Job Post: Research Assistant

We are seeking a part-time Research Assistant for the Multilingual Literacy Screener (MLS), a semi-adaptive suite of digital reading comprehension and math assessments in 19 languages. Our team provides assessment services and training to New York State schools. We are looking for a Research Assistant who will visit 3 New York City schools and observe classrooms that serve our target student population. The purpose of the project is to see how the MLS is implemented for intake and instructional purposes.

The Research Assistant will work under the Professional Learning Facilitator, who is leading the project, and at times with the Project Director. No prior knowledge of the MLS is required, and we will provide training so the Research Assistant understands our assessments and best practices surrounding their administration.

The Research Assistant will be responsible for conducting several visits for each of our partner schools and documenting classroom activities according to protocols that will be provided and discussed. The Research Assistant will be responsible for documenting the visits, delivering the documentation to the MLS team, and discussing findings. Further, the Research Assistant will be responsible for ensuring that students have completed two beginning-of-year and two end-of-year MLS tests, and will assist the schools with MLS data entry as needed.

Candidates for this Research Assistant position must have experience working in NYC Public Schools, preferably with Newcomers and Multilingual Learners. Applicants who have experience facilitating responsive instruction for Multilingual Learners and/or who have experience with newcomer intake processes will be given priority, as well as applicants who are themselves multilingual.

Responsibilities (individuals will perform a subset of tasks):

Participate in training activities
Schedule and conduct school visits
Document school visit observations
Assist schools with administering MLS assessments and data entry
Participate in visit debrief meetings with MLS team
Join occasional planning meetings with the Professional Learning Facilitator

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Education, Literacy, Linguistics, or related fields
Experience working in NYC Public Schools
Experience documenting classroom observations
Excellent oral and written communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with newcomer student intake processes in secondary schools
Experience with data-driven instruction in secondary schools
Experience with curriculum design related to literacy
Experience working with students who have faced an interruption in their formal schooling
Proficiency in Spanish, Arabic, or French

Rate and hours: $30 / hour, unlikely to exceed 15 hours in a single week; hours per week will vary greatly based on visit schedule and project needs.

Target Position Dates: We are projecting about 100 hours for the whole project, from September 2024 to June 2025.

Location: Must be willing to commute to schools throughout New York City for visits. Internal team planning meetings are held remotely, or occasionally at the CUNY Graduate Center or CUNY Queens College.

Authorization: All employees must be authorized to work in the US.

To apply please send a cover letter and resume to Jobs@mlscreener.org with the subject line “MLS Research Assistant Position”. Cover letters should describe which of the job responsibilities applicants have had experience with, and highlight experience relevant to the required and preferred qualifications.

About Us: The Multilingual Literacy SIFE Screener (MLS) is an online, semi-adaptive suite of assessments in 19 languages. We are a project funded by the New York State Department of Education and based at the City University of New York. Read more at help.mlscreener.org.

Research Institute for the Study of Language in Urban Society (RISLUS) jobs

Research Assistant