Creating Technology to Promote Learning    

John Richard Bergan is the President and Board Chairman of Assessment Technology, Incorporated.  Dr. Bergan holds a Ph.D. in education and psychology from the University of Michigan. With more than thirty years of research experience in education, he is the author of several books and more than 70 articles in scientific journals in education and psychology. He is the recipient of the Palmer O. Johnson Award from the American Educational Research Association, the Distinguished Psychologist Award from the Arizona State Psychological Association and the Presidential Citation from the National Child Care Association.

Dr. Bergan is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association, Divisions 15 and 16, and a member of the American Educational Research Association, Society for Research in Child Development, the National Council on Measurement in Education, and the Psychometric Society. He has served as a member of the Joint Committee on Testing Practices for the American Educational Research Association and the Committee to Review Research Proposals on Early Childhood Curriculum Effectiveness for the United States Department of Education.

Dr. Bergan's research contributions include studies related to educational measurement, student learning, cognitive and social development and policy research studies on the development of Head Start children and the transition of Head Start children into the elementary school. As President of Assessment Technology, Incorporated, he has directed the design and development of technology to promote learning and conducted numerous research studies related to learning and forecasting standards mastery.

John Robert Bergan is Vice President Research and Development at Assessment Technology, Incorporated. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Arizona. His research experience covers a wide variety of topics within psychology and education. Since 1996, he has been researching and developing technology to create online and offline assessment and observational tools for children birth through high school.  Dr. Bergan is the author of several articles in scientific journals and is a member of the National Council on Measurement in Education.

As Vice President Research and Development, Dr. Bergan was instrumental in designing and developing the Galileo educational management system--educational technology focusing on learner achievement including assessment, standards alignment, and accountability. Dr. Bergan has been the driving force behind the Instructional Dialog technology and the ATI Town Hall Communications. He has played a key role in empowering educators to use technology to foster learning.

Charles Brainerd is a Professor in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University.  Dr. Brainerd holds B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in experimental and developmental psychology. He has published more than 200 research articles and chapters, and has also published more than 20 books. His research covers areas such as human memory and decision-making, statistics and mathematical modeling, psychological assessment, learning, intelligence, cognitive development, learning disability and child abuse. Dr. Brainerd's current research program centers on the relationship between memory and higher reasoning abilities in children and adults.

Dr. Brainerd is a Fellow of the Division of General Psychology, the Division of Experimental Psychology, the Division of Developmental Psychology and the Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association, and he is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society. He is board-certified in forensic examination and in forensic medicine. Dr. Brainerd has received the Governor of Arizona's Spirit of Excellence Award for scholarly work in higher education and the Trial Defense Services Medal of the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army.

Dr. Brainerd is past Associate Editor of Child Development, the leading research journal in developmental psychology, and he is past Associate Editor of The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, a prominent theoretical journal in cognitive neuroscience. He is currently editor of Developmental Review, the leading journal of theory and literature review in developmental psychology. Dr. Brainerd has received three decades of research support from private foundations and from government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the Department of Agriculture.

Christine Burnham, Senior Research Associate with ATI, received her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology at the University of Arizona. Her research has focused on language development and language processing, with a particular emphasis on reading and word recognition. She has presented her research at several national conferences and workshops devoted to cognitive processing. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Education was earned at William Smith College, where she also acquired teaching certification in both K-6 and special education. As a senior research associate at ATI, Dr. Burnham’s current work focuses on item response theory, risk assessment, test equating procedures, and intervention analysis with the goal of increasing learning in students from diverse backgrounds.

Scott Cunningham is the Assessment and Instructional Content Director at Assessment Technology, Incorporated. He received his B.S. in education from the University of Nebraska and has held teaching certifications in Nebraska, Minnesota, and Arizona. Mr. Cunningham draws on his years of experience in the classroom developing interactive, academically challenging lessons and assessments in his current role of supervising development of Item Specifications for consistent measurement of standards-based performance objectives. Mr. Cunningham also trains and supervises a team of content specialists in the creation of item types and items for the online and offline measurement of standards mastery. Additionally, Mr. Cunningham is leading the team that is developing Assessment Technology’s innovative Instructional Dialogs, a model of interactive, technology-based instruction, which involves educators in developing and sharing proven educational strategies through lessons designed to increase student mastery of state and local academic standards.

Chris Domschke is a Field Services Coordinator with ATI. Mr. Domschke received his Bachelor of Arts in education, with a concentration in history from the University of Arizona. Mr. Domschke is a member of the National Council for History Education. In his position as a Field Services Coordinator, Mr. Domschke works with school districts on a daily basis, hosts on-site, online and educational conference demonstrations of Galileo technology, and develops partnerships with clients by identifying goals, establishing timelines, answering and/or triaging incoming questions.

Jason Feld is the Vice President Corporate Projects with Assessment Technology, Incorporated. Dr. Feld received his Ph.D. in educational psychology at the University of Arizona and his Masters in psychology from New York University. His research and professional activities in learning and development, educational assessment, policy, and practice spans more than 25 years.  Dr. Feld has served on learning outcomes research committees in the states of Florida, Ohio, and North Carolina. He is the recipient of the Presidential Citation of Achievement Award from the National Child Care Association and the National Head Start Association Award of Contribution to Education.

As Vice President Corporate Projects, Dr. Feld coordinates partnership activities between Assessment Technology, Incorporated and WestEd, as well other technology-based strategic partners for No Child Left Behind related school improvement activities. He also establishes and maintains relationships with State, Federal, and Corporate organizations responsible for education policy and practice.  As part of his ongoing activities, Dr. Feld coordinates the implementation of Galileo K-12 Online initiatives with school districts across several states and with State Departments of Education.

Dr. Feld is a published author in books, scholarly journals, technical reports and early childhood journals and serves on the Editorial Board for the National Head Start Dialogue. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Learning Care Group which provides early childhood education services across the United States. He has been a speaker at many state and national conferences, including the Arizona Teaching in Education Alliance and Arizona Department of Education State Series, Arizona School Board Association and Arizona School Administrators Conference, the Council for Chief State School Officers, the National Child Care Association, and the National Head Start Association. Dr. Feld has presented the research findings of Assessment Technology, Incorporated at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and his work on child outcomes has been utilized on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Jonathan Frank, Senior Program Associate, works with WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program (CSAP) to help schools develop accountability systems that result in improved instructional practices and increased student learning. His work with the Local Accountability Professional Development Series (LAPDS) has been with districts in Mississippi, Arizona, Tennessee, and California. He also works with districts in creating long-term strategic plans.

Mr. Frank's primary focus is to assist district teams of stakeholders plan actions that directly benefit students. In addition, he is the lead support provider in school districts identified by the State of California as requiring intense interventions district-wide. This support includes intensive coaching of district administrators, ensuring that policies and commitment of resources support improvement, and providing coaching and support for the district superintendent.

Prior to working with WestEd, Mr. Frank’s 34 years in education included serving as a classroom teacher, a principal, an assistant superintendent, and a superintendent for five years at the John Swett Unified School District and for 10 years at the Lafayette Elementary School District. Throughout his administrative career, Mr. Frank has continued to teach preservice graduate teacher candidates in his specialty of mathematics and science instruction. He also continues to provide professional development and training for administrators through teaching graduate courses on developing leadership and how to affect long-term change in a school or district’s culture.

Stephen C. Hamilton is the Director, District and School Services and has been with WestEd's Learning Innovations program since 1997. Mr. Hamilton received a B.S. in education and an M.A. in educational administration from the University of Vermont. Mr. Hamilton provides technical assistance, program evaluation, research, and information dissemination to schools, state agencies, and institutions of higher education in the New England region. Mr. Hamilton currently serves as Learning Innovations' Coordinator for the New England Comprehensive Assistance Center, providing support to state personnel, local education agencies, and schools planning or implementing Title I school-wide initiatives. He develops team leadership initiatives involving school districts in using data to inform decisions about program improvement. He served as an elected school committee member in his local community.

Prior to joining WestEd, Mr. Hamilton was an elementary school principal and worked with university professors coordinating "in-school lab experiences" and seminars for elementary preservice teachers. He also served as a teacher and director of an early childhood education program.

Margaret Johnson is a Professional Development Specialist with Assessment Technology, Incorporated. Ms. Johnson received her Associate Degree in business management from Newbury College, her B.S. in business management, with honors, from the University of Phoenix and her Masters in education/teaching and teacher education from the University of Arizona. In her position as Professional Development Specialist, Ms. Johnson works directly with clients to instruct their initial and on-going use of the Galileo Online system. Professional Development is provided in varying formats, to a variety of audiences, across the United States. In addition, Ms. Johnson prepares and organizes professional development sessions and works interactively with teachers, program/district administrators, and other educators to support the continuing implementation of Galileo Online and aid ongoing client professional development.

Before joining Assessment Technology, Incorporated, Ms. Johnson was an elementary school teacher in Tucson, Arizona, and taught in the private sector for more than 15 years with a focus on technology. Ms. Johnson served as a co-chair within a technology committee that successfully implemented technology hardware/software in a dozen classrooms. She has also developed and taught professional development courses with a primary focus of integrating technology into the classroom and providing teachers with time-saving software tools.

Ms. Johnson is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). She was the recipient of the Person of the Year from the LEARN Center at Catalina High School in 2003 and was awarded Personal Commitment Carondelet Mission Award in 2003. Both of these awards were given for her more than 350 hours of classroom volunteer work in a high school and numerous hours as a reading volunteer in a preschool.

Heather Kaylor is a Field Services Coordinator with ATI. Ms. Kaylor received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Arizona and a Masters of Arts in secondary education from the University of Phoenix. Before joining ATI, Ms. Kaylor worked with in a number of instructional and training environments. In her position as a Field Services Coordinator, Ms. Kaylor works with school districts on a daily basis, hosts on-site, online and educational conference demonstrations of Galileo technology, and develops partnerships with clients by identifying goals, establishing timelines, answering and/or triaging incoming questions.

Ildiko Laczko-Kerr is the Executive Director for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for Scottsdale Unified School District. Dr. Laczko-Kerr received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University in psychology in education with concentrations in learning and instructional technology and research and evaluation. She earned her Masters in educational psychology from the University of Arizona.

In her position as Executive Director for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Dr. Laczko-Kerr oversees the implementation of the District’s K-12 curriculum, professional development, and English Acquisition programs. Dr. Laczko-Kerr and her staff also provide school staff and administration access to relevant, research-based best practices that are coupled with timely assessment results that can be used to drive instruction and professional development.  

Other professional experience includes quantitative research in educational policies such as teacher certification, student achievement data analysis, high stakes testing, class size, teacher salaries and teacher shortages, experimental research design and methodology. Her qualitative research experience includes narrative research and arts based inquiry; methodological issues relating to alternative forms of research, survey development, pilot testing and administration and focus group question development, sampling and implementation. Dr. Laczko-Kerr also has extensive experience in school accountability initiatives: AZ LEARNS and No Child Left Behind; State Assessments and AZ Educational politics.

Annabel Lee is a Senior Program Associate at WestEd. Her work with the Local Accountability Professional Development Series (LAPDS) builds the capacity of districts and schools to meet accountability goals, improve student performance through common formative assessments, analysis of data to inform instruction, and implement and monitor effective teaching strategies and programs.

Ms. Lee received a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Stanislaus State University and an M.S. in Educational Administration from National University. Prior to joining WestEd, Ms. Lee has been an elementary classroom teacher, intervention teacher, English Learner Resource Teacher, principal and she is bilingual (Hmong and English).

Under Ms. Lee's leadership at Noralto Elementary School, LAPDS was implemented in 2007. Full implementation of Essential Standards (guaranteed minimum curriculum), common instructional calendar, use of teacher written common formative assessments, and reteach and enrichment classes coupled with time on task and multiple opportunities to practice has shown a significant increase in student achievement from January 2007 to June 2008. Specifically, the school’s Academic Performance Index (API) went from 679 to 719 (40 points growth). In addition, proficient and advanced students in English Language Arts increased from 27% to 50% for all second graders, 26% to 44% for all fourth graders, and 26% to 52% for all fifth graders on the California Standards Test.

Craig Mayhew is the Field Services Director at Assessment Technology, Incorporated. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in regional development and a minor in business and public administration/accounting. Mr. Mayhew joined Assessment Technology in 2000. As Field Services Director, he manages the department charged with, among other things, providing timely and responsive client support in the use of all aspects of the Galileo Educational Management System. Mr. Mayhew oversees services to current and prospective clients in various states by helping in the alignment of district goals to valid assessment options as well as instructional materials within the Galileo technology.

In addition, Mr. Mayhew played an influential role in obtaining a statewide recommendation from the Florida Head Start Association for the use of Galileo Online throughout the majority of Head Start programs in the state. He currently sits on the Florida Research Committee’s board as an advisor for the documentation of outcomes. Mr. Mayhew is a frequent presenter at conferences on the topics of assessment, interventions and outcomes.

Ruth Ann McKenna is the Director of Field Services at WestEd.  Ms. McKenna received a B.A. in English from the University of California, Davis, and an M.S. in human resources from Golden Gate University.  Prior to joining WestEd, Ms. McKenna served as Superintendent of New Haven (California) Unified School District, where she led the district to adopt graduation requirements that guaranteed the eligibility of every student to the California State University and University of California systems. Specifically, Ms. McKenna helped the district implement the California Content Standards, establish multiple measures for student performance evaluation, open preschool programs at every district elementary school, and establish school-level accountability for students at risk of failure. 

Ms. McKenna founded the New Haven Schools Foundation and led the Citizen's Advisory Committee on Race and Ethnic Relations, which later became a model program in Alameda County, California. She has been a member of both the Board of the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center and Education Committee of the Alameda County Economic Development Advisory Board. Through the years, she has represented the school district to the Union City Chamber of Commerce.

Under Ms. McKenna's leadership, WestEd initiated the Local Accountability Professional Development Series (LAPDS) in early 2003 to help school districts meet the tough accountability requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Through LAPDS, Ms. McKenna has helped districts throughout the United States blend research-based instructional support with data-management technology to create a customized local assessment and accountability system. District educators, through LAPDS, learn how to accurately guide and track learning — demonstrably using student data to improve their schools.  In 2007 the work was expanded to bring together all of the service projects in WestEd that support district improvement under an umbrella project. Districts Moving Up was launched in Fall 2007 to provide comprehensive district improvement services grounded in the research on best practices of high performing districts and lessons learned from WestEd's experience in low performing schools and districts serving as an external entity.

Baron Reyna is a Field Services Coordinator with ATI. Mr. Reyna has many years of experience consulting with and assisting school districts in the implementation of technology to promote student learning. In his position as a Field Services Coordinator, Mr. Reyna works with school districts on a daily basis, hosts on-site, online and educational conference demonstrations of Galileo technology, and develops partnerships with clients by identifying goals, establishing timelines, answering and/or triaging incoming questions.

Valerie Reyna is Professor of Human Development and Psychology at Cornell University, and a Co-Director of the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision Research. Dr. Reyna holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Rockefeller University.  Her research encompasses human judgment and decision making, numeracy and quantitative reasoning, risk and uncertainty, decision making, judgment, and memory.

Dr. Reyna has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is also a Fellow of the Division of Experimental Psychology, the Division of Developmental Psychology, the Division of Educational Psychology, and the Division of Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association, and she is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society. Dr. Reyna has been a Visiting Professor at the Mayo Clinic, a permanent member of study sections of the National Institutes of Health, and a member on advisory panels for the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Reyna was appointed Senior Research Advisor in the United States Department of Education, where she oversaw research grant policies and programs, and has also held leadership positions in organizations dedicated to equal opportunity for minorities and women, and on national executive and advisory boards of centers and grants with similar goals, such as the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence, National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, and Women in Cognitive Science (supported by a National Science Foundation ADVANCE leadership award).

Joseph Sassone is the Project Director of WestEd's Local Accountability Professional Series (LAPDS) and former Assistant Superintendent of Vail (Arizona) Unified School District. LAPDS is designed to help build effective school intervention systems and extend the agency's services in accountability. Mr. Sassone received a B.A. in human relations from St. Joseph's College and an M.S. in school counseling, and a Professional Degree in administration and leadership from Long Island University.  In 2005, he received the Golden Bell Award from the Arizona School Board Association for District Academic Achievement and the Spot Light Success Award for Using Data to Drive Instruction by the Arizona Department of Education.

As LAPDS Project Director, Mr. Sassone helps school districts meet the accountability requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Mr. Sassone has helped districts throughout the United States blend research-based instructional support with data-management technology to create a customized local assessment and accountability system. District educators, through LAPDS, learn how to accurately guide and track learning — demonstrably using student data to improve their schools.

Mr. Sassone's work has been a key component in helping schools and districts raise student achievement results on state assessments. He currently provides consultation to several districts in Arizona, California, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. With the help of Mr. Sassone, LAPDS was implemented in 2007 at Noralto Elementary School in North Sacramento (California) School District. The fifth grade teachers fully implemented the reteach and enrichment classes with common formative assessments from January 2007 to June 2008. Subsequently, the school's student achievement results jumped significantly past the state average in English language arts. In addition, proficient and advanced students in English language arts increased from 26% to 52% for all fifth graders on the Californian Standards Test.

Jeanne Simons is an Outside Field Services Coordinator with Assessment Technology, Incorporated. Ms. Simons received her B.S. in science from the California Institute of Technology and a Masters in education with a concentration in mind, brain and education from Harvard University. Ms. Simons’ focus as an Outside Field Services Coordinator is the New England region where she works with school districts to support them in the use of Galileo Online tools. 

Previously Ms. Simons worked as a high school mathematics teacher and in mathematics reform in urban school districts as a Targeted Mathematics Specialist with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  She has experience in the development of coaching programs, effective differentiation, assessment and the formative usage of data, as well as in developing and providing professional development for teachers and leaders across a variety of reform topics.

Kerridan Smith is the Professional Development Director with ATI. Ms. Smith graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in secondary education. She is past Chairman of the Canyon del Oro Technology Subcommittee for the North Central Accreditation Team. Well versed in educational theory and practice, Ms. Smith is sensitive to the everyday challenges facing educators and includes innovative and practical solutions in the creation of training content. She has designed four online distance learning courses on Galileo technology and directs the delivery of on-site and online training for both administrators and teachers. Ms. Smith has personally delivered hundreds of training sessions for ATI clients. In addition, Ms. Smith is involved in evaluating the impact of the Galileo Educational Management System on learning. Recently, she managed a research project involving ATI’s computer-based literacy curriculum in Head Start programs.