TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY Hiring for Policy Analyst (Education Specialist IV) at Austin, TX Full Time

Organization: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY

Primary Location: Texas-Austin

Work Locations: Texas Education Agency 1701 NORTH CONGRESS AVENUE Austin 78701

Job: Education, Training, and Library

Employee Status: Regular

Schedule: Full-time

Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00

Travel: Yes, 5 % of the Time

State Job Code: 0823

Salary Admin Plan: B

Grade: 23

Salary (Pay Basis): 4,598.67 – 6,065.75 (Monthly)

Number of Openings: 1

Overtime Status: Exempt

Job Posting: Feb 1, 2022, 5:31:02 PM

Closing Date: Ongoing

Description

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
TEA aims to improve outcomes for over 5.5 million students in Texas public schools through an ambitious Strategic Plan designed to prepare students for college, career, or the military. One of the key enablers underpinning this plan is district and campus academic performance, which is based, in part, on the Texas Assessment Program. The Texas Assessment Program measures the academic achievement and growth of Texas students and provides data to help members of the Texas public school community understand the performance and progress of students in the state.

This position is responsible for researching and recommending assessment policy for the state of Texas. The role requires collaboration with a set of cross-functional workstreams and strong technical writing skills. The position leverages critical thinking, analytic, and communications skills to ensure policies of the assessment division are accurate and easily understood by stakeholders. This position is responsible for providing consultative and technical assistance to agency staff, local education agencies, communities, and/or governmental agencies. This role works under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. The position reports to the Director of Policy and Publications in the Student Assessment Division.

This position plays a critical role in ensuring successful administrations of valid and reliable student assessments that ultimately provide parents and education practitioners with actionable information for improved instruction. The position supports the Texas Assessment Program, which impacts over 1,200 districts and 5.5 million Texas students.

Please note that a resume is a required attachment for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Research, interpret, and analyze complex state and federal education laws and regulations.
• Perform analysis of prospective Texas House and Senate education bills and advise on their statutory and operational impact.
• Draft commissioner and board rules that help TEA effectively implement statutory priorities.
• Prepare and complete federal peer review packages, administrative reports, technical documents, waivers, studies, and specialized research projects.
• Collaborate to develop testing materials, policies, documentation, communications, and trainings to aid stakeholders in understanding the Texas Assessment Program.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Mission Alignment: Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military.

Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university

Experience: At least four [4] years of experience in education, assessment, or related field

Substitution: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:

• Commitment to educational excellence: demonstrated commitment to ambitious goals for student performance and equity; experience in K–12 public education preferred
• Emphasis on outcomes, quality, and efficiency: insistence on consistently delivering high-quality work on time and dedicated follow-through on commitments; a track record of streamlining and creating operational processes, systems, and protocols that enable organizations to become more efficient and effective
• Superior prioritization and project and time management: the ability to balance and manage multiple workstreams and effectively identify key priorities; a track record of performance and successful implementation across multiple concurrent projects
• Outstanding communications and interpersonal skills: clear, concise, and persuasive written and verbal communications; the ability to develop and present clear, data-driven storylines and effective slides; an aptitude for effective listening and meaningfully engaging a wide range of diverse stakeholders and quickly building credibility and relationships.
• Pursuit of continuous improvement: a persistent desire to self-reflect, and continuously improve
• Flexibility and adaptability: the ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions, deal effectively with ambiguity, and work effectively with complexity and change
• Data-driven and analytical mindset: the desire to proactively seek out and absorb information, data, and research from disparate sources and the intuition to determine relevance to make evidence-based decisions; the desire to communicate from a place of data; the ability to structure and process qualitative or quantitative data
• Problem-solving and creativity: the ability to look at a tough problem, see the systemic dynamics at play, and work with others to develop solutions that address root causes

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the veteran’s preference.

Additional Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) information can be accessed here.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.