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Anne Davidson, Ed.D, CreshendoEd
Karla Egan, Ph.D, EdMetric
Karla Egan is the Principal of EdMetric LLC, which she founded in 2015 to provide psychometric capacity to educational agencies and organizations. Her psychometric career has spanned 20 years, and she is nationally and internationally recognized for her expertise in standard setting. Her published works and innovative approaches to creating meaningful, content-based interpretations of student performance have become widely recognized as “industry-standard”. Her team created the framework for achievement level descriptors that were used by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and has subsequently been implemented in many large-scale assessment programs. She brings to the Montana TAC deep experience in psychometrics, underscored by professional experience including serving as a Research Scientist and Research Manager for CTB/McGraw-Hill, where she assumed a role as a lead psychometrician for multiple state-level assessment programs. She is adept at evaluating the technical intricacies of large-scale test development with a keen eye for stakeholder expectations and the requirements of the United States Department of Education Peer Review requirements.
Susan Lyons, Ph.D, Lyons Assessment Consulting
Susan is committed to transforming traditional assessment systems to better serve students, educators, and the public. As the Principal Consultant at Lyons Assessment Consulting, Susan works alongside innovators to advance theory and practice in educational measurement. Susan holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Math Education from Boston University and served as a math educator before pursuing her graduate work. She received her master’s and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a focus on Research, Evaluation, Measurement and Statistics from the University of Kansas. In 2019, Susan launched Lyons Assessment Consulting, which quickly became a leader in supporting innovation in educational assessment and accountability. Lyons Assessment Consulting services include supporting the design of assessment and accountability systems, leading research, and serving as technical advisors to large and complex projects. Though she primarily works as a practitioner, Susan remains active in writing and publishing. She frequently releases white papers documenting her applied work, publishes in peer-reviewed journals, and presents at professional conferences.
Chris Olszewski, Ph.D, Assistant Superintendent, Billings Public Schools
Chris currently serves as the Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction (9-12) for Billings Public Schools and serves on Montana’s TAC as a state and local expert. He earned his General Science undergraduate degree from the University of Great Falls and Broadfield Science teaching endorsement from the University of Texas San Antonio. His teaching experience includes grades five through high school sciences and adjunct professor at the college level. He graduated from the Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX with a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Chris completed the principal and superintendent program, and earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Montana. He is the incoming Chair of the Montana ACT Council, and has served on numerous state and national level committees, including the 2022 Montana Accreditation (Ch.55) Negotiated Rules Committee. He is a past president of both state affiliates for the Montana ASCD and Montana Learning Forward. In his more than 25 years of experience in the educational field, Dr, Olszewski strives to find innovative ways to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment and provide the leadership necessary for positive change.
Stephen Schreibeis, M.Ed., Superintendent, Glendive Public Schools
Stephen Schreibeis serves as the Superintendent of Glendive Public Schools in Glendive, Montana. His leadership journey began in the classroom as a high school math teacher, where he developed a strong appreciation for using data to drive student growth. Motivated by a deep passion for service, Stephen transitioned into administration and has since held leadership roles across three different school districts. In his current district-wide role, he is committed to fostering environments where students and staff can be highly effective.
Stephen is the creator of the Stages of Learning, a published instructional strategy that supports metacognition, self-reflection, and student growth. He has presented on this and other educational leadership topics at teacher and administrator conferences throughout the western United States. His work reflects a deep belief in practical, meaningful strategies that promote student success.
In 2016, Stephen became a certified speaker, trainer, and coach with Maxwell Leadership (formerly the John Maxwell Team). His leadership training has extended internationally, including work in Costa Rica where he helped train civic and educational leaders in values-based leadership through roundtables.
Stephen is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the state’s Technical Advisory Committee. He hopes to offer a helpful perspective from the field and looks forward to learning from and collaborating with others to help Montana continue to grow and improve its assessment practices.
Ben Shear, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
Dr. Ben Shear is an Associate Professor in the Research and Evaluation Methodology program at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education and a Faculty Partner at the Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation (CADRE). He earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Stanford University and an M.A. in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology from the University of British Columbia. Prior to his academic career, Ben was a high school mathematics teacher in Colorado. He is a nationally recognized expert in educational assessment whose research and teaching focus on the design, analysis, and interpretation of large-scale assessment data. His areas of expertise include psychometric modeling, measurement validity, and the development and evaluation of test-based accountability metrics. His work is guided by a commitment to ensuring that assessments are used appropriately to support fair and valid inferences about all students. He has collaborated closely with state and district partners on assessment design and use, bringing to Montana’s TAC both deep technical expertise and a perspective grounded in the practical considerations that shape assessment policy and practice.
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