Director of Assessment Administration - Denver, United States - State of Colorado

Description

Incumbent will be required to complete work for CDE within Colorado.

This announcement is posted until filled or preferred candidate(s) are identified; it is in your best interest to apply early.

Colorado Department of Education – What We Do

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides leadership, resources, support, and accountability to the state's 178 school districts, 1,888 schools, over 53,000 teachers, and over 3,200 administrators to help them build capacity to meet the needs of the state's approximately 905,000 public school students.

In addition, CDE provides structural and administrative support to the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and the Charter School Institute.

As the administrative arm of the

State Board of Education , CDE is responsible for implementing state and federal education laws, disbursing state and federal funds, holding schools and districts accountable for performance, licensing all educators, and providing public transparency of performance and financial data.

CDE is a values-based agency that serves students, parents, and the general public by protecting public trust through ensuring adherence to laws, strong stewardship of public funds, and accountability for student performance.

CDE strives to incorporate five core values that we uphold in our work internally and externally.

If you come to CDE, be prepared to incorporate Integrity, Equity, Accountability, Trust, and commitment to Service in what you do.

Why Work For CDE
The work we do is rewarding and impacts the students, families, educators, and communities across Colorado. Our leadership also promotes a culture that puts families and self-care as a priority. Along with meaningful work and an environment that puts employees first, the state also offers rich benefits that intend to make us an Employer of Choice
The following is a summary of the benefits we offer:

Flexible work schedules and flexible workplace options that may include flexible working hours, working from home, working in the office, and/or a hybrid working environment.

Premier medical, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance options. All with a generous employer contribution keeping employee costs as low as possible.
Employer paid short-term disability and life insurance
Up to 160 hours of Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)
11 paid holidays per year
Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals
Retirement through the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA)

Employer paid RTD Eco Pass (certain restrictions may apply)
Paid professional development opportunities

The Director of Assessment Administration will lead a well-established and highly motivated team of individuals who execute critical state assessment initiatives and provide essential support to Colorado schools and districts.

Provided with an intentional balance of autonomy and collaborative support, the Director will influence state assessment implementation and policy and will have the opportunity to directly impact and support positive developments for Colorado.

The Director of Assessment Administration supports the cohesion of the division as a whole and is responsible for directly leading all facets of the selection, administration, and reporting activities for special populations assessments, high school assessments, and national/international assessments required under state and federal law.

This position supervises 4-6 individuals and The position works closely with assessment contractors, the Executive Director of Assessment, and the division's Chief Assessment Officer as well as content, special populations, administration, technology, and data and psychometric specialists to ensure the assessments meet the needs of Colorado school districts as well as the requirements specified in state and federal law.

These related activities are critical to maintaining the integrity of the assessment programs which is foundational for the state accountability and other department evaluation systems.

In addition to supporting the work of assessment program and data staff, the Director of Assessment Administration is responsible for providing assessment technical and educational policy expertise for internal and external stakeholders.

KEY DUTIES:


PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
ANDVENDOR COLLABORATION

• Conducts ongoing risk analysis of the work of the Assessment Administration Unit.

Develops and implements mitigation strategies and contingency planning as needed. Demonstrates nimbleness and leadership in response to challenges, especially those which are novel, public-facing and require timely action.

• Works in close partnership with assessment vendors in developing work plans for assigned programs; monitoring and evaluating the day-to-day operations of each assessment program to ensure that activities and deliverables meet schedule, budget, and quality expectations; and engaging in continuous improvement to ensure ongoing improvement of processes, systems, procedures, etc.
• Annually negotiates and produces complex vendor contracts and amendments, including deliverables, scopes of work, costs, schedules and liquidated damages for assigned programs. Leads assessment procurement and vendor contracting processes including creation of RFPs, coordinating with purchasing office to evaluate proposals, recruitment and management of educator panels and generation of contract award notifications.

INTERNAL LEADERSHIP

• Works with Assessment Leadership team to facilitate and support the cohesion of the Assessment Division and constituent units
• Supports the Division, including the Assessment Administration Unit, in executing the Department's strategic plan by working to contribute to the Department's goals, specifically by providing data which are used to generate evaluative metrics.

Advances CDE's processes as needed to improve effectiveness and efficiency to enable teams to meet their goals.

• Directs the development of data collection and data flow procedures from input to output across the Division working collaboratively with other Departmental units.

Oversees the successful execution of the Assessment Division's data operations, reporting, and inter-dependent work related to assigned assessment programs.

Serves as the division representative on relevant department work groups.

• Supervises assigned Assessment Division staff.

EXTERNAL SUPPORT
ANDCOMMUNICATION

• Provides primary direction for the successful administration of vendor off-the-shelf, multistate consortium developed, and national/international assessments (e.g., high school college entrance suite of assessments, ACCESS for ELLs, alternate (CoAlt) mathematics and English language arts assessments, NAEP, PISA, TIMSS, etc.).
• Provides oversight of the Department's and vendor's support to districts during the implementation of computer-based assessment planning and administration.
• Supports the continuation and enhancement of the Division's commitment to providing customer service and delivering products consistent with high quality expectations while exhibiting competence, ownership, team orientation, and honesty.

o Provides policy and technical expertise in the oversight of the department's and vendor's customer support and district training.
o Produces and reviews DAC emails, monthly communication updates, and web-based communications, as well as other internal and
external communications on assessment administration topics, scoring and reporting activities and progress on assessment programs.
o Produces and reviews all materials that are intended for informing the public, including the media; meeting federal requirements;
and/or supporting the State Board of Education as needed.
o Explains existing legal and technical assessment requirements and issues as needed to a variety of audiences, including policy makers
and the media.


TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
ANDLEADERSHIP

• Provides expertise, Division leadership and support in the implementation of the statewide assessment system in alignment to the requirements of state and federal legislation; other key initiatives; professional technical standards; and diversity, equity, and inclusion values.

o Gathers and submits evidence for purposes of meeting federal assessment peer review requirements.

• Provides leadership in, and influences the implementation of, educational assessment policies and practices, engaging in critical state and national conversations and working with the State Board of Education, state legislature, federal legislators, U.S. Department of Education, national professional organizations, and other stakeholders as needed.
• Provides expertise and represents the division internally and externally as needed on assessment-related matters through both formal (governance meetings and activities, cross-state partnerships, conference attendance &/or presentations, written updates) and informal means (phone calls, visits) with the goal of making improvements to vendor products, processes, and systems.

Completes other duties as assigned by immediate supervisor.


MINIMUM

EDUCATION

AND

EXPERIENCE

REQUIREMENTS:

Masters degree from an accredited college or university in education, measurement/psychometrics, or educational policy or other field with tightly aligned assessment experience.

Five or more years of supervisory, public policy, and program management experience.

QUALIFICATIONS
ANDCONDITIONS

:

Qualifications for Success in the Position:

Commitment to access and opportunity to effective education for all students.

Ability to articulate the role assessment can serve in
illuminating achievement disparities across educational entitiesExperience and understanding of the unique strengths and needs of diverse communities (rural, urban and suburban) and students,
including students of poverty, students with disabilities, and students whose primary or home language is not English.Demonstrated experience in educational policy/leadership, assessment, measurement, or psychometrics.

Solid foundation in the legal
and technical requirements for developing, administering, scoring and reporting large scale assessments

Ability to articulate personal knowledge of critical components and issues related to large scale standardized assessments including
test development using universal design strategies, content alignment to standards, preventing and addressing bias and sensitivity issues,
accessibility for English learners and students with disabilities, etc. that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Confirmed experience with and understanding of the relationship among standards, instruction, assessment, and accountability.

Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in and ability to:

manage multiple high-visibility, high-stakes, and technically-complex large scale assessment programs under restrictive time frames at
the district level

problem-solve and implement responsible and appropriate solutions under tight time constraints in response to high-visibility and
high-stakes assessment challenges, balancing quality of work and productivity expectations

prioritize and organize work to accommodate and meet the changing requirements of the field, policymakers, legislation, and
Department while meeting deadlines

effectively communicate complex content to a variety of audiences through a variety of modes

facilitate conversations around potentially contentious issues with a variety of participants and take into consideration different points
of view in the development of policies and practices

lead by building, coaching, and supporting highly effective and committed teams, both internally and across work groups

foster a productive work environment that values initiative, competence, commitment and both individual and team contribution and
ownership

Minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience

Conditions of Employment

(Required):

Must be willing and able to submit to the pre-screening process and pass a background check.
Ability and willingness to independently determine, obtain means, and complete required travel
Work extended schedule

per business needs
Report to work location

per business needs
Complete Applications must include

:

Completed Online Application:

Required - Submitted through our

ATS .
Resume:

Required

Email Address:

All correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be conducted via email.

Include a working email address on your application; one that is checked often as time-sensitive correspondence such as exam information or notification will take place via email.

Please set up your e-mail to accept messages from "" and "" addresses.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your email will accept these notices and/or review your junk mail and spam-filtered email.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Equal Employment Opportunity

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply.

The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them.

Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, a medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

The Colorado Department of Education is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.

As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or performing essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship.

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to

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