Grade 3 Teacher 2023-24 - Liberty

Primary Function

To plan, organize and implement an appropriate instructional program, as designated by the School District, in a learning environment that guides and encourages students to develop and fulfill their academic potential.

Supervised By

School Administrator(s)

Essential Functions

Standard – Learner Development

1. Understands how learning occurs—how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop disciplined thinking processes –and knows how to use instructional strategies that promote student learning.
2. Understands that each student’s cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development influences learning and knows how to make instructional decisions and adjustments that take these factors into account.

Standard – Learning Differences

1. Makes appropriate provisions (e.g., variations in time, task demands, communication, assessment, and response modes) for individual students who have particular learning differences or needs.
2. Incorporates tools of language development into planning and instruction, including strategies for making content accessible to English language learners and for evaluating and supporting their development of English proficiency and academic English.
3. Accesses appropriate services and resources to meet specific learning differences or needs of students.

Standard – Learning Environments

1. Organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and attention to actively and equitably engage students in learning.
2. Communicates in ways that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds students bring to the learning community (e.g., appropriate use of eye contact, interpretation of body language and verbal statements, acknowledgement of and responsiveness to different modes of communication and participation).
3. Understands the relationship between engagement and learning and creates learning experiences using strategies that build student self-direction and responsibility for their own learning.
4. Commits to working with students to establish positive and supportive learning environments.

Standard – Content Knowledge

1. Engages students in learning experiences in the discipline(s) they teach that encourage students to understand, question, and analyze ideas from diverse perspectives.
2. Helps students to understand and use academic language meaningfully.
3. Applies major concepts, assumptions, debate, and processes of inquiry that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.
4. Integrates culturally relevant content to build on students’ background knowledge.
5. Maintains working knowledge of student content standards in the discipline(s) s/he teaches.

Standard – Application of Content

1. Engages students in applying disciplinary knowledge to real world problems.
2. Implements relevant learning experiences and authentic assessments incorporating tools and resources to maximize content learning in varied contexts.
3. Develops students’ communication skills in disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts by creating meaningful opportunities to employ a variety of forms of communication that address varied audiences and purposes.
4. Builds student capacity to collaborate in face-to-face and virtual environments through applying effective interpersonal communication skills.
5. Develops and implements supports for student literacy development across content areas.
6. Models collaboration as an essential learning strategy.
7. Facilitates open and flexible learning environments that encourage student exploration, discovery, expression, and collaboration.

Standard – Assessment

1. Designs and/or utilizes formative assessments that match learning objectives with assessment formats to engage learners in demonstrating knowledge and skills.
2. Works independently and collaboratively to examine tests and analyze performance data to understand students’ progress and guide planning.
3. Engages students in understanding and identifying quality work and provides them with effective descriptive feedback to guide their progress toward that work.
4. Models and structures processes that help guide students in examining their own thinking and learning as well as the performance of others.
5. Effectively and ethically uses multiple and appropriate types of assessment data to identify student learning needs and develop differentiated learning experiences.
6. Prepares all students for the demands of particular assessment formats and appropriately modifies assessments or testing conditions for English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who are above or below grade level.
7. Takes professional responsibility for administering all assessments in an ethical manner.
8. Takes professional responsibility for aligning learning goals with instruction and assessment.

Standard – Planning for Instruction

1. Selects and creates learning experiences that are appropriate for curriculum standards, relevant to learners, and based upon research-based principles of effective instruction.
2. Plans how to achieve student learning goals, by choosing appropriate strategies, resources, and materials to differentiate instruction for individuals and groups of students; developing appropriate sequencing of learning experiences; and allowing multiple ways for students to demonstrate knowledge and skill.
3. Evaluates, develops, and implements short- and long-range goals and planning to systematically adjust instruction to ensure successful student learning.
4. Draws upon cross-disciplinary skills to engage students purposefully in applying content knowledge.
5. Accesses and integrates human resources to support student learning (e.g., field and educational experts, curriculum specialists, exceptional education specialists, language specialists, and community organizations).

Standard – Instructional Strategies

1. Evaluates how to achieve student learning goals and uses appropriate strategies and resources to adapt to the needs of individuals and groups of students.
2. Monitors student learning, engages students in assessing their progress, and adjusts instruction in response to student learning needs.
3. Varies his or her role in the instructional process (e.g., instructor, facilitator, coach, audience) in relation to the content and purposes of instruction and the needs of students.
4. Engages students in using a range of learning skills and technology tools to access, interpret, evaluate, and apply information.
5. Listens effectively to students in order to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions and responds appropriately to them.
6. Uses a variety of instructional strategies to support and expand learner communication through speaking, listening, reading, writing, and other media.
7. Asks questions to stimulate discussion that serves different purposes, for example: probing for learner understanding, helping students articulate their ideas and thinking processes, promoting risk-taking and problem-solving, facilitating factual recall, encouraging convergent and divergent thinking, stimulating curiosity, and helping students to question.
8. Uses appropriate strategies to differentiate instruction and engage all students in complex thinking and meaningful tasks.
9. Collaborates with learners, colleagues, families, and the larger community in the design and implementation of learning experiences that are linked to instructional goals.

Standard – Professional Learning and Ethical Practice

1. Engages in meaningful and appropriate learning opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in order to provide all learners with engaging curriculum and learning experiences based on local and state standards.
2. Uses, independently and in collaboration with colleagues, a variety of data to evaluate the outcomes of teaching and learning and to adapt instructional planning and practice.
3. Reflects on his/her personal biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural, ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and create more relevant learning experiences.
4. Advocates, models, and teaches safe, legal, and ethical use of information and technology, including the appropriate documentation of sources and respect for others in the use of social media.
5. Understands laws related to learners’ rights and teacher responsibilities, including those identified in the Standards for Competent and Ethical Performance of Oregon Educators (e.g., educational equity, appropriate education for learners with disabilities, confidentiality, privacy, appropriate treatment of learners, reporting situations of possible child abuse).

Standard – Leadership and Collaboration

1. Takes an active role on the instructional team, giving and receiving feedback on practice, examining learner work, analyzing data from multiple sources, and sharing responsibility for decision making and accountability for each student’s learning.
2. Works with other school professionals to plan and jointly facilitate learning on how to meet diverse needs of learners.
3. Works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
4. Seeks appropriate opportunities to model effective practice for colleagues, to lead professional learning activities, and serve in other leadership roles.
5. Maintains open lines of communication with all District staff to establish and support a positive, professional, and productive work environment.

Additional Functions

1. Upon request, assists in the selection of books, equipment, and other instructional materials.
2. Takes precautions to provide for the health and safety of all students.
3. Takes precautions to secure and protect District material, equipment, and facilities.
4. Participates in activities which are related to school functions and/or the educative process which occur outside the regular school day, in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.
5. Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

1. A valid and current Oregon Teaching License
2. Appropriate endorsement(s) for assigned subject(s) and level(s)
3. Knowledge of child growth and development at each level of instruction
4. Oral and written English language proficiency Work Environment Subject to inside and outside environmental conditions with routine exposure to the weather including seasonal heat and cold. Subject to frequent loud noises in the environment.

Physical Requirements

Hearing and speaking to exchange information; seeing to perform assigned duties; sitting, standing and walking for extended periods of time; dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment; kneeling, bending at the waist, and reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally, to retrieve and store files and materials, and lifting light objects. Strength: Sedentary/Medium – Exert force to 10-25 lbs. frequently, and up to 10 lbs. constantly or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or move objects.