Senior Director - Evaluations

Job Title

Position Title: Senior Director of Evaluations

Location: Moses Field, 1100 Sheridan St, Detroit, MI 48214

Salary: $99,486 - $134,599

Reports to: Executive Director, Exceptional Student Education or designee

Bargaining Unit: N/A

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Telecommuting Eligibility: This is a field-based role requiring regular presence at school sites and evaluation center locations.

The Opportunity:

Every child's path to the right special education services begins with a timely, accurate evaluation and with a district that goes out and finds the children who need help. The Senior Director of Evaluations - leads that work for Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), directing the District's Child Find and multidisciplinary evaluation engine: Approximately 11 evaluation teams and an evaluation clinic that together complete more than 6,000 initial evaluations, reevaluations, and Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) each year, serving students from birth through age 26.

Leading through two supervisors and their teams, you will ensure every evaluation is completed on time and at high quality, that parents are engaged and satisfied throughout the process, and that eligibility determinations are accurate and legally defensible. You will lead Project Find - the outreach that identifies and serves children with disabilities across public, private and parochial, Head Start, and community settings. Additionally, you will manage the ancillary providers assigned to Early Intervention Diagnostic Center, supporting the identification of children with ages 0-3 who require IFSPs. You will also serve as a skilled navigator of complex, high-stakes matters, including state complaints and interactions with parent advocates. Reporting to the Executive Director, you will be a key member of the ESE leadership team.

You are an expert in special education law and evaluation practice who is energized by getting it right for children and families. You build reliable systems, hold high standards for compliance and quality, communicate clearly, and use data to stay ahead of timelines and risk. You have reliable transportation to respond to matters at various sites as they occur.

What Success Looks Like:

Success in this role is ongoing, not a one-time milestone. When the Senior Director of Evaluations is leading at a high level:

• Every eligible child in the District is found, referred, and evaluated - including children ages 0-3 who require IFSPs - and no child who needs services goes unidentified.
• All initial evaluations, reevaluations, and IFSPs are completed within IDEA and MARSE timelines, consistently and reliably.
• Eligibility determinations are accurate, data-driven, and legally defensible, and evaluation practices hold up under review.
• The approximate 11 evaluation teams and the evaluation clinic are well-led, well-coordinated, and high-performing, with two strong supervisors executing the work.
• Parents are engaged, informed, and satisfied throughout the evaluation process, and state complaints and advocate concerns are navigated skillfully and resolved.
• Evaluation and Child Find data are accurate and current, and leaders can see and act on compliance risk before it becomes a problem.

Why DPSCD:

DPSCD is the largest school district in Michigan and is committed to becoming the highest-performing urban district in the country. Exceptional Student Education is central to that mission, and evaluation is where it begins. This role offers the chance to lead a mission-critical function at the front end of special education, a seat on the ESE leadership team, and a competitive benefits package including retirement, medical, dental, and vision coverage and paid time off. Most of all, it offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference for Detroit's children with disabilities and their families.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree required. Master's Degree strongly preferred (School Psychology, Speech-Language Pathology, Special Education, or a related field preferred).
• Valid State of Michigan Special Education Director's or Supervisor's Approval, or eligibility, or willingness to obtain approval.
• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience as a special education administrator (supervisor or director), with a minimum of three (3) years directly related to evaluations, school psychology, Child Find, or related-service delivery.
• Demonstrated expertise in the IDEA Child Find mandate, MARSE eligibility criteria, the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) process, IFSPs, and evaluation timelines.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Birth to Age 26 continuum, including Early On/Part C to Part B transition and evaluation of students in nonpublic and Head Start settings.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and evaluating multidisciplinary evaluation staff (e.g., school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational/physical therapists) strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with PowerSchool Special Programs or electronic IEP systems, including running reports and using other data management systems.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, and strong customer service skills.

Essential Functions:

Evaluation Operations & Team Leadership

• Lead and manage the District's 11 evaluation teams and the evaluation clinic - through two supervisors - to complete more than 6,000 initial evaluations, reevaluations, and IFSPs each year.
• Ensure evaluations are completed on time, meet high quality standards, and result in engaged, satisfied parents.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate evaluation supervisors and staff; ensure staff are trained on evaluation instruments, protocols, and eligibility criteria, with consistency across the District.
• Coordinate and monitor the assignment and caseloads of evaluation staff based on student needs, and manage the hiring of evaluation staff.

Child Find & Outreach (Project Find)

• Direct the District's Child Find (Project Find) system to locate, identify, and evaluate all resident children birth through age 26 who have or are suspected of having a disability, across public, private, parochial, home-school, Head Start, and community settings.
• Ensure timely identification and evaluation of children ages 0-3 and the development of compliant Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs).
• Partner with Early On/Early Intervention to ensure seamless Part C to Part B transition evaluations for children turning three.

Compliance, Systems & Timelines

• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve systems and workflows that ensure all evaluations and IFSPs are completed within IDEA and MARSE timelines.
• Ensure Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) eligibility determinations are compliant, data-driven, and legally defensible.
• Develop policy, procedure, and practice based on IDEA, MARSE, Section 504, and Board policy, and recommend improvements as needed.

Legal Navigation & Family Engagement

• Navigate complex, high-stakes matters, including responding to and resolving state complaints and engaging effectively with parent advocates and attorneys.
• Serve as a point of escalation among parents, buildings, central office, and outside agencies; support timely resolution of disputes and constituent concerns.

Data & Accountability

• Collect and analyze evaluation and Child Find data; produce reports that conspicuously identify problem areas and compliance "hot spots" for strategic planning and action.
• Communicate proactively with the Executive Director regarding evaluation and Child Find matters requiring immediate follow-up, and perform other duties as assigned.

Security Clearance:

Internal Applicants

If you are a current Detroit Public Schools Community District employee, you do not have to submit to a new security clearance, unless your new role requires a different type of criminal background check.

External Applicants

In alignment with Michigan law, if you are hired to fill a position, you will be required to submit to a Detroit Public Schools Community District criminal background check. Information regarding required background checks will be shared at point of hire.

Method of Application:

Applicants must apply through the online application system. Only applications submitted through the online application system will be considered for any posted position and all applications require a resume to be considered.

Successful candidates are required to submit official transcript(s) at point of offer to hire. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide all documentation (including copies) as requested.

Applicants requesting assistance during the application process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email at recruitment@detroitk12.org or phone at (313) 873-6897.

DPSCD does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and/or religion. Contact the Civil Rights Coordinator for more information at (313) 240-4377 or detroitk12.org/compliance.