Sam Ihlenfeldt, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology’s quantitative methods in education (QME) program, has been awarded a National Council of Measurement in Education (NCME) Mission Fund grant for his research project, “Using Experimental Methods to Evaluate Score Reports Adapted for English Learner Parents.”

The NCME Mission Fund was established to provide a means for donors to express their tangible support for NCME’s mission to advance the science and practice of measurement in education, and to provide individuals and organizations with financial support for projects and research that address this mission directly.

This year’s Mission Fund grants were awarded for initiatives focusing on fairness, equity, and social justice in assessment.

Ihlenfeldt’s faculty advisor, Assistant Professor Joseph Rios, explained why his work is important for the Department of Educational Psychology and the field of educational measurement.

“In Sam’s time within the QME program, he has grown to become an independent thinker dedicated to conducting research on increasing inclusivity in educational measurement, which is at the heart of the department’s social justice mission. It is truly exciting to see that the national organization for measurement specialists has taken notice of his work on improving score reporting practices for English learner parents. The findings from Sam’s research have the potential to inform practitioners with concrete recommendations on how to increase accessibility to assessment results for this often marginalized population.”