$1,000 Signing Bonus for Certified Teachers

Position Description: K–2 Certified Teacher

Position Title: K–2 Certified Teacher
Reports to: School Director
Position Type: Full-Time
Location: ScholarMade Achievement Place

Position Summary

ScholarMade Achievement Place is seeking skilled, nurturing, and highly effective K–2 teachers who understand that the early elementary years establish the foundation for a child’s future academic success.

The K–2 Teacher is responsible for creating a structured, engaging, developmentally appropriate learning environment where young Scholars build strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, communication, independence, and self-regulation.

A strong candidate understands early childhood development and the Science of Reading, including how children develop phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, automatic word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension.

Equally important is the ability to manage student behavior effectively, establish strong classroom routines, teach age-appropriate expectations, and create an orderly learning environment where instruction is protected and students can thrive.

K–2 teachers must be able to balance warmth with structure, recognize developmental differences among young learners, respond appropriately to student behavior, and maintain high academic expectations.

Primary Responsibilities

Early Childhood Teaching & Learning

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the academic, social, emotional, physical, and developmental needs of children in Kindergarten through 2nd Grade.

• Design learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate without lowering academic expectations.

• Establish predictable classroom routines that help young Scholars develop independence, stamina, organization, and responsibility.

• Use modeling, guided practice, repetition, movement, manipulatives, visuals, oral language, and hands-on experiences to support learning.

• Create a classroom environment that is warm, organized, academically focused, and responsive to the developmental needs of young children.

• Build student confidence and curiosity through purposeful opportunities to talk, read, write, explore, question, and solve problems.

Science of Reading & Foundational Literacy

• Deliver explicit, systematic, and cumulative literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading and ScholarMade’s Achievement Guide.

• Provide daily instruction in foundational reading skills, including:

  • Phonological and phonemic awareness

  • Letter-sound correspondence

  • Phonics

  • Decoding and encoding

  • Word recognition

  • High-frequency words

  • Fluency

  • Vocabulary

  • Oral language development

  • Reading comprehension

  • Writing and written expression

• Understand how students progress from learning sounds and sound-symbol relationships to decoding words, reading connected text, and developing reading fluency.

• Use explicit teacher modeling, guided practice, corrective feedback, and repeated practice to move students toward mastery.

• Recognize early indicators of reading difficulty and respond with targeted instruction and intervention.

• Use decodable and grade-appropriate texts strategically to build accuracy, automaticity, fluency, vocabulary, knowledge, and comprehension.

• Build students’ background knowledge through rich read-alouds, discussion, science, social studies, and content-rich texts.

• Monitor whether students are actually mastering foundational skills rather than relying solely on completion of activities or assignments.

Mathematics Instruction

• Provide explicit, standards-aligned mathematics instruction appropriate to the grade level.

• Develop strong foundations in number sense, counting, place value, operations, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving.

• Use manipulatives, visual models, mathematical discourse, guided practice, and concrete-to-representational-to-abstract learning experiences.

• Help Scholars explain their mathematical thinking and develop multiple strategies for solving problems.

• Identify misconceptions early and provide corrective instruction before gaps become more significant.

• Use student performance data to determine small groups, intervention needs, and instructional next steps.

Science & Social Studies

• Provide age-appropriate Science and Social Studies instruction that builds knowledge, vocabulary, curiosity, and comprehension.

• Use observations, demonstrations, investigations, experiments, texts, discussion, and hands-on learning to develop scientific thinking.

• Connect content-area instruction to literacy by intentionally developing vocabulary, oral language, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and writing.

• Give Scholars opportunities to ask questions, make predictions, explain their thinking, and communicate what they have learned.

Classroom Management & Learning Environment

K–2 teachers must be able to manage a classroom of young children effectively while protecting instructional time.

Teachers are expected to:

• Establish clear classroom expectations, procedures, transitions, and routines beginning on the first day of school.

• Explicitly teach, model, practice, reinforce, and reteach expected behaviors.

• Maintain consistent expectations while responding to students in developmentally appropriate ways.

• Create efficient routines for arrival, dismissal, transitions, centers, small groups, independent work, materials, restroom needs, meals, and movement throughout the classroom.

• Use proactive classroom management practices that reduce disruptions before they interfere with learning.

• Address inappropriate behavior calmly, consistently, and in accordance with ScholarMade expectations.

• Use ScholarMade’s emotional intelligence framework to help students develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, and relationship skills.

• Recognize when behavior may signal an academic, developmental, emotional, or environmental need and work with the appropriate school team to respond.

• Maintain a classroom in which students know what they are expected to do, how they are expected to behave, and what successful learning looks like.

• Build strong relationships with students without sacrificing structure, accountability, or academic expectations.

Small-Group Instruction & Differentiation

• Use assessment data to organize purposeful small groups based on specific student needs.

• Provide targeted foundational literacy and mathematics instruction for students who have not yet demonstrated mastery.

• Differentiate instruction for students performing below, at, and above grade-level expectations.

• Provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery following reteaching or intervention.

• Collaborate with interventionists, Special Education staff, and instructional leaders when students require more intensive support.

Assessment & Student Progress

• Administer required formative, diagnostic, benchmark, and summative assessments with accuracy.

• Analyze student performance by individual student and skill rather than relying only on class averages.

• Maintain current student data and use results to determine instructional groups, reteaching, intervention, and enrichment.

• Identify students who are not making expected progress and respond early.

• Participate actively in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) focused on student work, mastery, instructional practice, and next steps.

• Be prepared to discuss students by name and need and identify the instructional response required for each learner.

Family Partnership

• Maintain regular, professional communication with parents and guardians regarding academic progress, behavior, attendance, classroom expectations, and student needs.

• Build productive relationships with families and communicate concerns early rather than waiting until difficulties become significant.

• Conduct parent-teacher conferences and participate in school events and family engagement activities.

• Provide practical strategies families can use at home to support reading, mathematics, independence, behavior, and school readiness.

Collaboration & Professional Growth

• Collaborate with grade-level teachers, instructional leaders, interventionists, Special Education staff, Culture staff, and school leadership.

• Participate fully in PLCs, coaching, observations, professional learning, and instructional feedback.

• Implement feedback and demonstrate continued growth in instructional practice.

• Participate in professional learning related to the Science of Reading, structured literacy, early childhood development, classroom management, differentiation, and assessment.

• Implement accommodations, modifications, and instructional supports required for students with IEPs and 504 Plans.

Key Competencies

Successful K–2 teachers at ScholarMade demonstrate:

• Strong knowledge of early childhood and early elementary development

• Working knowledge of the Science of Reading and structured literacy

• Strong foundational literacy instructional skills

• Strong classroom management and behavior-management skills

• Ability to establish routines and maintain a structured learning environment

• Ability to provide explicit, systematic instruction

• Skill in teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

• Ability to recognize and respond to early reading difficulties

• Ability to use assessment data to plan instruction and intervention

• Ability to conduct effective teacher-led small-group instruction

• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with young children and their families

• High expectations for every Scholar

• Patience, consistency, responsiveness, and sound judgment

• Ability to balance nurturing relationships with clear boundaries and accountability

• Commitment to continuous professional growth and improved student outcomes

Preferred Qualifications

• Valid Arkansas teaching license or eligibility for Arkansas teacher licensure

• Early Childhood, Elementary Education, or related certification

• Experience teaching students in Kindergarten through 2nd Grade

• Training or demonstrated knowledge in the Science of Reading

• Experience with structured literacy or evidence-based foundational reading instruction

• Experience using screening, diagnostic, and progress-monitoring data to guide instruction

• Demonstrated success establishing and maintaining a productive learning environment for young children

Certified teachers hired for an eligible K–2 teaching position may receive a $1,000 signing bonus.