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.
David Gabel, Manager of Content for Next Generation Assessment Systems for ELLs
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.
Cathy Cameron, Manager of Operations for Next Generation Assessment Systems for ELLs
Cathy manages the operations activities for the ONPAR project. She oversees the programming and design of the ONPAR items, the budgeting and coordination efforts for the project, and the quantitative research analysis. Prior to coming to ONPAR, Cathy was involved with the analysis and reporting of research results from several projects to investigate challenges involved with testing students with low English proficiency. Her work history includes positions as network manager, capacity planner, and economic analyst in other organizations. She holds an MA in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Maryland, and a BMath from the University of Waterloo in Canada.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Katharine Merow, Math and Science Testing Specialist
Katharine is responsible for developing math and science content items for the ONPAR tests, and for helping to craft the ONPAR 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 biology, physics and mathematical topics ranging from long division to integral calculus.
Jim Bauman was the ONPAR project manager from 2006-2010. He retired in 2010 and remains a friend of CAL and a friend of ONPAR.
Jim directed 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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