Contractor - Classical Curriculum Instructional Designer

ACCEL Schools is seeking a Classical Curriculum Instructional Designer to support the transformation of our K–8 English Language Arts program into a cohesive, classically aligned learning experience. This role will focus on improving curriculum coherence, strengthening instructional quality, and creating a more effective and scalable experience for both students and teachers.

This is a hands-on design role with immediate impact, centered on refining existing content, improving course structure, and ensuring alignment to a clear instructional vision within Canvas.

This contract will be approximately 2–4 months.

Position Summary:

The Instructional Designer will take ownership of auditing, restructuring, and enhancing the K–8 ELA curriculum to reflect a clear and consistent classical framework. This includes organizing content into aligned strands, improving vertical progression across grade levels, and embedding core instructional practices into daily learning experiences.

The role also involves redesigning Canvas course structures to improve usability and instructional flow, while refining assignments and assessments to better measure meaningful student learning. The final deliverable is a cohesive, scalable course model that supports consistent implementation across classrooms and reduces unnecessary teacher workload.

Key Responsibilities:

Curriculum Alignment & Structure

• Audit and reorganize existing K–8 ELA curriculum into clear instructional strands:

• Phonics, Grammar & Language Foundations

• Reading & Literature

• Writing & Composition

• Handwriting & Dictation

• Recitation & Memory

• Repackage existing content to reflect a clear classical progression of knowledge, thinking, and expression

• Ensure vertical alignment across grade levels to support a coherent learning experience

Instructional Design & Enhancement

• Embed core instructional practices into lessons, including:

• Socratic discussion

• Narration and oral expression

• Text-based writing

• Copywork and dictation

• Recitation and memory work

• Identify gaps and develop or integrate aligned content where needed

• Ensure all enhancements are intentionally embedded within instruction, not treated as add-ons

Course Design & Canvas Development

• Redesign course structures within Canvas to improve:

• Student navigation

• Instructional clarity

• Teacher usability

• Build coherent module flows using Canvas tools (modules, pages, discussions, and assessments), minimizing reliance on static PDFs

• Centralize all instructional materials, resources, and activities within course modules

• Transition external resources (e.g., Google Drive materials) into fully integrated Canvas experiences

Assessment & Assignment Design

• Redesign assignments to clearly distinguish between:

• Practice (non-graded)

• Mastery (graded)

• Consolidate tasks into meaningful evidence of learning

• Reduce low-impact or redundant tasks in favor of:

• Written responses

• Oral demonstration of understanding

• Application of knowledge

User Experience & Instructional Efficiency

• Improve the balance between teacher-led instruction, guided practice, and independent work

• Design courses to minimize unnecessary teacher modification while supporting consistent implementation

• Streamline workflows to improve both student and teacher experience

Scalability & Sustainability

• Develop a repeatable course structure and template for future use

• Ensure the final model supports:

• Consistent implementation across schools

• Reduced teacher workload

• Long-term scalability of the classical program

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in English/ELA, Curriculum & Instruction, or a related field

• 3+ years of experience in instructional design, curriculum development, or teaching ELA

• Extensive experience designing and building courses in Canvas

• Strong understanding of K–8 ELA progression, including reading, writing, grammar, and language development

• Expertise in lesson design, sequencing, and alignment to learning objectives

• Demonstrated ability to analyze and improve existing curriculum for structure, clarity, and instructional alignment

• Ability to translate instructional vision into a cohesive, usable virtual learning experience

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage and align content across multiple grade levels

Compensation and Benefits: The compensation and benefits information below is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.

The hourly rate for this position is $30.00 - $40.00, with work limited to up to 40 hours per week unless otherwise approved. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience, and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

It is our policy to abide by all federal, state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination based solely on a person’s race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status, veteran status (including protected veterans), marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, familial status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other protected status except where a reasonable, bonafide occupational qualification exists.

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