[Hiring] Project Based Freelance Contributor - Assessment Item Specialist, English Language Arts @Newsela

Role Description

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.

What You'll Be Doing

• 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.

Qualifications

• You are a professional assessment author with 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.
• You are an assessment methodology expert who possesses a comprehensive understanding of educational assessment design, including formative, common, and summative assessments.
• You are a standards and framework specialist with deep familiarity with CCSS and state-specific ELA frameworks, along with a proven ability to apply strict standards alignment principles.
• You demonstrate a mastery of rigor and Depth of Knowledge (DOK), allowing you to accurately classify and create items that meet specific cognitive rigor requirements.
• You are skilled in technical item production, bringing prior experience authoring technology-enhanced items (TEIs) and comfortably navigating digital assessment platforms.
• You exhibit editorial excellence through a thorough grasp of established style guides and best practices, including critical quality control elements such as fairness, bias, and accessibility.
• You are a reliable content producer with a proven track record of delivering high-quality work under tight deadlines with meticulous attention to detail.
• Legally authorized to work in the US.

Compensation

This role is compensated on a per-project basis, with rates scaled to the scope and complexity of the assigned work. Contributors are always provided with comprehensive project details and pricing upfront to review before accepting an assignment. Please note that given the nature of the position, this role will not be eligible to participate in company-sponsored benefits.

Benefits

• Work From Home: We are a fully remote company!
• Make A Difference: No matter your role or department, the work you do each day helps share the future of education and improves the lives of students and teachers.

Company Description

Newsela is a leading education technology company dedicated to meaningful classroom learning for every student. We deliver integrated, AI-powered solutions designed to unlock student engagement, empower teachers, and drive meaningful learning outcomes. Our suite of products supports knowledge and skill development, writing practice, daily instruction, assessment, and data-informed decision-making across K–12 classrooms. Grounded in learning science research, Newsela’s solutions integrate content, assessment, and analytics to help educators track progress, understand student outcomes, and deliver high-impact instruction that supports every learner.