Earth & Space Science Teacher - Upper School

Job Description

Title: Science Teacher

Division: Upper School (US)

Location: Making Waves Academy Richmond

Reports To: Assistant Principal

Status: Full-time, Exempt, CalSTRS Retirement Eligible (During the Academic Year)

Position Summary

The role of the Upper School Science Teacher is to develop and implement effective instruction in the courses they teach that engage students while also creating a safe, supportive, and rigorous learning environment within the classroom.  Making Waves Academy (MWA) teachers are also expected to collaborate with colleagues, and, lesson and unit plan to help students meet and exceed proficiency in content standards. Teachers are expected to actively engage and participate in culture building, including but not limited to the classroom, lunch and recess/break supervision, and hallway norm expectations. Teachers are also expected to invest and engage in the work of developing a results-oriented, data-informed, collegial, and productive, team-oriented approach to the work.

Primary Responsibilities

Instruction

• Teach courses in Modern Physics, Chemistry, Earth & Space, Biology, and/or Health Science
• Create effective, best practice, and MWA-compliant unit and lesson plans aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Common Core, and California State curricular standards; these lesson plans and unit plans are differentiated and designed to engage and challenge students
• Execute a formalized student management plan that is aligned with the MWA student management system.
• Integrate literacy and writing during instruction
• Differentiate instruction according to varied learning styles, including child cognitive and social development

Assessment

• Create and consistently use Formative and Summative Assessments that embed and provide students practice for unit tests, finals, and standardized tests such as the PSAT, SAT, and SBAC
• Manage a formalized student and parent engagement plan that details engaging students and parents, as well as provides metrics to measure growth and development, socially and academically, on a quarterly basis
• Design a wide range of performance assessments aligned with lesson plans, instruction, unit objectives, MWA pacing guides and California state standards
• Administer, analyze and reflect upon quantitative and qualitative student data (school wide benchmark data and classroom data) to inform instructional practice

Additional Responsibilities and Expectations

Mission Alignment

• Communicate with, teach and build relationships with staff, faculty, students, and their families in the culturally and linguistically diverse MWA community.
• Commitment to become an active participant in the school community – attend weekly division-specific professional development sessions, school performances, school assemblies, extracurricular activities, and field trips if needed.

Other

• In addition to the core class, instruct students with foundational coursework in an alternate class setting (“Marlin Hour”) and advise a group of students (“Advisory”)—responsibilities include: 1-1 check-ins, advisory family conferences, SAT/ACT preparation lessons, community circles, and post-secondary plan support, as applicable.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Work Environment

This job operates in a classroom environment. This role routinely uses standard classroom equipment such as art-related supplies, laptop computers, photocopiers, whiteboards, and Chromebooks.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to adhere to the following:

• Frequently walk across the middle and upper school campus.
• Participate in campus supervision duty each week – Monday through Friday frequency may vary based on the supervision assignment each semester.
• Lift files, open filing cabinets, bend or stand on a stool as necessary, and sit for long periods.

Travel

Some travel is required for MWA-related events, such as workshops or conferences.

Qualifications

Experience

• Teaching experience is desirable, but related work experience may be considered
• Experience working with students and families from historically underserved communities
• Dedication, commitment, and resilience to succeed in an urban public school
• Ability to create lesson plans
• Familiarity with reading and analyzing data
• Previous mentorship experience desirable
• Understanding and ability to implement restorative justice practices
• Strong understanding of California’s A-G college readiness requirements

Skills

• Highly effective communication skills
• Ability to design and revise authentic, culturally relevant, standards-based lesson plans for high school students
• Ability to adapt and align with school-related initiatives
• Highly organized, goal-oriented, and focused on outcomes
• Ability to design a wide range of performance assessments aligned with lesson plans, instruction, unit objectives, MWA pacing guides, NGSS and California state standards
• Ability to communicate with, teach and build relationships with students and their families in the culturally and linguistically diverse MWA community
• Understanding of technology and literacy learning platforms (PowerSchool, Canvas, Blackboard, Google Drive and Calendar, Kahn Academy, Newsla, Zinc/Springboard, etc.)
• Professional orientation – appearance, communication, organization, and attitude

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• California Single Subject Teaching Credential in the subject area or current/eligible enrollment in a CTC-approved program required
• English Learner Authorization Certificate - CLAD/BCLAD or current/eligible enrollment in a CTC-approved program required
• Passing scores on CBEST and CSET required
  • Read here for information on the alternate options to meet the CBEST requirement: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/options-bsr
• California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Certificate of Clearance (COC) required
  • Read here for more information: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/certificate-of-clearance-(cl-900)

Preferred

• Advanced Degree desirable
• Spanish language proficiency preferred but not required
• Strong desire to work in a team-first setting where colleagues hold one another accountable and support one another to be at their best in lesson preparation and instruction

Reasonable Accommodation
Consistent with its obligations under the law, MWA will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Equal Employment Opportunity Is Our Policy

Making Waves Academy is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the School to afford equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to their perceived or identified: race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyle, including but not limited to braids, locks, and twists); color; gender, (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender identity, whether or not the employee is transitioning or has transitioned); sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to such); religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices); marital/registered domestic partner status; age (forty (40) and over); national origin or ancestry (including native language spoken and possession of a driver’s license issued to persons unable to prove their presence in the U.S. is authorized by federal law); physical or mental disability (including HIV and AIDS); medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics); taking of a leave of absence pursuant to the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), Pregnancy Disability Leave (“PDL”) law, Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), California Family Rights Act (“CFRA”), the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”), or laws related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking laws; genetic information; sexual orientation; military and veteran status; or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy extends to all job applicants and employees and to all aspects of the employment relationship, including the hiring of new employees and the training, transfer, promotion, discipline, termination, compensation and benefits of existing employees. For a full copy of our non-discrimination policy, visit: https://bit.ly/mwapublicnotices