Colorado Nonprofit Association

K3 Elementary Literacy Tutor – Positions across CO!

Organization Overview: Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) is an educational nonprofit organization with a statewide scope. CYC addresses barriers to learning by providing individualized supports throughout pivotal stages of students’ education journeys. We provide a continuum of services from Prekindergarten through high school to help students find success through tutoring, case management, and outreach to help in-school youth remain in school or out-of-school youth return to school. We envision an equitable education system where each student has access to the resources they need to maximize their own learning and growth.

Organizational Evolution: Over the past two and a half years, CYC has stepped up to lead education recovery efforts due to the pandemic, not only expanding its reach to more school districts and students but also tripling its budget and learning how to deploy resources quickly. This is an exciting time to join the team, as the organization has grown, developed a new mission and vision, created a three-year strategic plan, and positions itself to respond to many incredible opportunities to support students.  

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Colorado Reading Corps is an AmeriCorps program with the mission of ensuring that all students in Colorado are reading proficiently by the end of third grade. Colorado Reading Corps is replicated from the successful Minnesota Reading Corps. The Reading Corps program combines the power of national service with literacy science to deliver proven approaches that help struggling learners transform into confident students – something that translates into all areas of their lives.

Because Reading Corps tutors are in schools full-time, they are providing consistent, daily tutoring, which is why this model has a greater impact on student success. Tutors commit to a term of service and receive rigorous training plus ongoing expert literacy coaching throughout the year. With the use of rich data assessments, they ensure their efforts produce the desired results – helping children achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

POSITION SUMMARY

This is an AmeriCorps service member position within an AmeriCorps program, Colorado Reading Corps. The K-3 Elementary Literacy Tutor is placed at one elementary school to provide supplemental practice to children in kindergarten through third grade to develop their reading skills. The tutor will use scripted, evidence-based literacy interventions as guided by coaches and will conduct weekly 1-minute assessments to ensure each student is on track to read at grade level.

Students make the most progress when you are there, so our tutors serve during school hours and are needed for the entire school year. The position is full-time (35- 40 hours per week), with school breaks and holidays off. This position begins on October 16th,2023 and ends on May 31st, 2024.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Early Literacy Intervention and Assessment

• Identify students who qualify for Reading Corps tutoring services based on a Reading Corps designed assessment with direction from Coaches.
• Conduct one-on-one tutoring sessions with students using scripted, evidence-based literacy interventions provided by Reading Corps; achieve a high degree of fidelity to the scripted interventions.
• Assist students in improving their reading skills and abilities to reach grade level expectations.
• Provide opportunities for family literacy involvement for Reading Corps students, including implementing the Reading Corps family engagement literacy intervention – Read at Home! (RAH!).
• Develop and maintain a weekly tutoring schedule for students which maximizes the number of students served (approximately 15-18 sessions daily) and maximizes the weekly dosage of 20-minute reading sessions for each student.
• Assess, with a high level of accuracy, students’ continual progress using tri-annual benchmark assessments and ongoing progress monitoring assessments.
• Provide complete, accurate, and timely documentation of students’ weekly progress scores and interventions using an online database; maintain confidentiality of all student data.
• Regularly review student data with Coaches to gauge the effectiveness of the literacy intervention being used and determine if a change in strategy is necessary.
• Participate in coaching sessions (includes observation of tutor); act on constructive feedback from coaching sessions.
• Attend all required Reading Corps-sponsored training sessions, meetings, and coaching sessions, including peer professional development/cluster meetings, and member meet-ups; travel as necessary.

Communication

• Communicate and interact with students in an age and developmentally appropriate way.
• Build professional relationships and communicate regularly with classroom teachers and Coaches regarding student schedules, interventions, student progress, etc.
• Communicate effectively with Reading Corps staff and school site personnel.
• Complete and maintain hours plan to ensure completion of service hours in collaboration with Coaches and Program Staff.
• Complete additional tasks as part of an action or professional development plan as assigned by Coaches, or Program Staff.

HOURS AND TERM OF SERVICE

Members are required to serve full-time (35-40 hours a week), during a typical school schedule. Daily hours are usually within the time frame of 7:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. However, this can be flexible depending on the needs of the site and/or the member. Members?have off during school breaks or holidays when the students are not in school. Members may attend site-sponsored activities (e.g., family night).

This schedule format will help you meet your 900 hour requirement between October 16th, 2023 and May 31st, 2024. Members are required to commit to the full term of service. Members are required to participate in regular team meetings via Zoom. On August 14th, members will begin their term of service with two weeks of orientation via Zoom, and begin in their school after completing training.

MEMBER TRAINING

Members will participate in a two-week onboarding training at the beginning of their service term. Currently, all of orientation is completed online. Members will participate in Zoom meetings, interactive trainings, and self-directed learning projects. During orientation, members will be trained on equitable student support, individualized student support strategies, mandated reporting, data entry, and more. Members will complete their Reading Corps Institute training during orientation. Members will participate in ongoing professional development trainings facilitated by CYC staff and through community partners of CYC at least twice per month. Members will also participate in professional development opportunities at their service sites which vary depending on the site.

SERVICE LOCATION

CYC AmeriCorps members will be placed at one school during their term of service. Placement will be determined based on the preferences of the member, needs of the member and the needs of the school. Typically, member location and mode of transportation are the biggest consideration. Although members are placed at one school, there will be regular opportunities to connect as a larger team with your fellow Reading Corps members. Service locations sites are located throughout the state of Colorado.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• 17 years or older by start date (17-year-olds must have guardian permission)
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
• Have a high school diploma or G.E.D
• Not have served more than the allowed number of AmeriCorps terms previous to this term.
• Submit to a full background check, including a sex offender registry check, state criminal history registry check, and FBI fingerprint-based check. This position has recurring access to vulnerable populations and selection is contingent upon satisfactory results of these checks.
• Speak, read, and write English fluently
• Basic computer skills, including the ability to navigate online systems and email.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Interest in education, specifically helping children develop early literacy skills.
• Dedication to community service.
• Strong planning and time-management skills.
• Strong capacity to be flexible and adaptable to varied circumstances, paired with a conscientious commitment to adhere to the Reading Corps tutoring model with fidelity.
• Consistent follow-through.
• Ability to accept and incorporate constructive feedback from coaches and program staff.
• Ability to work with diverse identities.
• Ability to adapt to a sometimes challenging and high-pressure environment.

Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) is committed to inclusion and prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, national origin, age 40 and over, religion, disability, or any other applicable status protected by federal, state or local law.

We will make reasonable accommodation for otherwise qualified individuals with known disabilities or whose service requirements interfere with a religious belief unless doing so would result in an undue hardship or a direct threat to CYC. Please contact Human Resources at 303.292.2779 to request accommodation or for questions/concerns regarding this policy.