Director of Secondary Education at Chicopee Public Schools

Title: Director of Secondary Education
Type: Independent Contract
Salary: $120,000
Reports To: Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability

Objective: The position of Director of Secondary Education is responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of the secondary academic program and plays a lead role in helping to create and nurture learning environments in which each learner is known, accepted, valued, challenged, and on a pathway of college and career readiness.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
1. Serves as a leader and general resource person in matters relating to secondary curriculum development and evaluation
2. Establish structures and programs that create learning environments in which developmentally appropriate learner voice, choice, and mindsets matter
3. Support standards- and competency-based grading practices
4. Ensure that the academic curriculum across all secondary areas/courses is aligned with state standards and district-wide curriculum expectations.
5. Lead and facilitate the documentation of a scope and sequence and curriculum map for each course offered and manage updates/revisions as necessary
6. Spearhead the utilization of data to inform instructional strategies while overseeing the management of data team expectations and timelines.
7. Manage a cyclical curriculum review process for all content areas
8. Research, evaluate and recommend the purchase of high quality instructional materials
both print and online ensuring that materials celebrate the contributions of members of
diverse populations and present information from divergent points of view
9. Support implementation of curricular materials in a manner consistent with district goals
and objectives, in concert with secondary principals and the Assistant Superintendent of
Instruction and Accountability
10. Assist in the design and implementation of systems to assess student achievement and
monitor progress against clearly defined learning benchmarks/goals for all students with
a particular focus on subgroups
11. Generate and manage internal assessment schedules, logistics, and reporting
12. Support all educators to employ multiple assessment strategies including the effective
use of feedback, formative assessment practices and the use of summative
assessments (e.g. performance assessments, curriculum-embedded assessment,
computer-adapted assessments, and student self- and peer-assessment)

13. Define and assist in the implementation of tiered instructional strategies to address
diverse student needs, ensuring differentiated support and strategies at various levels of
instruction to maximize student growth and achievement.
14. Foster teacher leadership within grade-level and content teams
15. Identify and alter any structures, systems or practices that foster low expectations and/or limit accessibility to academic opportunities specifically with an eye on historically
marginalized subgroups including English language learners and students with disabilities
16. Collaborate with the Special Education department to strengthen inclusive teaching practices
17. Ensure articulation between and among grade 6-12 curriculum across classrooms and
schools and the program of studies
18. Reviews, researches, prepares and disseminates information pertaining to trends in
curriculum development, extended learning programs, and intervention programs

Professional Development:
1. Assist in the development and the implementation of the district Professional Development Plan
2. Support instructional coaches in training and orienting new staff members to the district’s
instructional models, curricular and assessment systems, and instructional priorities
3. Recommend and develop professional development opportunities for teachers with a
strong emphasis on meeting the needs of diverse learners
4. Keep current regarding research-based trends in curriculum and pedagogy through
ongoing research, participation in professional development activities, and membership
in professional organizations

Educator Evaluation:
1. Evaluate Curriculum and Instructional Specialists
2. Co-evaluate instructional coaches as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability and Principals
3. Deliver actionable feedback about instructional quality and other professional practices via coaching approaches
4. Conduct classroom observations in collaboration with coaches and building leadership for the purpose of monitoring vertical and horizontal alignment to grade level standards and district expectation, and accessible teaching strategies

Other:
1. Prepare and justify program area budget recommendations
2. Oversee timely dissemination of assessment results to administration and ensure effective use of those results to foster higher student growth and achievement of all students
3. Other duties as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability

Required Minimum Qualifications:
1. Minimum of five years of successful grade 6-12 classroom teaching experience
2. Minimum of three years of principal/assistant principal experience
3. MA Department of Education Principal/Assistant Principal certification, Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent certification, preferred
4. Demonstrated experience and expertise working with multilingual learners and students with disabilities
5. Skilled in preparing written documents and presentations and formatting data reports

ADA & Minimum Qualifications to Perform Essential Job Functions:

• Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, copiers, adding machines, etc. Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, and pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Must be able to stand, crouch and bend over for a long period of time at intervals throughout the day.
• Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or composite characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
• Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments or directions to subordinates or assistants.
• Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, newsletters, schedules, manuals, invoices, requisitions, menus, recipes, journals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, evaluations, procedures, charts, surveys, articles, bid specifications, brochures, news releases, handbooks, budgets, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
• Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal, accounting and marketing terminology.
• Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the principles of algebra and geometry.
• Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
• Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.
• Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
• Interpersonal: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.
• Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words) and hear (perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone.