Summer Research Intern, Academic Measurement

Your Work Makes a Difference at ACT

Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots, we have fought the good fight for inclusivity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT Education Corp. team members are part of an organization dedicated to an important mission: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing the mission internally, by helping team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which every team member has equal opportunity to grow.

We are seeking a Summer Research Intern, Academic Measurement for our Measurement, Research and Development - Academic Measurement Research team.

Project Overview

The summer research intern will collaborate with researchers who specialize in foundational research supporting the use of ACT national and school day test scores in college admissions and placement and state and district progress monitoring. The project is part of a larger research agenda focused on grade inflation and evaluating ways to factor it into college admissions decisions along with test scores. The project will use longitudinal data to explore how well inflated grades predict longer term postsecondary outcomes.

Logistics

• Location: This is a remote internship, based in the United States.
• Duration: The internship is scheduled to run from Monday June 8, 2026 to Friday August 14, 2026, but can be flexible for the right candidate.
• Pay Rate: For this position, we anticipate offering an hourly rate of $23.00. The position is not incentive or benefits eligible.
• Work Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Central Time

Typical Job-related Activities Include

• Cleaning and analyzing quantitative data
• Writing and editing literature reviews
• Designing, creating, and revising reports
• Presenting research findings

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in any field
• Quantitative coursework at the master’s or doctoral level
• Doctoral student with at least two years of completed coursework in one of these areas or a related field: statistics, measurement, psychometrics, education, cognitive science

Experience:

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel and Word
• Proficient in statistical software (R preferred)
• Excellent writing skills
• Excellent teamwork skills
• Strong people skills
• Strong work ethic
• Knowledge of:
• Educational assessment
• Quantitative and qualitative research methods

About ACT

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it. By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions.

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We’re doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we’re all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

Key skills/competency

• Quantitative Data Analysis
• Literature Review
• Research Reporting
• Statistical Software (R)
• Educational Assessment
• Psychometrics
• Longitudinal Data
• Grade Inflation Research
• Microsoft Excel
• Team Collaboration