Director of Testing and Accountability

Under the direction of the Superintendent, the Director coordinates the implementation of the state testing system for Northumberland County Public Schools; direct, evaluate, and revise, on a continuing basis, the division’s testing methods and procedures to provide the information and process structure necessary to develop and maintain the best educational programs for the division. Coordinate various aspects and requirements of the Federal and Virginia’s accountability system. Serve as liaison to the state, test scoring companies, other schools divisions, and to the departments and schools within the school division on matters related to assessment, data collection, and accountability requirements. Serve as the Lead Administrator for PowerSchool across the school division.

ESSENTIAL TASKS: DIVISION DIRECTOR OF TESTING (DDOT) (These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.)

• Provide leadership in the administration of national, state, and local assessments.
• Analyze and communicate test results to identify strengths and weaknesses in instructional programs and identify priority areas for improvement.
• Coordinate and assist in the interpretation of the federal guidelines for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to ensure necessary preparations for test administration and proper analysis of test results.
• Serve a lead role in the development of a balanced assessment system for Northumberland County Public Schools in order to accurately assess student mastery of content knowledge and 21^st century skills.
• Serve as liaison to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), scoring vendors, other school divisions, and departments and schools within the school division on matters related to national, state, and local testing.
• Coordinate the continuation of SOL testing at each school and provide leadership and guidance to school testing coordinators.
• Effectively communicate guidelines related to test administration and the appropriate use of test results to various groups such as school administrators, school improvement specialists, and the media.
• Provide training to administrators and school employees in proper test administration and test security protocols.
• Provide leadership and guidance to all division personnel in regards to regulations involving student data.
• Supervise the ordering of all testing materials and assist with budget planning related to test administration and implementation.
• Maintain security of testing materials and implement policies and practices to prevent potential breaches in security.
• Coordinate, develop, and prepare training materials for each test administration.
• Respond to inquiries from school administrators and the media about assessment results and testing procedures.
• Provide technical assistance to school administrators and school staff regarding test administration.
• Conduct workshops and presentations on the state testing system as well as the analysis and interpretation of assessment data for various stakeholders
• Attend test administration training provided by the state and develop local procedures to ensure compliance with all state mandates and procedures related to testing.
• Work closely with the Department of Technology to ensure accurate data are available for schools and departments to assist with continuous improvement.
• Serve a lead role in developing user-friendly reports to assist central office administrators, school-level administrators, and teachers with analysis and interpretation of assessment results.
• Additional duties as assigned by the Superintendent.

ESSENTIAL TASKS: LEAD POWERSCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR (These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.)

• Set up security access; system settings; and staff, teacher and parent access
• Handle yearly processes, e.g. set up of new school year, roll over, close out school year, graduate students, create class and bell schedules and coordinate with other staff to complete projects/work orders efficiently
• Provide assistance in all areas of student information, developing attendance reporting formats, grade reporting, registration and scheduling, discipline reporting, test reporting and enrolling and withdrawing of students into the software system, etc.
• Work directly with teachers in the use of the electronic gradebook system, including training, program analysis and installation.
• Establish protocols for data entry and system usage; and document in a user/procedures manual
• Conduct advanced searches and queries and support special requests from the administration or faculty
• Collect and complete the required data for the state reports; and prepare all administrative reports and conduct all uploads
• Assist school counselors with student academic reports, including progress reports, report cards, regular academic progress updates
• Attend trainings and facilitate training for other school personnel with PowerSchool
• Train and orient new users and support all users, establishing needs and monitoring usage
• Ensure accuracy of data and troubleshoot problems with the database, including data validation errors
• Maximize the value of PowerSchool/PowerTeacher software and information
• Troubleshoot operational and software problems, determine cause of error or stoppage, apply corrective techniques or obtain support from software manufacturers.

For DDOT: A thorough knowledge of ESSA requirements and Virginia’s accountability system as well as the principles, practices and procedures related to research, testing, and assessment; knowledge of summative and formative assessment and the purpose and appropriate use of each assessment type; ability to communicate ideas clearly and concisely, orally and in writing; ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with students, parents, staff and administration; ability to use a variety of software including spreadsheets, word processing, database, presentation software, projection equipment, and statistical packages for data analysis. For PowerSchool: Managing a student information system that includes the ability to learn scheduling, grades, graduation requirements, and grading calculations., Master’s Degree required (Administration and Supervision preferred) with at least 5 years successful experience in the area of student assessment(test development, test administration, and analysis and interpretation of test results) and school leadership. Experience with national, state, and local assessment systems is highly desirable. A comparable amount of training and experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Some significant standing, walking, moving, climbing, carrying, bending, kneeling, reaching, handling, pushing, and pulling. Ability to lift boxes of testing materials weighing 20 to 30 pounds or more. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential tasks

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Possession of a valid Driver’s License