Program Associate I - Reporting & Compliance

Detroit International; Detroit (MI); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telecommuting up to 20%

Job summary

Detroit Public Schools Community District seeks a Program Associate I - Reporting & Compliance to support data quality monitoring for special education data across platforms. You will identify discrepancies before audits and produce actionable reports for ESE partner teams and district leadership.

The role requires strong analytics, knowledge of IEP processes, and experience with data platforms like PSSP, EdPlan, and Catamaran. Telecommuting up to 20% is eligible.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in data analytics, information systems, education, or related field.
• 1–2 years in data quality monitoring, compliance reporting, or related analytical role.
• Experience working in data systems to extract, review, and interpret data.
• Understanding of special education compliance, IEP processes, or pupil accounting.
• Strong analytical skills to distinguish data errors from compliance issues.
• Ability to clearly communicate findings to non-technical partners.
• Ability to manage recurring monitoring cycles and meet deadlines.
• Familiarity with MTSS frameworks and tiered intervention tracking.
• Experience with PSSP, EdPlan, Catamaran, or similar platforms (preferred).
• Knowledge of Michigan CEPI reporting and pupil accounting (preferred).
• Proficiency in SQL, Excel, or similar reporting tools (preferred).
• Familiarity with IDEA timelines and data documentation requirements (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Monitor ESE compliance data across platforms on a recurring schedule, identifying discrepancies and workflow errors.
• Develop and maintain data monitoring checklists and review cadences aligned to the pupil accounting calendar.
• Distinguish data quality problems resolved by end-user correction vs. systemic issues and route to technical staff.
• Support MTSS monitoring by tracking pre-referral intervention data alongside IEP compliance data.
• Produce compliance monitoring reports clearly showing risk, errors, and required actions before deadlines.
• Validate reports against known cases and expected outputs before decision-making.
• Communicate monitoring findings to ESE teams and data services with actionable context.
• Track issue resolution and document outcomes for audit-ready records.
• Maintain documentation of data quality findings, monitoring procedures, and training priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Director, ESE Systems & Analytics.

Skills

Bachelor's degree in data analytics, -

Education

Bachelor's degree in data analytics, information systems, education, public administration, or related field

Tools

PowerSchool PSSP

EdPlan

Catamaran

SQL

Excel

Job description

Position Title

Program Associate I - Reporting & Compliance, ESE Systems & Analytics

Location: Fisher Building, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202

Salary: $75,048 - $98,163

Reports to: Senior Director of ESE Systems & Analytics

Bargaining Unit: OSAS

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Telecommuting Eligibility: Eligible for telecommuting up to 20% (one day per week)

Position Summary

The Program Associate I, Reporting & Compliance Specialist, supports the ESE Systems & Analytics team within the Student Data & Accountability division by serving as the engine for proactive ESE data monitoring. The team is responsible for the administration, integration, reporting, and end-user support of PowerSchool Special Programs (PSSP), the district's primary platform for special education data management, and serves as the data quality and systems bridge between the ESE division and the Student Information Services team. The Reporting & Compliance Specialist monitors ESE data across platforms on a recurring basis, identifies discrepancies and compliance gaps before they reach state auditors, and produces the reports that make those findings actionable for ESE partner teams and district leadership. As the district works toward establishing a consistent approach to MTSS, this role will support monitoring of intervention data alongside IEP compliance data, connecting pre-referral outcomes to special education records. This role works directly in the systems where compliance data lives, coordinates findings with the Program Supervisor, and ensures that reports are not just available but structured in a way that District partners can act on them. Success in this role requires a strong analytical foundation, fluency with data quality monitoring practices, and, critically, working knowledge of special education compliance requirements and IEP-related workflows sufficient to distinguish a data error from a compliance violation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a focus in data analytics, information systems, education, public administration, or a related field
• Minimum of one (1) to two (2) years of experience in data quality monitoring, compliance reporting, or a closely related analytical role, preferably in a K-12 school district or public sector organization
• Demonstrated ability to work directly in data systems, extracting, reviewing, and interpreting data to identify errors, gaps, and patterns
• Working knowledge of special education compliance requirements, IEP processes, or pupil accounting practices, or demonstrated ability to develop this knowledge quickly in a structured environment
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to distinguish between data entry errors, workflow errors, and underlying compliance violations
• Ability to communicate findings clearly and concisely to non-technical District partners, in both written and verbal form
• Ability to manage recurring monitoring cycles, meet deadline-driven reporting obligations, and flag emerging issues before they become submission errors
• Familiarity with MTSS frameworks and tiered intervention tracking practices
• Experience with PowerSchool Special Programs (PSSP), EdPlan, Catamaran, or similar special education data platforms (preferred)
• Knowledge of Michigan state reporting requirements, including CEPI data submissions, Worksheet B processes, and special education pupil accounting obligations (preferred)
• Proficiency in SQL, Excel, or reporting tools used for data extraction and analysis (preferred)
• Familiarity with IDEA compliance timelines and how they translate into data entry and documentation requirements at the school and provider level (preferred)

Essential Functions

• Monitor ESE compliance data across platforms on a recurring schedule, identifying discrepancies, missing documentation, and workflow errors before they reach state submission or general collection audits.
• Develop and maintain data monitoring checklists and review cadences aligned to the district's pupil accounting calendar, ensuring that each count window has structured review points built in ahead of the deadline.
• Distinguish between data quality problems that can be resolved through end-user correction and those that indicate a systemic configuration or workflow issue, routing the latter to the Program Supervisor for technical res
• As the district builds toward MTSS, support monitoring of pre-referral intervention data alongside IEP compliance data ¿ identifying gaps in documentation and flagging cases where intervention records are incomplete or misaligned with special education outcomes.
• Produce compliance monitoring reports that are structured for action, clearly showing which cases are at risk, what the error or gap is, and what needs to happen before the submission deadline.
• Validate reports built by the Integration Specialist against known cases and expected outputs before they are used for decision-making; flag discrepancies in logic or data sourcing.
• The Program Supervisor and the Student Information Services team on submission timing and error resolution.
• Communicate monitoring findings to ESE division teams, the Student Information Services team, and Data Services in a form each audience can act on, with sufficient context about what is wrong, why it matters, and by when it must be resolved.
• Track the resolution of flagged issues through to completion, following up with ESE partners and documenting outcomes so that the team has a clear record of what was found, communicated, and corrected before each count.
• Maintain documentation of data quality findings, monitoring procedures, and error patterns, building an institutional record that informs system improvement decisions and training priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Director, ESE Systems & Analytics.

Security Clearance

Internal Applicants

If you are a current Detroit Public Schools Community District employee, you do not have to submit to a new security clearance, unless your new role requires a different type of criminal background check.

External Applicants

In alignment with Michigan law, if you are hired to fill a position, you will be required to submit to a Detroit Public Schools Community District criminal background check. Information regarding required background checks will be shared at point of hire.

DPSCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability and/or religion. Contact the Civil Rights Coordinator for more information at [phone] or detroitk12.org/compliance.