Senior Director, Assessment Manager, Physical Sciences

A strong, internal candidate has been identified for this role.

About the Team

The Advanced Placement (AP®) Curriculum and Assessment Team (90+ 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. AP® provides willing and academically prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level. 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 content teams 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 Science department, which includes Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics (Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics), Psychology, and Anatomy & Psychology is currently made up of 17 people supporting 8 courses in the AP portfolio.

About the Opportunity

As the Senior Director, Manager, AP Science, you will manage a small team of content experts in Physics, including AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2, guiding their assessment work and deliverables, as well as managing their training and development in assessment best practices. The Senior Director, Manager, AP Science, serves as the primary point of contact in AP for all assessment content for AP Physics collaborating closely with other AP Science Managers, and may provide assessment development support in other related subject areas. The Senior Director, Manager, AP Science is responsible for all item development and management from authoring to administration; training and collaborating with subject-matter experts (SMEs), typically college professors and secondary school teachers. The Senior Director, Manager, AP Science, trains SMEs on assessment development protocols, translates between academics and technical experts (psychometricians), and collaborates to develop formative assessment materials and resources to support AP Physics teachers worldwide.

In this role, you will:

Assessment Development and Scoring (34%)

• Be responsible for overseeing the development and management of all assessment content through iterative review stages with multiple internal and external stakeholders, including the content team members of AP Physics courses, Assessment Production team, Test Development Committees, and the Chief Readers 
• Be responsible for overseeing the authoring/revising of assessment content and training educator constituents to author assessment content, including selection of appropriate stimulus material, and applying best assessment practices for AP Physics
• Be responsible for overseeing the development of all assessment forms for AP Physics, ensuring the AP Exam development aligns with approved curricula and test specifications 
• Be responsible for overseeing multiple face-to-face meetings and virtual meetings (during work week, evenings, or weekends) annually with each of the committees within the Senior Director’s stewardship as well as other committee meetings in Physics, as needed 
• Be responsible for overseeing the successful scoring of student AP Exams at the annual scoring event in person and online—the AP Reading—and produce AP Reading publications materials for teacher and student use for AP Physics

Assessment Quality and Process (33%)

• Contribute to current research and best practices related to assessment; participate in regular discussions with other AP Curriculum & Assessment members on the current assessment standards and practices to build a set of common, shared beliefs about AP’s assessment directions within the larger educational and assessment community
• Contribute to processes for efficient, high-quality assessment development
• Refine and improve question task models as well as exam design in collaboration with and aligned to other College Board initiatives
• Monitor and improve exam validity, reliability, fairness, and quality, as well as reader reliability in accordance with established Program thresholds
• Serve as a recognized and trusted resource within the community by collaboration with the AP Course Leads in engagement with the community to drive teacher satisfaction with AP Physics

Team Management and Deliverables (33%)

• Manage and guide the work of AP Physics content teams in the Science department to develop high-quality curricular, instructional, and assessment assets aligned to AP specifications
• Train and support content team members in assessment development practices, including quality, validity, and fairness in AP assessment development and design, an understanding of the item and test development lifecycle, and proficiency with tools of assessment development, including the item authoring/item bank platform
• Collaborate with content teams across the Curriculum and Assessment team to ensure the implementation of standardized assessment procedures
• Collaborate with assessment production project managers to establish schedules for test item and test form development, and to monitor assessment deliverables for your team
• Mentor your team in best practices in collaborating with and facilitating the work of test development committees and other external stakeholders
• Mentor your team in the implementation and execution of effective outreach and constituent engagement opportunities
• Develop department processes, in partnership with the Science Department Head and Science Managers, to ensure integration of assessment development within the department
• Collaborate with Assessment Leadership in Curriculum and Assessment to support the implementation and continuous improvement of assessment development practices, standardized processes, and standard operating procedures
• Collaborate with the AP Instructional Design and Teacher and Student Instructional Services teams to support the development of instructional products designed to address unmet teacher instructional needs, including developing prototypes, participating in small-scale market-testing, and creating models for subsequent development under the direction of these instructional teams (who will establish timeline and project specifications), and in conjunction with other AP workstreams  
• Collaborate with AP C&A Leadership to support the implementation of curriculum updates and revisions across Physics

About You

You have:

• A master’s degree in physics or a directly related discipline and knowledge of current trends in the discipline (required), although a doctorate in the discipline is strongly preferred
• Prior management experience, team lead experience, or project leadership (required)
• At least 5 years in standardized assessment development (required)
• Experience with digital assessment (preferred)
• Teaching experience (preferred)
• Superior oral and written communications skills and strong computer skills
• Excellent organizational and planning skills, including the ability to effectively handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Meticulous attention to detail, including the ability to closely proofread
• Excellent skills in process and procedure implementation, including adhering to project plans and schedules, and maintaining project management documentation for tracking
• Technical acumen and aptitude; proficiency with Microsoft Office and use of browser-based applications and tools
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, including the ability to deal with staff at all levels
• Willingness to give, accept, and address constructive feedback with positivity
• Strong customer service orientation
• Willingness to travel 6-8 times a year (domestic), with an additional 2 weeks in May/June for the Annual “AP Reading” activity
• Eligible to work in the United States of America

About Our Process

• Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.  
• While the hiring process may vary, it generally includes resume and application submission, recruiter phone screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise and/or panel interview, final interview and reference checks.  This is an approximately 8 to 10-week process.

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 $108,000 to $165,000. 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.