California’s Young Joins Smarter Balanced Executive Committee

Higher education leader will assist in development of assessments aligned to the Common Core

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) named Dr. Beverly L. Young, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs for the California State University System, to the Consortium’s Executive Committee. Young is one of two higher education representatives on the nine-member governing body and also serves as a Smarter Balanced higher education lead for California.

“We look forward to having Beverly as a part of the Executive Committee,” said Carissa Miller, Ph.D., co-chair of Smarter Balanced. “Her background forging strong connections between college systems and K-12 to ensure that students are prepared to succeed will be a valuable contribution to our work.”

The 23-campus California State University (CSU) is the largest four-year higher education system in the country. Young works with CSU leadership to facilitate changes in teacher preparation across the system. Prior to her work at the chancellor’s office of the CSU, Young was a faculty member in teacher education at CSU Fullerton.

“The Smarter Balanced assessment system will measure student progress toward college and career readiness, providing institutions of higher education with richer information about the needs of incoming students,” Young explained. “I look forward to sharing my experience in California and at the CSU around aligning standards and assessments to inform the Consortium’s important work.”

The CSU is widely recognized for its Early Assessment Program (EAP), a comprehensive system of assessment, intervention, pre-service, professional development, parent/family involvement and school communication that gives high school juniors an early indication of college readiness so that they can prepare for college-level work.

Smarter Balanced works closely with institutions of higher education toward the goal of having the assessments be accepted indicators of college and career readiness. Higher education leads from each member state provide input in the development of the assessment system and coordinate outreach to higher education institutions in their states. Smarter Balanced is also expanding the membership of its 10 state-led work groups to include higher education representatives. Higher education leads have nominated work group participants from their states, ensuring that a wide range of postsecondary stakeholders are represented.

“Smarter Balanced is committed to engaging the postsecondary field during the development and implementation of the assessment system,” said Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D. director of higher education collaboration for Smarter Balanced. “The higher education leads play a critical role in reaching out to administrators and faculty to ensure that the assessments meet the needs of colleges and universities and accurately measure college readiness.”

Below is the complete list of Smarter Balanced higher education leads:

California
Monica Lin, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, University of California
Linda Michalowski, Vice Chancellor, Student Services and Special Programs Division, California Community Colleges
Beverly Young, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, California State University

Colorado — Emmy Glancy, Academic Policy Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education

Connecticut – Michael Meotti, Executive Vice President, Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education

Delaware — Carol Vukelich, Professor, University of Delaware

Hawaii — Linda Johnsrud, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost, University of Hawai’i System

Idaho — Selena Grace, Chief Academic Officer, Idaho State Board of Education

Iowa — Diana Gonzalez, Chief Academic Officer, Board of Regents

Kansas — Gary Alexander, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Kansas Board of Regents

Maine — Richard Pattenaude, Chancellor, University of Maine System

Michigan — Rhonda Kinney Longworth, Interim Associate Provost and Associate Vice President, Academic Programming, Eastern Michigan University

Missouri — Rusty Monhollon, Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs, Missouri Department of Higher Education

Montana — Roberta Evans, Dean, Phyllis J. Washington College of Education & Human Sciences, University of Montana

Nevada — William Speer, Interim Dean, College of Education and Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

New Hampshire — Mel Netzhammer, Provost, Keene State College

North Carolina — Suzanne Ortega, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of North Carolina

North Dakota — Aimee Copas, Academic Affairs Associate, North Dakota University System

Oregon — Karen Marrongelle, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Standards and Collaborations, Oregon University System

Pennsylvania — Peter Garland, Executive Vice Chancellor, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

South Carolina — Paula Gregg, Program Manager, South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

South Dakota — Sam Gingerich, System Vice President for Academic Affairs, South Dakota Board of Regents

Utah — Elizabeth Hitch, Associate Commissioner for Academic Affairs, Utah State Board of Regents

Vermont — Fayneese Miller, Dean, College of Education and Socials Services, University of Vermont

Washington — Randy Spaulding, Director of Academic Affairs, Higher Education Coordinating Board

West Virginia — Kathy Butler, Vice Chancellor of State Colleges and Senior Director of Academic Affairs, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Wisconsin — James Wollack, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology; Director, Testing & Evaluation Services and the University of Wisconsin Center for Placement Testing, University of Wisconsin

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About Smarter Balanced
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium brings together states to create a common, innovative assessment system for mathematics and English language arts that is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and helps prepare students for college and careers. The Consortium involves educators, researchers, policymakers, and community groups in a transparent and consensus-driven process to help all students thrive in a knowledge-driven global economy. The Consortium’s projects are funded through a four-year, $175 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, comprising 99 percent of activity resources, with the remaining support provided through generous contributions of charitable foundations. Membership is open to any interested U.S. state. For more information, please visit www.smarterbalanced.org.