Mathematics Content Specialist

WestEd

MATHE01011

Full-Time

Work from Home

– or –

CA San Francisco Office
San Francisco, CA, USA

Description

The Standards, Assessment, and Accountability Services (SAAS) program 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 SAAS 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. SAAS serves as the test-development contractor for high-stakes assessment programs in several states. Its 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).

In addition, SAAS houses the federally funded Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI), a nationally recognized comprehensive content center charged with providing research-supported technical assistance to regional centers and state departments of education on existing and emerging issues related to standards and assessment implementation.

Compensation is competitive depending on experience. This position is at a WestEd grade level F.

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.
• Serve as lead mathematics content specialist on projects. Create item development plans and assignments, train item writers and editors, review and edit items, support work of editorial staff who work on project, and work collaboratively with directors, managers, coordinators, and other staff working on project. Develop a deep understanding of project materials (standards, style guides, etc.) and project history.
• Facilitate content review meetings. Participate in client meetings as related to serving as content lead on projects.
• Provide mathematics content expertise on a range of research projects, such as standards quality evaluations, studies of the alignment among standards and assessments, and surveys of best practices related to curriculum and instruction across states.
• Develop and deliver professional development workshops/sessions related to assessment development, standards, or other focus areas of the SAAS program.
• Provide feedback to and mentor junior content staff members.
• Work in a fast-paced, often ambitious/demanding environment while maintaining agreed upon deliverables.

Additional Information

WestEd is particularly interested in candidates who have experience developing mathematics materials for large-scale assessments in the two areas listed below. Candidates should include specific information about any experience in their cover letters and resumes.

• Large-scale assessments for early childhood (prekindergarten), kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2
• Large-scale assessments for high school, including grade-level summative assessments and end-of-course assessments

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 (3+ 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
• Experience delivering professional development
• Demonstrated ability to lead a project
• Excellent writing skills