Educator (01013/01014/01015)

Definition

Performs professional-level work in educational programs; performs related work as required.

The work examples and competencies listed below are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to be the primary basis for position classification decisions.

Work Examples

• Instructs students to advance an understanding of academic subjects and/or to realize developmental abilities; assesses students to build student skills and increase student achievement.

• Prepares specialized or individualized learning devices or projects by adapting curriculum, devising lesson plans, and establishing behavioral objectives.

• Prepares or reviews progress notes and other records and reports to determine the effectiveness of established educational objectives and goals.

• Establishes behavioral objectives for students to facilitate the learning process and to reinforce treatment goals.

• Encourages and motivates students; provides a positive role model for students.

• Participates on treatment or diagnostic teams to provide information and recommendations concerning education levels, abilities, and needs; interprets educational data and testing information, assesses and presents educational plans or objectives, and evaluates available community resources considered in placement planning.

• Advises school administrators, community social workers, public school teachers, and area agency education consultants in effecting plans of students placed in the community; provides resource material such as treatment team recommendations and diagnostic data; develops or reviews programs in the community in cooperation with community agencies.

• Reviews and/or guides the work of education aides or student teachers assisting in the education program to assure education goals and objectives are properly assimilated in the learning center.

Competencies Required

Knowledge:

• Education and Training – Principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service – Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Psychology – Human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Administrative – Administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Public Safety and Security – Relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Computers and Electronics – Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Sociology and Anthropology – Group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Law and Government – Laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• English Language – The structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Abilities:

• Oral Expression – Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Problem Sensitivity – Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.  It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Speech Clarity – Speak clearly so others can understand you.

• Deductive Reasoning – Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Inductive Reasoning – Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions.

• Written Expression – Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Oral Comprehension – Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

• Speech Recognition – Identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Fluency of Ideas – Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

• Information Ordering – Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

• Originality – Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

• Flexibility of Closure – Identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

Skills:

• Learning Strategies – Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Instructing – Teaching others how to do something.

• Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Social Perceptiveness – Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Coordination – Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Monitoring – Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Writing – Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Negotiation – Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

• Active Learning – Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• Service Orientation – Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

• Persuasion – Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet teaching certification requirements established by the Iowa Department of Education, including completion of an elementary, secondary, or child development program of teacher preparation.

Notes

• Within a period of time after hire, as determined by the appointing authority, employees in this class may be required to obtain a Chauffeur’s License and endorsements.

• For specific positions, the appointing authority may require certain endorsements and approvals as may be established by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE).  For more information on endorsements, see the BoEE website.  Applicants wishing to be considered for such designated positions must list applicable coursework, experience, certificate, license, or endorsement on the application.

Pay Guidelines

In accordance with the Iowa Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise (DAS-HRE) rule 53.7(4), pay for this job class is determined by the credentials (education and experience) of the applicant/employee and the requirements of the educational program for the position.  The pay grade listed for this job class is 28(-2). This extended range concept encompasses pay grades 26, 27, and 28.  A person who has the lowest credentials required for a position would start at the minimum of pay grade 26, while a person with the highest credentials required for a position would start at the minimum of pay grade 28.  Employees then progress through the pay range to the maximums noted below.  To facilitate these pay guidelines, three separate class codes are applicable to this job class.  Class code 01013 is used for pay grade 26, class code 01014 is used for pay grade 27, and class code 01015 is used for pay grade 28.  Employees will be placed in the appropriate class code based on their credentials.  After obtaining additional credentials, employees in this class are reclassified to the appropriate class code to receive additional compensation. Following is the criteria used to determine the pay grade of employees in the Educator class:

Effective Date:  11/25 SA