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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING |
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Position Number: 50702875 |
Description Activated On: 12/23/2025 1:50:40 PM |
Position Purpose: Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organizations objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively. This position performs advanced professional grant management, research, educational, advisory, administrative, and program review services in the planning, development, implementation, improvement, coordination, and evaluation of education certification preparation programs offered by institutions of higher education and alternative providers within the commonwealth. Duties involve the development and improvement of new and/or expanded programs and implementation of current research findings in institutional programs and services. These programs serve and are an integral part of the Pennsylvania Department of Educations Standards-Aligned System. |
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Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor. Manages reviews of new, existing, and expanding certification preparation programs: Plans, develops, and revises program approval and evaluation criteria (currently programs utilized in apprenticeship programs). Communicates and enforces State Board of Education regulations regarding program design and execution, and the admittance, education, exit, and certification of formally-enrolled candidates. Designs and revises program reviewer selection criteria. Recruits and trains program reviewers; refreshes program reviewer understanding of program requirements; evaluates program reviewer performance. Reviews provider submissions and program reviews; liaises with providers and reviewers to ensure valid submissions and high-quality, valid reviews (currently programs utilized in apprenticeship programs). Provides guidance to IHE administrators and faculty on needs for improvement of planned new preparation programs as a result of Initial Program Review. Works with program provider teams to ensure their understanding of criteria and their access to necessary information when Major Review indicates areas that do not meet minimum review standards. Recommends consequences for programs not meeting review criteria, including enrollment embargos, development and monitoring of program improvement plans, and program closure. Acts as direct liaison between PDE and preparation program staff at assigned institutions for questions and issues relating to program design, program data tracking and reporting, candidate admission requirements, coursework, field experiences, exit criteria, certification testing requirements, and recommendations for certification. Advises PDE certification staff on the same categories of information. Produces and revises education certification preparation program framework guidelines: Makes recommendations for adoption by the State Board of Education with respect to program guidelines, proposed legislation, and standards for education and testing. Participates with PDE processes: -to produce new program framework guidelines for new certification subject areas and/or grade spans, and -to revise existing program framework guidelines for existing certification subject areas and/or grade spans (currently Grades PK-4 and CTE programs). Participates in the development and implementation of program policies, goals, and priorities for statewide programs. Participates in the modification and implementation of policies, including program guidelines. Represents BSLTQ at external meetings and conferences: Presents research and represents BSLTQ at conferences and meetings: PAC-TE conference and others as assigned. Plans, develops, coordinates and presents workshops and seminars to provide colleges, universities, and others with information on departmental rules and regulations, agency initiatives, goals, and objectives affecting higher education in the commonwealth. Liaises with certification licensure and basic skills testing companies: Recommends actions to BSLTQ leadership in the event of problems with the operational tests, including reliability of scoring, validity of test design and item content, and conflicts arising from differences between candidates provisional and final scores. Participates in crafting RFA for new test vendor contracts and designs of new tests. Runs regular meetings with test vendors. Briefs leadership on needs and outcomes. Reviews quarterly annual reports and proposes changes to reported information and to test company procedures to serve the commonwealths needs. Coordinates services from test company representatives to program providers in service of programs data tracking needs. PA currently uses tests provided by ACTFL, ETS, and Pearson. Participates in making improvements to online program review tools: Supports the work of building specifications for online program review application system process and content. Gathers and synthesizes recommendations from pilots of new procedures. Recommends changes and additions to review document templates to improve ease of data submission and to improve data collection process. Writes grant proposals: Develops grant proposals, including technical proposals, budget proposals, and budget narratives. Synthesizes input from PDE stakeholders and leadership to align proposals with PDE policy goals along with current research and best practice. Seeks additional external grant opportunities for PDE and its partners (commonwealth preparation program providers and local education agencies). Provides statewide leadership in incentivizing the development, implementation, and evaluation of new preparation programs and program models. Manages grants: Manages grant awards from external funders, such as the federal government, to PDE. Develops grant award proposal guidelines (RFPs) for commonwealth program providers and local education agency partners. Runs grant award process, including recruitment of raters and selection of awardees. Communicates federal and state award requirements to PDE offices and to pass-through grant awardees and vendors. Develops and negotiates statements of work and budgets for grant competition awardees, vendors, and other contractors. Monitors completion of contract deliverables by grantees and vendors. Provides guidance to grantees and vendors to ensure compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and policies as applicable. Manages required technical and financial reporting by PDE to external funders. Produces reports. Coordinates work with Administrative Officer to ensure the smooth execution of grant requirements. Plans, manages, and facilitates meetings with stakeholders (for example, grant kickoff meetings). Directs and manages contributions from PDE staff and funders. Directs Administrative Assistant as needed to support grant project activities. Works with Press and Communications office to disseminate grant information. Produces studies on education certification preparation programs and related activities in the commonwealth: Specifies methods and approaches for data collection, responding to commonwealth and federal law, regulation, and policy, and to current research and best practice. Designs and updates designs of data collection tools and templates, working with other PDE staff as appropriate. Addresses law, regulation, and policy needs for data collection and reporting. Proposes new policy and updates to existing policy surrounding data collection and reporting requirements. Manages data collection and cleaning. Manages data analysis and analyzes data. Develops reporting formats and writes reports. Disseminates results of reports via written and oral presentations. Proposes policy changes relating to study outcomes. Uses data from test vendors (ETS, Pearson, ACTFL), TIMS, PIMS, and other applicable sources. Projects have included the Teacher Shortage Area proposal required by the U.S. Department of Education and the Annual Review Report required under PA regulation; contributed to the design of the PA-required Students Substitutes data collection tool. Performs other related duties as required. |
Decision Making: Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisors signature. Work is performed with considerable independence and is reviewed by an administrative supervisor through conferences, reports, and evaluation of program results. Determines procedures and assigns work to program reviewers. Evaluates quality of program reviewers work. Makes decisions for program review functions within existing policies; researches and recommends actions to supervisor or other leader if outside the scope of existing policies. Makes decisions that could have significant impact on program providers; these are discussed with the supervisor and other leaders prior to taking action. Develops grant proposals, guided by policy goals and current research; supervisor and senior leadership review proposals before submission to external agencies. Proposes grant reviewers and runs grant award process; supervisor and senior leadership review plans before execution. Provides guidance to grant awardees on allowable activities, expenditures, and timelines, interpreting federal and state laws, regulations, and policies. Approves spending and proposed budget modifications on grants managed under this position. |
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Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License Experience: Knowledge of the principles and practices of higher education. Knowledge of higher education organizational structures, roles, and relationships. Knowledge of higher education theories, regulations, and guidelines. Knowledge of accreditation and program approval practices of higher education institutions. Knowledge of curriculum planning as applied to higher education. Knowledge of educational psychology. Knowledge of management concepts, methods, and practices in higher education. Knowledge of the principles and practices of educational methods. Knowledge of and experience with research methods and techniques as applied to educational programs. Knowledge of and experience with test development, quality assurance, and quality control. Familiarity with and ability to apply information from the most current volume of Standards for Educational and Psychological Measurement (2014: APA, AERA, NCME). Specific understanding of licensure test design factors and valid uses of licensure test results for individual test-takers, preparation programs, and the commonwealth. Knowledge of and experience with principles of project management. Knowledge of and experience with principles of program management, for ongoing operational assignments. Knowledge of and experience with grant development and management practices, including the Uniform Guidance for federal awards. Licenses, registrations, or certifications: 1. N/A 2. N/A 3. N/A 4. N/A 5. N/A 6. N/A |
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Essential Functions: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.
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