The Director of Assessment Administration will lead a well-established and highly motivated team of individuals who execute critical state assessment initiatives and provide essential support to Colorado schools and districts. Provided with an intentional balance of autonomy and collaborative support, the Director will influence state assessment implementation and policy and will have the opportunity to directly impact and support positive developments for Colorado.
The Director of Assessment Administration supports the cohesion of the division as a whole and is responsible for directly leading all facets of the selection, administration, and reporting activities for special populations assessments, high school assessments, and national/international assessments required under state and federal law. This position supervises 4-6 individuals and The position works closely with assessment contractors, the Executive Director of Assessment, and the division's Chief Assessment Officer as well as content, special populations, administration, technology, and data and psychometric specialists to ensure the assessments meet the needs of Colorado school districts as well as the requirements specified in state and federal law. These related activities are critical to maintaining the integrity of the assessment programs which is foundational for the state accountability and other department evaluation systems. In addition to supporting the work of assessment program and data staff, the Director of Assessment Administration is responsible for providing assessment technical and educational policy expertise for internal and external stakeholders.
KEY DUTIES:
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND VENDOR COLLABORATION

• Conducts ongoing risk analysis of the work of the Assessment Administration Unit. Develops and implements mitigation strategies and contingency planning as needed. Demonstrates nimbleness and leadership in response to challenges, especially those which are novel, public-facing and require timely action.
• Works in close partnership with assessment vendors in developing work plans for assigned programs; monitoring and evaluating the day-to-day operations of each assessment program to ensure that activities and deliverables meet schedule, budget, and quality expectations; and engaging in continuous improvement to ensure ongoing improvement of processes, systems, procedures, etc.
• Annually negotiates and produces complex vendor contracts and amendments, including deliverables, scopes of work, costs, schedules and liquidated damages for assigned programs. Leads assessment procurement and vendor contracting processes including creation of RFPs, coordinating with purchasing office to evaluate proposals, recruitment and management of educator panels and generation of contract award notifications.

INTERNAL LEADERSHIP

• Works with Assessment Leadership team to facilitate and support the cohesion of the Assessment Division and constituent units
• Supports the Division, including the Assessment Administration Unit, in executing the Department's strategic plan by working to contribute to the Department's goals, specifically by providing data which are used to generate evaluative metrics. Advances CDE's processes as needed to improve effectiveness and efficiency to enable teams to meet their goals.
• Directs the development of data collection and data flow procedures from input to output across the Division working collaboratively with other Departmental units. Oversees the successful execution of the Assessment Division’s data operations, reporting, and inter-dependent work related to assigned assessment programs. Serves as the division representative on relevant department work groups.
• Supervises assigned Assessment Division staff.

EXTERNAL SUPPORT AND COMMUNICATION

• Provides primary direction for the successful administration of vendor off-the-shelf, multistate consortium developed, and national/international assessments (e.g., high school college entrance suite of assessments, ACCESS for ELLs, alternate (CoAlt) mathematics and English language arts assessments, NAEP, PISA, TIMSS, etc.).
• Provides oversight of the Department's and vendor's support to districts during the implementation of computer-based assessment planning and administration.
• Supports the continuation and enhancement of the Division's commitment to providing customer service and delivering products consistent with high quality expectations while exhibiting competence, ownership, team orientation, and honesty.

o Provides policy and technical expertise in the oversight of the department’s and vendor’s customer support and district training.
o Produces and reviews DAC emails, monthly communication updates, and web-based communications, as well as other internal and
external communications on assessment administration topics, scoring and reporting activities and progress on assessment programs.
o Produces and reviews all materials that are intended for informing the public, including the media; meeting federal requirements;
and/or supporting the State Board of Education as needed.
o Explains existing legal and technical assessment requirements and issues as needed to a variety of audiences, including policy makers
and the media.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND LEADERSHIP

• Provides expertise, Division leadership and support in the implementation of the statewide assessment system in alignment to the requirements of state and federal legislation; other key initiatives; professional technical standards; and diversity, equity, and inclusion values.

o Gathers and submits evidence for purposes of meeting federal assessment peer review requirements.

• Provides leadership in, and influences the implementation of, educational assessment policies and practices, engaging in critical state and national conversations and working with the State Board of Education, state legislature, federal legislators, U.S. Department of Education, national professional organizations, and other stakeholders as needed.
• Provides expertise and represents the division internally and externally as needed on assessment-related matters through both formal (governance meetings and activities, cross-state partnerships, conference attendance &/or presentations, written updates) and informal means (phone calls, visits) with the goal of making improvements to vendor products, processes, and systems.

• Completes other duties as assigned by immediate supervisor.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Masters degree from an accredited college or university in education, measurement/psychometrics, or educational policy or other field with tightly aligned assessment experience. Five or more years of supervisory, public policy, and program management experience.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS:
Qualifications for Success in the Position:
? Commitment to access and opportunity to effective education for all students. Ability to articulate the role assessment can serve in
illuminating achievement disparities across educational entities
? Experience and understanding of the unique strengths and needs of diverse communities (rural, urban and suburban) and students,
including students of poverty, students with disabilities, and students whose primary or home language is not English.
? Demonstrated experience in educational policy/leadership, assessment, measurement, or psychometrics. Solid foundation in the legal
and technical requirements for developing, administering, scoring and reporting large scale assessments

• Ability to articulate personal knowledge of critical components and issues related to large scale standardized assessments including

test development using universal design strategies, content alignment to standards, preventing and addressing bias and sensitivity issues,
accessibility for English learners and students with disabilities, etc. that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Confirmed experience with and understanding of the relationship among standards, instruction, assessment, and accountability.
• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in and ability to:
• manage multiple high-visibility, high-stakes, and technically-complex large scale assessment programs under restrictive time frames at

the district level

• problem-solve and implement responsible and appropriate solutions under tight time constraints in response to high-visibility and

high-stakes assessment challenges, balancing quality of work and productivity expectations

• prioritize and organize work to accommodate and meet the changing requirements of the field, policymakers, legislation, and

Department while meeting deadlines

• effectively communicate complex content to a variety of audiences through a variety of modes
• facilitate conversations around potentially contentious issues with a variety of participants and take into consideration different points

of view in the development of policies and practices

• lead by building, coaching, and supporting highly effective and committed teams, both internally and across work groups
• foster a productive work environment that values initiative, competence, commitment and both individual and team contribution and

ownership

• Minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience

Conditions of Employment (Required):