The Ascend Learning college preparatory school design couples the SABIS educational system with the “No Excuses” school culture to fuel K-12 charter schools that close the achievement gap and place every student on the path to college.

Mission

Ascend’s mission is to develop a scalable solution to the underachievement of economically disadvantaged children—a network of urban, college preparatory, K-12 charter schools, operating with widely available human and financial resources, and posting achievement levels equal or superior to suburban schools educating students from middle-class families.

The mission of our schools is to equip every student with the knowledge, confidence, and character to succeed in college and beyond. Our students will, from the earliest grades, steadily build a strong foundation of learning habits, critical thinking skills, and knowledge; excel academically in the middle and high schools; and graduate as confident young adults, prepared to succeed as college students, citizens, and leaders in their chosen fields.

SABIS Educational System

American students rapidly fall behind their international peers, on average, because many have been promoted grade to grade without mastering essential skills at each level. “Learning gaps” form that impair their acquisition of successively more difficult material. Just as their foreign counterparts’ learning accelerates, their own pace slackens. Each year they learn less.

The syndrome is most acute in our large urban school systems. By the time students reach high school, many are disaffected with schooling and, in alarming numbers, drop out.

SABIS, an international operator of English-language schools, offers a remedy: a systematic approach to building skills and knowledge in each subject, where students learn point by point, establishing a solid foundation on which to build successive levels of knowledge, from the basics in kindergarten to Advanced Placement classes in high school. Children of ordinary abilities master difficult material, feel successful in school, and gain the discipline and confidence that will carry them through college.

About the schools

Ascend Learning operates:

Brooklyn Ascend – opened in 2008 and enrolls 428 Kindergarten through grade 4 students. The school will expand each year until at maturity in its tenth year, it serves 1,180 students in grades K-12.

Brownsville Ascend - opened in 2009 and serves 208 Kindergarten through grade 1 students, primarily from community school district 16, a low income community of Bushwick. The school will expand each year until at maturity in its twelfth year, it serves 1,270 students in grades kindergarten through 12.

Bushwick Ascend Charter School – opened in 2010 and serves 200 Kindergarten through grade 2 students primarily from community school district 32. The school will expand each year until at maturity in its twelfth year, it serves 1,270 students in grades kindergarten through 12.

For more information on the Sabis Educational System, please visit our website at www.ascendlearning.org. View our video.(http://www.vimeo.com/12238727)

Position Description:

Brooklyn and Brownsville Ascend Charter schools seek Math teachers (Grades 3-5) for the Fall 2011-2012 school year.

Responsibilities

At Ascend Charter Schools, talented teachers—relentlessly committed to changing the lives of their students—will fuel exceptional academic outcomes. The Teacher shall be responsible for the academic education of his or her students. In cases where students’ environments or personal circumstances threaten their achievement, the Teacher will strive relentlessly to change the trajectory of those students’ lives and to close the achievement gap.

The Teacher is also responsible for:

Teaching. Plans and delivers vibrant, engaging, and creative lessons. This is not a scripted program. The teacher shall develop a measureable goal for each lesson, ‘the point’ and will use the teach-practice-check model of instruction to ensure mastery. The teacher will use the school’s periodic, end of term, and end of year assessments to ensure that students have over time maintained mastery the content taught.

Culture and Classroom Management. Reinforces and maintains the school’s culture of high academic and behavioral expectations by making use of the behavior systems and cultural tools of Ascend Learning. Applies school and classroom rules consistently and effectively, makes use of preventive discipline, communicates expectations to students clearly, and supervises students within the school setting and school grounds.

Teamwork and Professional Relations. Ensures accurate and timely reporting to the Dean of Instruction, including information on students’ performance and challenges and recommendations for action. Participates actively in grade-level meetings, school planned professional development, and engages in a school-wide practice of continuous self-improvement and a relentless drive for improvement of school practices. Maintains respectful and positive relations with colleagues, administrators, and staff; inspires trust and respect; and maintains a positive attitude at all times. Adheres to school policies and practices, meets attendance and punctuality guidelines, and demonstrates a total commitment to the organization and to excellence.

Accountability. Accepts ultimate responsibility for the academic progress of his or her students, actively develops solutions to problems, meets commitments, requires minimal supervision and direction, and communicates effectively and regularly with the Dean of Instruction and the Dean of Students.

Special Needs Students and ELL. Works collaboratively with the school’s special education and ELL staff to implement the school’s special education and ELL programs and to comply with all state and federal regulations.

Staff and Reporting Relationships

The Teacher reports to the School Director. He or she also accepts direction from, and works closely with, the Dean of Instruction.