Title: Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Qualifications:

• Individual must hold a valid Louisiana Teaching Certificate, meeting the requirements listed in the Louisiana Standards for State certification of school personnel, Bulletin 746, Part Ill, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, and X.
• Minimum requirements as stated in SDE Bulletin 746 (as revised)
• Qualifications should not be established for the individual but rather for the position

Reports To: Principal
Supervises: Students
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary Range: See Lafourche Parish School Board Salary Schedule

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

DOMAIN 1: INSTRUCTION

1. Standards and Objectives

a. All learning objectives and state content standards*, and their connection to student work expectations, are explicitly communicated and understood by students.
b. Objectives and expectations are aligned to the depth and rigor of the state standards; lesson content is aligned to the objectives of the high-quality instructional materials.
c. Sub-objectives/Prerequisite skills are aligned and logically sequenced to the lesson’s major objective.
d. Students make connections between learning objectives and (a) what they have previously learned, (b) know from life experiences, and/or (c) knowledge of other disciplines.
e. Expectations for each student’s performance are clear, demanding, and high, and student work is aligned to state content standards and learning objectives.
f. Students are able to articulate what they are learning and why and explain those to their peers.
g. Learning objectives are displayed and referenced throughout the lesson with explanations.
h. Student work shows evidence that each student is progressing or demonstrating mastery of the objective(s).

*National or Local Standards may be used when state standards are not available for specific courses.

2. Motivating Students

a. The teacher consistently organizes the content, including high-quality curriculum resources, so that it is personally meaningful, relevant, and intellectually engaging to students.
b. The teacher consistently develops learning experiences where inquiry, curiosity, and exploration are valued.
c. Students are consistently engaged in their own learning, and the teacher reinforces students’ initiative to learn more.

3. Presenting Instructional Content

Presentation of content always includes:

a. visuals, including student work exemplars, that establish the purpose of the lesson, preview the organization of the lesson, and include internal summaries of the lesson;
b. examples, illustrations, analogies, and labels for new concepts and ideas;
c. modeling by the teacher or student that demonstrates an accurate understanding of the content and meets performance expectations;
d. criteria that clari?es how students can be successful;
e. concise communication;
f. logical sequencing and segmenting;
g. all essential information; and
h. no irrelevant, confusing, or nonessential information.

4. Lesson Structure and Pacing

a. The lesson starts promptly.
b. The lesson’s structure is coherent, based on the content, and organized to meet students’ needs, with time for re?ection to ensure student understanding.
c. Pacing is brisk, adjusted for rigor of content and individual student learning expectations.
d. Students’ individual needs are attended to, and pacing provides many opportunities for individual students who progress at different learning rates.
e. Students understand and engage in classroom routines and transitions to ensure
ef?cient use of time.

5. Activities and Materials
Activities and materials include all of the following:

a. Content:

• support the lesson objectives;
• are challenging;
• elicit a variety of thinking;
• provide time for re?ection; and
• are relevant to students’ lives.

b. Student-centered:

• sustain students’ attention;
• provide opportunities for student-to-student interaction;
• evoke student curiosity and suspense; and
• provide students with choices when appropriate and aligned to the learning objectives.

c. Multiple materials:

• incorporate additional standards-based resources where appropriate to support individual and whole group understanding (e.g., visuals, multimedia, technology, manipulatives, resources from museums, cultural centers, etc., when not available in the high-quality instructional materials).

d. In addition, sometimes activities are game-like, involve simulations, require creating products, and demand self-direction and students are continuously self-monitoring as appropriate to enhance learning.

6. Questioning

a. Teacher questions are varied and high-quality, providing an appropriate mix of question types based on content:

• knowledge and comprehension;
• application and analysis; and
• creation and evaluation

b. Questions are consistently purposeful and coherent.
c. The frequency of questions consistently engages students in the rigor of the content and in critical thinking.
d. Questions are consistently sequenced with attention to the instructional goals.
e. Wait time (3-5 seconds) is consistently provided.
f. Students regularly respond to a variety of teacher questions (e.g., whole-class signaling, choral responses, written and shared responses, or group and individual answers).
g. All students are actively answering questions and engaging with the teacher or each other to share their perspectives.
h. Students generate questions that lead to further inquiry and self-directed learning.

7. Academic Feedback

a. Oral and written feedback is consistently academically focused, frequent, and high-quality.
b. Feedback is frequently given during guided practice, throughout the lesson, and during review of independent work assignments.
c. The teacher circulates during instructional activities to prompt student thinking, assess each student’s progress based on student work expectations, and provide individual feedback.
d. Feedback, both verbal and non-verbal, from students is regularly used to monitor and adjust instruction.
e. Students give speci?c and clear feedback to each other based on the teacher’s
expectations.

8. Grouping Students

a. The instructional grouping arrangements (whole class, small groups, pairs, or individual) consistently maximize student understanding and learning ef?ciency.
b. Teacher sets clear expectations that are understood by students.
c. In an instructional group, each student takes responsibility for their individual role, tasks, and group work expectations so they can have meaningful and productive collaboration.
d. In an instructional group, each student assumes accountability for completing group work and individual work.
e. Instructional group composition is varied to best accomplish the goals of the lesson.
f. Students set goals, re?ect on, and evaluate their learning in instructional groups.
g. When provided the choice or independence, students make responsible decisions about how to group themselves.

9. Teacher Content Knowledge

a. Teacher displays extensive content knowledge and understanding of both state standards and high-quality instructional materials, including their adopted or approved curriculum, for all the subjects they teach.
b. Teacher consistently implements a variety of subject-speci?c instructional strategies to enhance student content knowledge.
c. Teacher consistently highlights key concepts and ideas and uses them as the basis to connect other powerful ideas.

10. Teacher Knowledge of Students

a. Teacher practices display understanding of each student’s anticipated learning abilities and needs.
b. Teacher practices consistently incorporate student interests and backgrounds.
c. Teacher consistently provides differentiated supports and strategies to ensure students have the opportunity to master grade-level standards.

11. Thinking

a. Students are actively engaged in multiple types of thinking:

• analytical thinking, where students analyze, compare and contrast, and evaluate and explain information;
• practical thinking, where students use, apply, and implement what they learn in real-life scenarios;
• creative thinking, where students create, design, imagine, and suppose; and
• research-based thinking, where students explore and review a variety of ideas, models, and solutions to problems.

b. The teacher and/or students model metacognitive strategies.
c. Students are provided opportunities to:

• Generate a variety of ideas and alternatives;
• analyze problems from multiple perspectives and viewpoints; anD
• monitor their thinking to ensure they understand what they are learning, are attending to critical information, and are aware of the learning strategies they are using and why.

12. Problem-Solving

a. Students engage in activities that reinforce several of the following problem-solving types:

• Abstraction
• Categorization
• Drawing conclusions/justifying solutions
• Predicting outcomes
• Observing and experimenting
• Improving solutions
• Identifying relevant/irrelevant information
• Generating ideas
• Creating and designing

DOMAIN 2: PLANNING

1. Instructional Plans
Instructional plans include:

a. evidence of the internalization of the plans from the high-quality curriculum;
b. measurable and explicit objectives aligned to state standards and aligned high-quality curriculum, both in content and in rigor;
c. activities, materials, and assessments that:

• are aligned to state standards; content, including high-quality curriculum; and success criteria;
• are sequenced and scaffolded based on student need;
• build on prior student knowledge, are relevant to students’ lives, and integrate other disciplines as appropriate; and
• provide appropriate time for student work, student re?ection, and lesson closure;

d. evidence that the plan is appropriate for the age, knowledge, and interests of all learners;
e. evidence that the plan provides regular opportunities to accommodate individual student needs; and
f. strategies for student autonomy and ownership.

2. Student Work

Assignments are:

a. always aligned to the rigor and depth of the standards and curriculum content.
b. always aligned to the lesson’s objective and include descriptions of how assessment results will inform future instruction.

Students:

c. organize, interpret, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information rather than reproduce it;
d. draw conclusions, make generalizations, and produce arguments that are supported through extended writing; and
e. connect what they are learning to experiences, observations, feelings, or situations signi?cant in their daily lives, both inside and outside of school.

3. Assessment
Assessments:

a. are aligned with the depth and rigor of the state standards and content, including curriculum resources;
b. are designed to provide feedback on progress against objectives;
c. use a variety of question types and formats to gauge student learning and problem-solving;
d. measure student performance in more than three ways (e.g., in the form of a project, experiment, presentation, essay, short answer, or multiple-choice);

DOMAIN 3: ENVIRONMENT

1. Expectations

a. Teacher engages students in learning with clear and rigorous academic expectations and actively uses aligned and differentiated high-quality materials and resources to ensure access to learning.
b. Students regularly learn from their mistakes and can describe their thinking on what they learned.
c. Teacher creates learning opportunities where all students consistently experience success.
d. Students lead opportunities that support learning.
e. Students take initiative to meet or exceed teacher expectations.
f. Teacher optimizes instructional time to ensure each student meets their learning goals.

2. Engaging Students and Managing Behavior

a. Students are consistently engaged in behaviors that optimize learning and increase time on task.
b. Teacher and students establish commitments for learning and behavior.
c. Teacher consistently uses, and students reinforce, several techniques (e.g., rewards, approval, contingent activities, consequences, etc.) that maintain student engagement and promote a positive classroom environment. 
d. Teacher consistently recognizes and motivates positive behaviors and does not allow inconsequential behavior to interrupt the lesson.
e. Teacher addresses individual students who have caused disruptions rather than the entire class.
f. Teacher quickly attends to disruptions with minimal interruption to learning.

3. Environment
The classroom:

a. welcomes all students and guests and provides a safe space for all students to take risks and interact with peers.
b. is clearly organized and designed for and with students to promote learning for all.
c. has supplies, equipment, and resources easily and readily accessible to provide opportunities for all students.
d. displays current student work that promotes a positive classroom environment.
e. is arranged to maximize individual and group learning and to reinforce a positive classroom environment.

4. Respectful Conditions

a. Teacher-student and student-student interactions consistently demonstrate caring, kindness, and respect for one another and celebrate and acknowledge all students' backgrounds.
b. Teacher seeks out and is receptive to the interests and opinions of all students.
c. Positive relationships and interdependence characterize the classroom.

DOMAIN 4: PROFESSIONALISM

1. Growing and Developing Professionally

a. The educator is prompt, prepared, and participates in professional learning and teacher collaboration meetings, bringing student artifacts (student work) when requested.
b. The educator appropriately attempts to implement new learning in the classroom following professional learning and teacher collaboration meetings.
c. The educator develops and works on a plan for new learning based on an analysis of school improvement plans and new goals, self-assessment, and input from the teacher and school leader observations.
d. The educator participates in self-re?ection and growth by selecting speci?c activities, content knowledge, or pedagogical skills to enhance and improve his/her pro?ciency.

2. Reflecting on Teaching

a. The educator makes thoughtful and accurate assessments of his/her lessons’ effectiveness, as evidenced by the self-re?ection after each observation, and offers speci?c actions to improve his/her teaching.
b. The educator accepts responsibilities contributing to school improvement.
c. The educator utilizes student achievement data to address the strengths and weaknesses of students and guide instructional decisions.

3. School Involvement

a. The educator supports school activities and events.

4. School Responsibilities

a. The educator accepts responsibility and/or assists peers in contributing to a safe and orderly school environment.
b. The educator adheres to system and school policies.
c. The educator keeps timely and professional records.

METHOD OF EVALUATION
The combination of the applicable measure of growth in student learning and the qualitative assessment of performance competencies and standards shall result in a composite score used to distinguish levels of overall effectiveness.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Other duties may be assigned.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, speak, hear, and sometimes sit. Occasionally, the employee will bend or twist at the neck more than the average person. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 50 lbs. such as boxes of books and AV carts.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, such as to read handwritten or typed material, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment described here is representative of which an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to a noise level in the work environment, which is moderate to loud.

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position, and additional duties may be assigned.

  *MAX SALARY / Per Year is contingent on possessing a doctoral degree at 30 years of employment