Meet the authors
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Jesse R. Sparks
Managing Senior Research Scientist
Jesse R. Sparks is a Managing Senior Research Scientist and directs the Innovation Research Program on Personalized Assessment at ETS. She completed her Ph.D. at Northwestern University. Jesse’s research applies cognitive and learning sciences theory and research toward the design of digital assessments in literacy, science, and social studies. Her projects include developing scenario-based and adaptive assessments that respond to students’ backgrounds and dynamic solution processes, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of educational assessment.
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Teresa M. Ober
Research Scientist
Teresa M. Ober is a Research Scientist at the ETS Research Institute, specializing in digital assessment and learning. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the Graduate Center of CUNY. Teresa’s recent projects include developing a theoretical framework for culturally responsive personalized learning and practical frameworks for competency-based assessment. Her research is dedicated to understanding how individual qualities and engagement are associated with performance, particularly in digital learning contexts, to better ensure fairness and equity in learning and educational assessment.
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Caitlin Tenison
Research Scientist
Caitlin Tenison is a Research Scientist in the Innovation Research Program on Personalized Assessment at the ETS Research Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University. Caitlin’s research focuses on cognitive processes underlying higher-order cognition, integrating human learning and decision-making with educational technology. Using diverse modeling methods, she works to improve the inferences we make about learners from their decisions and actions, contributing to improved educational assessment methods.
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Burcu Arslan
Research Scientist
Burcu Arslan is a Research Scientist in the Innovation Research Program on Personalized Assessment at the ETS Research Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, an M.S. in Cognitive Science, and a B.S. in Statistics. Her research includes personalized educational assessment, process data modeling, feedback, and transfer of skills. Burcu co-directs the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Survey Assessment Innovations Lab (SAIL). Her work bridges cognitive science and educational assessments to model construct-relevant behaviors in digital educational assessment and learning environments.
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Ido Roll
Director of Innovative Digital Assessment
Ido Roll directs the Innovative Digital Assessment strand at the ETS Research Institute and is an Associate Professor at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He specializes in using trace data to support higher-order thinking, blending methodologies from learning analytics, AI, cognitive science, and HCI. Ido serves on several OECD PISA Expert Groups. His work advances digital assessment frameworks and educational innovations.
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Paul Deane
Principal Research Scientist
Paul Deane is a Principal Research Scientist at the ETS Research Institute with an M.A. and Ph.D. in Theoretical Linguistics from the University of Chicago. His extensive research includes cognitive and linguistic models for reading and writing assessments, automated writing evaluation, and essay scoring. Paul has authored over 100 research reports, book chapters, and journal articles, and holds 16 patents. His work integrates natural language processing with educational assessment, contributing to advancements in test security and performance tracking.
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Diego Zapata-Rivera
Distinguished Presidential Appointee
Diego Zapata-Rivera is a Distinguished Presidential Appointee at the ETS Research Institute, specializing in technology-enhanced assessments and personalized learning environments. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan. Diego’s research includes conversation-based and game-based assessments, with contributions to projects funded by NSF, NASA, and the US Army Research Laboratory. He is a co-PI of the INVITE AI institute, an IEEE Education Society Distinguished Lecturer and serves on various editorial boards and executive committees.
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Reginald M. Gooch
Research Project Manager
Reginald Gooch is a Research Project Manager at the ETS Research Institute. His work centers on personalized assessment equity, higher education admissions, and culturally responsive assessments. Prior to ETS, he was a test developer and English language teacher in South Korea. Reginald holds an M.A. in Second Language Education from McGill University and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Washington. His research aims to bridge the gap between educational assessment and equitable practices in diverse learning environments.
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Tenaha O'Reilly
Managing Principal Research Scientist
Tenaha O’Reilly is a Managing Principal Research Scientist at the ETS Research Institute, leading the Literacy and Communications team. He co-led the Reading for Understanding Initiative, developing next-generation pre-K-12 assessments. Tenaha’s research on scenario-based literacy assessments has influenced national and international frameworks, including PISA and NAEP. He has co-edited books and published policy papers addressing America's reading crisis and has developed innovative products like ReadBasix and ReadAuthentix.
