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Interim Lower School Learning Support Specialist


Careers At Sidwell Friends School

Welcome to the Human Resources Department at Sidwell Friends School. Sidwell Friends prides itself in offering a high quality educational experience to those who will lead the next generation. To that end, we are seeking qualified individuals with the knowledge, skills and abilities to enhance the student experience at Sidwell Friends. We encourage you to review the job postings below and to contact us for additional information.

Interim Lower School Learning Support Specialist Department: Lower School Location: Bethesda, MD
Position Start Date: July 2021
Status: Full-Time


Sidwell Friends, a coeducational Quaker day school, seeks an interim Learning Specialist for its Lower School division, grades PK-4, in Bethesda MD. The role of the Learning Specialist is to identify and support students who learn differently and to create and implement clear intervention plans that ensure each child’s learning and growth.

The successful candidate should take an asset-based approach to student support, be attuned to equity issues, and have a strong background in learning differences, particularly dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and Executive Functioning challenges. Strong candidates should have deep knowledge of a range of testing/screening instruments, be able to read and interpret educational testing, and have diagnostic expertise.

The Learning Specialist also provides direct support in classrooms, including targeted small group work, individual instruction, and in-class observations and support. Experience with Orton Gillingham based interventions is preferred. The candidate should be collaborative and adept at working with faculty to integrate supports into the classroom setting. The candidate should have a Master’s Degree in Special Education, Literacy, Curriculum and Instruction or something comparable.

Other areas of focus for the position include:

Student Assessments: The Learning Specialist works closely with teachers to collect and analyze school-wide data, including reading, writing, phonics/spelling, and math and oversees our CTP-5 annual testing program.

Coordination of Student Support: The Learning Specialist is responsible for building out and maintaining a tiered system of student support that includes both internal and external support. They are responsible for creating student learning plans for students, tracking growth over time, monitoring response to intervention and meeting regularly with the student-team (teacher, parent, etc.) to ensure that the support is comprehensive. They meet regularly with classroom teachers to ensure that accommodations are in place for the child and that expected growth is being made.

Outside Support: The Learning Specialist is responsible for coordinating testing, tutoring, and other outside supports and maintains productive communication between all outside support and the School. In addition, they maintain a list of outside referral resources for families.

This position is designed to sit as part of the LS administrative team, working closely with the LS Principal, the LS Assistant Principal, and Counselor, to move the School forward in areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and equity work. This is a campus-based position and requires working with students and faculty/staff in person. This 11-month staff position begins July 1, 2021.

Interested candidates should upload a resume, cover letter, graduate-level transcript, and contact information for three references via our online application.

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