Career Opportunities
As an ongoing activity, the National Council on Measurement in Education encourages interested people to consider careers in the growing field of educational testing and measurement. Trained people are needed in the profession, and it is clear that this demand will continue.
Contributions of Educational Measurement Specialists
Educational measurement specialists make many contributions to the improvement of schools and educational programs in schools, colleges, and universities, and other educational settings. They may have a direct impact on individual students by finding better ways to assess their needs, or they may provide information to state or local policy-making bodies that could lead to increased effectiveness and greater accountability for all our educational institutions.
There are many aspects to this fascinating field. A measurement specialist might work in schools with teachers and students, in a publishing company, in a university setting, at the policy level of an educational organization, or as a consultant to any one of a variety of professions.
Disciplines of Educational Measurement Specialists
People enter this field from many disciplines. Education, mathematics, psychology, and the liberal arts are all well represented int he backgrounds of measurement professionals. For many positions, two years of graduate work (usually leading to a master's degree in educational measurement) is sufficient entry-level training. More advanced positions require a doctoral degree.
There is a special need for in the profession for people with sensitivity to our cultural and ethnic diversity. Many minority individuals have found opportunities to make significant and personally satisfying contributions through a career in educational measurement.
Who Uses Educational Measurement?
Such public agencies as federal and state testing and research groups, colleges and universities, school districts, and the military are making increased use of educational measurement. It is also finding many new applications in the private sector.
Most major publishing companies, for example, employ educational measurement specialists. These companies publish textbooks, achievement and aptitude tests, college entrance examinations, professional licensing examinations, and a wide range of other specialized evaluation and assessment instruments. New tests are constantly being developed to meet a growing demand, and the use of existing material must be monitored and evaluated.
Educational measuement has its technical side as well. Continuing research is directed toward finding new applications in the field for computers and other advancing technologies. As this work proceeds, further new applications will be found for educational measurement in the years ahead.