Scottish National Standardised Assessments - Support Officers

About our Team

The partnership, comprising ACER International United Kingdom Limited (“ACER UK”), SCHOLAR and Twig World Ltd. has been formed to provide professional development of teachers in the use and application of the new Scottish National Standardised Assessments as commissioned by the Scottish Government.

Further details on our team can be found on the job vacancy website: http://bit.ly/hwso

Job Description

Scottish National Standardised Assessments – Support Officers are being sought to support teachers in the implementation of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments in primary and secondary schools.

The support officers will deliver training, in the SNSA assessment system, to all relevant stakeholders. Part of the training will involve professional development in the use of the standardised assessment data analytics for improving attainment and how it contributes to teacher professional judgement of children’s progress.

The support officers will disseminate the technical information that will allow the education community to be reassured and confident that the technology used to deliver the assessment works, and – ultimately more importantly – the opportunity to provide substantive support to learning particularly in the development of digital literacy. It is this second element that will contribute to the wider goals of the National Improvement Framework and Curriculum for Excellence.

The ACER-led partner group will offer a comprehensive programme of communications, orientation, technical and pedagogical training to support the implementation and delivery of the Assessments. Our programme will encompass key stakeholders focussing on staff in local authorities and schools.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The role holders will:

• be responsible for the training and professional development of primary and secondary teachers across Scotland in the use of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments;
• aiding the creation and editing of existing ACER training materials and modern methodologies e.g. webinars for Scottish teachers;
• evaluate feedback from training sessions to permit rapid refinement of the staff development programmes;
• lead on the professional development of teachers in the use of the standardised assessments to improve data literacy, raise attainment and support the teachers professional judgment of children’s progress.
• liaise with, and brief, other stakeholders on the effectiveness of the staff development programmes.

The role holder will be expected to travel to schools and other locations within their allocated Authorities. The successful applicants will be subject to Disclosure Scotland accreditation.

Education, Qualifications and Experience

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or degree level qualifications
• Professional qualification (e.g. GTCS accreditation)

Desirable

• Accredited training qualification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience of teaching in Scottish primary or secondary schools

Desirable

• Experience of developing and delivering training and professional development
• Experience of creating surveys and gathering feedback
• Experience of generating presentations
• Using standardised assessments in a classroom environment

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to take initiative when required
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of personnel, especially the teaching professionals, at all levels, including those from technical and non-technical backgrounds
• High level of written communication and computer literacy skills
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team, and recognise when to request advice/assistance
• The ability to self-monitor workloads, work to deadlines and be adept at time management
• Be capable of contributing to and assisting in the work of a multi-disciplinary team and be adept at problem solving

Amount of Travel

The role holder will be expected to travel to schools and other locations within their allocated Authorities.

How to Apply

Applications should be made online through the Heriot-Watt University iRecruit system (http://bit.ly/hwso)

Closing date for applications is 24th March 2017. We want to attract the right candidates, therefore, full-time, part-time and term-time applications will be considered.