21/22 Gap Year Service Opportunity: Elementary Literacy Tutor (Northern CO)
Organization Overview
Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) is an educational nonprofit organization with a statewide scope. CYC’s mission is to solve Colorado’s dropout crisis. CYC provides 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. Reading Corps is the first step along that continuum 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.
Nationally, the Reading Corps program is a breakthrough AmeriCorps program that is changing academic outcomes for thousands of students. With more than 1,900 tutors serving in 12 states and Washington D.C., Reading Corps is helping more than 40,000 students each year become successful readers. It 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 the schools full-time, they are providing consistent, daily tutoring, which is the reason 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
The Elementary Literacy Tutor is placed at an elementary school to provide supplemental practice to children in kindergarten through third grade to develop their reading skills. The elementary literacy tutor will use scripted, evidence-based literacy interventions as guided by his or her coaches and will conduct assessments to ensure each student is on track to read at grade level. This is an AmeriCorps service member position with the AmeriCorps program, Colorado Reading Corps.
Essential Functions
Early Literacy Intervention and Assessment
- Conduct one-on-one or paired tutoring sessions with students using scripted, evidence-based literacy strategies provided by Reading Corps; achieve a high degree of fidelity to the scripted strategies.
- Assist children in improving their reading skills and abilities to reach grade level expectations.
- Develop and maintain a weekly tutoring schedule which maximizes the number of students served (approximately 15-18 sessions daily) and allows each child to receive daily 20-minute reading tutoring sessions using prescribed literacy strategies.
- Assess, with a high level of accuracy, students’ continual progress using tri-annual benchmark assessments and ongoing progress monitoring assessments.
- Identify students who qualify for Reading Corps tutoring services based on a Reading Corps designed assessment with direction from coaches.
- 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 strategies being used and determine if a change in strategy is necessary.
- Participate in regular coaching sessions (includes observation of tutor) to review student progress, plan, problem-solve, and set goals; act on constructive feedback from coaching sessions.
- Provide opportunities for family literacy partnership for Reading Corps students, including implementing the Reading Corps family engagement literacy skills practice - Read at Home! (RAH!).
Communication
- Communicate and interact with students in an age and developmentally appropriate way.
- Communicate regularly and effectively with coaches, Reading Corps staff and site personnel.
Attendance
- Demonstrate regular, timely attendance and adherence to hours as scheduled.
- Commit to service for the full service term, serving the total commitment of hours (1,200 for tutors starting in the fall, reduced terms with proportionate benefits may be offered to tutors starting later in the school year) within the term.
- Participate in all required Reading Corps sponsored training sessions, meetings, and coaching sessions, including peer professional development/cluster meetings, and member meet-ups; travel as necessary.
Secondary Functions
- Represent Reading Corps at site-sponsored activities (e.g., family night) and provide education about Reading Corps and general literacy awareness.
- Attend service projects, as applicable, commemorating September 11, 2001, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Cesar Chavez Day. These may include occasional evening and/or weekend hours.
- Collaborate with other program participants to complete group service projects.
- 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.
- Complete Service Reflections, success highlights, and other outreach activities.
Training Requirements
- AmeriCorps Orientation
- Reading Corps Institute
- Mandated Reporter Training
- Additional training and coaching provided on a monthly basis throughout program year
Benefits
- Living allowance of $618.42 pretax distributed semi-monthly up to $11,750 for the service term
- Eli Segal Education Award of up to $4,441.50 for the 1200 hour term (for tutors starting Aug-Early October), $3,172.50 for the 900 hour term (starts later in the fall), and $2,417.14 for the 675 hour term (starts January)
- Transit assistance for service related travel outside of normal commute (in the form of mileage reimbursement or public transit assistance)
- Federal Loan Forbearance
- Ongoing professional development
Minimum Qualifications
- Must be 18 years of age or older by start date.
- Must have at least a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent by start date.
- Must be either a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.
- Must pass mandatory pre-service background check.
- Must not have served 4 or more prior terms of service with AmeriCorps State or National.
- Speak, read, and write English fluently.
- Interest in education, specifically helping young children develop early language and literacy skills.
- Dedication to community service.
- Basic computer skills, including the ability to navigate online systems and email.
- Energetic, results-oriented, student-focused style.
- 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 personalities.
- Ability to adapt to a sometimes challenging and high-pressure environment.
- Strong personal standards of excellence, ethics, and integrity.
For additional information on the benefits provided and commitment required, please visit http://youthforachange.org/services/colorado-reading-corps/
CYC and Colorado Reading Corps 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.
CYC and Colorado Reading Corps 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/Reading Corps. Please contact Human Resources at 303.292.2779 to request accommodation or for questions/concerns regarding this policy.