State Testing Coordinator - Great River Connections Academy

Company Summary:

Great River Connections Academy (GRCA) is a tuition-free public online eSchool serving students in grades K-12 throughout Ohio beginning in the 2018-19 school year. GRCA is authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools and governed by an independent Board of Directors. The school is operated through a contract with Connections Academy of Ohio, LLC, to provide its educational program and other services. Connections Academy, a division of Connections Education, is accredited by AdvancED.

Position Summary and Responsibilities

Working from our office in Columbus or your home office within the state, the State Testing Coordinator's functions include managing, organizing, and collaborating with the administration team to provide safe, secure and confidential testing environments. This position's duties will extend beyond test coordination and will also include working with teachers to better analyze data and provide specific training.

The State Testing Coordinator will be responsible for the successful completion of the following tasks:

• Manage and organize all aspects of standardized testing, including: State Testing, English Language assessments, Competency Testing, Advanced Placement testing, ACT/PSAT/SAT testing, among others;
• Work collaboratively with diverse staff in the planning, organization, and execution of testing for the school, including Director of Counseling, Manager of Special Education, Office Manager, and Principal;
• Direct a team of teachers to assist in planning and organizing testing;
• Solicit and tabulate information regarding testing materials and needs for the school for the purpose of assisting in the preparation of the annual testing budget process;
• Receive, inventory, organize, and disseminate state-mandated tests; retrieve and organize test materials for return to state testing agencies;
• Prepare and arrange for shipment or pickup and retrieval of testing materials to and from test sites;
• Order, organize, store, and inventory school wide assessment materials as directed;
• Communicates often with parents and teachers to coordinate student success in and out of classroom;
• Organize standardized testing, focusing on finding and booking locations, teacher and student accommodations, managing schedule for the testing, making rosters of students testing for teachers' information, etc.;
• Create communication plan that includes timely notifications and organizes relevant information to be shared with staff and parents;
• Assist in notifying parents of upcoming testing, contacting students who must take various types of tests;
• Create plan to track registration and provide follow up actions to encourage completion;
• Track and address participation issues including parent refusal requests;
• Create plan to work with site leads and facilitate their communication with proctors and parents including regular meetings and communications;
• Coordinate with Pearson Virtual Schools to order needed technology, make distribution plan for sites, and monitor and adjust as needed;
• Coordinate and initiate contracts with outside school districts to organize testing at local school district upon parent request;
• Establishes alternate, quiet placement for students during testing hours;
• Provide school-wide as well as role-specific training covering all aspects of state testing;
• Investigates possible areas for improvement with test results, working with teachers on in-classroom tactics to increase scores;
• Assist with preparation and dissemination of reports to assist leadership and staff in the interpretation of performance data and school/student characteristics;
• Assist with preparation of test data, School Report Card or other school data; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Be able to travel to the school office in Columbus regularly
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience
• Some operational or logistics experience and/or administrative or management experience
• Education experience a plus
• Must be able to effectively communicate in English both orally and in writing
• Must be able to accurately compile and interpret data, summarize information, and provide reports to the appropriate administrator/supervisor
• Must have the ability to accurately give and receive information via telecommunication system and must be able to communicate successfully with children, parents, staff, school personnel, and outside agencies
• Standing, sitting, walking, reaching, bending, more than 20 pounds is oftentimes required
• Must be able to provide own transportation to schools, work locations, and meeting sites
• Be able to travel to various locations and move freely within work sites
• Must have sufficient visual acuity to be able to work with computer monitors, read and interpret hand-written documents
• Be able to provide legible written reports
• Must understand and interpret written and verbal instructions
• Be able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Must have the ability to maintain accurate records, and plan and implement appropriate educational programs
• Ability to work under the pressure of deadlines, interruptions, and the ability to deal with other employees in such a way as to maintain their goodwill
• Must be able to respond positively to supervision and to accept commendations and recommendations
• Demonstrate sensitivity/understanding in interpersonal relations with persons of diverse cultures/backgrounds
• Please note 2-step authentication is required to set-up to login to all systems if given a job offer.

Benefits available to eligible employees can be seen at https://www.connectionsacademy.com/careers/benefits

Application Contingency: ANY PERSON WHO KNOWLINGLY MAKES A FALSE STATEMENT IS GUILTY OF A FALSIFICATION UNDER SECTION 2921.13 OF THE OHIO REVISED CODE, WHICH IS A MISDEMEANOR OF THE FIRST DEGREE.

Great River Connections Academy is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), and the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), which are accrediting divisions of Cognia.