Director, Placement and Testing

Joliet Junior College•Romeoville, IL

About The Position

Provide leadership, supervision, and strategic direction to Testing Services, Placement Office, and credit for prior learning (CPL) initiatives in an effort to serve the immediate, ongoing, and long-term needs of current and prospective JJC students, as well as community members, at all campus locations, at District 525 locations, and remotely. Provide administrative leadership and support to the Dean of Academic Intervention, Support, and Student Development Grants (Dean) and the Academic Intervention and Support Leadership Team (AISLT). Methodically plan and implement testing, placement, and CPL strategies for a diverse student population in collaboration with faculty, staff, and designated departments to address the needs of JJC students, which include on-campus, hybrid, and remote learners. Develop, document, strategically implement, and continuously evaluate placement, testing, and CPL procedures, practices, services, and programs that recognize the complex and growing needs of students. Program initiatives and practices support the effective enrollment, active persistence, and overall retention of students. Leadership and direction of the assigned departments are consistent with the mission of the college, and work toward achieving the strategic outcomes identified by the division of student development. This includes gathering, assessing, and reporting on data that indicates student engagement, learning, and success outcomes with a strong emphasis of continuous program quality/ improvement.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Education, Counseling, Psychology, Leadership, or related field.
Strong administrative, organizational development, budget management, and supervisory experiences.
Expert experience in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as video conferencing software (i.e., TEAMS, Zoom, etc.), and website page update and creation.
Strong technical data analysis and reporting skills. Familiarity with college Student Information and Reporting systems such as Ellucian.
Effective verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills; strong ability to work cooperatively with diverse populations.
Direct experience with diagnostic testing tools that support college course placement (i.e., Accuplacer, ALEKS, etc.).
Experience with state and federal laws pertaining to collegiate placement measures, CPL management, ADA, FERPA, communication, and data-sharing standards.
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with other members of the college and community, displaying cultural competence as well as emotional intelligence.
Demonstrated commitment to the college’s core values of respect and inclusion, sustainability, integrity, collaboration, humor and well-being, innovation, and quality.

Nice To Haves

Earned Doctorate Degree.
Experience with college scheduling software and academic intervention systems (i.e., Register Blast, EAB Navigate) and familiarity with higher education Learning Management System (i.e., Canvas).
Successful experience in developmental education, working with testing centers and placement offices.
Experience working with large and at-risk student populations within a diverse educational setting.
English and Spanish verbal and written communication proficiency.
Demonstrated multicultural competence.

Responsibilities

Professionally represent Joliet Junior College and uphold the College’s core values.
Provide leadership, supervision, and strategic direction to the Placement Office and Testing Services departments. This will include hiring, supervising, training, and evaluating direct reports who may include professional, support, student, grant, and/ or contractual staff. Provide professional development opportunities for all direct reports within a succession planning design. Support any quality standards, accreditations, and certifications supported through Placement and Testing areas. Support related Disability Services initiatives.
Oversee and execute administrative duties including but not limited to budget oversight and management (institutional, revenue, and/ or grant), annual contractual obligations and funding sources, technology acquisition and implementation, operational efficiencies, and professional development for all Placement and Testing areas. Respond to immediate fiscal needs; develop long-term goals; identify/ recommend staffing and departmental resource needs based on usage data, hiring trends, and industry standards; and identify/ recommend cost-saving measures.
Oversee all testing, placement, and CPL software integrations and maintenance as related to the college’s Student Information System (SIS). Work with both internal and external groups to implement SIS enhancements/ optimizations, including those related to test scores, placement measures, placement prerequisites, data and reporting, and CPL data. Serve as technology administrator by monitoring usage, payments, contracts, ordering testing units, and monthly revenue reconciliation; acquiring accompanying software/ hardware; and training staff for the following: placement platforms (currently Accuplacer and ALEKS), testing platforms (currently Canvas, CLEP, CNA, Pearson VUE, Prometric, and TEAS), testing preparation, and scheduling platforms (currently Register Blast).
Oversee and support the testing, placement, and CPL needs of JJC students and high school programs, as well as community members. Provide data-informed recommendations and guidance to ensure all programs align with the college’s strategic plan, strategic enrollment management plan, and equity plan; College policies and procedures; national/ local associations (i.e., National College Testing Association, etc.), standards (i.e., Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, etc.), and certifications; local, state, and federal compliance-related laws (i.e., Americans with Disabilities Act and Illinois Community College Board System Rules Manual); and best practices for student support areas. Work collaboratively with academic departments and student development support programs. Convene regular meetings, share assessment reports, and respond to affirmed needs that result in student immediate and long-term success.
Serve on College Readiness Committee including Placement Subcommittee and Credit for Prior Learning Subcommittee, Curriculum Committee, Data Governance, Dual Credit Strategic Plan, Online Instruction Steering Committee, Strategic Enrollment Management Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, and other groups as appropriate, to inform, recommend, and support overall student enrollment, retention, persistence, and graduation, as well as support initiatives, resources, and strategic plans. Build partnerships throughout the institution with, including but not limited to, Academic Affairs, Disability Services, Enrollment Management, Information Technology, and Student Advising Center.
Develop, lead, and evaluate JJC Placement strategies including but not limited to (1) reviewing, updating, and communicating related policies, procedures, and practices; (2) capturing relevant information to report on departmental successes and opportunities; (3) bridging the gap between application completion and student advising; (4) minimizing unnecessary placement testing thus expediting students through the enrollment process and degree/ certification acquisition; (5) automating placement measure data entry; (6) evaluating placement platform and multiple measures effectiveness in terms of cost and student success rates; and (7) monitoring and implementing departmental professional development, training, and practices to ensure the highest levels of customer service and quality assurance.
Develop, lead, and evaluate JJC Testing Services strategies including but not limited to (1) reviewing, updating, and communicating related policies, procedures, and practices around placement, academic, accommodated, and certification testing; (2) capturing relevant information to report on departmental successes and opportunities; (3) leading related advisory circles to gather stakeholder feedback at all testing locations with the goal of ensuring appropriate services are offered to meet student and community testing demand; (4) maximizing resources to meet tester need, increase number of exams administered, and increase number of exam types offered; (5) increasing incoming testing revenue to help offset departmental costs; (6) evaluating testing opportunities to add or delete from menu of services; and (7) monitoring and implementing departmental professional development, training, and practices to ensure the highest levels of customer service, quality assurance, and testing integrity.
Develop, lead, and evaluate JJC CPL strategies including but not limited to (1) reviewing, updating, and communicating related policies, procedures, and practices; (2) building and maintaining CPL TEAMS site to document and track approval, regular review, archives, and other related workflows; (3) coordinating regular meetings with Student Development and Academic Affairs stakeholders to share updates, build relationships, and ensure consistent two-way communication; (4) ensuring JJC remains in compliance with CPL standards and accurately promotes (un)accepted CPL opportunities at JJC; (5) increasing student acquisition of CPL to increase student enrollment, retention, persistence, and graduation rates; and (6) reporting on related CPL qualitative and quantitative data.
Provide direct support to, and in his/ her absence represent, the Dean and AISLT to implement best practice efforts that increase student success by providing leadership and guidance to all program areas that deliver support and services to students.
Oversee the placement, testing, and CPL processes and represent these functions at all internal and external committees for the college, including implementation and quality assurance of placement prerequisites, alternative placement measures, and placement exams; testing services, locations, and scheduling; and CPL opportunities and outcomes. Provide consistent and transparent training, support, and communication around related processes to JJC current, prospective, and dually-enrolled students, staff, faculty, and community members to remain compliant with federal and state legislations. Cascade information up and down the institutional hierarchy to ensure student and departmental advocacy, and to keep direct reports well informed.
Effectively market Placement Office, Testing Services, and CPL resources to future and current JJC students, faculty, and staff; maintain departmental websites to clarify public information about JJC accommodations, procedures, and services.
Analyze departmental services and disseminate usage and outcome data gathered by the placement, testing, and CPL functions; prepare regular reports (monthly and annually) related to programs, services, accomplishments, and concerns. Provide administrative leadership to Placement and Testing departments regarding data collection and report preparation. When appropriate and requested, provide aggregated feedback to district high schools regarding placement in English, math, and reading and provide recommendations to support placement into high school programs including but not limited to Dual Credit and Transition courses.
Collaborate with all Student Development and Academic Affairs Deans and campus-wide partners. Organize and participate in regular meetings in support of achieving departmental, divisional, and college-wide goals and objectives. Work in partnership with direct reports and Dean to develop departmental goals that align with annual divisional goals.
Perform related duties as assigned.