More Resources Race to the Top Fund (competitive state grants for reform)

On December 24, 2009, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will hold a second round of public input meetings as an extension of the Department's efforts to listen and learn from assessment experts and practitioners (click here to view notice).

To date the Department has convened seven meetings in three cities (Boston, Atlanta and Denver). Thirty-seven States joined Department leadership and nearly 700 members of the public to hear from assessment experts in general assessment, high school assessment, the role of technology in assessment, assessing students with disabilities, and assessing English language learners.

The three additional public meetings will be held in the Washington, D.C. metro area on January 13, 14 and 20. They will address questions that were not fully covered at the previous meetings, and new topic areas and questions that have emerged based on public and expert input. As with the previous meetings, the goals of these meetings are to gather technical input to inform the development of a Race to the Top Assessment Competition, and to enable states, who will be the competition applicants, and the public, to participate in and learn from these events.

The Secretary of Education has set aside up to $350 million of Race to the Top funds for the potential purpose of supporting States in the development of a next generation of assessments. As an important next step in contemplating and designing a competition for these funds, and as a means of providing technical assistance to States, the Department of Education has released two notices of public and expert input meetings (view October 23 notice here, view December 24, 2009 notice here. (Please click here to view the executive summary of the two notices.) Our objective in planning these input meetings is to learn and facilitate sharing of information with States and the public. Given the highly technical nature of this work, the body of knowledge that exists around how to best develop assessments, and the many promising practices currently employed across the country and world, we will solicit a wide range of input from assessment practitioners and researchers as we prepare to take important next steps.

Below you will find a list of topic areas we will explore in our next meetings, along with the cities, dates and times of our meetings, and information on how you can participate. You will also find biographical information about our past experts along with presentations shared by these experts in Boston, Atlanta and Denver. Please check back here and on our resources page for updates, as well as for postings of transcripts from our meetings and any written input that we receive.

Schedule of January 2010 Race to the Top Assessment Program public and expert input meetings:

Topic: PROJECT AND CONSORTIUM MANAGEMENT
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Washington, DC metro area
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top (MS PowerPoint, 2.63MB)

Topic: PROCUREMENT
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010
Time: 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Washington, DC metro area
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top (MS PowerPoint, 883K)

Topic: GENERAL AND TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT
Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Washington, DC metro area.
Note: To view the questions for the January 20th meeting click here.
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top (MS PowerPoint, 1.09MB)

Project & Consortium Management—Washington, DC, January 13, 2010
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Auguste, Byron MS Word (27K) Managing Director McKinsey & Company, Social Sector Practice	Creating Effective Consortia: Insights for Race to the Top Assessment Program MS PowerPoint (237K)
Boals, Tim MS Word (27K) Executive Director World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)	Project and Consortium Management: Lessons Learned from the WIDA Experience MS PowerPoint (3.98MB)
Butler Battaglino, Tammy MS Word (26K) Partner The Parthenon Group	Project and Consortium Management About Parthenon’s Education Center of Excellence: Diverse Sector and Analytical Expertise MS PowerPoint (794K)
Cohen, Michael MS Word (27K) President Achieve	Managing Multi-State Assessment Consortia MS PowerPoint (501K)
Snider, Mary Ann MS Word (26K) Chief of Educator Quality and Instructional Effectiveness Rhode Island Department of Education (representing the NECAP Consortium)	Race to the Top- Assessment Programs Project and Consortium Management MS PowerPoint (501K)
Tucker, Marc MS Word (27K) President & CEO National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE)	Tough Choices or Tough Times MS PowerPoint (763K)
Procurement—Washington, DC, January 14, 2010
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Berger, Larry MS Word (27K) CEO & Co-Founder Wireless Generation	U.S. Department of Education Public Meeting MS PowerPoint (289K)
Burman, Allan MS Word (27K) President Jefferson Solutions	Race to the Top Assessment Program Procurement Strategy Discussion MS PowerPoint (309K)
Colley, Mark MS Word (26K) Partner Arnold & Porter, LLP	Department of Education Race to the Top Assessment Program January 14, 2009 Public Meeting Procurement Issues MS PowerPoint (433K)
Richins, Doug MS Word (27K) Former Director State of Utah Division of Purchasing & General Services	Race to the Top - Procurement MS PowerPoint (309K)
General & Technical Assessment—Washington, DC, January 20, 2010
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Abedi, Jamal MS Word (153K) Professor of Education University of California Davis School of Education	Standards-Based Accountability Systems: Design Issues and Recommendations MS PowerPoint (793K)
Bennett, Randy MS Word (26.5K) Distinguished Scientist Educational Testing Service, Research and Development Division	Recommendations for the Race to the Top Assessment Program PDF (119K)
DeStefano, Lizanne MS Word (29K) Professor of Education University of Illinois, College of Education	Race to the Top Assessment Program General & Technical Discussion MS PowerPoint (152K)
Marion, Scott MS Word (28.5K) Vice President National Center for the Improvement in Educational Assessment (NCIEA)	Comments & Suggestions for the RTTT Assessment Competition MS PowerPoint (910K)
Nellhaus, Jeff MS Word (28.5K) Deputy Commissioner of Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education	Race to the Top Assessment Program General & Technical Assessment Discussion MS PowerPoint (180K)
Wise, Lauress MS Word (32.5K) Principal Scientist Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO)	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public Hearing on Common Assessments MS PowerPoint (190K)

Schedule of Expert Input Meetings in Boston, Atlanta & Denver

Scroll down to view details on our meetings in Boston, Atlanta & Denver, including a list of experts with biographical information and presentation materials.

General Assessment

• Thursday, November 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in Boston, MA
  Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
  PowerPoint (521K)
• Tuesday, November 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in Atlanta, GA
  Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
  PowerPoint (516K)
• Tuesday, December 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in Denver, CO
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
PowerPoint (571K)

High School Assessments

• Friday, November 13, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in Boston, MA
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
PowerPoint (515K)

Assessing Students with Disabilities

• Wednesday, November 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Atlanta, GA
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
PowerPoint (521K)

Assessing of English Language Learners

• Wednesday, December 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Denver, CO
Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
PowerPoint (873K)

Technology and Innovation in Assessment

• Friday, November 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Boston, MA
  Introductory Presentation by Joanne Weiss, Director, Race to the Top
  PowerPoint (522K)

Are you interested in attending or speaking at an input meeting?
If yes, please click here to learn how to RSVP to attend and/or offer public input at one of these meetings. Please note that reservations are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Are you interested in offering written input in response to one or more of the questions in the notice?
If yes, please click here to learn how. Please note the deadline of Wednesday, December 2, at 5:00 PM Eastern time, for submission of written input.

Race to the Top Assessment Program, Notices of Public Meetings.
Click here to read the notice of public meetings posted in the Federal Register on Thursday, December 24, 2009. This notice includes full details about the meetings including the questions we intend to explore for two of the three meetings. We will announce questions for the third and final meeting approximately two weeks in advance of the January 20th meeting date. Click here to read the notice of public meetings posted in the Federal Register on Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

Race to the Top Assessment Program, Executive Summary of Notice of Public Meetings.
Click here for the Executive Summary of the notice, an excerpt that covers meeting information, the assessment framework, and the questions on which we are soliciting input.

Race to the Top Assessment Program Press Release.
Click here to read the press release issued by the Department of Education on Monday, December 28, 2009 to announce the new Race to the Top Assessment Program public and expert input meetings. Click here to read the press release issued by the Department of Education on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 to announce the first set of input meetings.

Expert Selection.
To inform its work as the Department of Education considers how to design a potential Race to the Top Assessment competition, the Department has invited premier assessment experts to speak at a series of Race to the Top Assessment Public and Expert Input Meetings. To develop a list of nominated experts the Department contacted independent third party entities with deep assessment expertise for nominations. Experts from these nominations have been selected by Department staff and carefully slotted into specific panels to achieve balance across key areas of expertise and professional backgrounds.

Expert Participation in Race to the Top Public & Expert Input Meetings.
Should the Department issue a notice inviting applications based upon the input received at these public meetings, expert participation in these meetings does not preclude them or their organizations from working with a State or State consortium in the development of a grant proposal or implementation of a grant related to this proposed competition.

Download PDF of Expert Roster (68K)

General Assessment—Boston, November 12, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Braun, Henry MS Word (74K) Boisi Professor of Education and Public Policy Boston College Lynch School of Education—Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation Department	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Suggestions, Reflections and Cautions MS PowerPoint (859K)
Cook, Gary MS Word (26.5K) Associate Scientist Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the School of Education, University of Wisconsin—Madison	Race to the Top Assessment Program MS PowerPoint (431K)
Dueck, Jim MS Word (226K) Assistant Deputy Minister of Accountability and Reporting Alberta Ministry of Education	Alberta's Assessment System: The Power of Teacher Collaboration MS PowerPoint (5.01M)
Marion, Scott MS Word (28.5K) Vice President National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA)	A Comprehensive Assessment System: Tough Choices for the RTT Assessment Competition MS PowerPoint (128K)
Nellhaus, Jeff MS Word (28.5K) Deputy Commissioner of Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education	Race to the Top Assessment Program MS PowerPoint (276K)
Wise, Lauress MS Word (32.5K) Principal Scientist Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO)	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public Hearing on High School Assessments MS PowerPoint (133K)
High School Assessment—Boston, November 13, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Bottoms, Gene MS Word (29K) Senior Vice President Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)	Measuring High School Students' College and Career Readiness MS PowerPoint (247K)
Darling-Hammond, Linda MS Word (40.5K) Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Stanford University, School of Education	Assessing College- and Career-Ready Knowledge and Skills MS PowerPoint (5.07M)
Loving-Ryder, Shelley MS Word (77.5K) Assistant Superintendent, Division of Student Assessment and School Improvement Virginia Department of Education	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public & Expert Input MS PowerPoint (91.5K)
Wise, Lauress MS Word (32.5K) Principal Scientist Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO)	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public Hearing on High School Assessments MS PowerPoint (133K)
Technology & Innovation—Boston, November 13, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Alpert, Tony MS Word (37K) Director of Assessment and Accountability Oregon Department of Education, Office of Assessment and Information Systems	Race to the Top Technology and Innovation in Assessments MS PowerPoint (176K)
Baker, Eva MS Word (27.5K) Distinguished Professor and Director University of California Los Angeles, Graduate School of Education; National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)	Comments on Technology and Innovation in Assessment Premises that Underlie Comments on Technology and Assessment MS Word (36K) Innovation and Technology in Assessment: Comments MS PowerPoint (3.55M)
Bennett, Randy MS Word (26.5K) Distinguished Scientist Educational Testing Service (ETS), Research & Development Division	Recommendations for Deploying Innovative Technologies to Create Better Assessments (Question #1) PDF (67.7K) Recommendations for Platform Functionality (Question #2) PDF (68.5K) Recommendations for Supporting Interim Assessments (Question #3) PDF (63.5K)
Quellmalz, Edys MS Word (27K) Director of Technology Enhanced Assessments and Learning Systems WestEd	Recommendations for Technology and Innovation in Assessment PDF (137K) Recommendations for Technology and Innovation in Assessment MS Powerpoint (5.15M)
General Assessment—Atlanta, November 17, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Campbell, Carol MS Word (83.5K) Director, Education Research and Evaluation Strategy Ontario Ministry of Education	Race to the Top Assessment Program Consultation MS PowerPoint (960K)
Fabrizio, Lou MS Word (29.5K) Director of Accountability Policy and Communications North Carolina Department of Public Instruction	Race to the Top General Assessment Session MS PowerPoint (331K)
Fisher, Thomas MS Word (24K) Chair and Founder of Fisher Education Consulting National Technical Advisory Council (NTAC)
Gong, Brian MS Word (35.5K) Executive Director National Center for the Improvement in Educational Assessment (NCIEA)	Dramatically Better Assessment Systems: Advice for RTTT "Common Assessment" RFP MS PowerPoint (426K)
Nichols, Paul MS Word (30K) Vice President, Psychometric and Research Services Pearson Education	Building an Assessment System for Learning MS PowerPoint (304K)
Siskind, Theresa MS Word (26.5K) Deputy Superintendent—Division of Accountability South Carolina Department of Education	Detailing Ideal Assessment System 20 minutes MS PowerPoint (143K)
Assessment of Students with Disabilities—Atlanta, November 18, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
DeStefano, Lizanne MS Word (29K) Professor—Quantitative and Evaluative Research Methodologies Educational Psychology University of Illinois, College of Education	U.S. Department of Education Public and Expert Input Meetings: Assessment of Students with Disabilities MS PowerPoint (171K)
Gong, Brian MS Word (35.5K) Executive Director National Center for the Improvement in Educational Assessment (NCIEA)	Better Assessment for Students with Disabilities by Design: Going beyond inclusion in the "Common Assessment" RFP MS PowerPoint (301K)
Kearns, Jacqui MS Word (26K) Director National Alternate Assessment Center (NAAC), University of Kentucky	Visions for the Future: Inclusive Assessments MS PowerPoint (1.35M)
Thurlow, Martha MS Word (27.5K) Director National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)	Assessments for Students with Disabilities MS PowerPoint (507K)
General Assessment—Denver, December 1, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Bond, Lloyd MS Word (80.5K) Consulting Scholar, Senior Scholar Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Public Hearings MS PowerPoint (392K)
Haertel, Edward MS Word (152K) Jacks Family Professor & Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Stanford University, School of Education	Designing an Assessment System for the Race to the Top MS PowerPoint (921K)
Linquanti, Robert PDF (42K) Project Director and Senior Research Associate, English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) WestEd	Race To The Top Assessment Program: How will English Language Learners Participate? MS PowerPoint (890K) Strengthening the Signal: Thoughts on Leveraging RTTT Assessment Program To Improve Outcomes for English Language Learners MS PowerPoint (311K)
Pellegrino, James MS Word (25K) Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Education University of Illinois—Chicago	Thoughts on the Design of an Assessment System for the "Race to the Top" MS PowerPoint (1.8M)
Phillips, Gary PDF (136K) Vice President American Institute for Research (AIR)	Race to the Top Assessment Program: A new Generation of Comparable State Assessments MS PowerPoint (2.32M)
Shepard, Lorrie MS Word (51K) Dean University of Colorado at Boulder, School of Education	Race to the Top Assessment Program: Framing an RFP MS PowerPoint (2.8M)
Assessment of English Language Learners—Denver, December 2, 2009
Name, Title, Organization	Presentation materials
Abedi, Jamal MS Word (153K) Professor of Education University of California Davis, School of Education	Assessment of English Language Learners MS PowerPoint (842)
Garcia, Eugene MS Word (140K) Vice President of Education Partnerships Arizona State University
Linquanti, Robert PDF (42K) Project Director and Senior Research Associate, English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) WestEd	Race To The Top Assessment Program: How will English Language Learners Participate? MS PowerPoint (890K) Strengthening the Signal: Thoughts on Leveraging RTTT Assessment Program To Improve Outcomes for English Language Learners MS PowerPoint (311K)
Rivera, Charlene PDF (165K) Research Professor and Executive Director George Washington University Center for Equity & Excellence in Education	Assessment Considerations for English Language Learners MS PowerPoint (244K)