Elementary School Curriculum Coordinator

Responsibilities for the Elementary School Curriculum Coordinator include:

Curriculum Coordinator (70%)

• Leading the design, review and refinement of concept-based units of study across PK–5, built around enduring understandings, driving questions and meaningful performance tasks

• Building and maintaining a clear, accessible curriculum map so every teacher can see how units connect within and across grade levels

• Developing interdisciplinary units alongside teachers that genuinely integrate literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts and language learning, rather than placing subjects side by side

• Ensuring vertical alignment from PK–5 and a smooth transition into Grade 6 and the MYP, in partnership with the MYP Coordinator

• Reviewing curriculum documentation and resources against our standards and agreed approaches to learning.

• Working closely with the literacy specialist and EAL coordinator as a planning team, so literacy and language goals are designed into every unit.

• Coaching teachers to plan for student questions, investigation, choice and voice

• Designing and championing authentic learning experiences: projects with real audiences, fieldwork, community partnerships, exhibitions and student-led showcases

• Spending significant time in classrooms modeling inquiry practice, co-teaching and giving teachers practical, non-evaluative feedback

• Helping teachers balance explicit teaching of foundational skills with open-ended inquiry

• Supporting the use of formative assessment, student reflection and performance-based assessment within units

• Helping teams use student work and data to refine units and respond to the needs of individual learners

• Supporting consistent reporting of learning in Managebac and Seesaw

• Facilitating collaborative unit planning time with grade-level and specialist teams

• Orienting and supporting new elementary teachers in our curriculum and approaches

• Assessing professional learning needs and designing or identifying relevant training

• Working with Student Support Services so that units are inclusive and accessible to all learners

• Communicating unit goals, learning approaches and student showcases with parents, students and teachers through a variety of channels

STEM Coordinator (30%)

This part of the role is about relevance and rigor inside units, not running a separate STEM class. Our elementary STEM/makerspace teacher and MYP Design teachers continue to lead making and design; this coordinator makes sure the science, math, engineering, and technology in our units are strong, connected and grounded in real problems. Part of this role may also include teaching or co-teaching.

• Leading a vertically aligned PK–8 science and technology scope and sequence, built into classroom units rather than taught in isolation

• Ensuring each unit has solid science content and genuine scientific inquiry: questioning, observing, investigating, collecting and interpreting data, and reasoning from evidence

• Integrating purposeful technology use, computational thinking and data literacy where they deepen unit learning

• Helping teachers anchor units in real problems, places and audiences drawn from our campus, Kaohsiung and southern Taiwan (for example: energy use in our LEED buildings, local water and ecology, urban design, typhoon resilience)

• Along with the Community Engagement Coordinator, build connections with experts, local universities, industry, museums and community organizations, and arranging fieldwork and visits that serve unit goals

• Designing culminating tasks where students share findings, proposals or products with people who care about the answer

• Building elementary teachers' confidence in teaching science and math through inquiry

• Co-planning and co-teaching in classrooms

• Staying current with research and practice in science and technology education and sharing it with colleagues

• Supporting a coherent PK–5 math progression and a smooth transition into MYP Mathematics, in partnership with middle school math teachers

• Coaching teachers in problem-based tasks, manipulatives, visual models and mathematical discussion, so students reason, justify and explain their thinking

• Connecting math to units through authentic applications such as measuring, collecting and analyzing data, budgeting, mapping and design

• Helping teams use math assessment data to target instruction, intervention and extension, together with Student Support Services

• Working with the literacy specialist and EAL coordinator on the language of mathematics, including vocabulary, math talk and word problems for multilingual learners

• Building a range of enrichment opportunities in math

• Helping teachers plan for depth inside units through open-ended challenges, extension tasks and student-led investigations, so highly capable learners are consistently stretched

• Provide instructional support as needed by teaching lab sessions, technology lessons, or extended mathematics lessons to meet student learning needs and support the curriculum.

We look for faculty members who bring a flexible “can do” approach to teaching and learning, a sense of humor, and a collaborative mindset. Our teachers are committed to continuous school improvement and actively contribute to our learning community through experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom, including clubs and extracurricular activities. We also value a commitment to working in a diverse professional community and supporting the continued development of our DEIJ principles and practices.

About KAS:

Kaohsiung American School (KAS) is a private, not-for-profit international day school established in 1989 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), KAS offers the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) and receives annual grants and sponsorship from the U.S. Department of State.

KAS moved to its purpose-built campus in 2015–16 and is recognized as a leading international school in southern Taiwan. The school currently enrolls approximately 790 students representing more than 40 countries. While many of our students have Taiwanese heritage and speak Mandarin as a first language, our community is internationally minded and multilingual, and all students are developing as multilingual global citizens.

The Elementary School serves approximately 300 learners from PK4 through Grade 5 and includes approximately 30 full and part-time teachers, 20 teaching assistants, and a professional Student Support and EAL team.

KAS is Committed to Child Safeguarding

• KAS conducts rigorous background and reference checks on all candidates.

• Employees and volunteers at KAS receive training to recognize signs of abuse and neglect and are required to report suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect.

• Our child protection response team uses a team-based approach to respond to each reported incident in accordance with Taiwanese law and international best practices.

• KAS is committed to supporting and recognizing the identities of all students. We foster an environment free of discrimination and other forms of identity-based harm.

• Masters Degree in education, curriculum or instruction, or related field, from an accredited educational institution. 

• Minimum of five years successful teaching, including instructional coaching or department leadership experience. 

• A demonstrated ability to improve student learning and achievement.

• An aptitude for building and maintaining positive relationships with students, educators, leadership teams, and parents.

• Valid teacher certification. 

• Experience as a curriculum coordinator, preferably a PYP Coordinator

• A range of experiences in US and/or international schools that have led to the development of multiple lenses and perspectives.

• Strong knowledge of research-based pedagogy and assessment, and awareness of adult learning theory.

• Strong understanding and respect for a diversity of cultures and the needs of language learners.

• A demonstrated ability to collaborate including presenting, facilitating, coaching and consulting in order to develop highly effective groups and Professional Learning Communities. Adaptive Schools or Cognitive Coaching training is preferred.

• Has life experiences that demonstrate, among other things, a growth mindset, versatility, adaptability and resilience.

• A commitment to developing and supporting a diverse professional community that is growing in its DEI principles and practices. 

• Superior organizational strategies and an aptitude for solving problems.

• Effective communication skills utilizing a variety of mediums and techniques.