Project Based Freelance Contributor - Assessment Item Specialist, English Language Arts (Remote, US)

Newsela

3d•Remote

About The Position

As an Assessment Item Specialist for English Language Arts, you will play a key role in expanding the Newsela Item Bank, ensuring students have access to high-quality, literacy-driven assessments. You will leverage your ELA expertise to create rigorous, standards-aligned content that helps educators deliver data-informed instruction. This role offers a collaborative, remote environment where your commitment to quality and textual analysis directly supports academic success in classrooms nationwide. You will enjoy the flexibility of a freelance contract while contributing to a platform that is a staple in K-12 digital learning.

Requirements

At least one year of direct experience writing and reviewing English Language Arts (ELA) assessment items on a commercial scale, such as for a reputable EdTech company, testing vendor, or educational publisher.
Comprehensive understanding of educational assessment design, including formative, common, and summative assessments.
Deep familiarity with CCSS and state-specific ELA frameworks, along with a proven ability to apply strict standards alignment principles.
Mastery of rigor and Depth of Knowledge (DOK), allowing you to accurately classify and create items that meet specific cognitive rigor requirements.
Prior experience authoring technology-enhanced items (TEIs) and comfortably navigating digital assessment platforms.
Thorough grasp of established style guides and best practices, including critical quality control elements such as fairness, bias, and accessibility.
Proven track record of delivering high-quality work under tight deadlines with meticulous attention to detail.
Legally authorized to work in the US.

Responsibilities

Create original, standards-aligned English Language Arts (ELA) assessment items, tasks, and stimuli that are precisely mapped to CCSS or state-specific literacy standards.
Select and curate high-quality reading passages (literary and informational) that meet specific Lexile requirements and grade-level complexity.
Transfer and format existing ELA assessments and items from district and state sources directly into the Formative platform.
Produce and configure technology-enhanced items (TEIs) within the platform, ensuring accurate metadata tagging and flawless technical functionality.
Conduct systematic quality assurance reviews of ELA content to ensure all items are unbiased, culturally responsive, and meet strict editorial standards.
Validate content alignment and cognitive rigor by accurately evaluating the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) for every assessment item.
Provide expert platform feedback and recommendations regarding content tools and item bank features to continuously improve development workflows.