23.1029, Jobs: Applied Linguistics; Language Testing: Senior Test Developer, Pearson

Thu Mar 1 01:38:06 UTC 2012

LINGUIST List: Vol-23-1029. Wed Feb 29 2012. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 23.1029, Jobs: Applied Linguistics; Language Testing: Senior Test Developer, Pearson

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>

Reviews: Veronika Drake, U of Wisconsin-Madison
Monica Macaulay, U of Wisconsin-Madison
Rajiv Rao, U of Wisconsin-Madison
Joseph Salmons, U of Wisconsin-Madison
Anja Wanner, U of Wisconsin-Madison
       <reviews at linguistlist.org>

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

The LINGUIST List is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the
discipline of linguistics with the infrastructure necessary to function in
the digital world. Donate to keep our services freely available!
https://linguistlist.org/donation/donate/donate1.cfm

Editor for this issue: Christy Bird <christy at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

The LINGUIST List strongly encourages employers to engage in non-discriminatory 
hiring practices. We urge employers not to discriminate on the grounds of race, 
ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
However, we have no means of enforcing these standards.

Job seekers should pay special attention to language in ads regarding
employment requirements and are encouraged to consult our international
employment page http://linguistlist.org/jobs/jobnet.html. This page has been set 
up so that people can report on the employment standards of various countries.

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm.

Date: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:37:33
From: Rhonda Warren [rhonda.warren at pearson.com]
Subject: Applied Linguistics; Language Testing; Educational Measurement: Senior Test Developer, Pearson, CA, USA

E-mail this message to a friend:
http://linguistlist.org/issues/emailmessage/verification.cfm?iss=23-1029.html&submissionid=4541696&topicid=7&msgnumber=1

University or Organization: Pearson 
Job Location: California, USA 
Web Address: http://pearsoned.com
Job Rank: Senior Test Developer  

Specialty Areas: Applied Linguistics; Language Testing; Educational Measurement

Required Language(s): English (eng)
                      Spanish (spa) 

Description:

Pearson has one defining goal: to help people progress in their lives 
through learning. We champion innovation and we invest in models for 
education that deliver on our promise for effective, accessible, and 
personal learning from early literacy, college and career readiness to 
professional education, through data informed instruction and inventive 
applications for mobile and digital learning.

Pearson, the world's leading learning company, has global-reach and 
market leading businesses in education, business, and consumer 
publishing and is listed on the London and New York stock exchanges 
(UK: PSON; NYSE: PSO). For more information, visit 
http://www.pearson.com.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and a 
member of E-Verify. All qualified applicants, including minorities, women, 
veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Pearson's Knowledge Technologies (KT) group provides products and 
services based on proprietary and patented machine-learning technology 
for language understanding.

Summary:
The Test Development group is responsible for designing reliable and 
valid language tests based on theories of linguistics and psychology, and 
informed by an understanding of automatic speech recognition. Test 
Developers are required to manage the development of new assessment 
products at various stages of their construction, from designing tasks and 
item specifications through to data collection, validation, documentation 
and deployment.

Duties and Responsibilities:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the 
following essential functions:
-  Designing test tasks and writing test specifications
-  Creating test items
-  Coaching voice talent
-  Recruiting participants for data collection
-  Analyzing data and writing technical reports
-  Screening, training and managing groups of external consultants (item 
writers, reviewers, transcribers, raters) 
-  Participating in technical customer support
-  Assisting customers with cut-score decisions based on their individual 
requirements
-  Giving academic or technical presentations at meetings and 
conferences
-  Designing, carrying out and writing up validation experiments
-  Conducting original research for publication in the field of test 
development and validation

Test developers are responsible for the success of the projects they 
manage, and as such are expected to: run projects according to schedule 
and within budget; anticipate and correct problems or shortcomings; 
interact with our Engineering and Research & Development departments; 
manage large teams of external consultants (typically between 10 and 50 
consultants per project). 

An MA or PhD in language testing, educational measurement, applied 
linguistics, or related field is required.

Qualifications:
Preference given to candidates with the following experience:
-  Excellent verbal and written communication skills
-  The ability to manage projects independently and work well with others 
at least five years of relevant work experience in linguistics, education, or 
assessment
-  A proven track record of research or publications

Additionally, the following qualifications are desirable:
-  Knowledge of programming such as SQL or Perl 
-  Knowledge of statistics or psychometrics (e.g. Rasch, IRT)
-  Fluency in more than one language

Application Deadline: 30-Mar-2012 (Open until filled)

Web Address for Applications: http://jobs.pearson.com/job/Palo-Alto-Senior-Test-Developer-Job-CA-94301/1748663/ 
Contact Information:
	Sr. HR Coordinator Rhonda Warren 
	Email: rhonda.warren at pearson.com 
	Phone: 210-339-5025 
	Fax: 210-339-5046 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Year the LINGUIST List hopes to raise $67,000. This money will go to help 
keep the List running by supporting all of our Student Editors for the coming
year.

See below for donation instructions, and don't forget to check out Fund 
Drive 2012 site!

http://linguistlist.org/fund-drive/2012/

There are many ways to donate to LINGUIST!

You can donate right now using our secure credit card form at  
https://linguistlist.org/donation/donate/donate1.cfm

Alternatively you can also pledge right now and pay later. To do so, go to: 
https://linguistlist.org/donation/pledge/pledge1.cfm

For all information on donating and pledging, including information on how to 
donate by check, money order, or wire transfer, please visit: 
http://linguistlist.org/donation/

The LINGUIST List is under the umbrella of Eastern Michigan University and as 
such can receive donations through the EMU Foundation, which is a registered 
501(c) Non Profit organization. Our Federal Tax number is 38-6005986. These 
donations can be offset against your federal and sometimes your state tax
return (U.S. tax payers only). For more information visit the IRS Web-Site,
or contact your financial advisor.

Many companies also offer a gift matching program, such that they will match 
any gift you make to a non-profit organization. Normally this entails your 
contacting your human resources department and sending us a form that the 
EMU Foundation fills in and returns to your employer. This is generally a
simple administrative procedure that doubles the value of your gift to
LINGUIST, without costing you an extra penny. Please take a moment to check if
your company operates such a program.

Thank you very much for your support of LINGUIST!

----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-23-1029	
----------------------------------------------------------