Jennifer Dean

Jennifer Dean is the executive director of K–12 Assessments in ETS Research and Development. She received her Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Kansas, her M.A.T in English from Yale University and her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College. She has many years of experience overseeing the development of assessments for statewide and district testing programs in multiple content areas and at various grade levels.

At ETS, Dean oversees the development of items and tests for the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE), the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), the Maryland High School Examination (MHSE), the Georgia End of Course Tests (EOCT), the Tennessee Gateway End of Course Tests, the Indiana CORE-40 Tests and the New Jersey ASK program, grades 3 and 4.

She is also responsible for overseeing the development of ancillary materials needed for these high-stakes testing programs, including test blueprints, item specifications, teacher guides, released item samplers and other materials designed to link assessment to instruction. She is well-known for her expertise and her knowledge of item and test development.

In addition to test-development expertise, Dean has years of experience working directly with educator review committees. She has facilitated content, bias and sensitivity, data review, differential item function (DIF) review and standard-setting committees in a variety of state programs.

Her background includes teaching posts at the University of Kansas & Butler County Community College, Wichita (Kansas) Public Schools and Durham (North Carolina) County Schools. She also held item development and project roles at Harcourt Educational Measurement and National Computer Systems (now Pearson Educational Measurement).