School Improvement & Data Specialist

School District of Philadelphia•Philadelphia, PA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The School District of Philadelphia is seeking a School Improvement and Data Specialist to provide direct support to Learning Networks and schools in School Improvement. This role is crucial for meeting requirements set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) legislation and supporting overall school improvement planning across all District schools. The specialist will implement and provide day-to-day operational support for programs and activities related to school improvement planning, focusing on the fidelity of implementation. A key aspect of this role involves supporting schools and Learning Networks in effectively using data from the District and Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to improve instruction and increase student achievement on state assessments. The specialist will also provide training and support to leadership teams, school advisory councils, Student Advisors, and other Learning Network staff to ensure effective implementation and compliance with Title 1 and PDE requirements.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Five years of full-time, paid, professional educational experience with documented expertise in the area of school planning and data review and interpretation.
Three of the five years of experience must include working with school utilization state data tools and building positive relationships and evidenced-based outcomes within the school.
Employees who apply for this position must commit to serving in this capacity for a minimum 24-month period.
Demonstrated knowledge of PA Academic Content Standards, PSSA & Keystone Assessment Anchors/Eligible Content, PDE’s Standards Aligned System (SAS) and Philadelphia Core Curriculum.
Demonstrated knowledge of assessment and interpreting and applying classroom-based and system-wide data to drive student achievement that includes familiarity with PDE data tools such as Emetric and PVAAS and District tools such as SchoolNet.
Demonstrated knowledge of descriptive and inferential data analysis.
Demonstrated knowledge of utilizing and triangulating data sets.
Demonstrated knowledge of the State’s School Improvement Planning (SIP) process, with a clear understanding of PDE’s school plan formats.
Demonstrated knowledge of PowerPoint, InDesign and/or other design software.
Demonstrated ability to learn more about assessment data and how this data may be used at the regional and school level to both monitor and improve instruction.
Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally to ensure that all District-held data are accurate, complete, understandable, and accessible to relevant stakeholder groups.
Demonstrated ability to work with a sense of urgency.
Demonstrated ability to exhibit tactfulness and respect towards all colleagues.
Demonstrated ability to be optimistic and entrepreneurial.
Demonstrated ability to solve problems, anticipate issues and troubleshoot with good judgment and critical thinking.
Demonstrated ability to be detail oriented and hold self and others accountable to a high standard of quality assurance.
Demonstrated ability to make effective presentations to regional and school staffs on SIP, use of data tools, and the effective use of data to better target instruction.
Demonstrated ability to use computer applications including Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Word.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Responsibilities

Provides intensive support to schools on the Action Planning process, including revising of plans as well as assisting schools in the consistent monitoring of plan activities.
Ensures that school instructional leadership and improvement teams are informed of current PDE and District Action Planning procedures and reporting requirements.
Facilitates the ongoing analysis of state and local assessment data as it relates to the school, individual student achievement and improvement of instruction.
Reviews assessment data with teachers, individually and with departments, grade levels, or instructional teams.
Ensures that Learning Network leaders and school staff have a clear understanding of the appropriate use of student achievement data.
Assists schools in becoming proficient in using PDE’s on-line, interactive data tools to support the development of the Action Plan for Student Achievement.
Provides information to the leadership teams on school performance using SchoolNet, PVAAS and eMetric and other information management systems.
Acts as a liaison between the schools and Learning Networks to lead school faculties in gathering and analyzing of high stakes state and locally relevant data to facilitate decision-making at the school.
Participates in the coordination of professional development on Action Planning procedures to school and district staff.
Works with other central offices to develop, design and deliver professional development activities to improve instruction by more effective use of student performance data.
Collaborates with other central offices to develop, and design and deliver professional development activities to improve instruction through more effective use of student performance data.