The Development Team

Dr. Rebecca Kopriva, Principal Investigator/Project Director

Rebecca oversees test development, clinical trials, and data analysis. She has led several successful research projects and has broad experience in investigating how English language learners and other students with language challenges can be more fairly assessed, and how the measurement of challenging academic content can be improved for all students. Rebecca holds a PhD in Applied Statistics from University of Northern Colorado and is currently a Visiting Research Scholar with Wisconsin Center for Education Research at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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Jim Bauman, Program Manager

Jim directs the short and long-term activities of the various teams carrying out the work of the ONPAR project. His work history includes directing both large and small scale test development and research projects, teaching high school biology and university level linguistics, and directing professional development and training activities in computer services and database development. His current research interests center around academic language, language in testing, and teacher professional development in language use and linguistics. Jim has a BS in Zoology from Michigan State University and a PhD in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

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David Gabel, Math and Science Testing Coordinator

David oversees and coordinates item development and database implementation for ONPAR. He co-leads the item review team and also assists in the development of proposals. David received a BA in Physics from the University of Virginia, a BA in Mathematics with high distinction from George Mason University and a M. Ed in Curriculum and Instruction (Secondary Education—Mathematics) from George Mason University.

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Cathy Cameron, Language Testing and Measurement Specialist

Cathy coordinates research and operation activities, performs data analysis, and leads the programming team for the ONPAR project. She received an MA in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Maryland, and a BMath from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

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Laura Wright, Research Associate

Laura conducts research related to (academic) language and testing for the ONPAR project. She received her Ph.D. in linguistics from Georgetown University in 2008 and has research interests in discourse analysis, educational linguistics, sociolinguistics, multimodality, and English as a second language. Prior to her work at CAL, Laura taught ESL/ EFL for 6 years and has conducted ethnographic research in middle school science classrooms.

Wright, L. J. (2008). Learning by doing: The objectification of knowledge across semiotic modalities in middle school chemistry lab activities. Linguistics and Education, 19, 225-243.

Wright, L. J. (2008). Writing science and objectification: Selecting, organizing, and decontextualizing knowledge. Linguistics and Education, 19, 265-293.

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Therese Gleason Carr, Research Specialist

Therese coordinates ONPAR research and dissemination activities and co-leads the item review team. With an undergraduate degree in Spanish and Masters in English with a Concentration in Teaching English as a Second Language, she has over five years of experience teaching ESOL and English composition in Kentucky, Madrid, and South Carolina. Prior to her work at CAL, she coordinated grant research involving the valid inclusion of English learners on large-scale assessments as well as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) at the South Carolina Department of Education. Therese is currently working toward her doctorate in Educational Psychology and Research at the University of South Carolina.

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Alex Simmons, Flash Developer/Lead Flash Designer

Alex is responsible for coordinating the design and look of the ONPAR test items. His experience in multimedia and web design, as well as software development has helped the project in many ways. He enjoys illustration, digital imaging, video and audio editing, animation and making 3D models. Alex received a BS in Rehabilitation Services Education from Pennsylvania State University where he also worked towards a minor in Art. Additionally, he has a Web Publishing Certificate from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C.

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Thelxiopi Proimaki, Multimedia Developer

Thelxiopi is responsible for producing interactive instructional materials for the students and administrators of the test. She also designed and maintains the ONPAR web site. Thelxiopi has a degree in Graphic Arts and photography from the VACALO Private School of Applied Arts in Athens, Greece and a 3D & Video and Interactive Multimedia Producer certificate from George Washington University. Before coming to CAL, Thelxiopi worked for The American Association for the Advancement of Science, Discovery channel, AAPA and other organizations as a Technology Specialist.

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Rafael Michelena, Flash Developer

Rafael is responsible for creating, editing and manipulating flash animations and concepts as well as creating an array of 3D models to compliment his works. He holds an MS in Digital Design from the Centro de Diseño Digital de Caracas in Caracas, Venezuela. Before joining CAL, he had been the multimedia generator and coordinator for the research team at Retirement Living TV and the Daily Apple show where he created web pages, videos, books and periodicals.

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Jorge Murillo, Lead Programmer

Jorge is responsible for programming the functionality of the ONPAR application – including the navigation between test questions, the interaction with the user interface, and the storage and retrieval of responses. Jorge obtained a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park.

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Jason Parent, Science Testing Specialist/Science Team Lead

Jason is responsible for creating items for the ONPAR science tests. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. Before coming to CAL, he worked in a laboratory for the United States Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.

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Lanna Ali-Hassan, Science Testing Specialist

Lanna is responsible for developing science content items for the ONPAR tests. She received a BS in Zoology from Southern Illinois University and an MA in Biology from American University. Prior to her work at CAL, Lanna taught high school Biology, Earth Science and Marine Science and also tutored middle and high school students in Math and Science.

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Katharine Merow, Math Testing Specialist

Katharine is responsible for developing math content items for the ONPAR tests, and for helping to craft the math test specifications. She holds a BA in mathematics and linguistics from Swarthmore College. Before coming to CAL, Katharine did graduate work in mathematics and tutored students in topics ranging from long division to integral calculus.

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