Instructional and Curriculum Coordinator
Starting August 2010, full-time salary position
(this position will be funded part-time, contractually for January to July 2010)
Must be fluent in spoken and written Mandarin
Opening in August 2010 in Denver Colorado, the Denver Language School (DLS) will offer a K8 full immersion program focused on excellent academic preparation for all students. Families
will choose either the Mandarin or the Spanish Immersion Program. DLS will open with
kindergarten, first and second grades and add one grade each year until eighth grade. The core
academic day will be from 8 am to 3 pm daily, with an extended day program from 3 pm to 5 pm
daily. Classroom teachers will teach during the core academic day and will have stipend
opportunities to work in the extended day program or to support curriculum, newsletter and web
page translation.
DLS seeks a highly-motivated, professional Instruction and Curriculum Coordinator, a position
central to the administration of the school. The ICC will serve in a position similar to that of
Vice-Principal. DLS faculty members will enjoy a collaborative environment, financial support
for professional development and immersion conference and workshop attendance, and a voice
in materials and textbook choices for the school.
The Instructional and Curriculum Coordinator’s responsibilities include the following:
 Instructional Leadership—
o Facilitating the development of the school curriculum, particularly the
development of the language arts components of each program language and any
translation needed. Ensure the completion of the teacher-developed arts and social
studies curricula (prior to opening);
o Facilitate the development of two Mandarin/Chinese assessments: an early
reading assessment that is analogous to the Developmental Reading Assessment
2, and a content assessment for each core content area, analogous to the Aprenda
(to begin in third grade) (prior to opening);
o Together with the school Head of School, regularly review achievement data with
staff and use the information to target student interventions, consider program
changes and to improve instruction across the school, and communicate—via the
Instructional Leadership Team—with the Governing Board through presentations
and written reports regarding school progress towards school goals;
o Commit to the immersion nature of the school by limiting the use of English in
school signs, materials orders, instruction and/or conversation;
o Know the name of every student and their own personal ‘story’;
o Reinforce a school culture of academic excellence, high expectations for student
learning and a celebration of diversity;
o Assist Mandarin program staff in planning culturally relevant celebrations,
including but not limited to: Chinese New Year, Moon Festival, Lantern Festival,
Spirit Festival, Double Seventh and Double Nine;
o Together with the Head of School, establish instructional norms. (including a
print rich environment with no English print, an active word wall, leveled
classroom libraries, engaging science and mathematics activities and a concerted
effort to incorporate technology);
o Together with Instructional Leadership Team, organize fund raising initiatives
and contribute to grant writing efforts; and
o Oversee the recruitment, hiring, organizing and evaluation of tutors and activity
supervisors for the extended day program.
 Faculty and staff support and evaluation—
o Support professional learning communities amongst the teachers;
o Model commitment to Professional Learning Communities by participating in one
with the instructional leadership team (the Head of School, Instructional and
Curriculum Coordinator and Business Director);
o Web Site: Together with the Head of School and the Business and Development
Director, maintain the school’s web page, with a focus on the information
regarding instruction, curriculum and assessments. Also, contribute to the web
page a page recruiting academic tutors and activity supervisors. Assist teachers in
adding individual classroom pages, in both English and the program language, for
students and families, including regular homework updates, upcoming parent
meetings, and teacher materials wish lists.
o Provide occasional substitute coverage as needed;
o Participate on hiring interviews and help to inform recruiting and hiring decisions
together with the Head of School;
o Reinforce and support the Head of School’s professional development plan while
simultaneously providing feedback on its utility for improving instruction;
o Regularly observe teaching (especially in the Mandarin program) and meet
consistently with teachers to review instruction planning, delivery and
assessment, with a focus on one of the program languages; and
o Collaborate with the school Head of School on teacher evaluations.
 Assessment—
o Oversee the administration of all assessments—both formative and summative;
o Act as a liaison with state in the administration of the CSAP;
o Order and schedule the SOPA, Aprenda, and duplicate the internally developed,
in collaboration with the Center for Applied Linguistics, Mandarin Assessment;
o Organize professional development for teachers regarding the administration of
each assessment and the data each can provide.
 Other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
 Teaching experience in a Mandarin instruction setting; preferred: at least three years
teaching elementary content in Mandarin and/or administration experience in a Mandarin
instruction setting.
 Experience developing Mandarin curriculum and/or assessments and in choosing
appropriate materials to support learning in Mandarin.
 Experience observing and evaluating instruction.
 Familiarity and experience with US national content standards (for elementary grades)
and Foreign Language Standards; preferred: familiarity and experience with Colorado
content standards (for elementary grades), foreign language standards and/or National
Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards.
 US Teaching license or certificate, preferably as an elementary teacher.
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Experience working with a racially diverse, low-income population.
Fluency in Mandarin
Excellent spoken and written English for presenting orally and in writing to a variety of
school constituencies.
Ability to pass the Elementary Education Content Praxis II exam required by the
Colorado Department of Education for an elementary teacher license.
Anticipated hire date: January 2010
Anticipated start date: January/February to July 2010 part-time; August 2010 full-time
To apply for this position, please send a resume, any certification information, evidence of
completion of a teacher preparation program, transcripts, 3 letters of reference and a cover letter
explaining why you are interested in this position, to:
Danielle@denverlanguageschool.org
Or
Danielle Carrigo
Head of School
The Denver Language School
7350 E. 29th Avenue, 3rd floor
Denver, CO 80238