Newsela

Senior Learning Experience Designer

Remote

Not SpecifiedCompensation
Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
EdTech, EducationIndustries

The Role

Newsela is looking for a Learning Experience Designer who is able to build high-quality curricula at scale.

This role requires:

  • Extensive knowledge of state framework-aligned curriculum creation
  • Significant experience working at a respected core curriculum provider
  • Proven ability to provide and implement expert input on assessments, lesson plans, training, and documentation, all at scale.
  • A bias for action and a judicious eye for quality are both key.

Experience working on content aligned to the California ELA/ELD framework, creation of resources for MLLs and scaffolds for striving readers are also highly valued.

Why You'll Love This Role

ELA Curriculum and Subject Matter Expertise

  • Serve as a primary subject matter expert on curriculum creation within Newsela.
  • Offer expertise on ELA curriculum and content, especially within middle school and high school.
  • Provide guidance and collaborate on the integration of Newsela's unique content, lessons and assessment, ensuring all materials are culturally responsive, equitable, and accessible for diverse learners.

Curriculum Collaboration & Review

  • Collaborate closely with curriculum writing teams, instructional designers, content developers, and assessment writers, both internal and external, offering deep insights into state frameworks and pedagogical best practices.
  • Create or update guidelines for vendors to use when creating lessons and units aligned to specific state frameworks and standards.
  • Review and provide thorough feedback on various curriculum components, including units, lessons, activities, lesson plans, and instructional strategies, ensuring strong alignment with state standards and the Newsela approach.

Creation and Feedback on Instructional Strategies

  • Creation and/or review of teacher-facing pacing guides, overviews and other instructional materials.
  • Awareness of best practices for MLLs and ability to create and review scaffolds or materials to support teachers in reaching every student.
  • Familiarity with accessibility standards and guidelines.

Assessment Creation and Review

  • Create or update detailed guidelines to support the creation of formative and summative assessments that are aligned to state standards and to the relevant state frameworks as well as to general assessment best practices.
  • Review and provide expert input on samples of formative and summative assessments (e.g., rubrics, quizzes, performance tasks, extended response questions) to ensure they accurately measure student mastery of state standards within the Newsela platform.
  • Provide critical feedback on detailed lesson plans and engaging activities, ensuring they leverage, as appropriate, Newsela's content effectively to facilitate instruction, foster student engagement, and provide clear learning objectives.

Project Management and Organization

  • Propose and execute on innovative solutions for scaling the review of vendor-created lessons, assessments and activities.
  • Create checklists for the larger project to ensure that work is moving along on time.
  • Ensure all developed materials are fully compliant with state requirements and reflect the latest pedagogical best practices.

Vendor Collaboration and Contributor Management

  • Collaborate with and provide expert input to internal teams managing external vendors for content development, review, or other curriculum-related services, ensuring high-quality deliverables that align with Newsela's standards and project timelines.
  • Hire, train and work with contributors to help scale the review of vendor-created activities, lessons and assessments.

Why You're a Great Fit

Experience

  • 5-7 years of progressive experience in curriculum development or instructional design, specifically within a core curriculum provider.
  • Demonstrated experience working on and contributing to core ELA curriculum specifically for middle school and high school, showcasing deep familiarity with different state ELA frameworks.

Skills

Curriculum Development
Learning Experience Design
Instructional Design
Assessment Design
Lesson Planning
Content Development
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Equitable Education
Accessible Design
English Language Arts (ELA)
English Language Development (ELD)
Middle School Curriculum
High School Curriculum
Teacher Training
Vendor Management
Framework Alignment
Pedagogical Best Practices
Scaffolding
Materials Development
Pacing Guides

Newsela

Provides tailored educational content for K-12

About Newsela

Newsela offers tailored educational content for K-12 students, providing engaging instructional materials in subjects like English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Schools and districts subscribe to access a library of articles that are updated daily and available at five different reading levels, ensuring accessibility for all students. The platform integrates with Learning Management Systems and includes features like activities and reporting tools to support teachers. Newsela's goal is to enhance student engagement and improve teaching methods through flexible, standards-aligned resources.

New York City, New YorkHeadquarters
2013Year Founded
$167.5MTotal Funding
SERIES_DCompany Stage
EducationIndustries
201-500Employees

Benefits

Medical, dental, & vision insurance
Pet insurance
Work from home
Parental leave
Flexible PTO
Inclusive experiences
Professional development

Risks

Partnerships with controversial content providers may lead to backlash and affect market reach.
Recent layoffs could indicate financial instability or restructuring challenges.
New CEO Pep Carrera may lead to strategic shifts disrupting client relationships.

Differentiation

Newsela offers content at five reading levels, catering to diverse student needs.
The platform integrates with Learning Management Systems for seamless educational content delivery.
Newsela's partnerships enhance its content library, supporting social-emotional learning initiatives.

Upsides

Increased demand for personalized learning tools boosts Newsela's growth potential.
The acquisition of Formative enhances Newsela's real-time assessment capabilities.
Hybrid learning models increase demand for Newsela's flexible digital content.

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