Our Staff

Mr. Muenks supervises DLM staff across a variety of teams. Prior to joining the Dynamic Learning Maps team, Muenks worked in the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), leading implementation of the full assessment and curriculum program for the department, including DLM assessments. Muenks has also previously served on the governing board of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium; in the educational publishing field; in other positions at DESE; and as a middle school principal and a middle school mathematics and reading teacher in Missouri. Muenks received a master’s degree in education administration from Lincoln University.

Dr. Brooke Nash brings more than 12 years of experience in the assessment industry, both operationally and in conducting research to help inform operational assessment programs. She earned her doctoral degree in educational psychology and research from the University of Kansas, specializing in research, evaluation, measurement, and statistics with a minor in special education. Prior to returning to KU, she spent several years working as a psychometrician and lead psychometrician at an assessment company, specializing in assessments in the higher education field. Nash leads teams of psychometricians who conduct the psychometric and statistical work for multiple large-scale assessments as well as contributes to various research and development projects within the center. Her research interests include formative assessment, scoring models for technology-enabled assessments, implementation of diagnostic assessment platforms, and assessment of the Next Generation Science Standards.

Dr. Swinburne Romine earned his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota where he also taught classes in learning, cognition, and educational measurement. His research interests are in the areas of intersection between developmental psycholinguistics and large-scale assessment of reading comprehension. He conducts research in support of DLM test development in areas of validity, accessibility and text complexity.

Jake Thompson, PhD, has a research focus on the implementation of diagnostic classification models in applied settings. Thompson is the Assistant Director of Psychometrics at Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS), a research center at the University of Kansas with more than 150 staff and more than $20M in annual revenues. Thompson leads a team of psychometricians to conduct research studies that support the delivery of operational assessments and implements a research agenda for the application and evaluation of diagnostic classification models. He is the lead psychometrician for the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) Alternate Assessment System, which administers statewide alternate assessments to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in 22 states.

Dr. Amy Clark leads researchers and psychometricians who conduct studies and produce technical documentation in support of the ATLAS research agenda. She began her career as a classroom teacher and developed an interest in teachers' use of assessment results for improving student outcomes. Clark received both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Kansas, specializing in research, evaluation, measurement, and statistics with a minor in curriculum studies. Clark brings more than 12 years of experience working to improve outcomes for struggling learners and their teachers. Her research interests include assessment validation, score reporting, and operationalizing diagnostic assessment systems. She has coauthored more than 75 books, chapters, technical reports, journal articles, and conference papers on applied educational measurement topics.

Dr. Erickson is the director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and the David E. and Dolores J. Yoder distinguished professor of literacy and disability studies in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Erickson provides the project with expertise in literacy instruction and assessment for students with significant disabilities, as well as expertise in universal design for learning, assistive technology, augmentative communication, and large-scale professional development efforts.

Aletra Johnson, MBA, is a Research Project Manager with expertise in technical writing, training, client experience management, and enterprise software release implementation. Before joining the Dynamic Learning Maps team, she supported Assessment & Technology Solutions (ATS) in roles that included service desk leadership, business analysis, quality assurance, and training. Her strong background in client engagement and collaborative practices supports her work in advancing DLM assessments and meeting the needs of educational stakeholders. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Alson Cole, MEd, began his career in education as a classroom teacher before moving into work supporting alternate assessment systems. He has contributed to the field through roles with the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky, where he developed training for teachers and scorers and provided instructional content guidance in English language arts, mathematics, and science. Cole also brings experience as both an item writer and reviewer for large-scale assessments. Cole earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Georgetown College, a second Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Midway University, and a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in educational administration from Xavier University. He also earned a professional certificate in project management.

Ms. Keating served the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from 2007 to 2015, the last three years of which she spent leading the state in implementing Dynamic Learning Maps assessments. Keating has more than 13 years experience working for a national Fortune 500 company in the education sector, including work as a project manager leading an international team in solving complex technological issues. She has previously worked for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services with children from family backgrounds of severe abuse and neglect, as well as with the Peoria (Ill.) Public Library in providing resources for patrons with disabilities.

Ronda Layman, MEd, is a retired special education professional whose career included roles as a program coordinator, special education teacher, and speech-language pathologist in Rockingham County, North Carolina. She later served as a state consultant for students with significant cognitive and multiple disabilities and for assistive technology, working closely with the Public Schools of North Carolina’s Accountability Services Division on the NCEXTEND1 alternate assessment. Layman earned her master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Susan LeFeber is a Research Project Manager with extensive experience overseeing large-scale assessment programs and state contracts in licensure, certification, and K–12 general and alternate assessments. Before joining the Dynamic Learning Maps team, she managed program and project operations that supported the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of statewide assessment systems. LeFeber holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix.

Tammy Mayer, EdD, has extensive experience in special education and assessment, serving as both a special education teacher and a state education agency leader. Before joining the Dynamic Learning Maps team, she served as Deputy Director of Assessment for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, where she led the statewide implementation of the DLM Alternate Assessment System. In this role, she also guided initiatives related to the state’s general assessment, accessibility and accommodations, special education policy, personalized learning, and innovative education. Mayer holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education and a master’s degree in special education from Minot State University. She earned her doctorate in education from the University of North Dakota.

Dr. Karvonen has worked on various aspects of alternate assessments for more than a decade. She began conducting research on alternate assessments in 2000, as evaluator for a federally funded model demonstration project designed to help teachers improve the quality of alternate assessments. More recent projects include developing methodologies for investigating opportunity to learn, fairness, content progressions, and growth within alternate assessments. Before joining the Dynamic Learning Maps project, Karvonen partnered with more than 12 states on their operational alternate assessments, conducting studies on topics ranging from alignment to standard setting to participation criteria. She is especially interested in validity research and the implications of policy for students with significant cognitive disabilities and their teachers.

Dr. Bechard has dedicated her career to ensuring that all students have access to meaningful educational assessment and instruction by designing and implementing comprehensive alternate assessment systems in more than 18 states. Her research focuses on the development, validation, alignment, and consequences of assessments for students with disabilities.