Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Assessment Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Assessment Coordinator is an organized, detail-oriented professional responsible for planning, executing, and evaluating assessment programs to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements, maintain assessment security and integrity, and deliver actionable assessment data to district and school leaders. This role coordinates standardized testing windows, manages vendor relationships and testing platforms, trains staff and proctors, monitors accommodations and accessibility, analyzes student performance data, and continuously improves assessment processes to optimize instructional decision-making and program outcomes.

This job description is optimized for "assessment coordinator", "standardized testing coordinator", "assessment data reporting", "K-12 assessment", and "assessment program management" keywords to help attract qualified candidates and assist machine learning tools in matching skills and responsibilities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Testing or assessment proctor, testing technician, or proctoring assistant
Instructional specialist, curriculum coordinator, or data specialist
Administrative assistant or registrar with experience in school testing logistics

Advancement To:

District Assessment Director / Assessment Manager
Director of Accountability and Assessment
Director of Data & Assessment or Chief Assessment Officer

Lateral Moves:

Data Analyst / Assessment Data Specialist
Testing Vendor Coordinator or Compliance Officer
Instructional Coach with assessment emphasis

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Plan, coordinate and execute all aspects of district and schoolwide standardized testing programs, including scheduling testing windows, reserving testing spaces, ordering materials, and communicating timelines to stakeholders to ensure tests are administered on time and in compliance with state and federal mandates.
Ensure full compliance with state, federal, and local assessment regulations and accountability requirements (for example, ESSA, IDEA, and state assessment manuals), including accurate reporting, record-keeping, and timely submission of required documentation.
Administer and manage assessment platforms and vendor portals (e.g., Pearson, DRC, ETS, Illuminate, TIDE, TOMS), including account setup, user provisioning, test form assignments, and troubleshooting during testing windows to maintain operational continuity.
Coordinate and implement testing security protocols and chain-of-custody procedures, including secure storage of materials, staff training on test security, monitoring for irregularities, and escalation of test integrity incidents in accordance with district policy.
Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs and materials for administrators, building coordinators, proctors, and teachers on test administration procedures, accommodations, testing protocols, and emergency procedures to ensure standardized, high-quality test delivery.
Manage student accommodations, accessibility features, and specialized administration requests (e.g., extended time, alternate formats, approved assistive technology), ensuring eligibility documentation is verified and accommodations are correctly scheduled and configured in testing platforms.
Create and maintain detailed testing schedules, staffing plans, and room assignments; coordinate with school principals to minimize instructional disruption while ensuring adequate proctor-to-student ratios and adherence to testing guidelines.
Oversee the ordering, inventory, distribution, and secure return of printed test materials and devices, reconciling shipments and inventory records and working with central office and warehouse staff to resolve discrepancies and lost or damaged materials.
Serve as the primary liaison with external vendors and testing contractors, negotiating service timelines, coordinating onsite vendor activities (e.g., scoring, materials pickup), and managing vendor contracts and invoices to ensure contractual compliance and budget stewardship.
Monitor testing day operations in-person or remotely, provide real-time support to schools, resolve logistical issues, and document incidents and corrective actions to improve future test administrations.
Collect, clean, validate, and reconcile raw assessment data from multiple sources and vendors; coordinate with data systems staff to import student roster and enrollment updates and ensure accurate student-test linking.
Prepare timely, actionable assessment reports and dashboards for district leaders, principals, teachers, and families that interpret results, highlight trends, identify achievement gaps, and recommend interventions using tools like Excel, SQL, Tableau, or Power BI.
Analyze longitudinal assessment data to measure program effectiveness, monitor subgroup performance (e.g., EL, special education, economically disadvantaged), and produce root-cause analyses that inform instructional and intervention strategies.
Lead post-assessment processes including scoring validation, verification of results, submission of appeals or irregularity reports to state agencies, and management of score corrections or rescoring requests.
Develop and maintain assessment documentation, policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and training manuals to ensure institutional knowledge retention and consistent application of testing practices across sites.
Coordinate and support statewide and national assessments (SAT, ACT, AP, state summative assessments), including candidate registration processes, accommodations verification, and logistics for paper-based and online administrations.
Implement continuous improvement initiatives for assessment operations by soliciting stakeholder feedback, conducting post-mortem reviews, and recommending process changes that reduce errors, increase efficiency, and improve stakeholder satisfaction.
Manage assessment-related budgets, purchase requisitions, and procurement processes; track expenses for materials, vendor services, and technology to ensure fiscal responsibility and alignment with district priorities.
Support cross-functional teams—curriculum, special education, English learner programs, data and IT—to align assessment calendars with instructional goals, data systems, and student services while ensuring interoperability between SIS/LMS and assessment platforms.
Ensure confidentiality of student information and compliance with FERPA and other privacy laws when handling assessment data, coordinating secure transfers and access controls to protect personally identifiable information.
Prepare presentations and deliver assessment findings to boards of education, district leadership, school staff, and parent groups in a clear, data-driven manner that supports decision-making and transparency.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer district questions and to inform targeted instructional interventions.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying assessment systems needs, integrations, and opportunities for automation.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements and coordinate with IT to implement system updates and data feeds.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team to prioritize assessment-related work and ensure timely delivery of reporting features.
Provide technical assistance for device management, browser lockdown software, and testing platform compatibility checks prior to test windows.
Assist with professional development for educators on using assessment data to drive instruction, create intervention plans, and set measurable goals.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Test administration and coordination experience with K-12 or higher education standardized assessments and local benchmark assessments.
Knowledge of state and federal assessment compliance and reporting requirements (e.g., ESSA, IDEA, state assessment manuals).
Hands-on experience with vendor assessment platforms and portals (examples: Pearson, DRC, ETS, Illuminate Education, TIDE, TOMS) and common online testing tools.
Strong data management skills: roster validation, student matching, score reconciliation, and data import/export procedures.
Data analysis and visualization proficiency using Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), SQL for querying assessment databases, and dashboard tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
Familiarity with Student Information Systems and Learning Management Systems (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Canvas) and how to integrate assessment data.
Understanding of accommodations and accessibility features in digital testing environments and experience applying IEP/504 accommodations.
Assessment security protocols knowledge including chain-of-custody, secure materials handling, and test irregularity reporting.
Experience with scoring processes, rubrics, item analysis, and psychometric basics (reliability, item difficulty) or collaboration with psychometricians.
Project management skills with experience using tools like Jira, Trello, or Microsoft Project to coordinate multiple test windows and deliverables.
Technical troubleshooting skills for network, device, and browser compatibility issues during online administrations.
Budgeting and procurement experience related to assessment materials, vendor services, and testing equipment purchases.

Soft Skills

Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail to manage complex testing schedules and high-stakes materials.
Clear, professional communication skills for training staff, writing protocols, and presenting results to stakeholders at all levels.
Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities to respond to testing-day incidents and data anomalies quickly and effectively.
Collaborative mindset with the ability to build relationships across schools, departments, and external partners.
Time-management and prioritization skills to balance overlapping testing windows and competing district initiatives.
Leadership and training facilitation skills to develop and deliver clear, effective professional development for diverse adult learners.
Discretion and ethical judgment when handling confidential student data.
Adaptability and calm under pressure during high-stakes testing periods.
Analytical mindset to translate complex data into user-friendly insights and recommendations.
Customer-service orientation focused on supporting educators, students, and families through the assessment process.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Education, Measurement & Evaluation, Educational Leadership, Psychology, Statistics, Data Science, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Educational Measurement, Education Policy, School Leadership, Applied Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related advanced degree.
Certifications in project management (PMP, Scrum), data analytics, or assessment-specific training are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Education, Educational Measurement, or Curriculum & Instruction
Statistics, Data Science, Quantitative Methods, or Psychometrics
Educational Leadership, Public Policy, or Program Evaluation

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of experience in assessment coordination, testing administration, data analysis, or a related role; K-12 or higher education testing experience strongly preferred.

Preferred:

3–7+ years managing high-stakes or large-scale assessment programs, vendor relationships, and assessment data reporting; experience with state testing operations and accommodations workflows preferred.