Instructional Support Lead Curriculum Designer, Assessment
Job Description
Location: Remote
Full-time
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
EL Education is redefining student achievement in diverse communities across the country, ensuring that all students master rigorous content, develop positive character, and produce high-quality work. We create great public schools where they are needed most, inspiring teachers and students to achieve more than they thought possible.
EL Education’s portfolio of instructional materials and coaching services draws on decades of deep partnership with schools and districts in our national school network—those implementing our school model—and in our family of literacy partners—those implementing our Language Arts curriculum.
Based on our founding principles of meaningful work, character, and respect for teachers, EL Education’s offerings transform teaching and learning to promote habits of scholarship and character that lead to high student achievement. In addition to success on standardized tests, EL Education students demonstrate critical thinking, intellectual courage, and emotional resilience; they possess the passion and the capacity to contribute to a better world.
EL Education, a 501c(3) nonprofit, was founded in 1992 by Outward Bound USA in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
For more information, visit ELeducation.org
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
Candidates of color are encouraged to apply. EL Education is committed to equity across the organization: in services to our partners, in our workforce composition and practices, and in our organizational culture. EL Education provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and prohibits discrimination with respect to the hiring or promotion of individuals, conditions of employment, disciplinary and discharge practices, or any other aspect of employment on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, disability, or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Lead Curriculum Designer, Assessment, supports the Director of Curriculum Design in shaping and implementing the assessment strategy to maximize impact of all aspects of EL Education’s national K-8 Language Arts curriculum. This includes: determining the strategy for student data collection and reporting to students, parents, teachers, and school/district leaders, leading the design and item writing of digital formative and summative assessments in collaboration with the EL Education product team and product partners, reviewing assessments created by external product partners in alignment with EL Education assessments, maintaining and improving current products based on feedback from the field, responding to feedback and questions from the field about assessment products, and supporting the design and review of programmatic resources to build the capacity of curriculum coaches both internally and externally. S/he/they will also facilitate professional learning (in person or through video-based coaching) for high priority curriculum partnerships. This is a full-time, national position that reports to the Director of Curriculum Design.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Specific responsibilities include:
Determining the strategy for data collection and reporting for print and digital curriculum products:
- Identify national experts and a research-base to inform assessment strategy work.
- In collaboration with the Director, Curriculum Design and the Director, Research, and national experts, determine how and what data is collected from formative and summative assessments with careful consideration to how the data is going to be used.
- In collaboration with the Director, Curriculum Design and the Director, Research, and with consideration of student data and protection laws, determine how student assessment data is organized and reported, including grading/scoring in school and district report card systems, to various stakeholders including students, parents, teachers, school and district administrators, and EL Education and partner organizations.
- In collaboration with the Director, Curriculum Design and the Director, Research, and external product partners, determine the technological requirements of systems that will effectively support the aims and intentions of the data collection and reporting strategy.
Leading the design of digital formative and summative assessments:
- Ensure clear communication of assessment strategy to EL Education external product partners specifically how assessments are administered to students, and how the data is to be used to inform instruction.
- In collaboration with the EL Education product team and external product partners, and in alignment with the data collection and reporting strategy, design student-facing print and digital formative and summative assessments including item writing, and assessment content creation clearly aligned to the content of the curriculum.
- Support the hiring of curriculum design consultants for assessment item creation.
- Design online training for assessment design consultants.
- In collaboration with a project manager and the product team, lead a team of design consultants, including national experts, and manage project timelines. Organize regular meetings, organize agendas for meetings, monitor workflow and progress, and escalate concerns to the Director of Curriculum Design in a timely manner.
- Support the Director of Curriculum Design in providing regular feedback to assessment design consultants.
- Regularly review assessment design work to ensure high-quality.
- Provide a bridge between the assessment design work and the work of the product team and external partners to include external production, external reviewers, states/district teams, and distribution/product partners.
- Ensure the inclusion of culturally responsive assessment materials and instructional practices to engage and meet the needs of all students.
Maintaining and improve current products based on feedback from the field:
- In collaboration with the product team, respond efficiently and effectively to questions and feedback from the field and internal stakeholders.
- In collaboration with the product team and in line with feedback from the field and market research, identify revision priorities.
Supporting the design and review of programmatic resources to build the capacity of curriculum coaches both internally and externally:
- Create guidance documents to guide users.
- Provide guidance on key features of new/revised products to highlight in professional learning.
- Identify potential challenges with new/revised products to focus on in professional learning.
- Review professional learning resources.
Facilitating professional learning (in person or through video-based coaching) for high priority curriculum partnerships:
- Facilitate professional learning to audiences in alignment with EL best practices and pedagogy.
TRAVEL: Up to ~25% of the time (internal staff events and partner-facing work)
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
A successful candidate will have:
- 3+ years of experience leading design of data collection and reporting strategy, specifically for K-12 literacy
- 5+ years of experience designing and writing items for formative and summative assessments, including digital assessments, for K-12 literacy
- Deep understanding of the most current research around data collection and reporting
- Deep understanding of standards-based grading
- Expertise in culturally responsive curriculum and assessment practices
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and anti-racism for students and their communities
- A passion for EL Education’s mission and vision, and curriculum
- A four-year college degree; masters degree in curriculum/instructional design preferred
- Strong written and verbal communication skills (phone, email, video conference, etc.) and experience of working remotely
- A collaborative, innovative, and flexible professional approach
COMPENSATION
Competitive compensation and benefits package commensurate with experience.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
Please submit your resume and one-page cover letter online (link to EL’s Career Page) in MS Word or PDF format. In your cover letter, identify the position you are applying for and how you heard of the job opening and EL Education.
No phone calls please. EL will respond only to finalist candidates.
EOE
VEVRAA Federal Contractor
