Mathematics Assessment Editor Consultant
Description
WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit agency that conducts and applies research, develops evidence-based solutions, and provides services and resources in the realms of education, human development, and related fields, with the end goal of improving outcomes and ensuring equity for individuals from infancy through adulthood. WestEd has multiple offices nationwide, from Massachusetts, Georgia, and Washington, DC, to Arizona and California, with headquarters in San Francisco.
The Assessment Design and Development team is involved extensively at the local, state, and national levels in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating standards and assessment tools, methods, and systems. Some of our work is aimed at revealing how well students or workers are learning or performing; other parts of our work address broader concerns of accountability and program or school success. The Assessment Design and Development team serves as the test-development contractor for high-stakes assessment programs in several states. Our projects also examine the technical aspects of assessment, as well as focus on a range of assessment and accountability-related issues for various student populations (e.g., English language learners, students with disabilities) and for traditional academic areas and developing fields (e.g., alternative school accountability).
The hourly rate starts at $40.00.
Responsibilities:
- Edit and review mathematics assessment items. Item types may include selected response, open ended, free response, performance event, and/or technology enhanced. Ensure that items meet WestEd writing guidelines and specifications as well as project-specific style guidelines. Edit and review scoring materials associated with rubric-scored item types.
- Work collaboratively with directors, managers, content leads, coordinators, and other staff working on project.
- Develop a deep understanding of assessment development materials (standards, style guides, etc.) and project history.
- Provide mathematics content expertise on a range of research projects, such as studies of the alignment between assessments and standards; studies of the alignment between sets of standards; studies of the alignment between curriculum materials and standards; standards quality evaluations; and surveys of best practices related to curriculum and instruction across states.
- Develop a deep understanding of alignment study protocols and their application; demonstrate consistency in applying study protocols, such as item-to-standard alignment consistency and/or standard-to-item alignment consistency.
- Work in a fast-paced, often ambitious/demanding environment while maintaining agreed upon work schedules and deliverables.
Qualifications (required):
- Bachelor’s degree with a major in mathematics or a related field (Master's degree preferred)
- Teaching experience or a background in the application of mathematics content in other settings
- Demonstrated expertise with mathematics content, specifically for prekindergarten–grade 2 and/or grade 3–high school, and the ability to apply expertise in unique contexts
- Working knowledge of rigorous college- and career-ready state standards or the Common Core State Standards for mathematics
- Experience with a large-scale assessment development organization or team (2+ years preferred), particularly for prekindergarten–grade 2 and/or grade 3–high school
- Experience with the development of high-quality items for a variety of testing purposes, particularly in relation to following detailed rules/guidelines for writing and editing items for large-scale assessments
- Demonstrated editing skills, including content editing and copyediting
- Strong analytical/critical thinking skills
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to work successfully within a team environment
- Open to feedback and review
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities
- Ability to meet deadlines within tight timelines
- Demonstrated ability to communicate and send files via email and the Internet
- Facility with Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to accomplish daily tasks
- Ability to learn and work in multiple assessment development platforms
Qualifications (desirable, but not required)
- Experience developing technology-enhanced items
- Experience developing assessment items for PARCC and/or Smarter Balanced (specifically as a project content specialist/editor or content lead)
- Experience developing formative assessments and/or tools and processes that are used formatively
- Excellent writing skills
Successful candidates must be authorized to work in USA (visa sponsorship not available).
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities