WestEd’s Formative Insights team brings knowledge of how to develop state, district and school capacity to introduce, apply and scale formative assessment. With expertise in formative assessment, professional learning, leadership, continuous improvement, secondary reform, and learning technologies, our team has designed a wide range of professional learning for teachers, leaders and policy makers, with a focus on how formative assessment strengthens the student role in learning and advances equity.
Nancy Gerzon
Nancy provides national leadership in formative assessment. Her work at WestEd focuses on supporting teachers to develop technical knowledge of formative assessment (developing lesson-sized learning goals, using success criteria with students, eliciting and using evidence during learning) as well as working with school and district leaders to advance the necessary classroom supports that are crucial to full implementation of formative practices (developing learning partnerships with students, supporting students to develop and apply metacognitive skills to guide their learning). Nancy enlivens adult learning through using formative assessment constructs to improve teacher learning. She does this by engaging teachers in using evidence of their current practice to build on their strengths and explore the next steps in their own learning. She has been at the forefront of developing scalable approaches to teacher-led learning in formative assessment, including developing models for formative assessment peer coaching, site-based Communities of Practice, teacher-led Video Study Groups, and intensive blended digital professional learning. Follow Nancy on Twitter @NancyGerzon.
Cali Kaminsky
Cali joined WestEd’s Assessment for Learning team in March 2021, bringing with her expertise in college and career readiness and secondary systems design. Cali leads work that explores structures that influence change in the student role and how students are involved in program design to empower them to make informed decisions about their future and personal success. Cali leads state and district technical assistance and professional learning to support large scale projects that expand and deepen teacher and leader agency through formative assessment, secondary reform, and competency-based systems. She is passionate about integrating policies, programs, and people to advance equity, innovation, and quality outcomes for all students. Prior to joining WestEd, Cali served as an independent consultant, leading efforts in both the public and private education sectors in strategic policy development, comprehensive program design, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. From 2011 to 2019, Cali led secondary school work at the Rhode Island Department of Education, supporting multiple, flexible pathways toward a high school diploma including personalized and proficiency-based learning approaches, student-centered learning, and work-based learning opportunities. Cali holds a BA in psychology from the University of New Hampshire and an MA in Urban Education Policy from Brown University.
Chase Midyett
As a Program Associate on WestEd’s Formative Insights team, Chase supports online course content development, data analysis, digital media resource production, and social media. Chase began his journey with WestEd as an intern, where he completed revisions to WestEd’s Student Agency in Learning (SAIL) course, supported a literature review on formative assessment for English language learners, and contributed to new outreach to the team’s social media. His work in formative assessment is fueled by a commitment to social justice, and a desire to better understand how to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational systems. Chase is a recent graduate of the Media Studies program at the University of San Francisco, where his studies were centered on the psychological and behavioral effects of digital media technology on contemporary culture and society. He brings a commitment to social justice, as well as experiences supporting a range of social justice initiatives, including interning on a documentary production for “Down a Dark Stairwell” focused on racial justice in New York. He is passionate about digital media technology research, giving back to his community, and developing progressive and inclusive learning environments.
Delphean Quan
Delphean joined WestEd in 2010, where her work has focused on supporting the production and delivery of online professional learning events. In this role, Delphean was instrumental in supporting WestEd teams to transition to new models for virtual meetings and online professional learning during the pandemic. As a Program Associate on the Assessment for Learning team, Delphean supports the design and dissemination models of high-quality professional learning resources for schools, districts, and states. A primary focus of her work is to explore how the online technologies and tools that were successful during the pandemic can be leveraged to create effective blended learning models that integrate what was best in online learning within traditional onsite learning models. Delphean holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Davis.
Yesenia (Yesi) Ayala
Yesenia (Yesi) joined the Assessment for Learning team in January 2022, bringing with her expertise in education research, policy, and practice. As a Program Associate on WestEd’s Assessment for Learning team, Yesenia supports professional learning and technical assistance in formative assessment implementation, systems change, and professional learning content design. Yesenia’s work on the Assessment for Learning team is fueled by her passion for equity, social justice, and systemic change in educational systems. Her work centers on creating structures for equity by elevating the student role in learning to promote learner agency. Yesenia focuses on working at multiple levels of the educational system, from classroom to statehouse, to support high-quality experiences for all students. A core part of her work at WestEd is centered around how classroom practice and cyclical coaching models can be a powerful lever in informing and strengthening leadership and policy that supports educational change.
Yesenia is a skilled coach, teacher, and leader and has a breadth of qualitative and quantitative analysis and program evaluation experience. She is skilled in making sense of and translating research for practitioner use. Prior to joining WestEd, Yesenia worked in education policy in Washington D.C., taught multilingual learners, and worked with a range of education nonprofits and community organizations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and Spanish with a concentration in Latin American studies from Grinnell College and two masters degrees in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership studies and in Public Policy from Stanford University.
