Executive Director, Assessment & MTSS

Chicago Public Schools•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Student Assessment and MTSS empowers all CPS stakeholders with high-quality evidence of student learning to advance achievement, access, and opportunity for all students. The department supports schools in developing and implementing balanced assessment systems and a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Framework that enables educators to meet students’ needs. Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Teaching & Learning, the Executive Director, Assessment & MTSS provides strategic vision, leadership, and administrative oversight for the district's comprehensive assessment and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) intervention frameworks. This role leads a high-performing department responsible for the policy, design, implementation logistics, data infrastructure, and continuous improvement of all large-scale, enrollment-based, curriculum-embedded, and teacher-evaluation assessments, as well as equity-based MTSS implementations across the district. The Executive Director ensures assessment and MTSS systems are valid, reliable, accessible, instructionally meaningful, and used appropriately to inform decisions about student learning, instructional improvement, program quality, and equitable access to supports. By fostering cross-functional collaboration and managing critical relationships with state, union, vendor, and community partners, the Executive Director ensures that students across all networks have equitable access to high-quality assessment systems and coherent, evidence-based supports aligned with a rigorous, standards-aligned instructional experience. This is a full-time, exempt position paid on a salary basis for time worked.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a focus in education, educational measurement/assessment, public policy, or a related field is required
Professional Educator License with an administrative endorsement is required
Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in assessment, MTSS, accountability, research and evaluation, data strategy, instructional improvement, school support, or a related educational leadership function, including experience using student outcome data to inform decisions at the school, network, district, or system level
Minimum of five (5) years of experience directly supervising a team of professionals within an educational environment
Expert-level knowledge of balanced assessment systems, educational measurement principles, psychometrics, and multi-tiered intervention strategies
Knowledge of accessibility, accommodations, universal design principles, and appropriate assessment practices for diverse learners, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities
Deep familiarity with Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) regulations, federal compliance standards, and Chicago Public Schools assessment and teacher evaluation policies
Exceptional executive-level project management and strategic planning capabilities; ability to define complex systemic problems, analyze diverse data tracks, and execute valid district-wide action steps
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to articulate a clear educational vision and communicate technical data methodologies to non-technical audiences, executive leadership, policymakers, and community stakeholders
Strong collaborative relationship-building skills, with the ability to navigate cross-departmental frameworks, negotiate consensus, and manage high-stakes disputes effectively
Extensive understanding of enterprise data systems, educational technology platforms, data governance principles, and analytics software
Deep professional alignment with the CPS Instructional Core Vision, showing a relentless career commitment to educational access, equity, and continuous organizational learning

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree is preferred

Responsibilities

Supervises, develops, and manages the performance of a team responsible for large-scale assessments, access and enrollment testing, curriculum-embedded assessments (Skyline), REACH performance tasks, data strategy, and MTSS frameworks
Guides the department's long-term strategic plans, data inquiry cycles, and Continuous Improvement Plans to optimize operational efficiency and maximize positive impacts on student learning with an explicit lens for equity, access, and inclusion
Spearheads district-wide policy development and standardization for the high-fidelity design, secure administration, implementation, and evaluation of all balanced assessment systems across the Pre-K through 12 grade continuum
Oversees the strategic expansion, implementation, and continuous improvement of the district’s equity-based MTSS framework as an integrated academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and attendance support system grounded in strong Tier 1 instruction, universal screening, progress monitoring, evidence-based interventions, and clear decision-making protocols
Facilitates critical partnerships across Central Office departments to align assessment implementation, data reporting, and teacher evaluation integrations with broader district priorities; Advises the Law Department and other executive leadership on high-stakes assessment vulnerabilities, test security violations, and regulatory compliance metrics
Serves as the primary representative and liaison for Chicago Public Schools with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Joint Committee on Teacher Evaluation, and national assessment policy convenings
Leads the procurement, contract management, and performance evaluation of all major third-party testing providers, assessment system vendors, and MTSS platform partners
Directs the creation and execution of comprehensive, adult-learning plans focused on assessment literacy, including assessment purpose, validity, accessibility, accommodations, data interpretation, limitations of use, and translation of evidence into instructional and intervention decisions for network teams, school administrators, and instructional staff
Champions the structural integrity, cleaning, reporting, and visualization of district performance and growth data, working in concert with enterprise data and research teams to drive critical educational decisions
Maintains a coherent district assessment strategy by evaluating assessment quality, redundancy, burden, accessibility, alignment to standards and curriculum, and usefulness for instructional decision-making
Other duties and workstreams as assigned