SPECIAL EDUCATOR TECHNOLOGY-BASED TRAINING OF TRAINERS

Sarah Koebley

Dr. Koebley is the Associate Director of Professional Learning at ATLAS (Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems) at the University of Kansas. In addition to her work on SETTT for Success, she leads the ATLAS Center’s strategic initiatives around professional learning and in support of high quality educator resources. She earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Kent State University with a focus on mathematics education and research on mathematics teacher interpretations of social capital. She has more than 20 years of experience in STEM-based instructional design, inquiry-focused teaching and learning, assessment development, STEM community engagement, and educator professional development.

Meagan Karvonen

Dr. Karvonen is director of ATLAS (Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems) at the University of Kansas. In addition to her work on SETTT for Success she directs the DLM Alternate Assessment Consortium and is PI of 5E-Model Professional Development in Science Education for Special educators (5E-SESE; R324A180202), and Innovations in Science Maps, Assessment, and Reporting Technologies (I-SMART; S368A170009). She is also co-PI for the Shared Writing Instructional Model project (SWIM; H326M180010). Dr. Karvonen has 20 years of experience in large-scale assessments for students with disabilities and, in particular, alternate assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Dr. Karvonen has more than 20 years of experience managing state and federally funded projects and has served as PI or co-PI on projects totaling more than $60 million. She has coauthored more than 200 articles, book chapters, technical reports, and presentations.

Lindsay Ruhter

Lindsay Ruhter, currently serving as a research associate for 5E-SESE (5E-Model Professional Development in Science Education for Special Educators), will lead the Content/Professional Learning group on the Design and Development Team, assist the Resource/Technical group, and coach trainers for SETTT. Ms. Ruhter previously served as a test development coordinator for the Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment Consortium and served on I-SMART’s assessment design team, using her special education background to develop and conduct training for item writers, internal reviewers, and external reviewers. Before joining ATLAS, Ms. Ruhter was a special education teacher in Virginia and is currently a doctoral student in Special Education at KU.

Holly Dubiel

Holly Dubiel will support the SETTT project with her background in instructional design and educational technology. Her previous work for the Enhanced Learning Maps project included developing the web application as well as the ELA portion of the learning map model and directing the development and implementation of the learning map based assessment tool. Dubiel received a bachelor’s degree in secondary language arts education, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and a master’s degree in educational technology from the University of Kansas.​

Jennifer Kobrin

Dr. Jennifer Kobrin, Research and Evaluation Lead, leads and contributes to ATLAS’ research and development projects. She earned her Ed.D. in educational statistics and measurement from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in educational research and evaluation from Boston College. Before joining ATLAS, she was a senior research scientist at Pearson and a research scientist at the College Board. She also spent three years directing institutional effectiveness and assessment offices in higher education. Her research interests include teachers’ use of formative assessment for instructional improvement, assessment development based on cognitive learning models, and assessment validity. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, technical reports, and conference papers on a variety of topics in educational measurement and assessment.

Emily Thatcher

Emily Thatcher is the Research Project Manager for the Shared Writing Instructional Model (SWIM) OSEP Funded Model Demonstration Grant. Emily has 30 years of experience serving families and students with disabilities, mostly students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Prior to joining KU, Emily was the State of Iowa’s Alternate Assessment Consultant, Project Lead and developer of professional development for the Significant Disabilities focus area of an OSEP funded state personnel development grant, State Coordinator for National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and lead consultant of implementation teams that support educators deliver high quality specially designed instruction and assessment.

Chanelle Swanson

Chanelle Swanson, research project coordinator, is responsible for coordinating activites between teams and external partners. She oversees project management and routine monitoring of deliverables for SETTT. She previously worked on ATLAS' Implementation Logistics team as a research project specialist, where she coordinated various ATLAS events, maintained ATLAS project websites, and assisted with various other tasks.

Matt Millar

Mr. Millar, Research Project Coordinator, leads and contributes to activities on ATLAS' Implementation Logistics team. His work focuses on Learning Management and LMS Systems coordination, Professional Development Module creation, and website support. Before joining ATLAS, he worked as a Lead Animator and Production Manager in Johannesburg, South Africa, leading teams to complete work against strict deadlines and achieve multiple milestone deliveries.