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Data Strategist, Student Assessment & MTSS

Job Details

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 340,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Student Assessment & Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Data Strategist will support and help build capacity around the effective use of student assessment & MTSS data at all levels in department and district programs, policies, and initiatives. This position will report to the CPS Executive Director of Student Assessment and will work closely with Student Assessment & MTSS managers and staff.

The Data Strategist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
  • Act as the process expert for student assessment & MTSS data across the grade-level continuum (Pre-K - 12) to inform the use of Assessment data across multiple Central Office Departments and CPS Initiatives. This includes data from large-scale assessment programs, district-managed assessment systems (e.g. Checkpoint), assessment vendor partners (e.g. Renaissance Learning Star360), and the district MTSS platform (i.e. Branching Minds)
    • Remain knowledgeable of changes in data-relevant CPS policies and initiatives such as those pertaining to assessment, MTSS, Pre-K - 3 strategy, Moving Forward Together, school accountability, and school support.
    • Serve as the liaison between the Department of Student Assessment and network data strategists to ensure quality and alignment of assessment reporting across various initiatives and systems (vendor systems, network reports, CPS Dashboard, etc.)
    • Contribute to the development and implementation of common district and school reporting and strategies for using large-scale assessment data (e.g. IAR, P/SAT, etc.) to improve grade-level, standards-aligned teaching and learning
    • Provide support to partners and stakeholders around how to interpret assessment data according to assessment design characteristics and analytic best practice
    • Help build the capacity of various stakeholders to understand and use the reporting features of the various assessment and MTSS systems to support school teams' cycles of data inquiry
  • Act as the point person for data access, analytics, and selection
    • Provide assessment & MTSS team members and partners (departments, networks, and schools) with relevant datasets and analytics support as needed to support robust engagement with student assessment & MTSS program data
    • Support the Executive Director of Student Assessment and Balanced Assessment Systems Manager in assisting internal partners and network teams with understanding their schools' assessment plans and implementation practices.
    • Provide strategic data analysis to the Department of Student Assessment to improve assessment team programs and initiatives focused both on operations and student learning
    • Identify implications of district-wide performance data and make strategic recommendations regarding policy and implementation
    • Serve as a Department of Student Assessment & MTSS expert in understanding and accessing CPS' data systems
  • Build capacity of the Department of Student Assessment to engage in robust cycles of department strategic planning and data inquiry
    • Supporting the development of strategic plan priorities, activities, and goals
    • Developing and facilitating the protocols by which Student Assessment & MTSS identifies and prioritizes high-need Network schools for support with transparency and a lense for equity
    • Coordinate with the Executive Director of Student Assessment to develop team capacity in alignment with the Continuous Improvement Process. This includes supporting the Assessment team in conducting root cause analyses, developing theories of action and building coherent multi-year strategies
    • Support the Department of Student Assessment in the development, implementation, and evaluation of their Continuous Improvement Plan by building capacity around strong cycles of inquiry and the use of data for planning
  • Develop an expertise on where various data are housed in order to extract information quickly and accurately
  • Evaluate data for structural integrity and consistency
  • Query, organize, and present data in a digestible and meaningful way and strategically design tools for schools and lead partner agencies
  • Compile, manipulate, and analyze data using appropriate statistical techniques
  • Must work with approved enterprise analytic toolsets (SAS or SQL)
  • Other duties as assigned


In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Data Strategist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:
  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required. Focus in Computer Science, Business, Education, or related fields of study is preferred
  • Master's degree preferred

Experience Required:
  • Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience as a data analyst or strategist, or in a role requiring data analysis
  • Experience with data analytic tools (SAS, R, SPSS, STATA, etc.) and the ability to use or learn SAS required
  • Experience using data to drive critical conversations and continuous improvement among peer and non-peer colleague groups is preferred
  • Extensive experience with student assessment data, experience as a teacher, and/or experience in education is preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • Eagerness to learn with a track record of proactively problem-solving challenges
  • Strong expertise in Excel and/or Google Sheets, inclusive of the ability to combine and report on datasets; strong knowledge of SAS, SQL, Google Scripts is preferred
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate data and methodological details clearly and accurately to non-technical audiences
  • Strong analytic, data management, and data visualization skills
  • Strategic thinker able to generate actionable insights from data
  • Capable of working with or coaching adult learners around assessment data interpretation and use
  • Excellent report writing, analytical and project management skills, with a good attention to detail
  • Ability to build trusting relationships and function effectively across multiple stakeholders
  • Knowledge of either High School or Elementary Assessments, team structures, and data cycles is preferred


Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:
  • Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.
  • Be Fully Vaccinated or Submit to Weekly COVID-19 Testing -Employees are required to be fully vaccinated within 30 days of their hire date. Full vaccination is defined as at least two weeks after your second shot of a two-shot vaccination course, or at least two weeks after a one-shot vaccination course. Unvaccinated staff must submit to weekly testing.

Company

Chicago Public Schools is truly a district on the rise. The last five years have been an unprecedented success for CPS, and during that time, our district has emerged as a beacon of what is achievable for large urban school districts across the country. Our mission is to provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.

Company info
Telephone
773-553-1000
Location
42 W Madison St
Chicago
IL
60602
US

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