The British Science Association is looking for freelancers to assess student project work in science, technology, engineering and computing. 

CREST is the only nationally recognised accreditation scheme for STEM project work. Around 30’000 students aged 5-19 in the UK gain CREST Awards every year.  

The subject areas are biology, chemistry, physics, maths, engineering, ICT/computer science, design and technology, electronics, environmental science, textiles and food technology. Projects are often cross-curricular; we have had projects in the past linked to economics, psychology, sociology, drama, English, geography, history and music.

Year 9 secondary teachers will upload their students' project work to our dedicated online platform. You will review their work against the CREST assessment framework. You will recommend whether they should receive a CREST Award and provide feedback on the platform to each student. Your assessments, feedback and the preparatory training will all be done online.

Selection criteria

We will use the following selection criteria to choose the assessors:
-	Experience of working with secondary school students
-	Experience of assessing student work
-	Knowledge of science, engineering, technology or computing
-	Familiarity with education, teaching or the curriculum at Key Stage 4 (or Scottish equivalent)
-	Written communication skills
-	Track record of delivering to tight timescales
We will need to select a group of assessors who provide a range of subject specialisms. We anticipate contracting 5 to 7 assessors for late May and June, to deal with a high number of project submissions. On-going, year-round assessment opportunities are also available.

Detailed briefing

You will focus on projects entered for Silver level CREST Awards by participants in a Randomised Controlled Trial of the effectiveness of Silver CREST Awards. Silver Awards require students to complete a minimum of 30 hours of work, and for their work to demonstrate GCSE or equivalent levels of knowledge. Silver Awards projects typically take 20-30 minutes for experienced assessors to assess. We are expecting large numbers of project submissions for assessment in a short period, so the work will be fast-paced.

You will need reliable and efficient access to the internet, and your own computer. You will need to be available during office hours on occasion, if we need to speak with you by phone, but otherwise you can work at any time. We do not anticipate any need for face-to-face meetings. 

Fees

You will be paid £600 on completion of a batch of 75 project assessments, plus VAT if applicable, on receipt of a valid invoice. All assessors will receive the one batch. Depending on demand there may be further batches available for assessment which will be paid at the same rate or pro rata. We can only pay into UK based bank accounts.

There is a compulsory, online training which assessors must complete before starting to assess student projects. It is anticipated that this programme will take 4 hours to complete. You will be paid £60 on completion of the training programme. If you do not complete the training course, you will not be paid for any time you have spent on it. The training includes a moderation of your practice assessments – this needs to be completed successfully before you can be given any genuine projects for assessment. If your assessments fail this moderation, you will not be given projects to assess – but you will be paid for completing the training.

Student projects will be allocated as they come in. You must complete all project assessments by the deadline set by the Association Contact. If you anticipate missing the deadline, you must inform the Association as soon as possible. Invoices for any assessments submitted after the deadline may not be paid.

This work is dependent on student project submissions which cannot be guaranteed. If less than 75 projects are available then you will be paid at the same rate pro rata for the projects they have assessed.


Next steps

If you would like to express interest in this work, please contact Angus Woodhams by email ([log in to unmask]) as soon as possible and before 4 May 2018. Please provide details of your experience in relation to the selection criteria above. 

If your availability during May is restricted, please include that information when you contact Angus. We may ask you for a reference from a former client, and we may undertake desk-based due diligence on you. If you have any questions about the work, please contact Angus in advance of the deadline.

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