Instructional Coach
Job Description
About Us
Founded in 2002, Breakthrough Silicon Valley (BSV) is a non-profit organization that prepares motivated
students with limited educational opportunities for rigorous college preparatory programs.
Breakthrough students commit to a six-year college readiness program that includes a variety of
academic and counseling services. A fundamental part of our program is our Summer Teaching
Fellowship, where exceptional high school and college students serve as teachers to our Breakthrough
students under the guidance of Breakthrough staff and Instructional Coaches. Through this teaching
fellowship, Breakthrough hopes to instill passion for teaching and education in our young instructors,
preparing them to enter into careers in education.
Our innovative Students-Teaching-Students model partners middle-school students with outstanding
college and high school students who serve as teachers, role models, and mentors, providing real-life
examples that it’s “cool” to be smart. During the summer, we host an academic program in which all
classes and student events are led by our Breakthrough teaching fellows. The Breakthrough summer
program is an intensive and rewarding experience, one which has been rated by the Princeton Review as
one of the top 10 internships in the United States.
Breakthrough boasts outstanding results: 96% of its students enroll in four–year universities and 78% of
its teachers, many of whom were Breakthrough students, go on to pursue careers in education. We are
part of a national network of affiliates known as the Breakthrough Collaborative. Our program model
began in 1978 as Summerbridge San Francisco and has been replicated to 33 sites nationwide. For more
information about Breakthrough Silicon Valley, visit www.breakthroughsv.org .
Position Summary
We are seeking highly effective professional teachers to serve as instructional coaches for summer 2015.
Instructional coaches (ICs) are at the core of our summer program and play a crucial role by training,
supervising and supporting Breakthrough teaching fellows in becoming effective instructors and leaders.
As instructional coaches, professional teachers observe, articulate, refine, and improve the techniques
of aspiring teachers in a collaborative environment, enabling an exceptional platform for self-reflection
and the evaluation of their own pedagogical practices. Rather than teaching students directly,
instructional coaches oversee lesson plan development, classroom management, and task analysis for
our summer teaching fellows. They mentor and guide our teaching fellows over the course of the
summer, providing tips, constructive criticism, ongoing feedback, and reports on each teacher’s
performance. Furthermore, instructional coaches have a unique opportunity to shape the professional
path of tomorrow’s educators.
During the summer, our teaching fellows instruct classes which include a core academic subject (i.e.
English, math or science) and an elective course of their choice. As subject area experts, ICs help our
teaching fellows transform their passion into rigorous and engaging lessons. BSV also implements a
specific teacher training sequence, known as the Intern Teacher Training Initiative (ITTI), which includes
best practices from Dr. Robert Marzano’s research, Doug Lemov’s Teach Like A Champion and other
widely-known teaching publications.
Job Responsibilities
Pre-Summer:
 Participate in two full-day orientation sessions prior to the summer:
1) Regional Instructional Coach Training:
Date: May 2 and 3, @ Breakthrough National Office in San Francisco
2) Local Silicon Valley Instructional Coach Training
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2015 @ Hoover Middle School in San Jose
 Review/ revising pacing plans and objectives
 Gather content-specific resources that you an share with your department
 Some additional email/phone correspondence and independent preparation work
During Teaching Fellow Orientation Week:
 Deliver and facilitate 1-2 workshops (as determined in May training session).
 Meet daily with Dean of Faculty and/ or Dean of Curriculum and Instruction.
 Facilitate daily department meetings and department work time.
 Review pacing calendar, learning objectives and curricular resources; revise as necessary.
During Summer Program:
 Manage protocol for organizing curriculum and lessons and storage on Dropbox.
 Observe teaching fellows and deliver feedback aligned to our observation protocol and rubric.
 Provide guidance and feedback on lesson plans (including homework) submitted by teaching
fellows.
 Provide ongoing guidance and feedback on classroom management, student assessments, and
student performance.
 Conduct a minimum of one formal and one informal/drop-in observation per week, as well as
post-observation conferences.
 Facilitate department meetings and collaborative lesson-planning sessions.
 Facilitate a mid-summer professional development workshop.
 Track performance of teaching fellows and write summative evaluations.
During Wrap-Up Week:
 Assist teachers in writing and proofreading student evaluations
 Write evaluations for each teacher in department
 Assist BSV staff with facilities (ensuring teacher’s rooms are put back in order, managing return
of supplies and technology, etc.)
Program Schedule and Work Hours
Teaching Fellow Orientation: June 15-June 19 and June 22
Hours: 9:00am – 5:00 pm
Program Weeks: June 23-July 31
Hours: 8:30am – 3:00pm M, Tu, Th, F; 8:30 – 2 p.m. Wed. (Hours may vary slightly, but must be agreed
upon with Department of Curriculum and Instruction prior to date of hire).
In addition, ICs will be asked to help supervise and facilitate 3 “planning parties” over the course of the
summer, along with the Dean of Faculty. These will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. On these dates,
start time will be at 10:30 a.m. Dates for these planning parties will be determined at the May training.
Wrap-Up Week: August 4 – August 7
Hours: 9:00 – 3:00
Locations:
Instructional Coaches will work at one of three BSV summer sites, TBD.
Qualifications of Ideal Candidates:
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At least two years of professional teaching English, math or science at the secondary level.
Graduate degree in education or subject area is a plus.
Demonstrated track record of improving student achievement. Experience with training,
supervising or coaching personnel is preferred.
Knowledge of direct instruction, classroom management and inquiry-based learning.
Compensation:
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$7,000 stipend, untaxed, to be disbursed in $3,500 payments mid-summer (July) and at the end
of our program (August).
Application Instructions:
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Visit www.breakthroughsv.org to learn more about our program, students and teachers.
Send résumé and cover letter to Ariel Morris: [email protected].
Questions?
Contact Ariel Morris, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, at [email protected]
Breakthrough Silicon Valley is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment
and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin or any other
basis prohibited by applicable law.