Deborah Michele Torre

Experience

1. Research Scientist

   Cresst, Ucla

   Jan 2005 — Present · US

   Coordinated research efforts for small to large scale evaluations of the LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program as well as California-based programs funded by ASES and the 21st CCLC. Conducted research and evaluation work related to the adoption of college and career ready standards and assessments. This has included the monitoring of assessment development by the PARCC and Smarter Balanced consortia. The examining of issues of quality and fidelity of implementation for the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and the Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC) programs, both of which scaffold formative assessment within a Common Core framework. Also coordinated and/or served as a lead rater on alignment (validity) studies of operational tests or item pools for ELPA21, the Indiana Core Assessments, the Utah Core Standards, and the 2015 PISA operational tests in math and reading literacy. Coordinated and worked as a key staff member on studies of STEM educational programs. This has included a longitudinal NSF funded study of the use of formative assessment in mathematics classrooms. An evaluation of the NSF funded Mobilize program, in which high school STEM teachers were taught how to integrate data science into the curriculum using mobile devices. The qualitative evaluation of a computer-based formative assessment system called SimScientists, which was developed by WestEd for secondary school science classrooms. The outside evaluation of the IMPACT and STEM+C3 teacher residency programs at UCLA. As well as the pathway to doctoral studies in advanced quantitative methods.Research duties have included instrument design; mixed methods data collection and analysis; recruitment of districts and schools; development of internal review board applications; writing of grant proposals, research reports and articles, and presentations at conferences; and supervision of graduate and undergraduate research assistants.

Education

• San Diego State University

  Master's degree

• UCLA School of Education and Information Studies

  Doctoral Student (Ph.D.)