English Language Arts Content Specialist

Pearson is an international media company with market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing. Pearson's education business represents about two-thirds of the company, and Penguin publishing and the Financial Times make up the balance. With more than 30,000 employees based in 60 countries, we are a family of businesses that draws on common assets, processes and shares a common purpose: to help our customers live and learn.Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D, and a member of E-Verify. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: - Help facilitate, maintain and oversee content development in English Language Arts, Reading, Writing and/or Communications (Listening/Speaking); item writing and item and data review sessions; and provides content expertise during those sessions as necessary.- Develop item, passage, and test specifications documents as necessary. Assist in developing and conducting the item-writer training for development workshops. Perform passage research according to required specifications as needed.- Help select, assign and manage subcontracted item and content development via item writers.- Review and edit test items developed by contractors during the item writing and review workshops.- Classify test items according to pre-specified content dimensions. Ensure the accuracy of item content coding, keying, and item validations. - Provide references in support of the use of each item (i.e. for the correct response and the incorrect response alternatives) as well as source references and copyright research.- Consult with the customer as required, including participation in planning, status, review meetings, etc.- Work closely with Test Development Managers, other Content Developers, Psychometricians, and across group users of assessment content.- Perform other duties as assigned.- Some travel required for project-related meetings as necessary. EDUCATION, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE: - Bachelor's Degree in English, English Literature, Education, or equivalent education & experience required; Master's degree desired. - At least 5 years experience in English education required.- Some experience in large-scale educational measurement, especially item development, strongly preferred.- Some project management experience, including the scheduling of large-scale projects as well as personnel management preferred.- Must have outstanding verbal and written communication skills. Must be able to provide problems/solutions to a variety of audiences including both sophisticated and naive customers.- Excellent project planning and organizational skills required, including the ability to coordinate a project and individuals and to adapt to unforeseen and unexpected requests or changes in priorities.- General knowledge of all phases of the development, processing, scoring and reporting of large-scale assessments preferred.