Assessment Development Jobs in Dallas, TX (NOW HIRING)

Coordinator Assessment Development and Strategy (multiple positions)
Reports to: Director Data Literacy, Assessment Strategy, and Continuous Improvement
PC: 24288
Grade 404
239 Days
Salary: $85,893 - $103,487
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Purpose

The Coordinator of Assessment Development and Strategy designs, develops, and continuously improves the district's local assessment system, including Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs), interim assessments, and benchmarks aligned to TEKS and the rigor of state assessments. This role ensures all assessments are tightly aligned to the district's instructional framework and are intentionally designed to drive real-time instructional decision-making.

In close partnership with Curriculum & Instruction, including core content departments (Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies), the Coordinator ensures assessments are not standalone tools, but are embedded within instructional planning and daily lesson execution. Assessments are designed to generate immediate, actionable data that directly informs reteach, acceleration, and student grouping decisions. The role is responsible for ensuring coherence, rigor, and usability of assessments across the system to accelerate student achievement.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Designs, develops, and continuously improves districtwide local assessments, including Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs), interim assessments, and benchmarks aligned to TEKS, the district's Instructional Framework, and the rigor of STAAR.
• Works in close partnership with Curriculum & Instruction, including core content departments (Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies), to ensure assessments are tightly aligned to HQIM, Instructional Planning Calendars (IPCs), and daily lesson execution.
• Ensures all assessments reflect grade-level rigor aligned to TEKS, the district's Instructional Framework, and STAAR expectations, maintaining high cognitive demand while embedding appropriate access points that do not lower standards.
• Develops and maintains assessment blueprints, item specifications, and aligned item banks that ensure consistency, coherence, and rigor across all content areas and grade levels.
• Designs and refines high-quality assessment items aligned to state assessment formats and expectations, including a range of item types that measure depth of understanding.
• Establishes and implements quality control processes, including alignment checks, item review protocols, and validation procedures to ensure accuracy, rigor, and reliability of all assessments.
• Develops and aligns assessments to the district's Enhanced Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) implementation plan, ensuring coherence with district and state expectations and alignment to multiple measures of educator effectiveness.
• Determines and maintains a clear through line between local assessments and state assessments, ensuring alignment in standards, rigor, item types, and performance expectations.
• Ensures local assessments are predictive of student performance on STAAR and other state measures and are designed to generate actionable insights that inform instruction.
• Designs assessments to produce immediate, actionable data that can be used in real time to inform reteach, acceleration, and student grouping decisions in alignment with the district's Instructional Framework.
• Partners within AARA, including the Assessment function, to ensure alignment to the districtwide assessment calendar and full compliance with state and local assessment requirements.
• Collaborates with Data Analytics and Reporting teams to ensure assessment data is captured, integrated, and available in real time in actionable formats for instructional use.
• Develops tools, exemplars, and guidance to support effective use of assessment data within instructional planning cycles, including PLCs and internalization processes aligned to the district's Instructional Framework.
• Monitors implementation of the district's assessment strategy across campuses and content areas, identifying gaps in fidelity and supporting continuous improvement.
• Analyzes assessment results to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement in both student performance and assessment quality.
• Leads cross-functional work across Curriculum & Instruction (including core content departments) and AARA teams to ensure assessment design, data systems, and instructional use are fully aligned and executed with coherence across the system.
• Demonstrates flexibility in scheduling and availability, including extended or adjusted work hours during key assessment development cycles, instructional planning windows, and district assessment windows.

Safety

• Performs preventive maintenance on tools and equipment and ensures equipment is in safe operating condition.
• Follows established safety procedures and techniques to perform job duties including lifting and climbing; operates tools and equipment according to established safety procedures.
• Corrects unsafe conditions in work area and promptly reports any conditions that are not immediately correctable to supervisor.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None. 

Personal Work Relationships 

• All Fort Worth ISD employees must maintain a commitment to the District's mission, vision, and strategic goals
• Exhibits high professionalism, standards of conduct and work ethic.
• Demonstrates high quality customer service; builds rapport/relationship with the consumer.
• Demonstrates cultural competence in interactions with others; is respectful of co-workers; communicates and acts as a team player; promotes teamwork.  Responds and acts appropriately in confrontational situations.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Performs all job-related duties as assigned and in accordance to the Board rules, policies and regulations. All employees are expected to comply with lawful directives in rare situations driven by need where a team effort is required. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Knowledge of TEKS, STAAR blueprints, and state assessment frameworks, including alignment, rigor, and item design expectations.
• Knowledge of best-in-class instructional frameworks and their application to assessment design, including how assessments inform reteach, acceleration, and student grouping decisions.
• Knowledge of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and the alignment between curriculum, Instructional Planning Calendars (IPCs), and assessment design.
• Knowledge of best-in-class teacher and principal performance evaluation systems and their alignment to assessment design, student outcomes, and broader measures of educator effectiveness.
• Knowledge of assessment design principles, including validity, reliability, alignment, and the development of high-quality items and assessment blueprints.
• Knowledge of data-driven instruction, including the use of Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs), interim assessments, and formative data to inform instructional decisions in real time.
• Knowledge of district and state assessment policies, procedures, and requirements, including alignment to assessment calendars and compliance expectations.
• Skill in designing and developing high-quality assessment items aligned to grade-level standards and state assessment expectations.
• Skill in developing assessment blueprints, item banks, and quality control systems to ensure consistency and rigor across content areas and grade levels.
• Skill in ensuring assessments generate actionable data that can be used immediately by teachers and instructional teams to adjust instruction.
• Skill in analyzing assessment data to identify trends, gaps, and instructional implications and to inform continuous improvement of both assessments and instruction.
• Skill in collaborating closely with Curriculum & Instruction and core content teams (Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies) to ensure alignment between curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
• Skill in managing complex, cross-functional projects and delivering high-quality products within tight timelines and instructional planning cycles.
• Skill in operating effectively within a high-performance culture, maintaining high expectations, accountability for results, and a focus on continuous improvement.
• Ability to lead cross-functional work through influence and indirect authority to ensure alignment, ownership, and execution across departments.
• Ability to ensure coherence between assessment design, instructional delivery, and data systems across the district.
• Ability to maintain high expectations for rigor while ensuring access for all students without lowering standards.
• Ability to operate with urgency, precision, and strong attention to detail in a fast-paced, high-stakes instructional environment.

Travel Requirements

• Travels to school district buildings and professional meetings as required.

Physical and Mental Demands, Work Hazards

• Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office equipment, including personal computer and peripherals; standard instructional equipment
• Posture: Prolonged sitting; occasional bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting.
• Motion: Repetitive hand motions including frequent keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching
• Lifting: Occasional light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds)
• Environment: Works in an office setting; frequently requires irregular and/or prolonged hours. Frequent Districtwide travel.
• Attendance: Regular and punctual attendance at the worksite is required for this position.
• Mental Demands: Maintain emotional control under stress; works with frequent interruptions.

Required Qualifications 

• Education:
  • Bachelor's degree required.
  • Advanced graduate degree in a relevant field preferred
• Certification/License:
  • Valid Texas teaching certificate in Reading or Math preferred.
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible experience in assessment development, curriculum and instruction, teaching, or a related field required; experience in a K12 school district or similarly complex organization preferred.
  • Demonstrated, verifiable experience using formative and interim assessment data to drive instructional decision-making and improve student outcomes at the campus and/or district level preferred.
  • Experience developing, managing, or implementing local assessments (e.g., Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs), interim assessments, benchmarks) aligned to TEKS and instructional materials preferred.
  • Experience collaborating across departments within a large, complex school system, including Curriculum & Instruction and content teams, and working through indirect authority to drive implementation and results preferred.

This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.