New Outreach Specialists Travels State to Talk with Educators about
Assessments, Tools to Help Instruction
March 29th, 2017
By: Holly Brunson, Outreach and Training Specialist
As the new Outreach and Training Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education, I am
honored to be able to work with educators around the state of Minnesota. Prior to this position, I
taught for eight years in a variety of roles- as a substitute teacher, Gifted Education / Title 1
teacher, 5th grade classroom teacher, 5th & 6th grade Skills teacher, and an Intervention
Specialist.
As the Outreach and Training Specialist, I have the opportunity to do three of my favorite tasks:
(1) provide training opportunities to educators around available data and how to use it; (2)
facilitate focus groups around the state to influence the creation of a new teacher-friendly
interface; and (3) work with the MDE Data Analytics team to answer questions about accessing
data.
Arriving at MDE was very exciting for me as I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about the
important work we do as educators from a different lens. As I began listening to what educators
want to know about data, I began to hear common themes loud and clear. Based on this, my
division began brainstorming ways to build a solid foundational understanding of assessments
for all educators.
We rolled out our first big project: the Test Development Life Cycle. This presentation explains
the lengthy process of using academic standards to create assessments. As I managed this
project, I was surprised by how much information was new to me as an educator with eight
years of experience. I began presenting the information to other educators around the state, and
it was clear that this information was new to others as well.
In an effort to share this helpful information with all educators, I will be recording these
presentations for districts, schools, and teachers to access at their convenience to learn how the
assessments are developed in Minnesota, and how data can be helpful for their instruction. .
Some of my favorite new concepts that I have learned since starting this job include: the various
complex steps that passages, scenarios, and test questions go through prior to making it onto
our assessments; the Achievement Level Descriptors; and the reports that MDE produces from
the assessment data. These resources would have been very helpful when I served on a data
team and facilitated data teams in an elementary school. They also would have been incredibly
helpful for the discussions we had as a grade-level team, and that I could have used as a
teacher to identify possible gaps in my curriculum to ensure that I was teaching all of the
standards.
There are so many great resources out there that other educators are already aware of and are
actively using. I am so excited to add these additional tools to their repertoire and to share in the
great work being done to educate students around the state.
I hope educators know that we at the Minnesota Department of Education truly want to partner
with them to develop assessments and want to give educators a voice in the process. There are
multiple opportunities for educators to be involved in the creation of the assessments. I truly
wish I had known about this opportunity when I was in the classroom. If educators are interested
in being a part of these teacher panels to review and discuss passages, scenarios, or items;
please reach out to me! I am working to host focus groups with a variety of educators around
the state.
Additionally, if your district or school is interested in learning more about the data and reports
we have available, how to use the data and reports, or want to host a focus group, please
contact me.
I am here to answer any questions or help connect you with any of the opportunities listed
above. Since I am actively working in schools quite a bit, reaching me via email will get the most
immediate response. But please know that you can always try to reach me at my desk.
Holly Brunson
[email protected]
651-582-8563