Overview
Description
The Curriculum Associates Psychometric and Research Summer 2021 Internship
Curriculum Associates is seeking doctoral students for a summer internship focused on psychometric and research projects related to the award-winning i-Ready® Diagnostic, as well as the nationally recognized i-Ready Personalized Instruction system.
About Curriculum Associates
Curriculum Associates is a rapidly growing educational technology and publishing company committed to making classrooms better places for teachers and students. Our assessments provide valuable feedback to teachers and students and are primarily used to place students into individualized instructional paths.
About the Internship
The Curriculum Associates Psychometric and Research Summer Interns will work on both operational psychometric and research projects and will also have the opportunity to get exposure to many aspects of the assessment design and development process including observing a standard setting and a Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Specifically, interns will:
- Analyze the large datasets at Curriculum Associates, which include some of the most extensive assessment and instructional data in the nation.
- Collaborate with other members of the assessment development, psychometrics, and research teams.
- Learn about how an operational computerized adaptive assessment is managed.
Research Project
Interns will focus on at least one major project with the goal of presenting findings at a national conference. Some general topics include the following:
- Research:
- Psychometric modeling of the i-Ready Instruction lesson quizzes.
- Develop instructional profiles based on longitudinal usage metrics.
- Examine the relationship between diagnostic duration, number of testing sessions, and student engagement.
- Research related to the COVID-19 pandemic and/or inequities in our educational systems.
- Psychometrics:
- Investigate IRT calibration requirements in a vertically scaled CAT.
- Investigate and define requirements for a representative equating sample to implement through a continuous field test design.
- Develop data visualization options for IRT and classical item statistics.
- Explore DIF methodologies for large scale assessments in a CAT environment.
Note that the lists above are not exhaustive. Interns may find interest in a project not listed here or may develop a research question of their own.
Qualifications for Interns
Candidates for the internship will ideally have the following qualifications:
- Currently pursuing a doctorate in an educational measurement or related field. A preference will be given to students with at least two years of doctoral-level coursework completed by the start of the internship.
- Must have intermediate proficiency in data manipulation and analysis in SAS and/or R.
- Must have a strong interest in applied psychometrics and research that impacts student learning.
Funding, Length, and Location of Internship
- Interns will work remotely for eight weeks during the summer, ideally from June 14-August 6. Flexibility can be offered in the internship dates if needed.
- Interns will be considered temporary employees of Curriculum Associates.
- Interns work 40 hours/week and will be paid $25 per hour (equivalent to $8,000 for 8 weeks).
Questions and Next Steps
- Please provide the following information in your application:
- A cover letter indicating your preference between the psychometric and research track and outlining your current research interests, the reason for your interest in the internship, and the name of your advisor.
- A current resume / CV.
- An advisor statement that indicates your advisor is supportive of your involvement in the internship at this point in your graduate work.
- Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of March 1, 2021 at 9:00am ET. Potential interns will be interviewed over video and final selections will be made in mid-March.
