Early Literacy 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 structured literacy certification (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 begins day one.
- Nature-based school integrating structured academics with outdoor adventure programming
Most reading specialists work only with students who have already fallen behind. You've believed throughout your career that this approach is fundamentally backwards — that evidence-based reading instruction should be universal, not reserved for those who triggered an intervention flag. If this conviction shapes your teaching practice, continue reading.
Waypoint Academy is a nature-based school where mornings focus on rigorous academics and afternoons feature archery, survival training, and exploration of the Texas Hill Country. Your responsibility is the morning component: delivering small-group structured literacy instruction that advances every K-2 student in phonics, decoding, fluency, and writing. You design the lessons. You analyze the data. You regroup and modify instruction dynamically. The remainder of your day involves coaching students through adaptive learning applications, cultivating the relationships that ensure every student reaches 100% of their app-based targets. No scripted curriculum. No pull-out intervention model. You own literacy outcomes for the entire cohort.
You're joining a small, recently established school. That means you're constructing the literacy program from the ground up, not inheriting an existing one. As student enrollment expands, you'll determine how structured literacy scales across new cohorts and additional grade levels. If you want a stable position with established procedures, this isn't it. If you want to demonstrate that every child can learn to read more effectively when instruction is designed specifically around them, this is the role.
What you will be doing
- Delivering small-group structured literacy workshops: systematic phonics, decoding, fluency, and early writing for all K-2 students, not limited to those identified for intervention
- Evaluating student performance data from adaptive applications and running records to reorganize groups and modify instruction between sessions
- Providing one-on-one and small-group coaching through adaptive learning software, developing relationships that drive goal attainment
- Creating your own lesson plans grounded in structured literacy principles, customized to each group's current proficiency and progression rate
- Integrating occasional outdoor or hands-on activities to reinforce literacy concepts when they authentically enhance learning outcomes
What you will NOT be doing
- Developing IEPs or managing pull-out schedules with classroom teachers. Every student is your direct responsibility.
- Passively monitoring students on learning applications. You actively coach them toward goal completion, not observe them navigate screens.
- Remaining in a traditional classroom all day. Students engage in outdoor activities during afternoons, so your literacy instruction is concentrated and high-intensity.
- Grading large volumes of worksheets — adaptive software manages practice volume and progress monitoring, allowing you to concentrate on direct instruction.
Key responsibilities
Accelerate reading and writing development across all K-2 students through structured literacy instruction and adaptive learning tools.
Candidate requirements
- Bachelor's degree in any subject
- Master's degree in reading instruction OR structured literacy certification such as Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading System, IMSE, CERI, LETRS, Neuhaus, or UFLI. One of these is required, not optional.
- 2+ years of full-time K-2 structured reading instruction using systematic phonics in a school or clinical setting, within the last 5 years
- Experience designing your own reading lessons, and you can describe what you teach and how without referencing a published program
- Willing to work in-person at Waypoint Academy, Dripping Springs (Austin area), TX
- Willing to work with all K-2 students (not just struggling readers) and use AI-powered adaptive learning tools daily
- Legally authorized to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship
Nice to have
- Experience with multiple structured literacy frameworks (e.g., Orton-Gillingham and UFLI) with a clear rationale for when each applies
- Measurable reading gains across a full cohort, not just intervention caseloads. You can name the metrics and the numbers.
- Familiarity with adaptive reading platforms (Lexia, Amira, Reading Eggs, or similar) and using their data to drive instructional decisions
- Experience in non-traditional school settings: micro-schools, outdoor education programs, Montessori, or similar environments
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