About Schenectady City Schools

With a population of nearly 10,000 students, the Schenectady City School District is one of the largest in the Capital Region. With an incredibly diverse population we are committed to ensuring that all children feel valued, are safe and will learn. We place the highest priority on a culture of equity, ensuring that race, economics, and disability are never predictors of student achievement.  Every child in our district counts and will be supported each step of the way, along the path to graduation.

Instructional Coach Role

This is a fulltime district-wide position will require a high degree of organization, attention to detail and time management. We believe that Instructional Coaches should be able to influence staff to:

• Create higher levels of engagement and consistency of instruction and curriculum implementation aligned with culturally responsive education;
• Increase Differentiated Instruction and use of interventions culturally responsive interventions;
• Use higher quality interventions, use grouping/re-grouping and the diagnostic/prescriptive process;
• Increase the use of formative assessments (by teachers) to adjust instruction according to the lived experiences of students in the classroom;
• Develop and implement an action plan to improve teacher practice and ensure equitable outcomes for students;
• Increase the presence of key indicators of instructional quality (High Leverage Practices and culturally responsive education);
• Increase student engagement at a higher level;
• Improve student achievement at a higher rate of student growth than occurs with non-coached teachers.

As a result of these actions, we believe that net effect of the Instructional Coach positions will be to:

• Increase reading levels through increasing the number of interventions in the classroom;
• Increase ELA and Math proficiency through work with teachers in Data-Driven Instruction;
• Decrease CSE referrals through increased high quality instruction in the classroom and increased interventions used in the classroom;
• Increase DTSDE scores for district goals and school improvement goals.

Instructional Coach Expectations

In order to effect these changes, Instructional Coaches will need to engage in the following actions:

• Design and facilitate district or building professional development at least once every two months
• Employ a structured coaching cycle to move teacher practice
• Review data with all teachers regularly - chart progress
• Prescribe actions that are likely to make movement
• Examine student work product that is producing the data (and help teachers see connection between work and results)
• Professionally developing themselves - getting more expert and bringing that to the building
• Bring collaborative teams together to plan for children
• Communicate between district and building...development, initiatives, goals, etc.
• Making informal observations, providing feedback and helping to co-plan in response, modeling
• Help teachers improve practices

Instructional Coach Qualities

• Approaches instruction with an equity and culturally responsive mindset;
• Ability to challenge the thinking of others;
• Data-driven mindset;
• Willingness to take risk in the service of learning;
• Put students first;
• Professional, adaptable, creative and innovate;
• Ability to coach others on high impact instructional practices;
• Hardworking and personable;
• Excellent interpersonal skills in order to work with personnel at various levels in the organization, such as administrators as well as students, staff and faculty;
• Ability to work on a team and to establish and maintain effective working relationships;
• Ability to work independently.

Minimum Qualifications

1. New York State Certification
2. Teacher Leader Microcredential Badge preferred

Selection Process

1. Central Process - Qualify to be a coach
2. Interview Process
3. Minimum years in Schenectady (approximately 5 years) & tenured
4. Simulated Work
5. Data set - action plan

The Schenectady City School District is committed to hiring members of protected classes and residents of the City of Schenectady. For more information on the District’s recruitment and hiring plan, please contact the Human Resources Office at 881-2000 ext. 40133. The Schenectady City School District does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race or gender.  This policy is in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Regulations and By-Laws of the Board of Education of the Schenectady City School District.