Job Specification

Purpose :

— To lead and/or coordinate the development of provincial education policies and resources for an assigned education portfolio to ensure consistency in application of legislation, policies and standards throughout the Province.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Policy Development
- Drafts and communicates a range of provincial policies related to assessing, evaluating and reporting student progress to ensure consistency across the province.
- Develops and communicates policy related to the elementary and secondary provincial report cards used by teachers to report student achievement to parents and related to standards of student achievement, assessment and reporting of student achievement.
- Ensures policies incorporate provincial standards and meet the needs of teachers, students, and parents while incorporating most recent technological methods.
- Makes recommendations for changes to legislation (i.e., Education Act) based on research findings and policy initiatives and develops/interprets policy related to the Ontario School Record (per the Education Act).
2. Data Analysis
- Analyzes and reports the results of provincial, national and international assessments of student achievements to support decisions regarding improving student achievement made by the Offices of the Minister, Deputy Minister, the Communications Branch, other branches, District Offices, Faculties of Education, other stakeholders and international delegations.
3. Resource Development
- Designs projects and develops/implements work plans for the development of resource materials, system initiatives and guides to support teachers in the improvement of student achievement; makes recommendations for involvement of teachers and experts in research and resource development.
- Researches a variety of information sources for use in resource design and develops resources, methods, instruments, system initiatives and reports for use by teachers to assist them in the implementation of ministry policies.
- Oversees the development of classroom assessment and evaluate resource materials drafted by teachers, professional writers and contracted researchers; determines work assignments, manages time, resources and all phases of work, reviews/approves proposals, administers project funds and ensures materials are in compliance with ministry policies.
4. Stakeholder Consultations and Information
- Organizes and leads consultations and/or participates on committees with a variety of stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, school principals, Council of Ministers of Education) and organizations across Canada/the Province to ensure stakeholder needs are identified and Ontario's interests are addressed in policy discussions (e.g., test designs, methods of administration, release of test results and budget).
- Collaborates with other branches in the development of policies and resources (e.g. Communications Branch, Field Services, Legal Services).
- Organizes hearings related to the removal and/or correction of materials in the Ontario Student Record as required by the Education Act.
- Plans educators' symposia and provides expertise to international delegations on Ontario's education system.
- Provides policy interpretation and information in response to requests by stakeholders regarding the implementation of Ontario policies and projects.
5. Minister's Briefings and Correspondence
- Prepares and coordinates policy and briefings materials for the Minister, Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister in support of ministry decision making.
- Prepares issues notes, briefing notes, Q's and A's, fact sheets regarding national and international trends and initiatives in the field.
- Prepares responses to correspondence for the signature of the Deputy Minister, Minister and senior management.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Pedagogy and elementary/secondary school systems and specialized subject areas (e.g., literacy, business studies) to work with school boards, teachers, faculties of education in developing student assessment and evaluation tools, review curriculum materials.
- Applying educational theories, professional principles and practices related to assessment, evaluation and reporting of student achievement, test item development to the development of policies, instruments, resource materials and to lead consultations with educators across Ontario.
- Policy development principles/techniques as well as government policy development and legislative approval processes to conduct policy development projects and to develop policy options.
- Interpreting and applying legislation, ministry policies (e.g. provincial assessment and evaluation, provincial report card, Ontario student record, testing student achievement), standards and priorities and government policy direction to ensure ministry and government objectives are considered in the development of policy submissions and resource materials and to provide information/advice to clients/stakeholders.
- Applying research techniques, statistics, test theory, sampling theory to analyze provincial, national and international data and outcomes.
- Project management to lead resource development projects, design and implement work plans, manage all phases of work.
- Adult education principles and methodologies in developing and delivering training workshops for teachers, and instructions/guidelines to support web-based courses.
- Communications to write and edit resource and technical materials, prepare and make presentations, correspondence, briefing and issue notes
- Computer applications for word processing, slide presentations, web-based resources, creation of databases.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Consultation and negotiation skills to lead consultations with stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, school principals) who may have opposing needs and positions with regards to ministry policies; and to negotiate the development of resources with teachers, professional writers, contracted researchers and resolving conflicts in timelines and completion of materials.
- Influencing skills to persuade other provinces and territories with respect to Ontario's positions.
Presentation skills to conduct information/training workshops to school boards/teacher teams and customize information/data for different audiences and stakeholders including senior management to explain policy options and support recommendations.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analyzing and problem-solving skills to:
- Analyze provincial, national and international data and outcomes of student achievement to determine strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations regarding their applicability and relevance to Ontario's education sector and decision-making regarding improving student achievement.
- Analyze options as to whether Ontario should participate in various tests and making recommendations to government officials.
- Review policies, resource materials prepared by others to ensure compliance with ministry policies/legislation and to ensure product meets stakeholder needs while incorporating most recent technological methods.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Making recommendations to changes in policy and legislation related to student achievement within the guidelines provided by education and related theories, legislation and ministry standards.
- The design of projects, work plans and managing resources, approving proposals and funding for research and resource material development.
- Recommending options related to their education portfolio that will best meet the priorities of the government.
- Making recommendations regarding content to include in guides and resource materials to assist teachers in understanding provincial policies and best practices.
- Has latitude to make determinations regarding appropriate student sampling and resource materials supporting student testing.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Ministry senior executives (e.g., Minister, Deputy Minister) to provide briefings, recommendations and information on policy options.
- Cross-province/territory councils to make recommendations and provide input regarding national assessments.
- Staff in other branches within the Ministry (e.g., Legal Services, Communications, Field Services) to obtain/share information, review documents, provides opinions regarding projects and participate on projects.
- Teachers, principals, supervisory officers, and parent federations and associations to lead consultations regarding changes to policies and respond to queries regarding Ontario policies and projects.
- Contracted external experts, teachers and stakeholders involved in resource development to recruit subject teachers, assign work and provide leadership on project activities.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides project leadership to ministry staff involved in resource development to explain work assignments, provide advice throughout resource development to ensure timelines are met and products completed within requirements.
- Provides advice to ministry staff on a range of policy related matters and to advise on portfolio subject-specific policies and resources.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

Routinely required to respond to requests from the Offices of the Minister and Deputy Minister within short deadlines, tight time pressures. Rare requirement to work beyond normal work hours.

Mental / Sensory :

Occasional requirement to concentrate when listening intently at conferences and meetings with stakeholders.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.