Certification Officer — School of Education

Functional Title: Certification Officer
Classification: Full Time
Department: School of Education
Reports To: Dean – School of Education

Primary Function: The Certification Officer is a full-time staff position with the responsibility of managing TEA compliance for all LCU programs culminating in Texas educator certification. The Certification Officer is integral to the success of approximately one in every five students enrolled at LCU and is critical to the fulfillment of the mission.

Certification Officer Focus:

Responsibilities of the Certification Officer include providing (a) leadership, management, and coordination of the certification process for all routes within the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) and (b) program accountability and compliance for internal/state/federal reporting. 

Major Duties:              

• Assists in securing and overseeing confidential candidate data.
• Assists with preparation of handbooks, applications, and other materials disseminated through Certification Office.
• Assists with planning/implementation of orientation and communication with candidates.
• Coordinates and schedules graduate/undergraduate candidate eligibility for state testing (TExES) and certification (initial, additional, probationary, and internship).
• Completes reporting required by state and federal agencies such as State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and Texas Education Agency (TEA) and U.S. DoE.
• Maintains accurate entries in state database Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP), Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) and Title 2 Federal.
• Remains current with Texas Administrative Code (TAC) rule changes and adoptions and communicates necessary updates.
• Attends professional development online training sessions and physical conferences provided by TEA and Texas Certification Officers Association (TACO)
• Completes other duties as assigned.

Skills Required:           

Bachelor’s Degree and or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Thorough knowledge of University policies and procedures related to functional area.
• Ability to plan, conceptualize and make sound business decisions regarding office processes and procedures.
• Strong presentation, problem solving, and critical thinking, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Knowledge of privacy, safety, and security precautions appropriate to work performed.
• Experience with data bases and file management both cloud-based and hard copy.
• Experience preparing accreditation reports (preferred).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

• Ability to network collaboratively with colleagues state-wide and within the University.
• Ability to comply with rules, standards, regulations and laws (FERPA) related to student records.
• Ability to adhere to University and departmental policies and procedures.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in diverse communities.
• Ability to demonstrate and provide excellent service to both the University and the community.
• Ability to decipher legal statutes and communicate with constituents to solve practical problems with multiple variables where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to comply a variety of instructions provided in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Meticulous and professional experiences with an eye for detail.

Language Skills:

Ability to analyze, and interpret general periodicals, and professional journals. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, students, and other University staff. 

Additional Technolgy Skills (Preferred):

• Microsoft Office Suite: Intermediate

Physical Requirements: 

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable disabled individuals to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand for long periods of time; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk and hear. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.  Must be able to move about campus freely. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Disclaimer:

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; an employee will also perform other reasonably related job responsibilities as assigned by immediate supervisor and/or other management as required. LCU reserves the right to revise or change job duties, required skills or qualifications as the need arises. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.