Uncovering the Landscape: A Closer Look at Internships in Educational Measurement

Abstract

High‐impact practices such as internships have long been recognized for enhancing student learning and development. Yet, in educational measurement graduate training, internships remain underexamined. The current three‐part study explored the structure, expectations, and implications of graduate‐level internships in educational measurement and assessment. Part 1 reviewed 19 internship calls from summer 2024, identifying trends in required skills, application materials, and internship logistics. Part 2 surveyed 22 internship mentors and organizers to better understand specifics pertaining to mentorship, project supervision, the application review/interview process, and internship logistics. Part 3 surveyed 28 current graduate students, examining the value of internships from the intern perspective. Findings suggest that graduate internships in the fields of educational measurement and assessment are valuable and impactful experiences that serve a variety of stakeholders. Study limitations and directions of future research are discussed. Implications are provided for graduate students, graduate programs/faculty, internship organizers/mentors, and the field.