Assistant Director of Special Education Planning & Policy

The Office of Special Education Planning and Policy Development (SEPP) is integral to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (Department's) development of policy, oversight of programming, and administration of federal funding for students with disabilities in the Commonwealth. SEPP supports the Department's mission, helps advance the Commissioner's strategic priorities and education vision, and provides special education related support, guidance, and direction to educators, students, families, and the community. The Assistant Director of SEPP (Assistant Director) is part of the Department's team of special education leaders who are responsible for designing and implementing a reasonably designed system of general supervision and provide oversight to approximately 400 public school districts in the Commonwealth that provide special education and related services to over 184,000 students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs). The Department's team of special education leaders ensure the coherence of the eight components of general supervision which include the state performance plan; development of policies, procedures, and effective implementation; fiscal management; data on processes and results; improvement correction, incentives, and sanctions; and targeted technical assistance and professional development. The Assistant Director assists the Executive Director and State Director of Special Education with monitoring the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state law and regulations, inclusive of M.G.L. c. 71B and 603 CMR 28.00, and ensures continuous improvement resulting in improved educational and functional outcomes for students with disabilities by developing an annual State Performance Plan and reports outcomes via the Annual Performance Report.

The SEPP Assistant Director assists the State Director with the operations of the SEPP office and staff. This includes working with the Co-Assistant Director of SEPP to provide direct oversight of the daily operations of the office and the direct supervision of the SEPP team.

The responsibilities of the SEPP office and staff include the following:

- Developing special education related policy, procedures, guidance, and resources;

- Administering over $385,000,000 of federal funding through the direct administration of the state set aside and through subrecipient grants;

- Overseeing activities related to the State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report;- Developing, modeling, and disseminating evidence-based practices and effective implementation;

- Designing and implementing improvement activities and high-quality professional development;

- Implementing activities related to Results Based Accountability, monitoring, and the use of incentives and sanctions:

- Promoting communication and collaboration with various stakeholders;

- Facilitating statewide special education data collection, analysis, and reporting;

- Supporting the SEPP team with technical writing, procurement, and

- Leading and managing special education related technical assistance and projects focused on topics such as increasing public awareness of special education, assessment, eligibility determinations, IEP development, creating and sustaining inclusive schools, early childhood and secondary transition, literacy, family engagement, special education related compliance, student and family outcomes, diverse student populations, disproportionality, discipline, social emotional learning, educator preparation, strategic use of resources, and intra/interagency collaboration.

Major Responsibility Areas:

Provides Supervision and Direction to SEPP Team

• Collaborates with the Co-Assistant Director to oversee the daily operations and supervision of staff.
• Facilitates regular communication between SEPP staff, the assistant directors, and the director.
• Provides direct supervision to staff, as assigned.
• Provides indirect supervision to staff, as assigned.
• Oversees day-to-day operations, as assigned.

The State Performance Plan

• Supports the Co-Assistant Director with leading activities related to the oversight of the State Performance Plan for Special Education which requires the annual reporting on over 18 Indicators and Data areas.
• Collaborates with stakeholders to set targets, identify improvement activities, track progress, and report outcomes to USED through the Annual Performance Plan

Implementation of Policies and Procedures

• With guidance and supervision from the Director, the Assistant Director develops policy and procedures in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations.
• With guidance and supervision from the Director, the Assistant Director oversees the editing and revision process of draft policy by collaborating with other special education leaders, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and consulting with legal counsel.
• With guidance and supervision from the Director, the Assistant Director develops procedures and other technical assistance documents to support the implementation of policy, regulation, and law.
• Assists the Director with the development of and implementation of multiple intra- and inter-agency policy and programmatic initiatives pertaining to the implementation of state and federal responsibilities outlined in state education laws including M.G.L. c. 71B and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• Provides oversight of the State Advisory Panel and Special Education Steering Committee as required under state and federal law.

Fiscal Management

• Assists the Director with the development, implementation, and auditing of over 380 million dollars of federal IDEA funding through direct allocations and grant funding to LEAs for all IDEA Part B section 611 (school-aged children) and section 619 (early childhood) fiscal funding.
• Collaborates with the Co-Assistant Director to develop and administer entitlement, targeted, and competitive grants.
• Assists the Co-Assistant Director in developing and overseeing the administrative budget including the allocation of resources to other DESE offices including the approval of budget proposals.
• Assists the Director with the development of aligned fiscal systems to collaborate with Department fiscal units and to oversee as many as 2000 grants each year across multiple grant categories.
• Collaborates with Audit and Compliance to ensure fiscal compliance with requirements such as equitable services, comprehensive coordinated early intervening services, non-supplanting, maintenance of effort, and excess cost.
• Assists the Co- Assistant Director with the oversight of all financial reporting and financial analysis for all federal IDEA Part B funding.
• Coordinates with the Co- Assistant Director to provide technical assistance, professional development/training, and corrective action associated with the expenditures of IDEA Part B.

Data on Processes and Results

• Supports the Co-Assistant Director to develop procedures and processes to facilitate state-wide data collection for 18 federal indicators for special education and 618 data submission reported annually to the USED.
• Collaborates with Public School Monitoring, the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, and College, Career, and Technical Education to ensure compliance and timely submission of required data for federal reports.
• Collaborates with the Co-Assistant Director to develop data driven processes, procedures, and technical assistance to assist schools and districts in improving outcomes for students with disabilities

Sustaining Compliance and Improvement

• Supports the Co-Assistant Director in making recommendations to the Director with the development of criteria and processes to issue Special Education Determinations to all LEAs annually as required by USED.
• Assists the Director with the oversight of collaboration with other Department units to ensure aligned technical support and assistance for districts requiring such from the Department in Special Education.
• Supports the Co-Assistant Director in making recommendations to the Director related to the annual identification of districts for significant disproportionality as required by USED.
• Implementing improvement activities related to districts that are identified as needing intervention or assistance, having significant disproportionality and/or

Technical Assistance and Professional Development

• Collaborates with the Co-Assistant Director to procure resources to provide technical assistance and professional development to schools and districts in the area of special education.
• Develops and implements technical assistance and professional development to support schools and districts in the use of high-leverage practices and other strategies focused on teaching and learning for students with disabilities.
• Assists the Director with developing strategies priorities and budgets to support aligned priorities for technical assistance and professional development.
• Coordinates with Public School Monitoring, Statewide Systems of Support, the Office of Strategic Transformation, the Charter School, School Redesign Office and Center for Instructional Support, and other relevant units to ensure a coordinated approach to technical assistance.
• Oversees the development and implementation of regular correspondences and webinars to special education leaders.
• Develops and implements high-quality professional development activities related to improved practices and compliance in special education.

Integrated Monitoring Activities

• Collaborates with Public School Monitoring and the Office of Approved Special Education Schools to ensure alignment of policy and the facilitation of required monitoring activities.
• Oversees the development and implementation of fiscal monitoring of IDEA Part B funds

Effective Dispute Resolution

• Supports the Director in providing oversight of the BSEA's interagency agreement with the Division of Appellate Law Appeals, including annual budget oversight and BSEA responsibilities including mediation and hearings.
• Collaborates with the Problem Resolution Unit to ensure alignment of policy implementation and complaint resolutions

Key Attributes for a successful candidate:

a passion for promoting diversity and equity in education;

a commitment to cultural awareness and proficiency for oneself and to supporting others in this priority;

comfort in speaking in and presenting to small and large groups;

ability to foster positive, professional relationships between and among staff, customers/stakeholders, and partners of diverse backgrounds and diverse abilities;

ability to write clearly, and deliver information in writing and orally that is organized, responsive to diverse audiences, and professional;

dedication to personnel management and fostering opportunities for staff development and leadership;

knowledge of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and awareness of the Result Driven Accountability (RDA) framework for special education including systemic strategies for improving outcomes for students with IEPs, and federal education law;

knowledge of Massachusetts special education laws and special education regulations;

knowledge of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 and awareness of current Massachusetts education improvement initiatives;

understanding of data-based decision making, creating and sustaining inclusive schools, educational access and equity, social emotional learning, strategic resource management, and/or academic content;

ability to determine the applicability of data, exercise sound judgment, draw logical conclusions, and propose strategies for programmatic implementation;

ability to organize information and projects;

experience using computers and applications such as word processing, database, presentation, and spreadsheet software; using technology to research, manage databases, use application software programs, and produce written documents, reports, and analyses;

comfort with multi-tasking, being flexible in responding to multiple demands, balancing competing priorities and managing time efficiently;

ability to work independently as a self-starter and as part of a collaborative team.

Other duties, as assigned

Travel will be required for this position.

Questions regarding this position or the application process should be directed to Dawn.E.DeRoche@mass.gov.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) six (6) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least two (2) years must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

Comprehensive Benefits

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An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.