Literacy Consultant, Regional Professional Development Center, 82283

Hiring Department

Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) - part of the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences

Job Description

The Regional Professional Development Center at the School of Education has a new opportunity to serve as a Literacy Consultant. This is a professional position involving planning, developing and coordinating efforts designed to improve the quality of literacy instruction and associated skills in local public school districts and assist their efforts to improve student performance.

• Assist, as requested, in development of training and coaching materials regarding best practice for effective literacy acquisition (and skills related to spelling, writing, speaking and listening), instruction, and intervention aligned with the science of reading for all students, but especially for students who are struggling readers.
• Assist, as requested, in development of training and coaching materials regarding best practice for effective assessment practices (universal screening, progress monitoring, and assessment to inform instruction and intervention) aligned with the current state of scientific research and evaluation of instruction and intervention effectiveness for all students, but especially for students who are struggling readers.
• Organize and conduct high-quality training, coaching, and technical assistance in the area of the five components of literacy instruction; phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension, as they relate to reading, spelling, writing, speaking and listening.
• Organize and conduct high-quality training, coaching, and technical assistance to school districts to promote awareness and implementation of best practice for effective literacy acquisition, instruction and intervention aligned with the science of reading.
• Organize and conduct high-quality training, coaching, and technical assistance to school districts regarding best practice for effective assessment practices (universal screening, progress monitoring, and assessment to inform instruction and intervention) aligned with the current state of scientific research and evaluation of the effectiveness of these systems.
• Participate in collaborative planning meetings within RPDC, other regional literacy consultants and DESE staff as requested.
• Engage in activities to stay informed on current research related to best practice literacy acquisition, implementation, intervention, and assessment.
• Participate in collaborative planning meetings with other literacy consultants within and across regions.
• Assist DESE with the collection of data for statewide analysis.
• Attend and actively participate in statewide monthly resource, support, and training meetings, as designated by the DESE master calendar and direction from the Literacy Coordinator.
• Report data and consultant activities by the 5th day of each month using a DESE provided system.
• Serve as a mentor for new consultants.
• Attend regional and national conferences, as requested by DESE.
• Other duties and functions as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with science of reading and associated instructional, intervention, and assessment practices.
• Preferred training in LETRS series, as indicated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
• Three years of successful experience working with students who struggle with literacy acquisition.
• Three years of classroom experience and elementary or secondary content-specific teaching certificate are required.
• Understanding of significant research in the field of reading and the ability to apply the findings to the improvement of instruction.
• Understanding of practices within and implementation of core components within a multi-tiered system of support.
• Understanding of effective high quality professional development (HQPD) standards for adult learners.
• Ability to express complex ideas to a variety of audiences clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Ability to manage diverse activities and meet established deadlines.
• Ability to establish and maintain rapport and effective working relationships with department staff and local school district personnel.
• Ability to analyze complex educational problems and develop feasible solutions.

Full Time/Part Time

Full-time, benefit eligible

Benefits Summary:

• Health, Vision, Dental options, available first day of employment.
• Paid Time Off: Vacation, Sick Leave, Personal Days, Winter Break (Dec. 26th – Dec. 31st), and 9 Holidays
• Retirement Savings Plan with University Match
• Employee Educational Assistance and Tuition Reduction (75% Education Discount)* at UMKC and other UM System Schools (Missouri University, University of Missouri – St. Louis and at Missouri S&T)
• Employee Spouse/Dependent Educational Assistance and Tuition Reduction (50% Education Discount)* at UMKC and other UM System Schools (Missouri University, University of Missouri – St. Louis and at Missouri S&T)

Salary

$47,476 - $58,000 commensurate with experience, education, and internal equity

Application Deadline

Application review begins April 7th, 2023

Position will continue to accept and review applications until role is filled.

Application Instructions

Applicants must combine all application materials (cover letter, resume, and list of five references with contact information) into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment.

Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.).

If you are experiencing technical problems, please call (800) 488-5288.

Note, you must provide a description of job duties for each Work Experience entry on your application. Please carefully review the application instructions section of our Careers page prior to submitting your materials.

Comments

Physical requirements - must be able to lift 25 lbs.
This position may be required to travel in-and out-of-state

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor - Human Resources at 816-235-1621.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the duties and functions of this job. If you believe you may have difficulty performing any of the duties or functions of this job, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action at (816) 235-1323.

EEO IS THE LAW

To read more about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) please use the following links:

• EEO is the Law English Version
• EEO is the Law Spanish Version
• EEO is the Law Chinese Version

UMKC Statement on Diversity

Diversity, equity and inclusion are central to the UMKC mission as an urban-serving institution. Kansas City is a particularly diverse city, including African, African American, Asian, German, Irish, Italian, Latino, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Native American and Slavic communities. Such ethnic diversity, in addition to our thriving neighborhoods of the Westside, Northeast Kansas City and the Eastside, fosters creativity, connection and innovation, which is showcased across the region. Major attractions such as the Annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Filipino Cultural Center, the American Jazz Museum, Guadalupe Centers and Mattie Rhodes and Kansas City Irish Fest are a small sample of the many ways our diverse city enriches us.

For the reasons enumerated above, UMKC’s strategic plan prioritizes our commitment to multiculturalism, globalism, diversity and inclusion. The university’s values call upon its faculty, staff, students and community to position themselves as global citizens who seek out, embrace and celebrate the many benefits of diversity. UMKC received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award in 2019 in recognition of our continued commitment to equity and inclusion. Such commitment is demonstrated across teaching, service and research. We welcome applicants to share in our commitment to these core values and know that you will quickly understand the beauty of calling Kansas City your home.

Please visit these pages to learn more about UMKC’s engagement in diversity, equity and inclusion .

Roos Advocate for Community Change

The Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Annual Report

Multicultural Student Affairs

Benefit Eligibility

Why UMKC?

We offer full benefits that start day one, generous paid time off, paid winter break, and continuing education benefits. Visit our Total Rewards page to learn more.

Also, explore the Total Rewards website to learn more about the rewards package we offer to acknowledge our employees as the university's most important r esource.