Associate Research Scientist - #2599 (Aug 2010)
The College Board, a national educational organization, is conducting a search for an Associate Research Scientist who will assist in the design and development of educational assessments to be used by teachers for the purposes of instructionally relevant and actionable feedback. This position is resident in our Research and Development office in Newtown, PA and will work collaboratively with teacher professional development program staff, senior researchers, product development staff and others throughout the organization.
-- Position Summary
The Associate Research Scientist will develop classroom assessments that will take the form of selected response, constructed response as well as informal, formative assessment strategies and activities that are embedded in instruction. This position will develop psychometric scaling techniques to support instructional feedback, will manage external test developers, and will conduct a variety of analyses related to the use and impact of the instructionally relevant and actionable feedback. Strong skills are required in assessment design and educational measurement.
-- Responsibilities
* Manage external test developers and subject-matter consultants who will be under contract to the College Board for the design and development of classroom assessments to produce instructionally-relevant and actionable feedback. Establish and execute processes and procedures to ensure that vendors and external consultants meet expectations of quality while staying within timeline and budget constraints.
* Collaborate extensively and maintain effective working relationships with various members of a multi-disciplinary team of experts in assessment design, teacher professional development, educational evaluation, product development and business management.
* Collaborate with internal and external experts to design, develop and maintain appropriate psychometric scaling techniques for the selected response and constructed response student data.
* Collaborate with internal and external experts to design and develop instructionally-relevant and actionable feedback for students, teachers, principals and district staff.
* Manage communications and relationships among various internal and external stakeholders for all projects related to the design and development of assessments designed for instructionally-relevant and actionable feedback.
* Establish and execute clear and comprehensive documentation of classroom assessment project, including development and dissemination of routine internal reports as well as external reports and scholarly publications.
* Conduct a variety of research and analysis using internal and external data in support of the design and development of the classroom assessments and reports, as well as the ongoing revisions and investigations of efficacy of the instructionally-relevant and actionable feedback.
-- ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
* Collaborate with staff within the College Board to design and implement assessment and educational initiatives in middle and high schools.
* Collaborate with research scientists within and external to the College Board to design and conduct research studies to support the development of educational initiatives particularly as it affects reduction of achievement gaps.
* Collaborate with research scientists within and external to the College Board to design and implement research studies that assess program impact on student achievement for individual programs and combinations of programs, particularly in middle school and high school. Identify variables at student, teacher, school, school district, and state levels susceptible to policy and/or programmatic interventions.
-- Qualifications
Candidates must have a Doctorate in educational research, measurement, evaluation, curriculum and instruction or a related field. The ideal candidate will have 1-3 years of directly-related post-Doctorate work experience in educational assessment design; new Doctoral-level candidates will be considered if they are able to demonstrate expertise commensurate with job requirements.
The ideal candidate must be able to demonstrate assessment design expertise; possess knowledge of the use of assessment data to drive instruction; demonstrate the ability to develop and analyze various educational data-collection instruments and surveys; and demonstrate the ability to analyze complex assessment and other education-related data using advanced educational measurement and statistical methods. Preferred candidates will demonstrate experience in large-scale educational project management and educational program evaluation.
Candidates with experience and/or knowledge of teacher professional development and classroom instructional research, theory, methods and practice will be given preference.
Candidates must possess strong skills in assessment design, psychometric modeling, educational measurement, research design and methodology, advanced statistics and use of psychometric and statistical software.
-- Other Requirements
* Candidates must possess superior written and oral communication.
* Ideal candidates will have knowledge of and be able to demonstrate commitment to the College Board mission of educational excellence and equity for all students.
* Demonstrated ability in assessment design and development.
* Demonstrated ability to design and conduct educational research studies and statistical analyses.
* Project management experience.
* Excellent verbal and written communications skills, including public speaking.
* Excellent organizational, managerial and consultation skills.
* Demonstrated ability to assume responsibility and set priorities.
* Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues of various professional backgrounds.
* Ability to work on several projects simultaneously.
-- Benefits
We offer our employees an outstanding benefits package which includes 4 weeks of paid time off, a generous retirement savings plan, tuition reimbursement and ongoing professional development and training.
-- Apply
If you are interested in joining the College Board’s Organizational Effectiveness team in one of these positions and you meet our qualifications, we encourage you to apply by visiting our Careers page at www.collegeboard.com/careers. Please search for the job title and submit your resume and a brief, introductory cover letter.
Please contact Janet Wooten(JWooten@collegeboard.org
-- Mission
The College Board’s mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. We are a not-for-profit membership organization committed to excellence and equity in education. Among our best-known products are the SAT®, PSAT/NMSQT®, and Advanced Placement Program®.
The College Board is committed to diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The College Board participates in E-Verify, a service of DHS and SSA, where required. Please understand that only qualified applicants will be contacted.
