JOB TITLE: DIRECTOR, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT OFFICE

JOB CODE: 22125

DEFINITION: This is highly responsible professional, educational, and administrative work directing the School Improvement Office in the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The employee in this job plans and directs statewide school improvement programs. Work involves identifying low performing schools; determining effective programs and implementation plans to improve school performance; developing policies and measures to ensure schools have the tools and assistance needed for improvement; and recommending assessment tools to ensure research-based strategies are used to improve teaching and learning. Work also involves analyzing data and policies of low performing schools and ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and required state testing. Supervision is exercised over professional staff engaged in analyzing educational data such as test scores, graduation rates, and other statistics to facilitate educational planning and program management. Work is performed under the general direction of the Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for Elementary and Secondary Education and is reviewed for program effectiveness and attainment of goals.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (NOTE: The examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified to this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all-inclusive list of work examples.)

• Oversees the administration and management of data and analytics operations within the School Improvement Office.

• Directs and conducts research regarding educational issues to establish policy for school districts and other educational institutions.

• Develops, recommends, and implements policies, goals, and objectives to improve the performance of chronically underperforming schools.

• Develops policies related to school performance reporting and compliance with state, federal, and local laws.

• Coordinates state-level performance management methods to assess district and school progress and identify systems in need of support.

• Analyzes statewide school performance data and identifies patterns and trends to inform policy for school districts and other educational institutions.

• Directs the development of regulations, standards, and guidelines.

• Directs the preparation of tools to measure growth in academic achievement.

• Directs the interpretation of assessment results for low performing schools.

• Monitors and evaluates the expenditure of federal funds for reimbursement in accordance with federal and state laws relating to programs funded.

• Provides professional and administrative support to program staff in the development and implementation of professional development for educators.

• Advises the Deputy Secretary and the Secretary on all matters relating to low performing school problems and achievements.

• Serves as a Department of Education spokesperson and the Secretary’s designee to various government agencies.

• Performs the full range of supervisory duties.

• Employees in this job may participate in the performance of their subordinates’ work consistent with operational or organizational requirements.

• Performs related work as required.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of principles, practices, and developments in educational assessment and accountability.

• Knowledge of the principles, concepts, and practices of education and education administration.

• Knowledge of research methods and principles, and the sources and uses of educational data.

• Knowledge of the use and functionality of Microsoft Office Suite software.

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of employee supervision.

• Ability to analyze and interpret legislation, policies, and procedures.

• Ability to communicate effectively orally.

• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: (NOTE: These are expected of an employee performing the work of this job at the full performance level. These are not used for merit system evaluation or examination purposes and are not position-specific performance standards.)

• Ability to develop instruments to measure student academic achievement in low performing schools.

• Ability to exercise judgment in interpreting and implementing departmental policies and procedures.

• Ability to analyze complex and sensitive educational issues and make recommendations for improvements.

• Ability to develop, implement, and evaluate administrative policies and procedures.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities)

• Six years of professional experience collecting, analyzing, and validating education data, which includes three years of supervisory experience;

or

• An equivalent combination of experience and training which includes three years of supervisory experience in collecting, analyzing, and validating education data.