Research Assistant, Early Childhood Assessor; Jacksonville, FL Area

Research Assistant, Early Childhood Assessor (Jacksonville, FL Area)

Apply now Job no: 498556
Work type: Staff Part-Time
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Categories: Research
Division: Morgridge College of Education

Position Summary

This position involves driving or commuting to sites in and around Jacksonville, Florida, assessing students using computer adaptive tests and interviewing students with strict, standardized protocols. Assessors will conduct assessments via paper-pencil and/or real-time iPad data entry. All candidates will be required to fully participate in multiple in-person and/or virtual training sessions, fidelity work, inter-rater reliability training sessions in in Jacksonville, Florida.

This is a temporary, grant‑funded position to begin work on or after February 9, 2026 through May 28, 2026, or until all student data has been collected. Assessors must be available to travel and assess children at multiple school sites in and around Jacksonville, Florida between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm at least 3 days per week Monday through Friday. Access to a vehicle and adherence to DU Driving Procedures, including the successful completion of a driving background check and online driving safety course, is required for this role.

Assessors will also be required to complete and pass criminal background checks for both the University of Denver and all background checks, including fingerprinting, required by participating schools in a timely manner. Failure to complete and pass either of these components will result in an inability to carry out the project work and, therefore, will result in immediate separation.

Required training for assessors will take place at a TBD location in the Jacksonville area at the following dates and times. Assessors must fully attend all training sessions; failure to attend any sessions in their entirety may result in immediate separation.

Required Training Sessions:
March 2nd– 6th; 8:30am–4:30pm ET;
Jacksonville, FL Location TBD

Required Certification Timeline:
Initial round certification video and material due by March 13, 2026, 4:00pm ET. Assessors cannot begin data collection until they have passed certification.

Important:
To continue in this position, following training sessions, assessors will be required to pass a certification process demonstrating they are able to reliably conduct and code all assessments with fidelity to the instruments. The successful candidate must demonstrate proficiency of a minimum of 85% accuracy of instrument administration and coding on all portions of the assessments to achieve certification. Candidates will have two attempts to complete the certification process outlined above.

If certification is not achieved after two rounds, the candidate will not be permitted to move forward in this role, effective immediately.

This is a non‑benefited position not to exceed 1,000 hours in a calendar year.

Essential Functions

• Conduct one‑on‑one student assessments using math, literacy, science and life skills measures.
• Clean and code data.
• Scan and/or upload assessment data daily to designated websites.
• Participate fully and successfully complete fidelity work and inter‑rater reliability training. Travel to classrooms at multiple school sites in Duval County and assess in the classroom between 7:00 am to 3:30 pm at least 3 days per week Monday through Friday (access to vehicle/transportation required).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must be able to develop a good rapport with young children and school personnel.
• Facility with MS Office Suite / O365 programs, iPad use, and basic features of virtual collaboration software.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Capable of successfully working independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to communicate effectively with people of all ages.
• Ability to adhere to strict protocols and data collection procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Some college coursework.
• Experience working with young children, in a classroom setting, or in social science qualitative research.

Preferred Qualifications

• College coursework in Education, Psychology, Research, Social Science, or related field.
• Experience conducting assessments using…