The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and Smarter Balanced are seeking educators who meet all the qualifications outlined below to participate in, in-person content development activities beginning in spring 2019.
Educators must meet the following qualifications in order to apply:
- Currently certified or licensed to teach ELA/literacy or mathematics in a K–12 public school or certified to teach English learners and/or students with disabilities; and
- Currently teaching in a public school or currently employed by a public school, district or state education entity including higher education in Connecticut; and
- Within the past three years:
- Have taught ELA/literacy or mathematics in grades 3 through 8 or have worked in a classroom content support role such as a literacy or district or state content specialist.
AND/OR
- Have taught students with disabilities and/or English learners in grades 3 through 8 or have worked in a support role such as a district/school coordinator or instructional specialist. Specializations in visual impairments or teaching for students who are deaf and hard of hearing are encouraged.
- Have previously reviewed part or all of the Common Core State Standards for the content area in which they are interested in working.
- For item writing, all educators must submit a statement of interest upon request that describes (a) the reason(s) for their interest in developing items for the Smarter Balanced assessment system and (b) their qualifications for doing so.For item writing, all educators must submit a statement of interest upon request that describes (a) the reason(s) for their interest in developing items for the Smarter Balanced assessment system and (b) their qualifications for doing so.
Educators who have documented expertise in the areas of science and/or social science may apply for ELA/literacy item review. Some activities will have additional preferred experience qualifications.
The Smarter Balanced item development process involves educators, researchers, policymakers, and community groups in a transparent consensus-driven process to help all students succeed in a global economy. The 2019 item development meetings will be:
- Item Authoring for ELA and Mathematics
- Passage Review for Content, Fairness, and Accessibility
- Item Review for Content, Fairness, and Accessibility
- Rangefinding
- Data Review (virtual)
All interested candidates, including candidates that have previously applied, must apply by submitting the online application form to Smarter Balanced by February 8, 2019.
The CSDE will recommend a limited number of qualified education candidates from Connecticut to participate. Smarter Balanced and respective contractors will then select educators to serve based on recommendations from each consortium state. The selection of educators will strive to represent a balance of geographic region, grade levels, years of experience, district-type, among other demographic data.
Meetings will be held in July, October or December. Smarter Balanced will contact selected educators directly via email. The selected educators will need to complete additional travel and contract information. Lodging, travel costs, and applicable reimbursements will be provided by Smarter Balanced following the meeting and may include substitute reimbursement defined by local policy.
Please contact Michelle Rosado at the CSDE by email if you have any questions.