Just About Anybody can Score the Writing Tests

Today, the job announcement for CTB test scorers has been circulating on Facebook and Twitter. Thankfully. I was afraid I’d come home from work and have nothing to write. After all, tomorrow morning’s post for the #16 spot in the countdown is nearly complete.

Title	Evaluator with Bachelor degree
Description	Welcome! You have taken the next step towards putting your bachelor’s degree to work! Apply for a great opportunity with Kelly Services and CTB/McGraw-Hill. As an Evaluator, you will be joining a group of people dedicated to improving education for our nation’s children. We invite you to continue this on-line information and screening process to determine if this is the right job for you. Qualified applicants will be invited to schedule an in-person interview. We have positions available at CTB’s scoring locations in Sacramento, CA, Indianapolis, IN, and Lake Mary, FL. Evaluators assign scores to student responses for various assessment tests including, but not limited to, reading and language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies for grades K-12. Training is provided by content specialists using established scoring guidelines (rubrics) for reading and assigning scores to open-ended response items. Student responses take the form of essays, graphs and diagrams, to give just a few examples. Work is performed at one of CTB’s scoring centers (locations to follow this introduction). Student responses are scanned and are viewed on a standard personal computer. Basic computer skills and experience, and ability to use a mouse and keyboard are required.
Position Requirements	Applicants must have knowledge of standard English language writing conventions and/or other content specific knowledge such as science, mathematics, social studies, etc. Teachers and individuals with education backgrounds are encouraged to apply; however, teaching experience is not required. WORK SCHEDULES Evaluators work on a project basis, with most projects lasting from several days to several weeks. Projects run from approximately March through June. Work hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM or from 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM. Once assigned to a specific project, Evaluators must commit to completing that project. Employees may take time off between projects if desired, or ask to be reassigned to the next available project if available. BENEFITS OF BECOMING AN EVALUATOR As an Evaluator, you will be joining a group of people dedicated to improving education for our nation’s children. Many Kelly employees return year after year to work at CTB and we’re told by our employees that they enjoy the spirit of camaraderie while at work. Kelly employees can also take advantage of promotional opportunities within the CTB workforce, or put their skills to work at other Kelly customer locations during CTB’s down cycles.
Educational Requirements	Qualified applicants must possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Verification of your degree will be required.
Salary	$11.05 per hour
Location	Sacramento/Rancho Cordova, CA

If you have a bachelor’s degree, can move to Rancho Cordova, and are dedicated to improving education for our nation’s children (and can survive on $11.05/hour),you can score for CTB. While the individuals responding to this announcement might not necessarily be the ones who work with our writing tests, the job announcement still gives a glimpse into the process. In spite of this, the SDE still thinks that these scorers are more qualified to tell us how our children are performing than their teachers.

Given the complexity of the fifth grade and eighth grade writing prompts, I don’t feel that great about that.