Elementary Reading Specialist $100,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
Required: Master's in reading instruction OR certification in structured literacy (Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, IMSE, CERI, LETRS, Neuhaus, UFLI, or equivalent)
- On-site at Waypoint Academy, Dripping Springs (Austin area), TX. Relocation assistance provided.
- $100,000 annual salary, distributed weekly. Full health, dental, and vision coverage beginning day one.
- Nature-based school integrating rigorous academics with outdoor adventure programming
Most reading specialists work only with students who have already fallen behind. You've spent your career believing that approach is backward — that Science of Reading principles should be accessible to every child, not reserved for those who've already triggered intervention protocols. If that conviction shapes your instructional practice, continue reading.
Waypoint Academy operates as a nature-based school where mornings focus on structured academics and afternoons shift to archery, survival training, and exploration of the Texas Hill Country. Your responsibility centers on the morning block: delivering small-group structured literacy instruction that advances every K-2 student in phonics, decoding, fluency, and writing. You create the lessons. You analyze the data. You regroup and adjust instruction dynamically. The remainder of your day involves coaching students through adaptive learning platforms, cultivating the relationships that ensure every student reaches 100% of their app-based objectives. No packaged curriculum. No pull-out intervention model. You own literacy outcomes for the entire student cohort.
You're entering a small, growing school. That means you're constructing the literacy program from the ground up, not inheriting an established system. As the school expands, you'll determine how structured literacy scales across additional cohorts and grade levels. If you're seeking a fixed role with predictable routines, this position isn't suitable. If you want to demonstrate that every child can learn to read more rapidly when instruction is designed specifically for them, this is the opportunity.
What you will be doing
- Delivering small-group structured literacy instruction: systematic phonics, decoding, fluency, and foundational writing for all K-2 students, not limited to those identified for intervention
- Reviewing student performance data from adaptive platforms and running records to reorganize groups and modify instruction between instructional blocks
- Providing one-on-one and small-group coaching through adaptive learning software, developing relationships that motivate goal achievement
- Creating original lessons grounded in structured literacy principles, customized to each group's present skill level and learning velocity
- Integrating selective outdoor or experiential activities to strengthen literacy concepts when they authentically improve learning outcomes
What you will NOT be doing
- Authoring IEPs or managing pull-out intervention schedules with classroom teachers. The entire student body is your responsibility.
- Monitoring students passively while they use learning apps. You engage them actively to ensure goal completion, not observe them navigating screens.
- Operating within a conventional classroom all day. Students transition outdoors in the afternoon, so literacy instruction is condensed and intensive.
- Correcting stacks of worksheets — adaptive software manages practice volume and tracks progress, allowing you to concentrate on direct teaching.
Key responsibilities
Drive reading and writing advancement for all K-2 students through structured literacy teaching methods and adaptive learning platforms.
Candidate requirements
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline
- Master's degree in reading instruction OR certification in structured literacy such as Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading System, IMSE, CERI, LETRS, Neuhaus, or UFLI. One of these credentials is mandatory, not suggested.
- 2+ years of full-time K-2 structured reading instruction utilizing systematic phonics in a school or clinical environment, completed within the last 5 years
- Demonstrated experience creating your own reading lessons, and you can articulate what you teach and your instructional approach without citing a commercial program
- Available to work on-site at Waypoint Academy, Dripping Springs (Austin area), TX
- Prepared to work with all K-2 students (not exclusively struggling readers) and employ AI-powered adaptive learning tools on a daily basis
- Authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring visa sponsorship
Nice to have
- Proficiency with multiple structured literacy methodologies (e.g., Orton-Gillingham and UFLI) with an articulated rationale for selecting each framework
- Documented reading achievement gains across an entire cohort, beyond intervention-only caseloads. You can identify the assessment measures and the results.
- Working knowledge of adaptive reading platforms (Lexia, Amira, Reading Eggs, or comparable tools) and leveraging their analytics to inform instructional choices
- Background in alternative school models: micro-schools, outdoor education initiatives, Montessori, or similar contexts
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