Specials Teacher

Valence College Prep, a growing 5th-8th grade charter school in Queens, seeks a dedicated educator for the position of Middle School Specials Teacher in one of the following subject areas: studio art, music, or dance. Valence College Prep opened in Fall 2019, now educating 220 fifth and sixth graders and expanding by one grade per year to a full size of 448 scholars in the fall of 2022. We continue to build our founding team of passionate, adaptive, and detail-oriented educators united behind our mission - to equip each of our students with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to graduate from college.

Job Summary

As a school, our first core belief is that excellent instruction yields strong academic performance. Our teachers have the most important job in our school, and our program is designed for teachers to be given the tools and support to thrive as classroom leaders every day. A founding fifth grade teacher will teach four periods per day, driving students toward mastery of the New York State standards in their subject. S/he will also co-teach Advisory, Reading Circle, and Tutorial, providing supports that scholars need to excel. All teachers report to the Head of School and will participate in weekly collaboration, coaching, and professional development to maximize their positive impact on our scholars.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare Valence College Prep curricular materials to execute lesson plans at a high level every day
  
• Implement Valence College Prep”s classroom routines and operational procedures to provide a consistent experience and expectations for scholars
  
• Provide scholars with frequent and accurate academic and behavioral feedback
  
• Participate actively in frequent professional development, coaching, and collaboration, and promptly implement coaching feedback into teaching practice
  
• Communicate weekly with families
  
• Collect and analyze multiple forms of scholar achievement data for purposes of targeting intervention, guiding instructional next steps, and improving practice
  
• Collaborate with special education teachers and Dean of Student Support to provide accommodations for the success of scholars with special needs
  
• Step in as a teacher leader on ad hoc tasks and projects when necessary to support and build a strong school environment
  

Key Competencies & Qualifications

• Unwavering high expectations for all scholars and a belief that all children deserve access to a college education
  
• Positivity and enthusiasm for the potential of every scholar
  
• Ability to lead a classroom where excellence is expected and cultivated in 100% of scholars
  
• Strong communication, organization, and on-the-fly problem solving skills
  
• Capacity and passion to grow every day based on data and feedback from coach and peers
  
• Bachelor”s degree required
  
• Minimum two years of urban teaching preferred
  
• New York State teacher license/certification preferred
  
• Dual certification in Special Education or TESOL preferred
  
• Proficiency in technological tools, including Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drive (or equivalents)