ELPA21 Implementation Project Manager

PUBL EDUC SPEC 3 (004168)

UCPath Position ID: 41056806

Position Description History/Status

For Reference ONLY - PeopleAdmin JA Number:

1139906

Approved Date:

12/4/2025 7:39:50 PM

Date Last Edited:

12/4/2025 7:39:47 PM

Last Action Effective Date:

8/1/2023

Organization Details

Business Unit (Location):

LACMP

Organization Code:

1120O

Organization:

EDUCATION & INFO STUDIES

Division Code:

1121D

Division:

EDUCATION & INFO STUDIES DIV

Department:

028600 - CRESST

Position Details

UCPath Position Number:

41056806

Position Description ID

167797

UC Payroll Title:

PUBL EDUC SPEC 3 (004168)

Personnel Program

Professional and Support Staff (PSS)

Salary Grade:

Grade 19

Job Code FLSA:

Exempt

Union Code (Collective Bargaining Unit):

99: Non-Represented (PPSM)

Employee Relations Code:

E: All Others - Not Confidential

Employee Class (Appt Type):

1 - Staff: Contract

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

1

SUPERVISION

UCPath Reports to Position Number:

40048757

Reports to Payroll Title:

PROJECT POLICY ANL 4 GF

UCPath Department Head Position Number:

41051550

Department Head Payroll Title:

HR MGR 1

GENERAL SUPERVISION - Indicates that the incumbent develops procedures for performance of variety of duties; or performs complex duties within established policy guidelines.

POSITION SUMMARY

Under the direction of the Assessment Design Manager, serve as an Implementation Project Manager for English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21), a large, complex national educational testing and research program housed in the School of Education and Information Studies' Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). Primary duties include, but are not limited to, planning, managing, collecting, analyzing, and creating documentation to align with the Assessment Design Manager's vision. The team member will collect and assemble program and client information to develop project documents, statements of work, and requirements in support of item design, development and maintenance of assessments, and assessment delivery. The team member will be responsible for project management for multiple projects, including both routine annual assessment implementation tasks, improvements to existing assessments, and creation of new test items.  The team member will make preliminary analyses of clients' needs to lay the groundwork for new projects and change orders, and will create and maintain descriptive project reports expanding upon Assessment Design and Research priorities including test delivery volume, issues related to assessment design, milestone and KPI reporting. The team member will manage Assessment Design Advisory Committee meeting planning, coordination of state advisory committee members' attendance as well as oversee communication materials for state clients. They will serve as liaison between state clients, vendors, and CRESST Business Office to facilitate recruitment of educators for feedback panels, manage payment and reimbursements, plan and schedule panel events, and management of the panel events. The team member will also lead the work to create new ELPA21 test items in the assessment vendor's testing platform, including creation and maintenance of related data and item specifications

The Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a pioneering research institution founded in 1986. Dedicated to advancing educational assessment and evaluation, CRESST leads in innovative strategies to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. Our expertise spans assessment design, scoring, and application across diverse educational settings. We specialize in developing technological architectures for learning and drive advancements in performance assessment at scale, alongside the development of psychometric and statistical models for evidence-based inferences.

ASSESSMENT PROJECT COORDINATION and MANAGEMENT

A1. Provide project coordination and management for assessment design, test delivery, and test implementation, such as annual updates of manuals and guides and other non-secure documents posted on ELPA21 states' testing portals. A2. Apply a deep knowledge of English language development, English language proficiency standards, and performance level descriptors to create well-aligned items for that measure specific language and content practices. A3. Coordinate and support all aspects of assessment item development, including matching item content to task and item specifications, initial item writing, data entry of drafted items into the item bank, and initial item reviews prior to finalization and field testing. A4. Create and maintain documentation related to the development of new assessment items, including creation and manipulation of related spreadsheets, documentation, and training manuals, along with annual updates to the item specifications for all ELPA21 task types in all domains. A5. In consultation with Assessment Design Manager and Executive Director, build and maintain a central, accessible project management hub that tracks deadlines, requirements, and day-to-day tasks for projects undertaken by the department or by test delivery and item development vendors. A6. Prepare and update ancillary materials to support assessment piloting, annual field testing, item trials and tryouts, cognitive labs, and operational assessment delivery by writing content, managing document reviews, incorporating feedback, getting sign off on final content, formatting documents, proofreading, distributing, and storing. Create and maintain project documentation, including a schedule of which documents or program areas require monthly or annual updates. A7. Monitor development schedules and major deliverables provided by test delivery vendor to help ensure requirements are met with fidelity and work is completed on time. A8. Draft and refine project scopes of work, timelines, task requirements, product reports and other deliverables for annual implementation report, under the guidance of the Assessment Design Manager. A9. Act as notetaker on calls involving the Assessment Design Department and other departments when needed; take clear, detailed, and cohesive notes on calls, ask for clarifications on complex technical matters as needed, document and distribute notes to designated expert for review, distribute notes to participants and interested parties. A10. Provide additional coordination and other support ongoing program operations and management as needed as a member of the ELPA21 team.

50%

CLIENT-VENDOR RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATION

B1. Serve as the liaison between clients and vendors on broad range of development activities by facilitating communication through meetings and conference calls with clients, receiving weekly logs and reports, and producing project documentation. B2. Provide high level of specialized client support on issues related to test administration and training of teachers in member states.B3. Lead the onboarding of new clients and provide support on annual testing platform and program roll-overs by ensuring each client's specification in the platform configuration process is decided and documented. B4. Coordinate the communications between clients, prospective clients, vendors, and fund managers to track custom orders for alternate format of tests, translations, printed reports, and other supplemental services; refine internal processes to support prompt creation of change orders and accurate invoicing. B5. Draft, finalize, and disseminate communications to clients about routine matters such as platform downtime, report availability, platform communications, distribution of notes, deadline reminders, and results of decision-making. B6. Collect information on recurring customer issues related to scoring alerts and hand scoring reports, and then analyze and identify trends; make recommendations to the Assessment Design Manager. B7. Provide regular updates and documentation for state clients, ELPA21 staff, CRESST business office and leadership, including volume reports, root cause analyses, test delivery specifications, timelines, and schedules. Provide access to existing documentation on request to clients and team members. B8. Coordinate annual test administrator feedback surveys: define data collection schedule and mechanism, determine delivery mechanism; collect and organize survey questions, write survey in web application, distribute survey, send reminders, collect responses and coordinate data analysis, write survey report. B9. Lead the annual review of ELPA21 client-facing documents related to the test delivery, including planning, managing timelines, soliciting and incorporating feedback from clients, providing versions for reviews, formatting, and finalizing. B10. Provide exceptional and proactive customer service to clients and partners via email and telephone correspondence.

35%

EVENT COORDINATION

C1. Assist with facilitation for the internal and external item review panels, working closely across entire ELPA21 team to incorporate priorities from Assessment Design, Psychometrics, Communications, and Marketing departments.  C2. In consultation with the Assessment Design Manager, work with the ELPA21 Governing Board representatives to identify district and educator participation requirements. C3. In consultation with the ELPA21 Assessment Design Manager, lead the recruitment of educators to serve on item review panels, including consulting with clients to identify participants and distributing recruitment information and surveys. C4. Act as primary point of contact for educators participating in ELPA21 events such as item writing workshops and review panels as needed, supporting educators by providing materials and information, providing technical requirements and training materials, and troubleshooting issues. C5. Oversee the collection and storage of data related to these events, including recruitment surveys, training materials, attendee pre- and post-event questionnaires, and reimbursements. C6. Act as content expert and editor and provide final sign-off on reviewing educator training materials produced by vendors in support of educator events.

15%

•

Performs other duties as assigned.

•

Complies with all policies and standards.

•

Complies with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Principles of Community.

•

This position description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

Demonstrated experience in project coordination and familiarity with standard project management practices.

Required

Demonstrated experience with assessment delivery and client management.

Required

Demonstrated experience with aspects of large-scale secure test item writing for grades K-12, based on English language proficiency standards and item specification documentation.

Preferred

Demonstrated background and education in the foundations of language acquisition, biliteracy, and linguistics

Preferred

Demonstrated familiarity with instructional practices in kindergarten through 12th grade public education, particularly around special education services and English learner services.

Required

Demonstrated general familiarity with federal and state education policy, testing requirements, and assessment practices, especially ESSA, ESEA, Title programs, and English learner policies.

Required

Ability to create complex documentation and project support materials with standard office applications, such as Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint, and other supporting programs (e.g., Wrike, Airtable)

Required

Ability to work responsibly and accurately with detailed information including: contract requirements, checklists, timelines, item specifications, and metadata. Demonstrated ability to learn and use proprietary databases or systems, such as scoring systems or item banking systems in order to create summary reports, new test items, and to complete reviews.

Required

Demonstrated ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple projects with accuracy and attention to detail.

Required

Familiarity with cloud-based storage and collaborative online workspaces, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Box, Basecamp, and Sharefile.

Required

Excellent interpersonal skills, communication skills, and usage of language to clearly convey information verbally and in writing.

Required

Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team. Ability to train and supervise student workers in basic assessment-related tasks, including the review of work for quality and completeness.

Required

Ability to accept delegated work, validate expectations, problem-solve obstacles, and follow-up to completion and/or report status of delegated tasks

Required

Ability to work independently, meet fixed deadlines, set priorities, and follow through tasks to completion. Ability to independently compose, edit, and/or copyedit materials prepared using proper grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation. Ability to create, read, and manipulate files in the Microsoft Office Suite.

Required

Ability to work in a collaborative and dynamic environment with frequently competing priorities, by identifying risk points, conceptualize solutions, and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.

Required

Ability to maintain confidential and sensitive information with discretion and to maintain professional working relationships with state, district and local education agencies, vendors, and partners.

Required

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.

Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.

Mid to high proficiency in a language other than English (e.g., Spanish).

Preferred

LOCATION AND PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, MENTAL (PEM) REQUIREMENTS

Environment and Work Location Information

Environment Type:

Non-Clinical Setting

Location Setting:

Campus

Location:

SEIS Building

Standing/Walking

X

Sitting

X

X

Bending/Stooping

X

Squatting/Kneeling

X

Climbing

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 0-25 lbs

X

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 26-50 lbs

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull over 50 lbs

X

Physical requirements other

X

Chemicals, dust, gases, or fumes

X

Loud noise levels

X

Marked changes in humidity or temperature

X

Microwave/Radiation

X

Operating motor vehicles and/or equipment

X

Exposures other

X

Sustained attention and concentration

X

X

Complex problem solving/reasoning

X

X

Ability to organize & prioritize

X

X

Communication skills

X

X

Numerical skills

X

X

Mental demands other

X

X

Classification 3:  Position in which exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues is not part of the position description. The normal routine task involves no exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues and the employee can decline to perform tasks which involve a perceived risk without retribution.