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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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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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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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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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.

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