Alternative Program Secondary Teacher - River Connections

School Summary

Great River Connections Academy (GRCA) is a tuition-free public online eSchool serving students in grades K-12 throughout Ohio beginning of the school year. GRCA is authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools and governed by an independent Board of Directors. The school is operated through a contract with Connections Academy of Ohio, LLC, to provide its educational program and other services. Connections Academy, a division of Connections Education, is accredited by AdvancED.

The Alternative program teacher will assist teachers with educational and instructional activities, and non-teaching tasks. They will be responsible for guiding one or more cohorts of students toward college/career readiness through successful completion of the school program. The teacher’s work with students will be balanced between academic support and advisory activities.

• Assist students in their courses by providing motivation and support;

• Work collaboratively with a team of teachers (both in-person and virtual) to ensure that all students in the cohort are on track and successfully progressing through the program;

• Assist students with daily assignments and projects to increase understanding;

• Clarify directions, Assist students 1 on 1 or in small groups with course content;

• Assist Virtual Teachers with keeping student records and data up-to-date, including cumulative files, online student and family information, attendance accounting, and logging all student and parent contacts;

• Participate in the organization and administration of State Testing, as directed;

• Help carry out educational programs developed through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process for special education students;

• Help carry out educational programs developed through a student 504 plan as necessary.

• Maintain a positive, supportive, and engaging learning environment at all times;

• Develop and implement strategies that encourage student collaboration and teamwork;

• Attend in-person/virtual field trip sessions as assigned.

Advisory

• Supervise an advisory cohort of students, ensuring that all students are successfully progressing through the program and that parents have a central point of contact for discussions on their student;

• Monitor students’ attendance, participation, and academic performance;

• Oversee the student escalation process to communicate with School Leadership and On-site and Virtual Teachers if student is an engagement concern and not meeting program expectations.

• Develop and monitor individualized Action Plans for each student in escalation; including working with students to set goals for getting back on track and communicating with parents/caretakers and school staff;

• Act as main point of contact for parents, teachers and other staff members regarding students in escalation; plan and deliver workshops related to general work/study habits, working effectively in teams, test-taking strategies and 21st century learning skills;

• Help each student identify and focus on his or her potential and aspirations;

• Support college and career counseling activities under direction of School Counselor;

• Help students to research and understand their post-secondary career and educational options;

• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree

• Middle/Secondary Teaching Certification

1-8 License

4-9 License

7-12 License

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

• Experience and demonstrated interest in working with youth (both strivers and strugglers) in a diverse urban environment

• Experience working in a school or other educational environment

• Strong multi-cultural skills

• Strong technology skills (especially with internet, Microsoft OS and MS Office programs)

• Customer focused approach

• Ability to motivate and assist students with high school coursework

• High degree of flexibility

• Demonstrated ability to work well in an innovative, fast paced environment

• Team player track record

• Must be able to use a personal electronic device and an email address for two step authentication

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.