Career Center

The Harker School, a private TK - 12, located in San Jose, CA seeks qualified applicants for a full-time, benefited position as a Learning Specialist at our Lower School.

Position Summary

This highly specialized practitioner is responsible for the overall coordination, oversight, monitoring, and remediation of student support services. The K-5 Learning specialist works closely with the Assistant Head of School, Academic Affairs, the lower school division heads and counselors, parents, classroom teachers, and outside professionals. This practitioner will also work closely with the 6-12 learning specialists to ensure consistency of practices, procedures, accommodations, and instructional learning plans.

The K-5 learning specialist possesses significant knowledge of learning and social/emotional disabilities, the ability to interpret test results of cognitive, achievement, and learning and social/emotional disability diagnostic tests, knowledge of legal standards in compliance with state and federal laws, and an understanding of diverse teaching strategies across the curriculum.

This essential resource helps lower school students understand their unique learning needs and assists teachers in working with them. The K-5 learning specialist identifies students needing accommodations, reviews psychological/ neuropsychological evaluations completed by private specialists, develops strategies to meet the needs of identified students and plans for any necessary accommodations (Accommodation Plans), and designs professional development for new and veteran teachers regarding learning needs, coordinates meetings with families and teachers to discuss accommodations and recommendations, coordinates out of school tutors and faculty, and provides student remediation as necessary.

Essential Functions

1. Participate in regular meetings with division heads and counselors to consult on academic issues and to determine which needs the learning specialist needs to address firsthand.
2. At the counselors or administration's request, observe students displaying academic or behavioral difficulties in grades K through 5 to assess their learning strengths and challenges.
3. Provide informal pre- and post-assessments of individual children as the need shows or as requested by counselors or administration.
4. Meet with students regularly to teach learning strategies and skills, such as test-taking and organizational skills.
5. Assist students with accessing and utilizing individualized accommodations at school.
6. Develop instructional learning plans with long-term goals and specific objectives for identified students, including the recommendation of in-school or outside resources.
7. Initiate and attend parent conferences as needed.
8. Coordinate and facilitate communication between student, family, school, and other professionals.
9. Consult with teachers, parents, administration and outside professionals regarding students' special learning needs and prescribe modification plans, strategies and materials for classroom and home interventions.
10. Maintain confidential student records and keep accurate documentation of sessions, meetings and other communications appropriate to ethical and professional standards.
11. Assist teachers with understanding psycho-educational evaluations and developing practical classroom applications for the recommendations made in those evaluations.
12. Provide consultation services to school staff and parents to assist them in understanding and supporting students academic needs.
13. Act as advocate for children having learning difficulties by collecting and coordinating prior assessment data and other relevant information to provide a year-to-year follow-through for classroom teachers and parents.
14. Maintain a school resource binder detailing community support resources for children with learning difficulties to be used by the administration, parents and teachers.
15. Provide in-service staff training opportunities as appropriate.
16. Consult with the Admissions Director regarding student testing, acceptance, and placement as needed.
17. Pursue ongoing professional development to stay abreast of the latest research in learning and teaching.
18. Attend all faculty meetings. Attend grade level and cycle meetings when appropriate.
19. Send all accommodation reports to the Assistant Head of School, Academic Affairs for approval before reviewing them with parents and teacher. This ensures consistency of accommodations K-12.
20. Coordinate with the 6-12 Learning Specialists to make sure reports given to parents and teachers reflect parity. Send all 5^th grade reports to the 6-12 learning specialists so that s/he can update as needed, at the same time marking sure there is consistency K-12.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Earned doctorate in Psychology or related filed, or have a license in a learning specialist related area such as being a licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP), Board Certified Educational Therapist(BCET), or Educational Therapist/Professional (ET/P)
• The K-5 learning specialist possesses significant knowledge of learning and social/emotional disabilities, the ability to interpret test results of cognitive, achievement, and social/emotional disability diagnostic tests, knowledge of legal standards in compliance with state and federal laws, and an understanding of diverse teaching strategies across the curriculum.
• Displays proficiency in all related computer applications
• Ability to successfully learn, navigate, and use Harkers internal programs and systems.

About The Harker School

The Harker School is a coeducational, nonsectarian, college preparatory school serving TK through grade 12. Harker has three campuses (lower, middle, and upper schools) located within minutes of San Jose. For more than 100 years, Harker's mission has remained constant: to create an environment that promotes academic excellence, inspires intellectual curiosity, expects personal accountability, and forever instills a genuine passion for learning. We are tremendously proud of our century-old tradition of excellence in education and the international recognition our students, faculty, and programs have earned. We believe the best way to prepare our students is to provide the best academic and extracurricular programs possible. Harker provides a challenging and balanced education. The Harker experience comprises the following cornerstones: students and families, teachers, curriculum, and the learning environment, including inspiring facilities. The Harker School is in the Santa Clara Valley of California. We enjoy 300-plus days of sunshine per year, a perfect climate to take advantage of our beautiful mountain ranges, great for hiking, camping, and biking. We’re just a short driv...e to Santa Cruz, where one can enjoy being by the ocean and among the beautiful redwood trees. Santa Clara is home to a variety of startup companies and tech giants. We are fortunate to live in a diverse community with various socioeconomic backgrounds, religious beliefs, and cultural identities.

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Connections working at The Harker School