Science of Reading Curriculum Designer, K–6 Literacy
Remote (U.S.) | Curriculum & Instruction
Employment Type: Contract-to-hire, with the potential to transition to regular employment based on business needs and performance. Remote anywhere in the United States.
The Role
At Air Reading, you'll design and continuously improve the literacy instruction that helps K–6 students become confident readers. Grounded in the Science of Reading, you'll build the lessons, teaching scripts, decodable texts, assessments, and student-placement systems that guide instruction across our virtual tutoring program.
This is a hands-on role for an experienced literacy educator and curriculum designer who can translate research into explicit, systematic, and engaging instruction. You'll work directly with instructional data and teacher feedback to refine curriculum, strengthen instructional consistency, and improve student reading outcomes.
What You’ll Do
- Content Development and Instructional Design: Write lessons, decodable texts, fluency passages, and comprehension questions, and design how each lesson is taught so phonemic awareness, phonics, reading, and spelling reinforce the same target skill. Ensure decodable texts use only sounds and words students have been taught, and fluency passages meet established word-count and readability targets and are appropriate for timed reading. Align content to the reading standards of the different states we serve.
- Student Progress Monitoring and Assessments: Develop diagnostic assessments and leveling rules that place students in the right groups and lessons, and mastery checks teachers can score consistently, with complete answer keys and clear scoring criteria. Use progress-monitoring data to determine each group’s next lessons and identify whether learning difficulties stem from student needs or from passage or lesson design.
- Instructional Scripts and Directions: Write exactly what the teacher says (“Say…”), the student responses to expect, and how to correct errors, plus short, clear directions teachers can follow live on Zoom. A first-time tutor should be able to deliver each lesson accurately without guessing.
- Teacher Training and Support: Create and present teacher workshops, and write the guides, Help Center articles, and procedures that help teachers deliver lessons well.
- Continuous Improvement: Use teacher feedback, session observations, and student data to make lessons clearer, more effective, and easier to deliver consistently.
What We’re Looking For
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of five (5)+ years of K–6 classroom teaching experience; ten (10) or more years strongly preferred, with demonstrated success improving reading outcomes for students who are below grade level.
- Deep knowledge of the Science of Reading and evidence-based literacy instruction, with the ability to apply current research to curriculum design.
- Experience in instructional design and curriculum writing, including lessons, teaching scripts, passages, or assessments you have developed and can share as work samples.
- Experience with assessment and student leveling, including using student data to determine instructional next steps.
- Excellent writing and editing skills, with strong attention to detail and the ability to ensure that decodable texts, answer keys, instructional targets, and assessment materials meet established requirements.
- Experience collaborating across teams, such as teaching quality, literacy coaching, teacher support, and product, to turn curriculum into consistent, high-quality instruction.
Preferred Qualifications
- A master’s degree in literacy, curriculum and instruction, or a related field; or
- LETRS training, Orton-Gillingham training, or reading specialist certification.
- Product or Education Technology experience, including contributing to the design of a digital learning product or collaborating with product managers and engineers.
- Experience in reading intervention, small-group instruction, or tutoring.
- Experience designing and presenting teacher workshops or professional development.
- Experience aligning curriculum to state literacy standards, ideally across multiple states.
- Familiarity with technology, including AI tools, and the ability to use them effectively in curriculum development.
Who You Are
- Students First: Student growth drives your instructional decisions.
- Truth-Driven: You rely on data and research rather than assumptions, and you adjust your approach when evidence points in a different direction.
- Through the Wall, Not Around It: You tackle difficult problems directly, work through challenges, and follow through on commitments.
- Open and Honest: You give and receive candid feedback, own mistakes quickly, and take accountability without blaming teammates.
- One Team: You are humble, collaborative, and willing to help wherever needed.
About Air Reading
Air Reading partners with school districts to deliver live, small-group virtual reading tutoring to K–6 students. Experienced, certified teachers teach our Science of Reading program during the school day. Our program meets ESSA Tier 1 evidence standards, and we are a partner on federal Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grants. Our mission is to fundamentally change education for the better by bringing personalized, research-based, high-quality instruction to every child.
Air Reading | www.airreading.com | San Francisco, CA 94104 |
