Assessment Specialist Humanities Grade 9

Role Responsibilities

Shape the Future of Student Assessment in Alberta

Are you passionate about educational excellence and student achievement? Do you have expertise in English Language Arts and Social Studies and a strong understanding of large-scale assessment? Alberta Education and Childcare is seeking an experienced and collaborative professional to join the Provincial Assessment team as an Assessment Specialist, Humanities (Grade 9).

In this role, you will lead the development, implementation, scoring, and reporting of Grade 9 and Knowledge and Employability (K&E) provincial achievement tests in English Language Arts and Social Studies. Your work will directly contribute to maintaining high educational standards and ensuring Alberta students are assessed through fair, valid, reliable, and innovative assessment practices.

Role Responsibilities

Lead Assessment Development
•    Design, develop, validate, and maintain Grade 9 and K&E English Language Arts and Social Studies Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs).
•    Develop assessment standards, blueprints, field tests, and support materials that align with Alberta curriculum expectations.
•    Ensure all assessments meet recognized psychometric and quality assurance standards.
•    Support the transition and ongoing delivery of assessments within digital testing environments. 

Collaborate Across the Ministry
•    Work closely with curriculum specialists, psychometricians, document production staff, and assessment colleagues.
•    Partner with cross-functional teams to align assessment programs and support future curriculum developments.
•    Contribute to continuous improvement and innovation within provincial assessment programs. 

Engage and Support Education Stakeholders
•    Recruit, train, and collaborate with teachers participating in assessment development and validation activities.
•    Build educator capacity by providing guidance on assessment standards and released assessment materials.
•    Provide expert advice regarding provincial assessment results and their interpretation for school improvement and planning purposes.
•    Foster strong partnerships with educators, school authorities, academic experts, and other stakeholders. 

Drive Quality and Excellence
•    Ensure assessment data and reporting are accurate and meaningful for stakeholders.
•    Stay informed of emerging trends, research, and best practices in large-scale assessment.
•    Contribute to briefing materials, reports, and responses supporting ministry priorities and decision-making. 

The Job Description is provided for Further details on this position. 

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in-depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

• Build Collaborative Environments: Builds strong working relationships and fosters collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Agility: Adapts effectively to changing priorities, technology, and educational environments.
• Drive for Results: Takes accountability and delivers high-quality outcomes.
• Develop Networks: Builds credibility and maintains productive stakeholder relationships.

Qualifications

Master’s Degree in a related field plus five years related experience or equivalent as described below.

Equivalency: Bachelor’s Degree in a related field plus seven years of related experience.

Must have a valid permanent Alberta Teaching Certificate

Required experience and knowledge include:
•    Master's Degree in Education. 
•    Valid Permanent Alberta Teaching Certificate (or equivalent). 
•    Subject matter expertise in English Language Arts and Social Studies. 
•    Teaching and leadership experience at the school, jurisdictional, and/or provincial level. 
•    Strong knowledge of curriculum, assessment design, and educational evaluation practices. 
•    Excellent communication, collaboration, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills. 
•    Experience managing multiple priorities and leading projects within complex environments.

Assets:
•    Experience with provincial assessment development. 
•    Experience with assessment marking, scoring, or validation processes. 
•    Knowledge of large-scale assessment theory and psychometric principles. 
•    Experience working within digital assessment environments. 
•    Knowledge of current trends and research in educational assessment. 
•    Experience chairing committees, working groups, or advisory panels. 

Note: For professional work related to Communications (e.g. Public Affairs Officer), a directly related diploma is considered equivalent to university graduation in a related field.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification.

Notes

This is a permanent position, and the hours of work are a total of 36.25 hours per week working out of Edmonton.

A cover letter demonstrating your qualifications, experience and skills for this position is required and will be used as a screening tool.

Applications without an appropriate cover letter or appropriate resume will not be considered.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what we have to offer:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)  
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information
• Professional learning and development
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.