Author: By James McBride

James McBride, Ph.D., is vice president and chief psychometrician at Renaissance. He has been instrumental in the practical application of item response theory and has conducted test development and personnel research for a variety of organizations. He has led the development of several breakthrough CAT tests, including the first commercial applications of the technology. He is co-editor of a leading book on the development of CAT and has authored numerous journal articles, professional papers, book chapters, and technical reports. He can be reached via email at James.McBride@renaissance.com.

Dr. Katie McClarty (@KatieMcClarty) is the vice president of research and design at Renaissance. With a PhD in social and personality psychology, Dr. McClarty previously held roles as the chief assessment officer at Questar Assessment and director of the Center for College & Career Success in Pearson’s Research & Innovation Network. She can be reached at katie.mcclarty@renaissance.com.

Dr. Gene Kerns (@GeneKerns) is the chief academic officer at Renaissance. He is a third-generation educator and has served as a public-school teacher, adjunct faculty member, professional development trainer, district supervisor of academic services, and academic advisor at one of the nation’s top edtech companies. He has trained and consulted internationally and is the co-author of three books. He can be reached at gene.kerns@renaissance.com.

Janelle Cach and Rielle Grant are Partnerships Leads at Schoolzilla.

Robert Low has worked in educational publishing for more than 30 years. His experience ranges from editing and product management to online advertising and content development. He also works with edWeb.net to write articles on their professional learning edWebinars.

Marty Stilin is the K-12 Technology and Data Coordinator at the Algoma District School Board.

Michael Gaskell, Ed.D., is a veteran middle school principal, mentor to new principals and author of 16 articles since 2018. With a book coming out in September on effective educator practices, he aspires to bring practical solutions to educators and families everywhere, in the best interest of students, especially the disadvantaged.

In his capacity as Executive Vice-President for Assessment and Professional Learning for the District Division at NWEA, Fred McDaniel leads the Content Solutions, Psychometrics, Professional Learning and School Improvement teams. Fred has worked in the education and educational assessment arena for many years, beginning his career in Virginia as a boarding school counselor for students with emotional and learning needs. He also worked as a teaching parent in residential facilities in rural North Carolina for children and adolescents in trouble with the law. It was during this time that he became interested in educational assessment and research while trying to advocate for the students he served. Fred has managed accountability and assessment systems as well as served as the chief planning officer for a large public school system in South Carolina. Fred has a B.A in Psychology from the University of Montana, an M.Ed. in Educational Research and Measurement as well as a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research from the University of South Carolina. Fred has previously served as the director of test development, vice president of operations, and senior-vice president for product management for NWEA.

Dr. Aaliyah Samuel has experience in policy development and implementation at the local, state, and national level. With expertise from early childhood through higher education, Aaliyah leads a team driving an ambitious state and federal education agenda focused on systems-level change. Prior to NWEA, Aaliyah was the Director of Education at the National Governors Association. In this role, she informed state policy agendas, assisted with developing cross systems approaches to create policy solutions to support children and families, and drove strategic planning efforts. Aaliyah holds an undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University, a master’s from University of South Florida, and specialist and EdD degrees from Nova Southeastern University. In 2019, she was appointed as a Fellow to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.