instructional units and lessons
  • Engage teachers in learning new instructional skills 
  • Share expertise with staff e.g., through teaching model lessons, presenting workshops, facilitating study groups
  • Locate resources for teachers to support instructional improvement
  • Demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness
• Professional Responsibilities
  • Reflect on practice
  • Coordinate work with other instructional specialists
  • Participate in a professional community 
  • Engage in professional development
  • Show professionalism, including integrity and confidentiality
• Qualities of an Effective Instructional Specialist
  • Model Christ’s teachings through interpersonal skills, respectful relationships and problem solving.
  • Establish collaborative relationships with all staff, students, and parents.
  • Integrate the school curriculum with the schoolwide learner outcomes (SLO).
  • Support curricula established by the school.
  • Ensure that personal professional goals are established and completed each year.

• As a school grounded in the Christian faith, we hire Christian teachers and administrators. Concordia seeks to hire candidates who are able to model Christ’s teachings through interpersonal skills, respectful relationships and problem solving, are interested in the complex questions of faith and spirituality, and are keen to learn and interact with others of different faith traditions.
• Establish collaborative relationships with all staff, students, and parents.
• Engage parents and students in meaningful discussions about student growth and achievement.
• Commit and contribute to the school community—play an active, positive, and supportive role in addressing the needs of the whole child and the ethos of Concordia beyond the classroom. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Leading extra-curricular activities (ECAs) during the school year
  • Leading a student club
  • Leading a service project
• Integrate the school curriculum with the school-wide learning outcomes (SLOs).
  • Insightful Learners
  • Effective Communicators
  • Reflective Spiritual Beings
  • Principle-Centered Leaders and Team Members
  • Active Global Citizens
• Teach the curricula established by the school.
  • Complete all aspects of the standard-based curriculum for the current teaching assignment.  
  • Select and use school-approved teaching strategies and classroom resources.
  • Work collaboratively in refining curriculum.    
• Set continuing professional growth goals and take advantage of opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Additional employment expectations:  
  • Promote a commonly held English learning vision for the school (i.e. “All teachers are language teachers.”) and contribute to the development of the P-12 ELL program.
  • Assist subject teachers with development of their competencies with respect to the concept that “All teachers are language teachers.”
  • Provide in-class language support for students alongside their subject teachers. 
  • Plan differentiated lessons according to student language levels for both targeted English language learning (i.e., pull-out) but also for learning in-class in the subject areas. 
  • Collaborate with ELL specialists and subject teachers over professional learning/development connected to school-wide goals, including leading professional development activities when required.
  • Provide English learning support for all community members in assigned areas, including being a first point of contact for parents where required.
• Other duties as assigned.

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