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Second Annual National Research Symposium:
INNOVATIONS IN TESTING TECHNOLOGY:
FROM PROMISE TO PRACTICE
SPEAKERS
Dr. Barry Anderson, former Special Advisor to the Deputy Minister, BC Ministry of Education
Barry Anderson, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Virtual School Society. He is recently retired from the BC Ministry of Education, where he has held responsibilities for finance, capital management, examinations and assessment, performance management, aboriginal education, policy development and information systems.
Dr. Anderson also holds a position as Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. He came to the Ministry in 1983, after serving as Professor of Education at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. His research deals with understanding the effects of school organization on student performance. He has written more than fifty publications and made many presentations to professional groups.
Dennis Belyk, Executive Director, Learner Assessment
Currently, Dennis is the Executive Director, Learner Assessment for Alberta Education. He joined Alberta Education in 1985 and over the years has served in several capacities in Learner Assessment, in the Curriculum Branch and as a senior manager leading research and accountability initiatives within Alberta Education. Dennis started his career in education in 1971 as a classroom teacher in Evansburg, Alberta, and later in administration, all within the Grande Yellowhead School Division. He received his B.Ed from the University of Saskatchewan in 1974 and M.Ed from the University of Oregon in 1982.
Dr. Barry Carbol
Dr. Carbol is an experienced educator having spent over 30 years in various capacities in public, private education, and education-related private sector organizations. He was a senior executive in the BC Ministry of Education from 1984-1997. During his time with the BC Ministry, he had responsibility for provincial examinations, learning assessment programs, international assessments, curriculum development, learning resources, distance learning and education technology policy for schools. After leaving the Ministry, Dr. Carbol held senior management positions with the Open Learning Agency where he was responsible for the operations of the BC Open University, Open College, Open School, and Workplace Training Systems, and worked in the private sector in technology-based educational publishing and consulting. Among his academic credentials, Dr. Carbol holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology (measurement and evaluation) from the University of Alberta, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Oregon, and a B.Ed. from the University of Alberta. He has presented at national and international conferences on a range of topics from learning assessment to implementation of education technology and has published research and other articles on adult learning, learning assessment, and service quality. Dr. Carbol is currently the Executive Director of BCEd Online, a consortium of BC school districts.
Bob Cotter, Manager of Technology, School District 46, Sunshine Coast
Mr. Cotter began teaching in the Sunshine Coast and Smithers school districts. Later he moved into the field of educational technology by consulting on the Provincial Learning Network project, opening an education channel for Computrace Software, and managing the educational marketplace as a partner in Advantage Computers. He has held the position of School Principal at West Sechelt Elementary and Ceder Grove Elementary. Currently he is the Manager of Data and Technology for school district 46.
Paul Edelblut, V. P. of International Operations, Vantage Learning
Mr. Edelblut has more than 12 years of experience in the education and technology sectors focused on improving student outcomes. His background includes a number of posts including positions as a teacher, trainer, and product developer. Mr. Edelblut is well known for his contributions on more than 7 books in the field of medical licensure. More recently, Mr. Edelblut has been developing and implementing large scale computerized assessment systems around the globe. These systems leverage cutting-edge technology for computer adaptive testing and automated scoring of constructed response items.
Dr. Jim Gaskill, Director, TASA Institute
Beginning as a teacher in Vancouver, Jim Gaskill returned to UBC where he got his Ed.D. in Mathematics Education. After teaching at Acadia University, Jim rejoined the K - 12 system teaching Mathematics and Computer Science in Surrey. Before joining the Ministry of Education in 1988, Jim spent 8 years as a principal in Queen Charlotte (Haida Gwaii). His work at the Ministry has included managing provincial learning assessments, being in charge of the development of all provincial examinations and Foundation Skills Assessments, chairing the consortium that developed a pan-Canadian mathematics assessment, and being the Canadian Representative on the PISA mathematics assessment Forum. Jim has also been responsible for implementing item banking and on-line testing for BC.
Dr. Victor Glickman , Director, Edudata Canada
Dr. Victor Glickman is the founding Director of Edudata Canada an independent education and learning research centre at the University of British Columbia, a Research Associate at the UBC Faculty of Education and an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. Victor has directed many large scale projects for Statistics Canada, as well as Federal and British Columbia ministries. He is presently leading OECD education research projects in literacy and problem solving. He is President of the Canadian Education Research Association.
Stewart Hercus, Superintendent, School District 46, Sunshine Coast
Stewart Hercus completed his practicum in teaching on the Sunshine Coast in 1975 and was subsequently hired as a teacher in the same district. After five years teaching at Sechelt Elementary School he was assigned as the principal of various schools for the next 12 years. In 1992 he was appointed as Assistant Superintendent where his major areas of responsibility were personnel and special education. Presently, Stewart is the Superintendent of Schools with the typical eclectic mix of responsibilities that go with that position. Stewart has been a resident of the Sunshine Coast since he was four years old. He has a unique historical perspective of the community and considerable insight into its values and priorities. His entire professional career spanning 30 years has been in this one school district.
Dr. Mike Marshall, Research Associate, ARES
Dr. Marshall is Executive Director, Applied Research and Evaluation Services (ARES), UBC, and possesses extensive experience as an educator and in management, technical analysis and planning. Among the positions he has held are Director of Management Planning for the Ministry's Joint Education Management Projects, and Technical and Administrative Consultant to the Learning Assessment Branch. His responsibilities with ARES have included serving as International Director of Administration for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Project Director for TIMSS-Canada, and Project Director for PIRLS-Canada (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), an international reading literacy study carried out in 38 countries, and technical advisor to the BC Ministry of Education. In recent years, the majority of his time has been spent in the development and implementation of UBC's English Language Proficiency Index Program, a computer-delivered suite of Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing tests designed to evaluate competence in English.
Frosyne Mensendick, VP State Assessments, Pearson Educational Measurement
Frosyne Mensendick provides information to participants from a dual background of practitioner and publisher. Frosyne's professional experience initially spanned twenty-five years in public education serving as teacher, diagnostician, school principal, and central office program administrator over the course of her career. Ms. Mensendick's first foray into educational technology began in 1984 when she supported development of assistive technology programs for students experiencing significant physical disabilities in the Anchorage School District in Alaska. As an educational administrator she proactively lobbied for policies that would responsibly and equitably allow all students access to technology in education.
In 1997 Frosyne left Seattle School District to accept a consultant position with Riverside Publishing, the assessment company that markets both The Iowa TestsŪ and the Gates MacGinitie Reading TestsŪ among other products and services. Her interest in standards-based assessment and technological advancements in assessment led her to Pearson Educational Measurement in 2004, where she serves as Vice President, State Assessments. Ms. Mensendick still resides in Seattle and consults now with states and provinces regarding large-scale assessment programs, including online testing, item-banking and data warehousing technologies. She served as President for the Washington Education Research Association (WERA) in 2004-2005 and as a member of the WERA Board of Directors from 2003-2006.
Dr. Susan M. Phillips
Dr. Susan M. Phillips is an educator with over twenty-five years of experience in the public school system. She obtained her B.Ed. in Secondary Education and M.Ed. in School Counselling from the University of Victoria and her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Brigham Young University. She has worked in teaching, counseling, consultant and administrative positions in schools and at the district level as well as being a university sessional lecturer. Her experience encompasses many different types of school organizations and programs including those targeting at-risk adolescents and adult learners.
Wayne Poncia, CEO, Etraffic Solutions
Wayne Poncia is Chief Executive Officer of British Columbia's international elearning company Etraffic Solutions. Wayne has taught in classrooms from K-12 as well as post-secondary and has a number of years experience in school and district office administration. After leaving his position as Assistant Superintendent, Wayne partnered to establish Etraffic Solutions in 1999. Wayne's background gives him a complement of skills and experiences that have helped to guide Etraffic Solutions to become a leading developer of online learning applications and content for students, teachers and school administration.
Dr. Stanley Rabinowitz, Director, WestEd
Dr. Stanley Rabinowitz is director of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services, overseeing all program activities and consulting extensively with policymakers and assessment staff at the national, regional, and state levels. As director of WestEd's U.S. Department of Education-designated National Assessment Laboratory, Dr. Rabinowitz has conducted research and authored several published papers on issues related to NCLB accountability and assessment provisions, the use of integrated standards and assessment systems in high-stakes state accountability programs, high school exit exam policies for students with disabilities, and assessment of English Language Learners (ELLs) on core academic content. Dr. Rabinowitz is working with over 20 states in a variety of roles including standards and assessment development, technical analyses and alignment studies, assessment of special student populations (e.g., ELL and special education), and assessment and accountability technical assistance. Previously, Dr. Rabinowitz directed the statewide assessment program for the New Jersey Department of Education. He received a B.A. in psychology from Brooklyn College and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in educational psychology and statistics from the State University of New York at Albany.
Greg Sadesky, Senior Psychometrician, Castle Rock Research Corp.
Greg Sadesky is currently on leave from the Alberta Ministry of Education to take the position of Senior Psychometrician with Castle Rock Research. He has been actively involved in research in both cognitive science and education for 15 years and has previously held the position of Director of Research and Development with WavePOINT Systems, a company dedicated to investigating novel treatments for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. His current research interests revolve around computer-based testing and include best practice in computer adaptive testing and the application of artificial neural networks to accurately classify student performances on complex performance assessments into levels of ability.
Dr. Alan R. Taylor, Research Associate
Dr. Taylor is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of testing and measurement. He has given lectures and presented papers in this area throughout North America, as well as in Europe and the Orient. He designed and implemented the Grade 12 Examination Program in the province of British Columbia and has designed numerous program assessments throughout the province. From 1994-2002 he was the National Research Coordinator for Canada in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, a major assessment involving more than 40 countries. His administrative experience includes positions as Director of Student Assessment and Examinations for the Province of British Columbia and Director of Curriculum, Assessment and Research for a large urban school district. He is currently vice president of Raven Research Associates and is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.
Nancy Walt, Manager, FSA and Examination Development, BC Ministry of Education
Nancy Walt has been employed with the Ministry of Education since 1987, holding a number of positions in the areas of classroom and large-scale assessment. Nancy is currently managing the development of the Grade 4 and 7 Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) and the Grade 10, 11 and 12 Provincial Examinations, including the delivery of new speaking and listening components.
Debbie Willock, CEO, A. Willock Information Systems Inc.
Debbie Willock Joined A. Willock Information Systems in 2000 as CEO/Owner and specializes in the development and administration of large-scale online applications across the Province. Debbie currently manages the electronic delivery for the Grade 4 and Grade 7 Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA), the Grade 10, 11 and 12 Provincial Examination, the Ministry Satisfaction Surveys and various other assessment tools currently used in over 45 districts across British Columbia.
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