Curriculum Vitae

Test Development
Experiences include development of performance task items for the Colorado Student Assessment Program Alternate (CSAPA), Montana Criterion Referenced Test-Alternate, Early Skills Assessment (online formative assessment tool), and Maine’s Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio Tasks as well as rating scale items for South Dakota’s DSTEP-Alternate, Idaho Alternate Assessment, Wyoming’s PAWS, and the Hawaii State Assessment- Alternate.

Portfolio Development
Assists in the development and implementation of statewide portfolio alternate assessment programs, coordinates and facilitates advisory committees, assists in the establishment of networks of classroom teachers, develops training materials and videotapes, aids in the delivery of training, designs and implements standard setting procedures to identify benchmark portfolios, designs scoring guides and other print materials, collaborates with Departments of Education in implementing alternate assessment programs and all other requested activities or materials.

Training and Professional Development
Coordinates, plans, and implements professional development seminars centered on the implementation of large-scale alternate assessments and formative assessment. Sessions focus on a variety of topics including scoring to state standards, developing classroom-embedded assessment tasks, drawing instructional implications from student assessment products, and planning instruction based on performance and content standards.

Project Management
Works with clients in the development and administration of alternate assessments across multiple states; manages internal program coordination including scheduling, budgets, scannable form design, reporting, and materials management; serves as main point of contact with clients; works collaboratively with other agencies to deliver professional development training and technical assistance to teachers and administrators.

Designed, developed, and marketed new paper and e-product assessments for students with disabilities. Ensured successful transition of new products for students with disabilities by creating and instituting training and mentoring materials.

Served as the lead developer and project coordinator for reading, writing, and mathematics alternate assessments in Hawaii and South Dakota.

Worked closely with departments of education, managed state advisory committees, and facilitated content workgroup meetings to create testing instruments, select test items, construct assessment frameworks, develop training materials, and draft proficiency descriptions and standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science. Served as Program Manager for alternate assessments in Maine, Iowa, and Colorado.

Served as a lead developer in high school mathematics for the US Department of Education funded Alternate Assessment Collaborative Enhanced Assessment Grant (EAG). Created concepts and expanded benchmarks utilizing consensus frameworks from the nine participating states.

Led standard-setting sessions in Colorado and Iowa. Served as facilitator for standard-setting in New Mexico.

As a guide of “Technology’s Role in the Special Education Classroom,” provided diverse groups of educators the opportunity to become familiar with mainstreaming/inclusion laws, assistive/adaptive technologies, and the use of these technologies to support instruction and assessment for students with special needs through facilitating online learning.

As a teacher of students with significant disabilities, worked with students of all ages including those with mental disabilities, autism, developmental delays, and deaf-blindness; developed and implemented individualized education plans; facilitated, planned, and assisted in implementing inclusive programs; created and utilized multi-sensory environments; assisted in the development and implementation of South Carolina’s alternate assessment system; and emphasized the use of assistive technology in the special education classroom.

As a teacher of students with mild disabilities including those with learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, visual impairments, mental disabilities, and autism, taught students in grades 2-12 all subjects in both resource and self-contained settings with an emphasis on reading remediation, mathematics, social skills and behavior management; created and administered a variety of assessments including curriculum-based assessments, reading inventories, and criterion referenced tests; served as a reading specialist; and developed and implemented individualized lessons, thematic units of study, and behavior intervention plans to meet specific student objectives as outlined in individualized education plans.

Bechard, S., Palmer, P., Brogdon, T. (2004) Manual for Developing Alternate Assessments. Dover, NH: Measured Progress.

Alternate Assessment Collaborative. (2004) Performance Task Administration Manual. Denver, CO: Colorado Department of Education. http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped. Funded by U.S. Department of Education Grant Award Number S368A03000.

Consultant for Jones, CJ (2002) Evaluation and Educational Programming of Students with Deaf-Blindness and Severe Disabilities (2nd Edition, Charles C Thomas publisher).

Numerous instructional and assessment documents prepared for the Departments of Education of Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, and South Dakota.

Palmer, Porter W. 2008. Modified Alternate Assessments: Design Strategies and Experimental Results: Item Modification Strategies and Item Presentation. (co-presentation) The National Conference on Student Assessment, Orlando, FL.

Palmer, Porter W. 2008. Assessing Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings, (guest lecturer) The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.

Palmer, Porter W. 2007. Interpreting and Using Results from the Think Link Predictive Assessment Series, Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, WI.

Palmer, Porter W. 2007. Implementing the HSAA (multiple sessions across the state), Hawaii Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2007. Interpreting and Using Results from the Think Link Predictive Assessment Series, Tallapoosa County School District, Dadeville, AL.

Palmer, Porter W. 2007. Interpreting and Using Results from the Think Link Predictive Assessment Series, David Youree Elementary School, Murfreesboro, TN.

Palmer, Porter W. 2006. Implementing the HSAA (multiple sessions across the state), Hawaii Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2006. Implementing the DSTEP-A (multiple sessions across the state), South Dakota Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2005. What Standards-Based Instruction Really Looks Like. (co-presentation) TASH Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI.

Palmer, Porter W. 2004. Standards-Based Instruction?! Standards-Based Assessment?! Not for MY Kids (co-presentation) Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention and Expo, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Palmer, Porter W. 2004. Standards-Based Instruction and Assessment for All?! (co-presentation) Council for Exceptional Children Division on Developmental Disabilities 9th International Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Palmer, Porter W. 2004. Making Standards-Based Instruction and Assessment Meaningful for All Learners. (co-presentation) TASH Annual Conference, Reno, Nevada.

Palmer, Porter W. 2004. Implementing the CSAPA (multiple sessions across the state), Colorado Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2003. Using Multiple Measures to Assess Students with Disabilities. (co-presentation) TASH Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Palmer, Porter W. 2003. Putting Learning on Paper When Paper Doesn’t Make Sense. (co-presentation) Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention and Expo, Seattle, Washington.

Palmer, Porter W. 2003. Scoring Iowa’s alternate assessment (multiple sessions across the state), Iowa Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2003. Implementing the CSAPA (multiple sessions across the state), Colorado Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2003. Implementing Iowa’s alternate assessment (multiple sessions across the state), Iowa Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2002. Implementing Iowa’s alternate assessment (multiple sessions across the state), Iowa Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2002. Benchmarking Iowa’s alternate assessment, Iowa Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2002. Scoring Maine’s Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (multiple sessions across the state), Maine Department of Education.

Palmer, Porter W. 2002. Scoring Iowa’s alternate assessment, Iowa Department of Education.