The Northwest Evaluation Association announced Dec. 1 that Sarah McKenzie and 21 other educators have been selected to join a national Task Force on Assessment Education for Teachers. McKenzie is executive director of the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas.

The task force brings together pre-service and in-service educators, assessment experts, and thought leaders to foster national dialogue around the appropriate uses of assessment for education and to address critical gaps in teacher preparation to use assessment effectively.

 "I'm honored that I've been selected to join NWEA's Task Force on Assessment Education for Teachers," McKenzie said. "Teachers are teaching because they love kids, not because they love working with data. It is clear, however, that we don't provide teachers the support and resources they need to be able to use assessments thoughtfully and effectively to support student learning. I believe the task force can help to advance this conversation in meaningful ways for our nation's schools."

The Office for Education Policy at the U of A is a research center in the College of Education and Health Professions that serves as a resource to state lawmakers, educators, administrators and other leaders, providing them with current national, state and regional research in education to support them in thoughtful decision-making concerning K-12 education in the state of Arkansas.

The task force announcement follows the recent launch of the association's Assessment Literacy initiative, which aims to advance teacher preparation and professional development in the use of assessments to promote teaching and learning. The initiative includes the AssessmentLiteracy.org website, a destination for resources to foster understanding of the role of assessment in learning.

"This diverse, national task force brings together considerable energy and passion on the topic of assessment education for teachers," said Matt Chapman, president and CEO of the Northwest Evaluation Association. "In light of the recent federal guidance on assessment, it's even more critical for teachers to have programs and resources that foster an understanding of how to use assessment to provide every student with an equitable K-12 education."

The Task Force on Assessment Education for Teachers also includes:

• Chadwick Anderson, principal, Scott Carpenter Middle School, Denver
• Saroja Barnes, director of educator preparation initiatives, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington
• John David Bowman, teacher, Westwood High School, 2015 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Mesa, Arizona
• Eddie Cuevas, academic director, Youth Policy Institute, Los Angeles
• Amy Engelhard, data steward, North Dakota Educational Technology Council, Fargo
• Dee Fabry, co-chair, Teacher Education Department, School of Education, National University, La Jolla, California
• Amelia Wenk Gotwals, associate professor, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Kristin Hamilton, senior director of standards, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Arlington, Virginia
• Cara Jackson, assistant director of research and evaluation, Urban Teachers, Baltimore
• Sarah McManus, director of digital learning, Education Services for the Deaf and Blind, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Raleigh
• Keith Menk, deputy director, Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, Salem
• Bret Miles, executive director, Northeast Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Holyoke
• Happy Miller, executive director of research, assessment, data and accountability, Rio Rancho (New Mexico) School District
• Missy Wall-Mitchell, director of accountability for School District Five, Lexington and Richland Counties, Irmo, South Carolina
• Susan Bobbitt Nolen, professor of learning sciences and human development, University of Washington, Seattle
• Kim Walters-Parker, Reading Specialist, Woodford County High School, Versailles, Kentucky
• Mark LaCelle-Peterson, senior vice president for policy and programs, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Washington
• Carlinda Purcell, assistant to the superintendent, Harrisburg School District; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• Scott Reed, teacher, Niles North High School, Skokie, Illinois
• Meredith Ross, senior manager of student assessment and accountability, Charter Schools USA, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Kathryn Dewsbury-White, president and CEO, Michigan Assessment Consortium, Lansing

Three key advisers are also guiding the work of the task force: Rick Stiggins, retired founder and chief executive officer of the Assessment Training Institute; Terri Akey, co-director, Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment at Education Northwest; and Bernice Stafford, most recently vice president for implementation and education partnerships at Evans Newton Inc. and board chair at WestEd.