Boston Public Schools - Boston, MA

posted about 1 month ago

Full-time - Manager
Boston, MA
Educational Services

About the position

The Assessment Manager for Language Acquisition at Boston Public Schools will lead the district's assessment strategy for language learners. This role involves coordinating the implementation of formative assessments, managing contracts, and facilitating communication among various stakeholders to enhance the academic performance of language learners through effective assessment practices.

Responsibilities

  • Support District Language Acquisition Assessment Strategy
  • Work collaboratively with district office staff, school leaders, and teacher teams to support the use of formative and summative assessment data in planning instruction and guiding school improvement for language learners.
  • Guide selection and refinement of assessments to ensure they are aligned to college- and career-ready standards, produce meaningful and accurate data, and represent appropriate rigor.
  • Build, maintain, and execute on large-scale project plans that focus on both short-term (current school year) and long-term scalability and quality of the district's language acquisition assessment system.
  • Provide regular analysis of formative assessment results of ELs and language learners to senior leadership and department heads in order to inform decisions regarding interventions and school supports.
  • Serve as the liaison between Boston Public Schools, WIDA, DESE and language acquisition-specific assessment vendors.
  • Facilitate diverse stakeholder groups - including teachers, school leaders, parents, and students - in feedback sessions which will inform language acquisition formative assessment practice district-wide.
  • Communicates assessment progress, needs, and changes to key stakeholders in the district.
  • Coordinate District Operations for ACCESS and Formative Assessment Testing
  • Create policies and procedures to ensure appropriate language assessment practices within the district.
  • Prepare test administration guides and other materials to disseminate to schools.
  • Provide customer service experience for school leaders and teachers. Connect them with direct support - whether it's within BPS or external.
  • Coordinate with other departments to maintain a smooth administration and data integration.
  • Manage communication with schools and other BPS offices regarding upcoming assessments, deadlines, requirements, and data availability.
  • Provide guidance and information about language learners to the Assessment Coordinators to ensure compliance with state and local assessment requirements.
  • Support the coordination of Special Education services in conjunction with Language services pertaining to assessments and testing accommodations.
  • Liaise with the Office of English Learners in order to provide stakeholders (students, families, schools, district leaders) with accurate assessment information and administration support.
  • Implement Professional Learning
  • Provide technical assistance to schools around using assessment platforms to administer assessments and analyze data through online reports.
  • Coordinate with other district departments to provide training and coaching to central office and school staff in order to promote assessment literacy and establish effective processes for interpreting ACCESS results and formative assessment data for language acquisition.
  • Create turnkey training materials as necessary for classroom, school, and district users, in addition to maintaining 'on demand' training resources for self-guided learning.
  • Work closely with the School Superintendent Team to strategize year-long assessment support across all schools, along with metrics for implementation and student success.
  • Assist with other office assessment tasks as needed.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree
  • 3 or more years of directly related experience (experience in a school setting as a teacher or administrator is preferred)
  • Experience managing projects and bringing to closure with minimal supervision
  • Knowledge of the components of high-quality teaching and learning, particularly in the area of language acquisition
  • Demonstrated experience effectively using or supporting effective use of formative assessment in the classroom
  • Strong understanding of assessment properties and design
  • Ability to make complicated information clear to others
  • Ability to prioritize responsibilities with a focus on timely support of schools
  • Experience using data to inform group decision-making processes
  • Ability to motivate and support a strong data-driven culture
  • Experience creating and facilitating protocols that enable others to utilize data to meet organizational goals
  • Outstanding critical thinking skills
  • Ability to establish effective working relationships both within and outside of the organization
  • Competency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite of Products, especially Microsoft Excel/Sheets and PowerPoint/Slides
  • Excellent written and oral presentation skills
  • Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment

Nice-to-haves

  • Master's degree in relevant field
  • Experience in a large, urban school district
  • Experience with ACCESS or other language assessment administration and analysis
  • Experience assessing PK-12th grade English Language Learners with the W-APT, WIDA Screener, or other screening tools
  • Specialized knowledge of statistical and ethical concepts related to educational measurement
  • Bilingualism and biliteracy

Benefits

  • Competitive salary
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Supportive work environment
  • Collaboration with diverse stakeholders
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