Coordinator of Research, Evaluation,
& Information
Garrett County Public Schools |
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"I see technology today as a critical component of education -- a learning tool for students, a resource for teachers, and an essential part of the record-keeping required for accountability."
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How did you get involved with the field of education?
I had planned to be a mathematics teacher from the time I was in high school. I majored in mathematics and minored in education as a college student and began teaching middle school math upon completion of my undergraduate program. As I continued teaching, I remained interested in furthering my own education. I enjoyed a Master’s Degree program at West Virginia University in mathematics education while I was teaching and then went into a full-time, very interesting, and stimulating doctoral program at the Pennsylvania State University. It was through the doctoral program that I began to see the potential for technology in education and became a true technology advocate.
Describe your current position?
I am the Coordinator of Research, Evaluation and Information for the Garrett County Board of Education. I coordinate all of the state-mandated and county-wide testing programs, working with the Maryland State Department of Education to implement the High School Assessments (HSA), Maryland School Assessments (MSA), Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt-MSA), and other testing as needed. I work with all schools in the county to train their test administrators and to track test materials. I also analyze data from the testing programs and share this information with our Board of Education, administrators, and school improvement teams. I work with our leadership team on the updates to our Bridge to Excellence Master Plan by providing student achievement data and looking at instructional implications of the test results. I also work with our data processing staff to improve our tracking of individual student records and test results. I prepare all publications that relate to testing and test results, including the School Performance Report, Annual Report, and testing calendar.
What role does technology play in your position?
I use technology on a daily basis. My computer is a standard tool for all accountability measures including preparing of pre-test and post-test files for state assessments, retaining student achievement data, and summarizing test results. I constantly use software programs to prepare charts and graphs of test data. When I am preparing for training sessions with teachers or presenting reports to administrators and Board of Education members, I use PowerPoint to develop my presentations. When I need supporting information for reports, I use the Internet as my primary research tool. As I work with staff members throughout our system, I try to keep them updated on technology resources that could be of value in their work.
How has technology changed your education style / philosophy?
As mentioned previously, it was through graduate studies that I began to see the potential for technology in education. My doctoral program involved the design and development of several computer-based instructional programs in mathematics. The detailed analysis of skills required to design such materials greatly increased my understanding of the content I had been teaching. It also helped me to recognize the different learning styles, misconceptions, and individual needs of the students. At the conclusion of my doctoral program, I had the opportunity to train other teachers in the use of the computer-based programs on which I had been working. I saw that the additional resource these programs provided could enhance both teaching and learning. I have continued to depend on technology as a daily resource for my own work with administrators, teachers, and students. I see technology today as a critical component of education -- a learning tool for students, a resource for teachers, and an essential part of the record-keeping required for accountability.