Assessments That Support Ambitious Teaching: What Makes an Assessment Instructionally Useful?

About the Presenters

Carla Evans, Ph.D. is a Senior Associate at the Center for Assessment, specializing in classroom assessment, balanced assessment system design, and accountability re-design. She supports states and districts in K-12 assessment literacy initiatives, performance-based assessment programs, culturally responsive assessment practices, local assessment system reviews, and accountability system coherence. Dr. Evans holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire focusing on curriculum and instruction. She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and regularly presents her work at national conferences such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME), and the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA). Dr. Evans is publishing two books in 2024: one volume already in print with Dr. Scott Marion, Understanding Instructionally Useful Assessment, and a forthcoming co-edited volume on Culturally Responsive Assessment in Classrooms and Large-Scale Contexts. She is an Adjunct Professor of Education at the University of New Hampshire.

Scott Marion, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Center for Assessment and a national leader in designing balanced and innovative assessment systems. He has also led extensive work across the country to design and implement school accountability systems. Dr. Marion is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and is one of the three measurement specialists on the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Dr. Marion coordinates or serves on many state technical advisory committees and has contributed to multiple National Research Council committees. He is widely published, co-authoring key texts, including co-author of the validity chapter in the 5th edition of Educational Measurement, co-author of Understanding Instructionally Useful Assessment, and co-editor of NAEd’s Reimagining Balanced Assessment Systems. Dr. Marion holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder with a concentration in measurement and evaluation.