Assessment Leader

Job Summary

Assessment Leaders oversee the development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, and continuous improvement of district assessment systems. They integrate accessibility throughout assessment policies, processes, digital platforms, and administration practices to reduce barriers for students with disabilities and support the appropriate implementation of accessibility features, accessible formats, accommodations, and assistive technology. They collaborate with curriculum and instruction, special education, assistive technology, educational technology, information technology (IT), assessment, and other relevant personnel to prevent and address accessibility barriers while preserving the intended construct and validity of assessments.

Job Essential Accessibility Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities related to accessibility.

• Integrate accessibility requirements into assessment development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure established accessibility requirements and criteria are applied to district-developed and externally provided assessments and assessment platforms.
• Review assessment materials, platforms, administration processes, and available accessibility evidence for potential barriers, and coordinate additional evaluation when specialized expertise is needed.
• Establish processes for providing and implementing identified accessibility features, accessible formats, assistive technology, and other accommodations during assessment administration.
• Consider the intended construct and validity of assessment results when establishing or modifying accessibility-related assessment policies, practices, and supports, engaging specialized expertise when needed.
• Collaborate with curriculum and instruction, special education, assistive technology, educational technology, IT, and assessment personnel to address accessibility barriers affecting assessment access for students with disabilities.
• Integrate accessibility requirements and available evidence into assessment platform selection, procurement, and renewal decisions.
• Use accessibility issue data, information about implementation of accessibility-related processes and supports, and feedback from students with disabilities and educators to identify patterns and opportunities for improvement.
• Establish processes for promptly reporting, escalating, and addressing accessibility barriers identified before or during assessment administration.

Required Qualifications

Minimum requirements to perform the job:

• Knowledge of disability and accessibility as they relate to K–12 assessment.
• Knowledge of accessibility-related requirements applicable to K–12 assessment, including ADA Title II, IDEA, and Section 504.
• Working knowledge of digital accessibility requirements and standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), as they apply to assessments and digital testing environments.
• Knowledge of the relationship among assessment accessibility, accessibility features, accessible formats, accommodations, assistive technology, the intended construct, and assessment validity.
• Demonstrated experience incorporating accessibility into one or more stages of the assessment lifecycle, such as development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, or continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated experience supporting processes for implementing identified accommodations and other accessibility-related supports within assessment environments.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing assessment processes, accessibility evidence, and other relevant information to identify potential barriers and determine appropriate next steps.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating across assessment, curriculum and instruction, special education, assistive technology, educational technology, IT, and other relevant functions to address assessment access or implementation issues.

Preferred Qualifications

Nice-to-have skills or experience:

• Additional professional learning or demonstrated expertise in accessible assessment.
• Experience proactively identifying and reducing accessibility barriers in assessment systems.
• Experience evaluating the accessibility of digital assessment platforms or reviewing accessibility evidence provided by assessment vendors.
• Experience integrating accessibility requirements into assessment procurement or contracting.
• Experience using accessibility findings, issue data, and feedback from students with disabilities or educators to improve assessment systems.

Success Signals

In this role, success looks like:

• Integrates accessibility throughout assessment development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Proactively identifies potential accessibility barriers before assessment administration whenever possible and coordinates appropriate action.
• Establishes clear, reliable processes that support implementation of identified accessibility features, accessible formats, accommodations, and assistive technology during assessment.
• Uses accessibility evidence, issue data, and feedback from students with disabilities, educators, staff, and families to improve assessment practices and systems.
• Collaborates effectively across assessment, curriculum and instruction, special education, assistive technology, educational technology, IT, and other relevant functions to prevent and address assessment accessibility barriers.
• Supports assessment access in ways that reduce accessibility barriers while preserving what the assessment is intended to measure.
• Recognizes when assessment accessibility concerns require specialized evaluation or expertise and engages appropriate personnel.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Accessibility Knowledge (WHAT / WHY)

• Understanding of how accessibility barriers can affect students’ ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills during assessment.
• Knowledge of accessibility-related requirements applicable to K–12 assessment, including ADA Title II, IDEA, and Section 504.
• Working knowledge of foundational digital accessibility principles and WCAG requirements as they apply to assessment content, interfaces, platforms, and related digital environments.
• Understanding of the distinctions among proactively accessible assessments, accessibility features, accessible formats, accommodations, and assistive technology and how they may work together to support student access.
• Knowledge of how students may use assistive technology and accessibility features within physical and digital testing environments.
• Understanding of how accessibility-related assessment practices and individualized supports may interact with the intended construct, validity, and comparability of assessment results.
• Knowledge of accessibility considerations throughout the assessment lifecycle, including development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, and continuous improvement.

Applied Skills (HOW)

• Skill in applying established accessibility requirements and criteria throughout assessment development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Skill in reviewing assessment materials, platforms, administrative processes, and available accessibility evidence to identify potential barriers.
• Skill in developing clear processes that support implementation of identified accessibility features, accessible formats, accommodations, and assistive technology during assessment administration.
• Skill in analyzing accessibility issues, implementation information, and feedback to identify patterns requiring assessment-level action.
• Skill in communicating accessibility requirements to assessment developers and vendors and collaborating with appropriate personnel to review accessibility evidence and inform assessment decisions.
• Skill in considering the intended construct and validity when evaluating accessibility-related assessment practices and supports and identifying when specialized assessment expertise is needed.
• Skill in recognizing when assessment accessibility concerns require additional evaluation or specialized expertise and engaging appropriate personnel.

Collaboration & Communication

• Competence in collaborating across assessment, curriculum and instruction, special education, assistive technology, educational technology, IT, administration, and other relevant functions to prevent and address accessibility barriers.
• Competence in clearly communicating assessment accessibility expectations, responsibilities, and processes to educators, administrators, and other personnel involved in assessment.
• Competence in coordinating with appropriate personnel to support implementation of identified accessible formats, accommodations, assistive technology, and other accessibility-related supports within assessment processes and systems.
• Competence in seeking, listening to, and using feedback from students with disabilities, families, educators, and other critical perspectives to inform assessment improvement.
• Competence in clearly communicating significant assessment accessibility barriers, implementation concerns, and related risks to appropriate leadership and personnel.

Interview Questions

Assessment Leader (Accessibility-Focused)

Behavioral Questions

• Describe a time when you identified an accessibility barrier within an assessment process. How did you address it, and what was the outcome?
• Tell us about a time when you incorporated accessibility into the development, selection, or implementation of an assessment or assessment platform. What considerations influenced your decisions?
• Share an example of collaborating with other personnel to address an assessment accessibility issue. What expertise did different team members contribute, and what was the outcome?
• Describe a time when feedback from a student with a disability, family member, or educator led you to change an assessment accessibility practice. What did you learn from the experience?
• Tell us about an assessment accessibility concern that required expertise beyond your own. How did you determine who needed to be involved?

Technical Questions

• What accessibility considerations should be addressed throughout assessment development or selection, administration, scoring, reporting, and continuous improvement?
• How would you determine whether a digital assessment platform presents potential accessibility barriers, and when would you involve additional accessibility or technical expertise?
• How would you distinguish among proactively accessible assessments, accessibility features, accessible formats, accommodations, and assistive technology? When might more than one be needed?
• What factors should be considered when determining whether an accommodation or other accessibility-related support could affect the intended construct or validity of an assessment, and what expertise might be needed?
• A digital assessment platform creates barriers for a student using assistive technology. How would you investigate the source of the barriers, and who would you involve?
• What accessibility information or evidence would you consider when selecting or renewing a digital assessment platform, and who would you involve in reviewing that evidence?

Learning and Development

To prepare for this role, individuals should:

• Learn best practices for including students with disabilities in assessment by reviewing the School Leader Series from the National Center on Educational Outcomes.
• Access important accessible format guidelines from NCADEMI and the OCALI AT&AEM Center, Braille Accessibility in State Assessments: Roles, Responsibilities, and Strategies.
• Review NCADEMI’s Legal Foundations page to understand how ADA Title II and IDEA affect access to educational materials and technologies in K–12 settings.
• Study NCADEMI’s Quality Indicators for the Provision and Use of Accessible Materials in PreK-12 Systems, particularly indicators addressing procurement, accessibility data, and training and support.
• Develop practical knowledge of accessibility features, accommodations, accessible formats, and assistive technology within assessment environments.
• Build experience reviewing assessment platforms, accessibility documentation, user feedback, and testing information.
• Develop strategies for collaborating with special education, assistive technology, technology, and instructional personnel when assessment barriers require specialized expertise.

Reminder

Use this toolkit to incorporate accessibility-focused knowledge, skills, and sample pre-screening and interview questions into your job descriptions and hiring process.