Data Quality Specialist for the Office of Special Education

Worcester Public Schools (MA) is seeking a Data Quality Specialist to assist the administrative team in the special education department with timely and accurate collection of data and production of reports. Under the direction of the Manager of Special Education and Intervention Services this position is responsible for overseeing compliance with federal and state regulations laws and policies that govern special education through the identification collection maintenance and analysis of district and state data. The ideal candidate will support the Data and Analytics Specialist in the Office of Special Education by managing databases and assisting with district and state data reporting. The role requires experience with relational databases and data integrity practices as well as excellent organizational and communication skills. The ideal candidate will contribute to accurate timely reporting and collaborate effectively as part of a team. Additionally the applicant must have excellent organizational interpersonal and communication skills and value working as a member of a team. Schools in the Worcester Public Schools serve as an integral part of the lives of students and their families and the successful applicant will demonstrate a commitment to building and maintaining relationships with students families business partners and community organizations. Worcester is a diverse urban school district which provides all students with the opportunity to become informed productive and responsible citizens. The district comprises 48 schools and programs serving approximately 25000 students. There is a strong district culture which expects all staff to personally take responsibility to foster college and career readiness while emphasizing the four keys to 21st century learning: literacy critical thinking communication and collaboration. To maximize the effectiveness of your application please make sure that your School Spring application is updated and accurate. Specifically please ensure that your School Spring resume is updated. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 1.) Assist the Data and Analytic Specialist with monitoring the departments compliance with special education regulations about timelines and/or reporting including but not limited to DESE indicators referrals for services IEPs and Compliance Mandates - Advise the Director of Special Education and the Data and Analytic Specialist on process improvements to ensure timely and accurate reporting/project completion and information sharing. 2.) Confer with and provide information to district personnel and state auditors for periodic record reviews and assist with the preparation of local and state audits (i..e. Circuit Breaker) 3.) Under the direction of the Director of Special Education maintain fiscal reports of all tuition accounts and meet with Special Education Administration to review expenditures and develop contracts of students placed in Out of District programs as well as maintain the Tuition Accounts Access database 4.) Maintain Tuition Out of District tuition database accounts and monitor fiscal payments for accuracy given ongoing communication with accounting Out of District schools and the Data and Analytic Specialist. 5.) Assist Data and Analytic Specialist and Special Education Administrators in all aspects of DESE reporting to include Circuit Breaker DESE Indicators enrollment child find and Medicaid data collection. Reporting includes deadlines for weekly bi-weekly monthly quarterly and annual reports. 6.) Under the direction of the Director of Special Education and Data and Analytic Specialist collaborate with the office of Information Technology and other departments to assist with analyzing district special education data to maintain accountability as well as identify common data issues that compromise the districts reporting.7.) Assist the Data and Analytic Specialist to provide guidance technical assistance training and support to department staff as needed to improve data integrity given the timeliness based on assigned projects or tasks. 8.) Assist the Data and Analytic Specialist to maintain specific databases and/or Sheets with accuracy in the special education department. (i.e. DESE Extended School Year Tuition Accounts and align data collection from the District Student Management System and Student IEP Software Program) 9.) Assist the enrollment department with questions regarding updating in the District Student Management System all demographic and biographical data as needed10.) Assist the Data and Analytic Specialist with questions from the Parent Information Center Central Mass Collaborative and all WPS schools to ensure the accuracy of all registration is completed for students with disabilities during the registration process 11.) Assist with maintaining student rosters within the district student management system and IEP databases to ensure accuracy of enrollment/placement as well as complete registration and placement process for in-district and out-of-district students 12.) The candidate will attend various meetings and trainings and collaborate with diverse stakeholders (including District staff local agencies DESE and Out-of-District partners) to support the special education department in successfully completing mandated state Indicators specifically Indicator 7 (Preschool Outcomes) and Indicator 14 (Post-School Outcomes).13.) Attend weekly meetings with the Out of District Evaluation Team Chair the Supervisor of Compliance and the Director or Assistant Director of Special Education to review out-of-district placements and monitor all new tuition costs 14.) Collaborate with the Transportation Department and the Data Analytics Specialist to ensure students with disabilities transportation services and requests are updated and completed on time 15.) Proficiency skills in Excel Sheets database construction given excellent organizational skills and the ability to problem solve to meet timelines 16.) Responsible for providing equal educational and employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race color gender age marital status religion national origin or disability 17.) Performance of other duties as assigned by the Director of Special EducationREQUIREMENTS: The ideal candidate essential skills must include knowledge of the integration of systems to assist with developing and maintaining database management reports/queries to ensure accountability of financial expenditures as well as demonstrate a working knowledge of state and federal special education laws and regulations. 1.) Bachelors Degree - Computers/Data Analytics/Mathematics/ Special Education and/or related field 2.) Recent successful experience managing compliance reporting in a highly regulated environment 3.) Organizational skills with the ability to multitask projects and assignments to meet deadlines 4.) Excellent communication and writing skills given the aptitude to navigate various data reports to meet the needs of the department 5.) Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to successfully support colleagues of varying skill levels 6.) Ability to manage multiple processes in order to complete projects and reports with accuracy PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 1.) Knowledge of DESE reporting requirements and working knowledge of State Special Education Regulations 2.) College Degree or coursework in Information Technology systems Special Education or related field3.) Experience working in a public school district with Special Education Reports to: Director of Special Education and Intervention Services and Data and Analytics Specialist for Special Education Salary: $86861 annually ($46.71/hourly) This is a year-round non-represented position. The compensation package includes paid vacation PTO and sick days as well as access to health and dental insurance.

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