Director, Course Lead, Physics 2

About the Team

The Advanced Placement (AP®) Curriculum and Assessment Team (60+ staff) supports College Board in serving more than seven million students a year as they prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — specifically through the AP® Program. AP® is a rigorous academic program built on the commitment, passion, and hard work of students and educators from secondary schools and higher education. With more than 40+ courses in a wide variety of subject areas, we are committed to promoting innovation, equity, and excellence for generations of students. AP® provides willing and academically prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level. AP’s Course Leads and Assessment Leads ensure that course curricula are aligned to higher education expectations and reflect the state of the art in the discipline, contribute to instructional resources and tools for teachers, and develop assessments that allow students in these courses to demonstrate their mastery of course content and skills. The AP Physics 2 Course Lead is a member of the Science department and collaborates with experts in the department and across all STEM subjects to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment for all science courses. The STEM department, which includes computer science, mathematics, the sciences, and statistics, is currently made up of 17 people supporting 15 courses in the AP portfolio.

About the Opportunity

As the Director for AP Physics 2, you will be responsible for preserving and improving the quality and validity of the AP Program’s core deliverables within the subject domain: the course curriculum, the exam, and the professional development content. You will serve as the primary point of contact in AP for committees and communities of subject-matter experts and will be responsible for the curriculum, instruction, and assessment for AP Physics 2, as well as the strategic growth of AP Physics 2 across the globe. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to present, speak, and moderate dialogue with academic and membership audiences to ensure that ongoing change and improvement within AP courses and exams is understood, accepted, and supported in secondary and post-secondary educational communities. As the Director for AP Physics 2, you will be expected to closely collaborate with the directors of the other AP Physics courses for alignment and parity.

In this role, you will:

Curriculum and Instruction (35–40%)

• Collaborate with the AP Instructional Products team to develop new products designed to address unmet teacher instructional needs, including developing prototypes, participating in small-scale market-testing, and creating models for subsequent development in conjunction with other AP workstreams
• Provide curriculum and assessment development protocol training, translate between academics and technical experts (test developers and psychometricians), and collaborate to develop curricular and instructional materials and resources to support AP Physics 2 teachers worldwide
• Recruit, train, and directly supervise Committee members in designated subject areas as content development contributors. Liaise with key internal stakeholders (AP Publications, AP Project Management, and AP Professional Learning staff) to execute project plans
• Contribute to current research and best practices related to curriculum development, instructional pedagogies, and assessment; participate in regular discussions with other Curriculum and Assessment team members on the current professional literature to build a set of common, shared beliefs about AP’s direction within the larger educational community
• Collaborate with external curriculum development and professional learning providers to ensure curriculum materials are aligned to course content and skills, support the overarching AP course goals, and provide quality materials for teachers and students

Assessment (45–50%)

• Develop, review, and approve AP Physics 2 Exam content in collaboration with AP Assessment staff and ETS test development staff, ensuring the exam development aligns with approved curricula and test specifications
• Make recommendations for AP Physics 2 exam design improvements in collaboration with and aligned to other College Board initiatives
• Monitor and improve exam validity and reader reliability in accordance with established AP program thresholds
• Conduct multiple face-to-face, weekend meetings, and virtual meetings annually with each of the committees within the Director’s stewardship as well as other committee meetings in the discipline as needed
• Attend and support the annual grading of the AP Physics 2 Exam (AP Reading) on site and online

Strategic Growth and Outreach (10–15%)

• Manage existing AP Development Committee recruitment and membership; direct the overarching AP outreach strategy for the AP Physics 2 course
• Represent and increase support for the AP Program’s mission among external stakeholders in AP Physics 2 through a variety of strategies, including growth across all AP Physics 2 initiatives
• Recommend strategies and approaches that will help the program effectively scale to support traditionally underrepresented students and encourage high usage across urban, suburban, and rural districts geographically distributed. Support translating the existing Professional Learning model to effectively address the needs of AP teachers in that discipline
• Work with the AP Higher Education team to co-develop and implement plans to raise college and university awareness of AP courses and exams in the subject area
• Assist efforts to recruit college faculty and experienced AP teachers to serve as AP Readers; co-lead the planning and execution of discipline-specific AP Faculty Colloquia events

About You

You have:

• A master’s degree in physics (or a closely related field), required, Doctorate strongly preferred
• Extensive AP classroom (or college equivalent) teaching experience, required
• Experience with curriculum design and development (beyond an individual classroom) and implementation of professional development content, preferred
• Experience with instructional design and content development, preferred
• Experience with standardized assessment design or development (beyond an individual classroom), preferred
• Experience with digital assessment, preferred
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, including the ability to interact with staff at all levels and give and receive feedback
• Excellent communications skills; strong computer skills; and ability to conduct research on instructional topics, methods, and media
• Ability to travel up to approximately 20%

About Our Benefits and Compensation

College Board offers a strong compensation and benefits package that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education. 

• Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, tuition assistance, paid time off, paid parental leave, retirement benefits with a generous matching program, and more.
• We reward performance through annual bonuses and provide opportunities for salary growth over time through base compensation increases, merit raises and promotions.
• We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact. The salary range for a new employee in this position is $80,000 to $130,000. The salary offer of an individual candidate within this range is specific to their location and qualifications.
• Each salary offer is determined carefully using internal and external benchmarking and adjusting for the candidate’s location. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.

As a self-sustaining non-profit organization with global impact, College Board offers a job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive!

About Our Culture

Our community matters, and we strive to practice and improve our culture daily. Here are some headlines:

• We are motivated to positively impact the educational and career trajectories of millions of students a year.
• We prioritize building a diverse and inclusive team where every employee can thrive, and every voice is heard.
• We welcome staff to join any or all six of our affinity groups: ARISE (Alliance for Asian Retention, Inclusion, Success, and Engagement; DIASPORA (Alliance for Pan-African Success and Achievement); Pride (alliance for LGBTQ+ staff and allies); Resilience (alliance for Native staff and advocates); SALSA (Staff Alliance for Latinx Success and Achievement); and WIN (Women’s Impact Network).
• We value learning and growth; we offer formal and informal ways to lead through your superpowers, sharpen your strengths, and meet your development goals.
• We know that our impact is strongest together. Our College Board Cares program offers all staff up to $1,000 annual match against partner non-profit organizations.
• We offer a transparent approach to promotions and merit raises, annual performance-based bonuses, and how to grow your career here over time.

About College Board

College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success—including the SAT®, the Advanced Placement® Program, and BigFuture®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. 

EEOC statement

College Board is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

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