What are the responsibilities and job description for the Social Studies Assessment Specialist (Education Specialist IV) position at TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY?
Social Studies Assessment Specialist (Education Specialist IV) (00048562)
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
State Job Code: 0823
Salary Admin Plan: B
Grade: 23
Salary (Pay Basis): 5,098.66 - 6,128.25 (Monthly)
Number of Openings: 1
Overtime Status: Exempt
Job Posting: Mar 10, 2025, 2:18:03 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.
Core Values:
- We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.
- We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
- We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
- We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.
New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.
Position Overview: The Assessment Development Division (ADD) oversees the planning, management, and oversight of content development for specific subject areas across a suite of assessment products that support aligned student instruction in the state of Texas. The ADD has two parts: the Content team, comprised of content experts, who are responsible for editing and approving the passages, items, and tests for our assessments and the Operations team, comprised of program managers, who are responsible for managing the schedule, processes, inventory, risk management, and long-term planning.
The Assessment Development Social Studies Specialist is responsible for the development of all Social Studies content for all components of the Texas Assessment Program, including STAAR and Special Forms.
This role collaborates directly with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure that the development of STAAR, Special Forms, and Operational Resources align with the state and division's vision to improve educational outcomes for all Texas students. This role will also require managing the state's assessment vendors.
This position performs highly advanced consultative services, provides technical assistance to the Assessment Development Division team, and works with considerable latitude to use initiative and independent judgment.
Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.
Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments 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
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.
1. Item and Test Development across all Texas Assessment Programs: Oversee the development and continuous improvement processes supporting clear and aligned specifications for high-quality assessments and assessment items. Oversee the review and revision of all available assessment items, including constructed response items and scoring for given titles
2. Communications and Resources and Educator Engagement: Develop resources, materials, trainings, and communications (e.g., sample items, blueprints, scoring guides) to support stakeholder understanding of the Texas assessment program and improve assessment literacy. Manage and facilitate content reviews and engagement opportunities (e.g., presentations, conferences) across a variety of Texas stakeholders, including Texas educators
3. Content Expertise & Support Across Agency: Leverage content and instructional expertise to design, develop, and review resources and professional development aligned to the TEKS
4. Division Collaboration: Work in close collaboration with Content directors and members of the ADD Operations team to give feedback to schedules, process definitions and improvement, long-term planning, risk management, and communications
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
- Experience: At least four (4) years of experience in the administration of the Texas Assessment Program at the campus, district, state, or region level with an in-depth knowledge of the program’s test administration policies.
- Substitutions: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience.
Other Qualifications
- Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military
- Certified Texas Contract Manager (CTCM) certification must be obtained within the first six (6) months of employment
- The ability to grasp complex topics and processes, master new skills, and apply them quickly and effectively
- A deep personal interest in and demonstrated commitment to educational equity and TEA's mission
- The ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions, deal effectively with ambiguity, and work effectively with complexity and change
- The ability to look at a challenging problem, see the systemic dynamics at play and work with others to develop solutions that address root causes
- Clear, concise, and persuasive written and verbal communications, with 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
- Consistently deliver high-quality work on time, with a track record of streamlining processes to enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness
- The ability to balance and manage multiple workstreams and effectively identify critical priorities
- A track record of performance and successful implementation across multiple concurrent projects
- Proactively seek and absorb information from various sources, using intuition to determine relevance for evidence-based decisions, and communicate effectively with data
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 military employment preference.
To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State’s Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military “occupational category” that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.
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. Please add "capps.recruiting@cpa.texas.gov" and "@tea.texas.gov" to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications from our talent acquisition team and/or hiring division regarding your candidacy.
