Updated July 2015

SFUSD ExCEL After School Program

Academic LiaisonResponsibilities and Commitments

Description of Academic Liaison Position

Under the direction of the Site Administrator (principal), and in collaboration with the ExCEL AfterSchool Program (ASP)Site Coordinator, the Academic Liaison (AL) primary commitments are:

  • To ensure the alignment of vision, expectations and outcomes between the ASP and school day, with a particular focus on the academic components of the ASP. In addition, the AL should be able to support the ASP with alignment around any Behavior RtI and/or Culture and Climate initiatives taking place during the school day.
  • To be able to dedicate an additional five hours onto their regular work week for a total of 170 hours over the school year. (We have found that the more seasoned the staff member is, the more able they are to dedicate this amount of time.)
  • At the high school level, tocoordinate ExCEL’s After School Program’s credit recovery efforts.

(* Please note - While direct academic support for students is an allowed activity for an AL, the majority of the hours should be utilized facilitating cross program (ASP-school day) communication and alignment and building capacity of ASP staff to implement their own academic supports and interventions).

The Academic Liaison responsibilities are:

  1. Have familiarity with ExCEL’s Theory of Action and understand and promote how a high functioning ASP can contribute to a student’s academic success and socio-emotional and physical health.
  2. Participate in the creation and monitoring of the ASP Quality Action Plan.
  3. Meet regularly with the ASP site coordinator, as well as promote systems for and participate in ongoing communication between site administrator(s) and ASP site coordinator.
  4. Use student level data to inform planning and implementation of the ASPacademic component(s). Academic program componentsmight include individual or small group interventions, differentiated homework support and/or a tutoring program.
  5. Provide ongoing professional development and coaching to after school staff around academic content and instructional strategies. ASP staff should be engaged and supported as if they were student teachers. PD and coaching can be provided through inclusion with what is already being offered for school day staff, specialized PD, 1-1 coaching or the facilitation of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) for ASP staff.
  6. Act as designated communication liaison between school day and after school staff, representing the interests and initiatives of the after school program to school day teachers and vice versa.
  1. Based upon site priorities, the Academic Liaison may also choose to use a portion of their hours to provide one to one, small group, or large group tutoring sessions with students in the after school program.

NOTE: ExCEL sites implementing an Equitable Access grant, School Loop after school pilot, and/or SF Team Program will ensure that the Academic Liaison role encompasses and informs these academic efforts.

Qualifications Summary

Candidates for the Academic Liaison(s) should meet the following qualifications:

  • Current employment as a credentialed staff memberat the school site or other non-credentialed staff member approved by Site Principal
  • Strong communication (oral/written), presentation, organization and collaboration skills
  • Clear understanding of school site goals and priorities
  • Experience implementing system-wide strategies
  • Demonstrated leadership experience at school site

Best Practices in selecting the “ideal” AL candidate:

  • A non-classroom instructional leader at a school site. Examples are IRFs, RTIFS, Literacy Coaches or Assistant Principals.
  • If the candidate is a classroom teacher, it is ideal for the AL hours to be split among two or more stakeholders in order to complete all 170 hours. For example, a school social worker would be an ideal candidate to partner with an instructional leader to support intentional BRtI implementation, alongside academic support, in an ASP.

**Final selection of the Academic Liaison is determined by the Site Principal**

Time Commitment and Compensation:

Hours worked will include time spent working to actively support the after school program, attending ExCEL trainings and meetings, coordination and planning meetings with site coordinator, and completing a brief end of the year summary report (and other documentation upon request).

A site may opt to utilize more than one staff person to fulfill the Academic Liaison duties and share the time commitment and compensation.

FOR CERTIFICATED Academic Liaisons:

STIPENDThe Academic Liaison stipend compensation for completing the required service hours (listed below) by a certificated SFUSD teacher is $5,000 per school year split evenly into two payments, $2,500 in January and $2,500 in June, contingent upon completion of required hours.

The required number of hours to be worked for full stipend compensation is:

  • Elementary/Middle School teachers: 170 hours( NOTE:K-8 schools can have two AL’s – one for the elementary level and one for the middle school level. The ExCEL central office will contribute the cost for the stipend for the second AL)
  • High School teachers: 102 hours

FOR CLASSIFIED Academic Liaisons:

The number of hours for other employee classifications must be calculated according to established SFUSD pay rates and will be paid using ECRs. Staff will need to submit timecards each pay periods for hours worked.

Please note that depending on the classified staff person’s hourly rate per Payroll, the number of hours per year may be greater than 170 to maximize the $5,000. Classified staff are not paid stipends.

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