Job no: 510180
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Dean - College of Education
Union: PSU
Categories: College of Education, Analytics/Programming/Data

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

About the College of Education

The College of Education includes three academic departments and serves approximately 300 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. At any one time, the College maintains approximately 240 employee appointments, including tenure system faculty, part-time and full-time lecturers, permanent and temporary staff members, post-doctoral research associates, graduate teaching assistants, and student employees. In FY21, the College expended approximately $12.2 million from a variety of fund types and for a variety of purposes, including general operating, grant-supported research, and revenue generation funds.

Job Summary

The Educational Assessment Analyst manages the development and implementation of a comprehensive program of organizational assessment to support the College’s mission of supporting “Education for a Socially Just World.” Working under the supervision of the Director of Educational Technology and in collaboration with the leadership team of Academic Affairs, the Analyst supports state, national, and professional accreditation program approval processes for licensure programs as well as College-level strategic planning efforts. As part of this work, the Analyst will provide expertise to other members of College leadership and program coordinators of educator preparation programs related to assessment activities and will also direct all technical work related to TK-20, the proprietary database used for ongoing assessment of University of Massachusetts Amherst educator preparation programs.

Essential Functions

• Develop and implement multiple data collection and reporting protocols using multiple large data bases (SPIRE, Flagship Analytics, TK20, ESE's Edwin Analytics) to inform program and unit improvement.
• Building on the University’s Flagship Analytics platform and using Tableau, lead the development of College-level dashboards and/or analytics tools related to the effectiveness of educational programs as well as the College’s progress in meeting strategic planning objectives.
• Serve as a core member of the Educator Preparation leadership team on assessment matters related to both state program approval and compliance with regulations established by state, federal, and specialized subject matter professional associations.
• Coordinate the set-up, maintenance, and monitoring of all aspects of TK20 including program assessments; the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) portfolios; field placement data; delivery and monitoring of unit candidate and supervising practitioner surveys; the running of annual Tk20 data reports; and the provision of technical support as needed. Serve as liaison with the Tk-20 company technical staff for troubleshooting, programming changes, and training protocols.
• Maintain data and prepare reports related to field placement sites and supervising practitioners including census data (practicum demographics reports). Serve as core member of the team preparing for state program approval and national accreditation visits. Maintain accreditation documentation located in common files and website format.
• Serve as the College’s primary point-of-contact for compliance related reporting and provide data for national and statewide assessment reports (e.g., Title 2, State Annual Report, CAEP annual report).
• Respond to internal and external requests for data (e.g., US News and World Reports, College Factbook, strategic planning data)

Other Functions

• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisors showing adaptability and flexibility to accomplish goals.
• Travel and attend meetings as requested.
• Performs related duties as assigned or required to meet Department, Executive Area/Division, and University goals and objectives
• Perform special projects and other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• A Master’s degree in a field related to educational assessment, evaluation, or research.
• One year experience in assessment, evaluation, and research at the PK-12 or postsecondary level.
• Knowledge of research methodologies, statistical analysis, and research designs.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills.
• Problem solving, organizational, planning and project management skills.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• A doctoral degree in field related to educational assessment, evaluation, or research.
• Knowledge of practices and methods of program evaluation and assessment with demonstrated knowledge of and experience with the creation, manipulation, and extraction of information from large and small data sources (data mining), and the use of statistical concepts and techniques in the analysis of data and information.
• Prior experience utilizing Tableau or similar data visualization software.
• Experience in learning assessment, institutional research, or program evaluation at the College or University-level.
• Knowledge of educator preparation accreditation processes and standards. Demonstrated knowledge of assessment tools and software used in educational environments.
• Proficiency in using or familiarity with TK20 or a similar data management software program.
• Experience creating and conducting surveys.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Typical office environment

Work Schedule

• Monday-Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm
• Required to work occasional nights and weekends.

Salary Information

Level 26

PSU salary schedule

Specialist Instructions to Applicants

Please submit your application online. Required application materials include a cover letter, resume, diversity statement, and names and contact information for three professional reference.

The College of Education is committed to an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion between faculty, staff, and students alike. To advance the College's mission of furthering socialist justice, this position will require a diversity statement to be included with each candidate's application materials. The diversity statement is intended to clarify how a candidate will support a culture of equality and fairness at all levels of the organization, and may highlight prior advocacy efforts or intended contributions to the College of Education. Questions about this can be directed to educhr@educ.umass.edu.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Sep 16 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: