TOSA

Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)

California Bay Area
Who We Are:
What if all students graduated high school with the knowledge, skills and habits they need to lead a fulfilled life? This is the question that guides our mission at Summit Public Schools.

Summit is a leading network of public schools that prepare a diverse student population for success in a four-year college and to be thoughtful, contributing members of society. We operate 10 schools serving over 3,000 students in the Bay Area and Washington state. 100% of Summit graduates are college ready and Summit graduates complete college at double the national average.

We need exceptional, diverse, and mission-aligned teachers to join our team to help prepare our students for a fulfilled life. Join us!
The Summit Model:
Summit's research-backed model makes teaching and learning at a Summit school unlike any other.

At Summit, our teachers mentor the same group of students each year in advisory groups, which allows them to build strong relationships based on deep trust over multiple years. Mentors meet 1:1 with each student regularly to coach students toward their personal goals, and meet daily as a mentor group.

During Project Time, teachers teach universal skills through real-world projects - using their subject-area expertise to help students apply their knowledge to the world around them. Through our research-backed curriculum, Summit gives teachers the tools they need so that they can focus on teaching and becoming the best project-based teachers in the world.

We are deeply committed to continuous improvement at Summit, both as an organization and for our individual faculty. With dedicated days of professional development built into the academic year, regular coaching sessions with a school leader, and a culture of honest, actionable, and timely feedback, we equip our teachers with the tools necessary to improve their practice and tackle challenging issues. We also prioritize developing leaders from within and have invested in multiple career pathway programs for our teachers and school leaders.

Summit has intensive collaboration structures built into our weekly schedules. Teachers collaborate at the grade and subject levels, forming regular communities of practice to support each other in continuously improving as project-based teachers and mentors.

By design, our schools are small communities where every student is known. They are intentionally heterogeneous and reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate. As a teacher, this will require being culturally responsive and creating equitable learning pathways for all students.

What You'll Do:

The Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) supports the professional growth of teachers through instructional coaching, curriculum development, data analysis, and other duties as assigned by the network leadership team. The TOSA collaborates with educators and administrators to enhance instructional practices, improve student achievement, and design or implement network innovations and initiatives. TOSA roles are subject to change and evolve to meet the needs of students, schools, and the organization, and include summer projects compensated at the summer school rate. The TOSA will be a member of the teacher bargaining unit; the TOSA will not assign work to other teachers, will not have hiring/firing authority, and will not formally evaluate other teachers' performance.

• Instructional Coaching: Job duties may include the following:
  
  • Provide job-embedded coaching and mentoring for teachers to improve instructional practices.
  • Conduct non-evaluative classroom observations and provide honest, actionable, and timely feedback to educators.
  • At multiple campuses, model effective teaching strategies, co-teach, and facilitate professional learning communities.
  • Support teachers in analyzing student data to inform instruction.
  • Assist in the implementation of differentiated instruction and intervention strategies.
  • Provide a laboratory classroom experience on their home campus for other teachers to learn from best practices.
• Curriculum Development and Implementation: Job duties may include the following:
  
  • Collaborate with the schools and learning experience teams to design and refine curriculum aligned with state standards.
  • Provide guidance on best practices for lesson planning, assessment design, and instructional strategies.
  • Support the integration of technology, such as AI, into instruction to enhance learning outcomes.
  • Assist in the selection, development, and evaluation of instructional materials and resources.
• Professional Development & Training: Job duties may include the following:
  
  • Design and facilitate professional development sessions based on network and school priorities.
  • Organize and lead workshops, study groups, teacher-leadership experiences, and in-service training sessions for staff.
  • Keep up-to-date with educational research and best practices, sharing relevant information with colleagues.
  • Document and codify best practices across the network to scale and share with others.
• Flexible Duties as Assigned, including but not limited to: Job duties may include the following:
  
  • Assist with network and school-wide initiatives, including equity, inclusion, and restorative practices.
  • Participate in leadership meetings and serve as a liaison between teachers and administration.
  • Support new teacher induction programs, mentoring, and onboarding processes.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned by administration to support org-wide initiatives and school goals.
  • Occasionally substituting a class or step in as a temporary school administrator

What You Need:

• Demonstrated teacher leadership, and mastery of course and content
• Deep experience and expertise facilitating all facets of the Summit model or equivalent
• Commitment to uphold Summit's values, and the belief that all children deserve a rigorous and equitable education that prepares them for college and for life.
• Teaching Credential in California or another US state.
• Bachelor's Degree (a Master's Degree in Education is preferred, but not required).
• Clear health and background check.
• Teaching experience in your subject is preferred, but not required.

Who You Are:

• You want to be a world-class teacher who can support deep learning experiences for young people.
• You thrive while collaborating and are excited to work with mission-aligned, high-performing colleagues. You find positivity in shared successes.
• You're excited to teach Summit's common curriculum and assessment system, which was designed for teachers and by teachers in partnership with learning scientists.
• You care deeply about working in intentionally heterogeneous schools and are ready to support all diverse students to reach a fulfilled life.
• You are eager to use data as a tool to guide instructional practices and seek to incorporate it into your planning and work.
• You're eager to engage in professional development and to be developed as a practitioner in a network that is committed to continuous improvement.
• You have a growth mindset and see feedback as a positive.
• You believe that every young person, regardless of their background, is capable of engaging in grade-level work and is deserving of a rigorous concrete next step. Your work inside and outside of the classroom aligns to this belief.
• You are passionate about serving as a mentor and advocate for a group of students that you'll follow year to year. You're open to having hard conversations to support students.

What You Get:
In addition to joining a highly motivated team and engaging in meaningful work, you'll have access to a comprehensive suite of benefits including a retirement plan, 12 paid holidays, and 3 weeks of organization-wide closures during the year. You and your dependents will have access to multiple health, dental, and vision plans at 25% cost (we cover the other 75%) and employee life and disability insurance at no cost. Our compensation policy strives to be equitable and transparent. The salary for this position starts at $63,718 and goes up to $99,987 commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Summit is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly intertwined with education. We are ALL better when we are able to bring our whole selves to work and honor each other's voices across identities, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals who are members of historically marginalized communities. Spanish language proficiency is a plus.