Governance Structure

Smarter Balanced is led by its members. The consortium operates on a transparent, consensus-based governance structure. Read more about our Governing Board Procedures.

Executive Committee

Each state appoints K-12 and higher education leads to coordinate with the Consortium. An elected Executive Committee composed of member representatives provides day-to-day oversight and refers key matters to the full membership.

The Smarter Balanced Executive Committee oversees the ongoing development and management of the assessment system and the Consortium’s finances. The Executive Committee is comprised of seven positions: Chair, Chair-Elect, Past-Chair, two At-Large K-12 positions, one Higher Education positions, and one Post-Secondary Careers position. Executive Committee members and chairs are elected by the Governing members.

Executive Committee Members

Alison Henken, Chair
K-12 Accountability & Projects Program Manager, Idaho State Board of Education

Andrea Lockard, Chair-Elect
Director of Assessment and Student Reporting, Oregon Department of Education

Ajit Gopalakrishnan, Past Chair
Chief Performance Officer, Connecticut Department of Education

Cheryl Cotton, Member-at-Large Representative
Deputy Superintendent, California Department of Education

April McCrae, Member-at-Large Representative
Director of Assessment and Accountability, Delaware Department of Education

Advisory Committees

Smarter Balanced has established several advisory committees to inform the ongoing development and operation of the assessment system. These teams of national experts work to ensure the assessments accurately measure student progress and growth toward college and career readiness.

Technical Advisory Committee

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) provides guidance on technical assessment matters pertaining to validity and reliability, accuracy, and fairness. Members of the TAC are highly regarded national experts who have been widely published in their fields. Areas of expertise include: assessment design, computer adaptive testing (CAT), assessment accommodations, uses of tests, and English language arts/literacy and math.

The committee members are:

Randy Bennett, Ph.D., Educational Testing Service
Derek C. Briggs, Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder
Susan M. Brookhart, Ph.D., Consultant at Brookhart Enterprises LLC
Gregory J. Cizek, Ph.D., University of North Carolina
Shelbi Cole, Ph.D., Student Achievement Partners
Ellen Forte, Ph. D., TAC Chair, edCount LLC
Brian Gong, Ph.D., Center for Assessment
Gerunda Hughes, Ph.D., Howard University
G. Gage Kingsbury, Ph.D., Psychometric Consultant
James W. Pellegrino, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago
Susan Pimentel, JD, Co-Founder at StandardsWork
Guillermo Solano-Flores, Ph.D., Stanford University
Martha Thurlow, Ph.D., National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota

Accessibility, Bias, and Sensitivity (ABS) Advisory Committee

The Accessibility, Bias, and Sensitivity (ABS) committee:

Addresses accessibility, bias, and sensitivity issues for summative, interim, and formative instruments
Provides definitions and background information on target populations
Reviews documents created by Smarter Balanced to support implementation of accessibility resources
Participates in document and project reviews related to accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion
Shares resources across states

Committee members are nominated by their state representatives and voted for by the Smarter Balanced Executive Committee. The members include: Education Consultant, Director of Professional Development, Education Associate, Special Populations, OSPI Digital Equity & Inclusion Program Supervisor, EL and Accessibility Assessment Specialist, Special Education Assessment Specialist, Test Development Specialist, Accessibility Specialist, and Education Programs Consultant. Members are asked to attend the monthly meetings and participate as much as possible by providing their input on topics that surface and reviewing materials.

If you have questions, please contact Tere Jimena.

Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) Educator Group

The Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) Educator Group was created to have a cross-functional body of individuals who work with a variety of student populations to provide input and consult with Smarter Balanced, through the lens of ADEI, about documents and resources that Smarter Balanced is creating. The group’s responsibilities include:

Share their state’s perspectives and use of accessibility resources with other states
Provide input on A&I documents that are undergoing updates and revision
Review drafts of presentations for Educator Committee Reviews and other meetings
Complete surveys related to A&I topics and inquiries

Membership is comprised of a diverse group of professionals who work closely with students and educators. Members have active attendance at all meetings and provide their input on A&I topics, documents, or resources at any point throughout the year.

If you have questions, please contact Tere Jimena.

Data Science Steering Committee

The Data Science Steering Committee is comprised of state agency staff and external partners. The committee collaborates with Smarter Balanced to define data science content and make recommendations regarding:

Evidence statements and task models that can be used to measure knowledge and skills for data sciences
Accessibility considerations when measuring data sciences
How to support formative assessment practices regarding data sciences
How Smarter Balanced might include data sciences as part of the interim and summative assessments

If you have questions, please contact Bryan Toller.

English Language Arts/Literacy Advisory (ELA/L) Committee

The English Language Arts/Literacy Advisory (ELA/L) Committee is comprised of state agency staff and higher education representatives. To ensure a high-quality dynamic assessment system, the committee will provide feedback to Smarter Balanced by:

Addressing the ELA/Literacy assessment system design and item development process, both summative and interim, driven by member content standards
Providing feedback on content specifications and item specifications
Creating and reviewing plans and supporting documents for assessment design implementation

If you have questions, please contact Brad Vasil.

Fairness and Sensitivity Task Force

The Fairness and Sensitivity Task Force:

Reviews, provides insights, and makes recommendations to the guidelines based on emerging research so that the guidelines support fair content creation and evaluation practices
Updates the guidelines that support the development and review of Smarter Balanced tools and resources
Advise on ways to ensure the guidelines promote equity by allowing all students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills fairly, without being advantaged or disadvantaged.

This task force is by invitation only. The commitment to serving in this task force is participating in meetings and reviewing and marking up the guidelines with research-informed recommendations.

If you have questions, please contact Nirupa Mathew.

K-2 Advisory Board

The K-2 Advisory Board:

Makes recommendations regarding the priority of actions Smarter Balanced might take in K-2 that are most feasible, effective, and aligned to the mission
Makes recommendations regarding design and development of resources and tools by accessing additional K-2 expertise than is currently associated with TAC, staff, and other advisory bodies

K-2 Advisory Board members are vetted by the Executive Committee; K-12 Leads are invited along with any colleagues in adjacent state positions that oversee K-2. Members attend bi-monthly meetings (every other month) and participate in discussions.

If you have questions, please contact Muriel Ortiz or Tina Posner.

Mathematics Advisory Committee

The Mathematics Advisory Committee is comprised of state agency staff and higher education representatives. To ensure a high-quality dynamic assessment system, the committee will provide feedback to Smarter Balanced by:

Addressing the mathematics assessment system design and item development process, both summative and interim, driven by member content standards
Providing feedback on content specifications and item specifications
Creating and reviewing plans and supporting documents for assessment design implementation

If you have questions, please contact Bryan Toller.

Performance and Practice Committee

The Performance and Practice Committee:

Provides a forum for stakeholders, including policy and program representatives, to engage in an exchange of information and ideas regarding testing practices, to advance recommendations for future Smarter Balanced improvements
Provides a forum for stakeholders to share and promote exemplary practices related to the use of the Smarter Balanced assessment system for improving teaching practice, program evaluation, equity, and system accountability
Assesses the effect of test design and practices on broad policy goals, seeking a balance between the usefulness of the information gained from assessments and the burden of collecting it

The committee will be comprised of experts in measurement and representatives of various interests from within member states and consists of up to 25 stakeholder representatives, nominated by state chiefs, including K-12 leads, higher education faculty, district leaders, and teachers.

If you have questions, please contact Wendy Mathieu.

State Leadership Team (SLT)

The State Leadership Team (SLT):

Supports the vision of a balanced assessment system with a focus on the formative assessment process and works collaboratively with Smarter Balanced staff and educators
Advise on educator outreach and creation of Smarter Balanced instructional supports (e.g., Tools for Teachers, Interim Assessments, and the Smarter Reporting System) to ensure successful implementation of the Smarter Balanced ecosystem and to enhance student progress toward learning goals

SLT members consist of educational department staff in member states and member partners who have access to Tools for Teachers. Members are nominated by K-12 Leads. Members attend twice-monthly meetings and participate in SLT discussions and working groups.

If you have questions, please contact Sarah Birgé or Tina Posner.

Test Production Advisory Group

The Test Production Advisory Group:

Guides decision-making on updating assessment content after test packages have been released
Oversees quality-control processes for exporting items, ensuring they meet industry standards
Supports timely updates, defining what qualifies as an "urgent" update, and adheres to member-approved timelines for these updates
Maintains the quality and relevance of assessment content while adhering to industry best practices

To serve on this committee, members must be Smarter Balanced state members who lead assessment.

If you have questions, please contact Nirupa Mathew.

Explore Smarter Resources

Governance Structure

Executive Committee

Advisory Committees