Reading Support Specialist

Description

The Reading Support Specialist provides direct reading intervention services to students across GEO’s Baker school. The specialist works with individual students and small groups to address specific reading skill gaps, strengthen foundational literacy skills, and support measurable progress toward reading proficiency.

This position supports the delivery of reading interventions across the school by maintaining a consistent intervention schedule, monitoring student progress, and collaborating with teachers and school leaders to align support with student needs. The majority of the specialist’s time is devoted to direct student instruction and related planning and assessment.

Direct Reading Intervention

• Provide targeted reading interventions to individual students and small groups through scheduled pull-out or classroom-based support, as appropriate.
• Deliver explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension based on assessed student needs.
• Use school-approved, evidence-based intervention programs and materials consistently, adjusting instruction within program guidance in response to student progress.
• Prepare focused lessons with clear skill goals, guided practice, corrective feedback, and opportunities for students to apply and retain learning.
• Create a supportive learning environment that builds student confidence, engagement, and persistence in reading.

Intervention Planning and Schoolwide Support

• Collaborate with teachers and school leaders to identify students needing reading intervention and prioritize support based on assessment data and instructional needs.
• Organize flexible intervention groups and maintain a coordinated schedule that provides students with consistent access to planned support across the school.
• Develop intervention plans that identify targeted skills, instructional strategies, frequency, duration, and measurable goals.
• Prepare and organize intervention materials and maintain records of student participation and services delivered.

Assessment and Progress Monitoring

• Administer school-approved reading screeners, diagnostic assessments, and progress-monitoring measures to identify skill gaps and track growth.
• Maintain accurate records of assessment results, intervention goals, instructional adjustments, and student progress.
• Review student performance regularly and adjust lessons, groupings, pacing, and intensity of support in collaboration with the instructional team.
• Identify students making limited progress and participate in problem-solving meetings to determine additional supports or next steps.
• Provide timely updates to teachers and school leaders regarding student growth, ongoing needs, and intervention effectiveness.

Collaboration and Professional Responsibilities

• Communicate regularly with classroom teachers about students’ reading needs, intervention goals, and progress to support continuity between intervention and classroom instruction.
• Coordinate with special education staff and other support personnel to align reading interventions with students’ learning needs and existing support plans.
• Participate in student support and data-review meetings as part of the school’s multi-tiered system of supports.
• Partner with teachers to communicate student progress and practical at-home reading strategies to families.
• Maintain student confidentiality, follow GEO policies and procedures, and participate in professional learning related to reading intervention.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in education, literacy, or a related field required.
• Experience teaching reading or delivering reading interventions, with demonstrated success supporting students who struggle with reading.
• Knowledge of foundational reading skills, the science of reading, and explicit, systematic instructional practices.
• Ability to use reading assessment data to plan instruction, monitor progress, and adjust student support.
• Knowledge and experience with DIBELS
• Strong student management, communication, organization, and collaboration skills.
• Experience with small-group instruction and evidence-based reading intervention programs preferred.
• Reading specialist certification or endorsement and advanced training in reading intervention preferred.

Indicators of Success

Success will be measured through growth in students’ targeted reading skills, consistent implementation of intervention plans, effective use of progress-monitoring data, and increased teacher skill and independence in delivering reading interventions.