Cognia, Inc. is hiring: Content Specialist I, Civics in Portsmouth

Please Note: This is a remote position. However, candidates must be located in the New England/Northeast region (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania only) to be considered for this opening.

Education is ever-evolving. And so are we.

We seek passionate people from diverse backgrounds who are committed to helping improve the work of schools as a trusted partner in advancing learning. By joining the Cognia team, you will be immersed in a community of energetic and resourceful people dedicated to a common vision to impact and inspire education providers to advance and enable pathways of success for all learners. At Cognia we have developed a holistic approach to education that empowers schools to create real outcomes and optimize learning for students of all backgrounds, servicing more than 36,000 institutions, 5 million teachers, and 25 million students in 85 countries. When you join Cognia, you join a team of experts passionate about our mission and embracing our core values in everything we do.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

The Content Specialist I is responsible for the test development activities for one or more assessment programs. These assessment programs may be traditional large-scale summative assessments, curriculum-embedded and formative assessments, content or item specifications or enterprise products. The Content Specialist I develops a variety of assessment item types according to standards frameworks and other requirements. The Content Specialist I also helps in the development of item specification documents and supplementary materials, as well as facilitates advisory committee meetings.

This particular position will be focused on a single large-scale assessment program and will focus on support for client-written items, committee meeting facilitation, and test construction as well as other projects or tasks as assigned.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES:

• Contribute to conceptualization, specifications, and creation of innovative content and new assessment products, systems, or services.
• Use databases and technology tools to construct, track, and edit items.
• Work with project managers to adhere to project schedules and communicate with other functional groups when necessary.
• Effectively manage work in concurrent projects on different schedules.
• Participate in the development and maintenance of item, test, and project specifications needed to complete a project or contract.
• Create and refine a wide variety of item types, including multiple-choice, short-answer, constructed-response, and evidence-based response items, as well as technology-enhanced items, modules, and performance tasks, aligned to standards.
• Develop item-specific scoring guides, distractor rationales, or other supplemental item information.
• Participate in item writing workshops and other test development-related activities; listen and address concerns of workshop members, clients and/or developers.
• Provide feedback for item writers.
• Review colleagues’ work and provide feedback.
• Follow guidelines for presentation and quality of items, sets, and other work products to ensure uniformity of deliverables.
• Prepare item sets and materials for committee meetings.
• Facilitate and guide the work of advisory committees.
• Interpret and use item statistics in the selection of items; complete item selection and test construction according to blueprint and test specifications.
• Consult with scoring chief readers during benchmarking.
• Assist with development of assessment guides, brochures, and sample question packets.
• Work with Psychometricians to develop items to both content and psychometric parameters including adaptive testing banks.
• Ascertain and study current trends within national and professional groups’ content standards and in how children and adults learn.
• Participate in personal and professional development.
• Perform duties and fulfill responsibilities that may, from time to time, include related or unrelated tasks.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three (3) years of K-12 teaching experience, and experience using technology with students required.
• Content Specialists are required to have in-depth knowledge in a specific discipline to successfully develop test activities for assessment programs. Education/Degree coupled with teaching experience must be History or Social Studies.
• Experience leading/facilitating small group meetings required.
• Teaching experience in middle school or junior high school civics and government preferred.
• Some experience with standardized assessment work (e.g., state assessment committee, freelance item writing, assessment data PLCs) preferred.

Competencies:

• Communication: A process by which information is effectively exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior
• Technical Expertise: Job-related specialized knowledge and the proficient use of technology-based tools
• Individual Accountability: Takes full responsibility for own behavior and professional development
• Scope-of-Work Management: The planning, organization and use of available resources in order to move specific tasks, events or job responsibilities toward completion
• Leadership: A process of workplace influence or control in which a person enlists the participation of others and the requisite resources in the creation and accomplishment of specific objectives and goals

Anticipated Travel (may include local, national, and/or international travel):

• Limited travel (0-10%)
• Travel to All Staff Company Meeting required

At Cognia, we recognize the critical role played by our teams in carrying out the organization’s important educational mission. As a reflection of that recognition our exceptional benefits offerings include generous paid time off and holiday breaks, comprehensive insurance plans, and a 12.5% retirement savings contribution which is immediately vested, all effective on your date of hire. This represents an affirmative commitment by the organization to attract and retain the highest quality workforce – to ensure our continued ability to effectively serve our mission for years to come.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristics protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations. Cognia is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.