Director, Course Lead, Physics 2

About the Team

The AP Curriculum and Assessment Team at College Board (90+ staff) collaborates with colleagues across all aspects of the AP Program to develop, manage, and deliver AP’s 40+ courses in a wide variety of subject areas. AP® is a rigorous academic program built on the commitment, passion, and hard work of students and educators from secondary schools and higher education. AP provides willing and academically prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level. AP’s content leads ensure that course curricula are aligned to higher education expectations and reflect the state of the art in the discipline, contribute to instructional resources and tools for teachers, and develop assessments that allow students in these courses to demonstrate their mastery of course content and skills. The Science department, which includes biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, environmental science, anatomy and physiology, and Research, is currently made up of 17 people supporting 10 courses in the AP portfolio.

About the Opportunity

As the Director I, AP Physics 2 you will be responsible for preserving and improving the quality and validity of the AP Program’s core deliverables within the subject domain: the exam, the course curriculum, and the professional development content. You are also responsible for item development and management from authoring to administration; training and collaborating with subject-matter experts (SMEs), typically college professors and secondary school teachers. You will train SMEs on assessment development protocols, translate between academics and technical experts (psychometricians), and collaborate to develop formative assessment materials and resources to support AP Physics 2 teachers worldwide. You will serve as a point of contact in AP for committees and communities of subject-matter experts and will be responsible for the curriculum and assessment for AP Physics 2, and, in partnership with other AP teams, further the strategic growth of AP Physics 2 across the globe. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to present, speak, and moderate dialogue with academic and membership audiences to ensure that ongoing change and improvement within AP courses and exams is understood, accepted, and supported in secondary and post-secondary educational communities.  

In this role, you will:

Assessment Development and Scoring (45-75%) 

• Serve as an assessment leader for AP Physics 2, with primary responsibility for assessment development for AP Physics 2.

• Be responsible for authoring/revising assessment content and training educator constituents to author assessment content, including selection of appropriate stimulus material, and application of best assessment practices.

• Lead the development and management of assessment content (formative and summative) and scoring materials for AP Physics 2 through iterative review stages with multiple internal and external stakeholders, including the AP Physics 2 Team, Assessment Production team, Test Development Committee, and the Chief Reader, as appropriate.

• Lead the development of assessment forms for AP Physics 2, ensuring the AP Exam development aligns with approved curricula and test specifications.

• Conduct multiple face-to-face, weekend meetings, and virtual meetings (during work week, evenings, or weekends) annually with the AP Physics 2 Test Development Committee.

• Train and directly supervise Test Development Committee members in AP Physics 2 as content development contributors and reviewers.

• Facilitate the successful scoring of student responses for AP Physics 2 Exams at the annual scoring event in person and online—the “AP Reading”—and produce AP Reading publications materials for teacher and student use.

Assessment Quality and Process (10-25%)

• Contribute to learning and best practices related to assessment by participating in regular discussions with other AP Curriculum & Assessment staff members on the current assessment standards and practices to build a set of common, shared beliefs about AP’s assessment directions within the larger educational and assessment community.

• Support assessment workstreams within the AP Science department.

• Contribute to processes for efficient, high-quality assessment development.

• Contribute to initiatives to refine and improve question task models as well as exam design in collaboration with AP Curriculum & Assessment leaders and aligned to other College Board initiatives to achieve psychometric and disciplinary best practices on AP Physics 2 exams.

• Monitor and improve exam validity, security, reliability, fairness, and quality, as well as reader reliability in accordance with established Program thresholds for AP Physics 2 exam.

• Collaborate with psychometrics and AP Curriculum & Assessment staff to establish fair, reliable, and valid cut scores for AP Physics 2 exam.

Curriculum and Instruction (up to30%; could be 0% in some years)

• Collaborate with the AP teams dedicated to instructional design and product development to develop new products for AP Physics 2 designed to address unmet teacher instructional needs, including developing prototypes, participating in small-scale market-testing, and creating models for subsequent development in conjunction with other AP workstreams. 

• Refine and improve AP Physics 2 Course Framework to ensure clear and explicit learning outcomes that align with strategic priorities, including ensuring college/disciplinary standards as well as expanding the scope of reaching a broader audience of AP students.

Outreach and Constituent Engagement (up to 20%; could be 0%)

• Serve as a recognized and trusted resource within the educator community by collaboration and engagement with the community to drive teacher satisfaction with AP Physics 2 and its exam.

• Represent and increase support for the AP Program’s mission among external stakeholders in AP Physics 2, through varied strategies inclusive of public/disciplinary presentations, direct outreach to teachers and educators (customer service inquiries, presence on AP Physics 2 online teacher community, etc.).

• Collaborate with the AP Professional learning team to support AP Physics 2 consultants and teachers.

• Recruit educators for the AP Physics 2 Development Committee and other opportunities to support AP Program.

• Work with the AP Higher Education team to co-develop and implement plans to raise college and university awareness of AP Physics 2 courses and exams, including recruiting college faculty to participate in the AP Reading, co-leading the planning and execution of discipline-specific AP Faculty Colloquia events, and supporting Visiting and Virtual Fellows Programs. 

About You

You (have):

• A Master’s degree in Physics or a directly related discipline, and knowledge of current trends in the discipline (required), although a doctorate in the discipline is strongly preferred

• Experience in standardized assessment development (required)

• Experience with digital assessment (preferred)

• Teaching experience (preferred)

• Superior oral and written communications skills

• Excellent organizational and planning skills, including the ability to effectively handle multiple tasks simultaneously

• Meticulous attention to detail, including the ability to closely proofread

• Excellent skills in process and procedure implementation, including adhering to project plans and schedules, and maintaining project management documentation for tracking

• Technical acumen and aptitude; proficiency with Microsoft Office and use of browser-based applications and tools

• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, including the ability to collaborate with staff at all levels

• Contribute to a culture of timely and kind feedback, displaying openness to new ideas, approaches, and growth

• Adapt to new circumstances and approaches

• Effectively use data and relevant experience

• Contribute to a culture of trust, respect, and belonging

• Strong customer service orientation

• Willingness to travel up to 6 times a year (domestic), with an additional 2 weeks in late May/June for the Annual “AP Reading”

About Our Process 

• Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled 

• While the hiring process may vary, it generally includes: resume and application submission, recruiter phone/video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise such as live coding, a panel interview, a conversation with leadership and reference checks.  

About Our Benefits and Compensation

College Board offers a competitive benefits and compensation program that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education. As a self-sustaining non-profit, we believe in compensating employees equitably in relation to each other, their qualifications, their impact, and the relevant market.

The hiring range for a new employee in this position is $96,000 to $135,000. College Board differentiates salaries by location so where you live will narrow the portion of this range in which you can expect a salary.

Your salary will be carefully determined based on your location, relevant experience, the external labor market, and the pay of College Board employees in similar roles. College Board strives to provide our best offer up front based on these criteria.

Your salary is only one part of all that College Board offers, including but not limited to:  

• A comprehensive package is designed to support the well-being of employees and their families and promote education. Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, generous paid time off, paid parental leave, fertility benefits, pet insurance, tuition assistance, retirement benefits, and more

• Recognition of exceptional performance through annual bonuses, salary growth over time through market increases, and opportunities for merit raises and promotions based on increased scope of responsibility

• A job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive

You can expect to have transparent conversations about benefits and compensation with our recruiters throughout your application process.

About Our Culture

Our community matters, and we strive to practice and improve our culture daily. Here are some headlines:

• We are motivated to positively impact the educational and career trajectories of millions of students a year. 

• We prioritize building a diverse and inclusive team where every employee can thrive, and every voice is heard. 

• We welcome staff to join any or all six of our affinity groups: ARISE (Alliance for Asian Retention, Inclusion, Success, and Engagement; DIASPORA (Alliance for Pan-African Success and Achievement); Pride (alliance for LGBTQ+ staff and allies); Resilience (alliance for Native staff and advocates); SALSA (Staff Alliance for Latinx Success and Achievement); and WIN (Women’s Impact Network).

• We value learning and growth; we offer formal and informal ways to lead through your superpowers, sharpen your strengths, and meet your development goals. 

• We know that our impact is strongest together. Our College Board Cares program offers all staff up to $1,000 annual match against partner non-profit organizations.

• We offer a transparent approach to promotions and merit raises, annual performance-based bonuses, and how to grow your career here over time. 

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