Michael L. Walker

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9270 South Tomlin Hill Road
Columbia, Missouri 65201
573-442-2903;

Consulting Services 

Educational Development Project (1989-present): Curriculum and Assessment Development

Writing Assessment

• Research, development, and implementation of elementary, secondary and post-secondary direct and indirect writing assessments (i.e., development of items and prompts; development and implementation of scoring materials, procedures, and training for the scoring of direct writing assessments)

Standards Development, Curriculum Alignment, and Assessment Development

• Policy studies, research, seminars, workshops, and training for state departments of education, school districts, & colleges/universities in performance-based standards, curriculum, and assessment development for elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education; portfolio design and implementation for K-12 and higher-education system-wide accountability
• Development of scoring materials, procedures, and scorer training for performance-based assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies; and teacher education

Research and Program Evaluation

• Development of program evaluation research design
• Development of research instruments

Business Communication Associates (1982-present): Publications, Consulting, and Writing Instruction for Business and Academe

Publications

• Business: proposals and bids, technical and training manuals; scripts for industrial training films; sales and promotional literature; management and production of newsletters
• Academe: grant applications, theses, dissertations, and articles for scholarly publications

Consulting and Writing Instruction

• Business: Production of corporate publications
• Academe: Development and implementation of writing seminars for scientific societies, business, and academe

Health Physics Society Newsletter(1988-1991, Managing Editor; 1985-1988, Assistant Editor)

• Full responsibility for writing, editing, design, production, and dissemination of an internationally distributed news-magazine. Additional responsibilities included fiscal operations (e.g., budget preparation and analysis, billing, collection) and reader services.

Women's Network Newsletter(Columbia, MO, Chamber of Commerce) (1990-1991; 1992-1994, Managing Editor)

• Coordinate manuscript preparation and production (typesetting, design, layout, printing) of monthly newsletter.
  

Money Matters Newsletter (Betty J. Schuster, Principal Financial Group) (1991-1994, Managing Editor)

• Coordinate manuscript preparation and production of a quarterly financial planning newsletter.

Center for Educational Assessment (1987-1988, Editor).

• Development of College BASE (College Basic Academic Subjects Examination), a college-level, criterion-referenced achievement examination in English, mathematics, science, and social studies. Additional responsibilities included development and implementation of scoring materials and training procedures for direct writing assessment, and development and production of ancillary documents.

Collegiate Instruction [top]

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri (1998-1999), Clinical Associate, Department of Biological Sciences: Responsibility for evaluating the impact of National Science Foundation funded innovations to curriculum and instruction in undergraduate science courses.

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri (1995-1998), Clinical Associate, College of Education, Undergraduate Teacher Development Center and Continuing Professional Education. Responsibility for experiences in teacher development; and courses in curriculum development and performance-based assessment.

Stephens College,Columbia, Missouri, (1985-1989), Instructor, Department of Languages and Literature. Responsibility for courses in freshman and sophomore expository writing and research skills.

Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri, (1982-1986), Instructor, College of Business Administration and Evening College. Responsibility for courses in freshman and sophomore expository writing and research skills; upper-division courses in American literature; and creation of a course in magazine, newsletter, and brochure writing, editing, and production.

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, (1977-1985), Instructor, Department of English. Responsibility for courses in freshman and sophomore expository writing and research skills; upper-division courses in technical writing for engineers, agriculturalists, and other scientific divisions (with emphasis in working with ESL students); lower-division courses in British and American poetry, fiction, and drama; and a course in Native American literature and the poetry/prose of John G. Neihardt.

University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, (1976-1977), Instructor, Department of English. Responsibility for courses in freshman and sophomore expository writing and research skills.

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, (1974-1976), Graduate Teacher, Department of English. Responsibility for courses in freshman and sophomore expository writing and research skills.

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, (1974-1975), Teaching Assistant, College of Education (Department of Curriculum and Instruction): Assisted in the instruction of general teaching skills and secondary language arts skills.

Publications and Presentations [top]

Performance-Based Teacher Education Program Evaluation (invited presentation at the NCATE State Partners Clinic, San Antonio, TX, May 1999).

The Development of Missouri's "Show-Me" State Standards: The Politics of Language (co-authored with Margaret L. Placier, University of Missouri-Columbia and Bill Foster, University of Missouri-St. Louis. (1998) Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, April 1998, San Diego, CA.

Building Capacity for Effective Teacher Education. Presentation to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Phoenix, Arizona, March 1997.

Integration of Education: A Practitioner's Guide to Integration. (co-authored with Rod Custer and the Instructional Materials Laboratory). (1996) University of Missouri-Columbia: Instructional Materials Laboratory.

Integrating Curriculum Within and Across the Curriculum. contained within the Missouri Framework for Curriculum Development. (1996) State of Missouri: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Information Literacy: Challenge for the Future.  (co-authored with Mary F. Lenox, Dean of the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Library and Information Science). Bulletin, National Association of Secondary School Principals, May 1994, pp. 57-73.

Information Literacy in the Educational Process.  (co-authored with Mary F. Lenox, Dean of the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Library and Information Science). The Educational Forum 57:3, Spring 1993, pp. 312-325.

District Assessment Development as Staff Development, Northwest Evaluation Association, November 1993, Portland, Oregon. (half-day workshop in using assessment design and development for district-wide staff development purposes)

Strange Bedfellows: A State Department, Publishing Company, Consultants, and Legislators Build a Strategy for Reform, Conference of the Education Commission of the States, June 13-15, 1991, Breckenridge, Colorado.

Development of a Scoring System for a Statewide Performance-Based Assessment of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics, Eighth Annual Conference of Language and Literacy Assessment, National Testing Network in Writing, November 9-11, 1990, New York, New York.

Part-Timers: The Second-Class Sub-Faculty of Higher Education, President's Forum: Being Marginal in the Profession, Midwest Modern Language Association, November 1987, Columbus, Ohio.

Workshops and Seminars (a sampling) [top]

"Developing, Scoring, and Analyzing Teacher Education Standards-Based Portfolios," 1999, Southeast Missouri State University, Central Missouri State University, Southwest MO State University, University of Missouri-Rolla.

"Scoring and Using Standards-Based Portfolios and Other Performance-Based Data in Education Preparation for Missouri Colleges and Universities," 1999, Training for Site Team Evaluators (state and NCATE)

"Writing and Assessing Competencies in General Education Curriculum," 2000, Mineral Area Community College

"Writing, Revising, and Assessing Measurable Competencies," 1999 A+ Coordinators Conference.

"Constructing Performance-Based Assessments," 1998, Riverview Gardens High School.

"Building and Maintaining A+ Teams," 1998, A+ Coordinators Conference.

"Developing Performance-Based Assessment Tasks," 1995 & 1996 Summer Assessment Institutes, Continuing Professional Education, University of Missouri-Columbia

Workshops for more than 50 Missouri A+ high schools in the theory behind and development of "measureable objectives," performance-based assessment, and tracking competencies for high school students.

Workshops and presentations on integrating academics for several Missouri high schools and for the DESE-sponsored A+ coordinators' conferences, 1994-1996.

Workshops and presentations for more than 50 school districts on Missouri's Show-Me Standards, Frameworks for Curriculum Development, and assessment system, 1994-present

"What is Cognitive Science Telling Us About How Kids Learn?" Missouri A+/Tech-Prep Conference, November 1995.

"Authentic Instruction Activities in the High School," Lindbergh High School, 1995-1996.

"Trends in State and National Assessment Practices," conducted for the Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools, Secondary Faculty and Curriculum Coordinators, July 1993.

"Designing a District Mathematics and English/Language Arts Portfolio System, Grades K-8," conducted for the Rockwood (MO) School District, June 1993.

"Interdisciplinary Unit and Assessment Planning," conducted for the Sunnyside (AZ) School District, January 7-8, 1993.

"Performance-Based Instructional Planning in Secondary Schools," conducted for the Montgomery (MD) County Public Schools, July 1992.

"Planning, Preparing, and Practicing for the ASAP," conducted for the Tucson (AZ) Unified and Sunnyside (AZ) School Districts, June 1992.

"Scorer Training for the ASAP," conducted for the Arizona Education Association, October 1991.

"Communication Skills for Scientists: Knowing Your Audience," seminar presented at the annual meeting of the Health Physics Society, July 1991, Washington, D.C.; June 1992, Columbus, Ohio; July 1993, Atlanta, Georgia; January 1995, Charleston, South Carolina.

"Writing for Newsletters and Other Publications" and "Electronic Design and Production of Newsletters," Columbia Adult Education, Columbia Public Schools, Columbia, Missouri, Spring 1991.

"Performance-Based Instructional Material Development," workshops in performance-based curriculum design and assessment, conducted for the Greater Phoenix Curriculum Council, Phoenix, Arizona (May and October 1991); Amphitheater School District, Tucson, Arizona (August 1990); Kyrene School District, Phoenix, Arizona (June 1991); Fort Huachuca School District, Ft. Huachuca, Arizona (Oct. 1991).

"Performance-Based Assessment Development," conducted for the Deer Valley Unified School District, Phoenix, Arizona (March 1991); assessment and portfolio consulting (February 1992).

"Arizona Student Assessment Plan Overview and Introduction to Rubric-Based Scoring," conducted for the Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, Arizona (February and March 1991); Cave Creek School District, Phoenix, Arizona (October 1991).

"Arizona Student Assessment Plan Scoring Conferences," Arizona Department of Education (February, March, June, August 1991); Arizona Education Association (October 1991).

"Performance-Based Assessment Development," conducted for the Glendale Elementary School District, Phoenix, Arizona (February 1991).

"Arizona Student Assessment Plan Scorer Training," prepared and conducted workshop on cross-curricular assessment and scorer training procedures; trained scorers of assessment program; and supervised scoring of statewide pilot instrument, Arizona Department of Education, April 1990.

Major Projects: Contract Consulting and Development Work [top]

State-Level Contracts 

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Development and implementation of standards, rubrics, and site-team evaluation processes for the approval of public and private educator preparation programs. (multi-year contract) Contact: Dr. J. Mike Lucas, Director, Teacher Education.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Development and implementation of competency-based standards, rubrics, and site-team evaluation processes for the approval of pre-professional teacher education to facilitate seamless transfer and articulation of students throughout Missouri's two- and four-year teacher preparation institutions. (multi-year contract) Contact: Dr. J. Mike Lucas, Director, Teacher Education.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Determine the degree of correlation between "Subject Specific Competencies for Beginning Teachers in Missouri" and Educational Testing Service's PRAXIS II series. (1-year contract) Contact: Mr. John Miller, Director, Teacher Certification.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Construct a performance-based assessment system for the continuous licensure of Missouri educators. (multi-year contract) Contact: Mr. John Miller, Director, Teacher Certification.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Investigate the impact of professional development on teachers' practices and their students' performance. (1-year contract, completed August 10, 1998). Contact: Mr. John Miller, Director, Teacher Certification.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Facilitated the redesign and implementation of Educator Program Approval (1-year contract, completed July 30, 1998). Contact: Dr. J. Mike Lucas, Director, Teacher Education.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education: Investigate and report on the Department's policies regarding teacher education program approval, continuing licensure, and professional development (1-year contract, completed June 30, 1997). Contacts: Mr. John Miller, Director, Teacher Certification; Dr. J. Mike Lucas, Director, Teacher Education.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Consulting and development work for the Department in its development and implementation of performance-standard based education (Show-Me Standards and Frameworks for Curriculum Development) and performance-based assessments; created and taught the MAP 2000 professional development program for two years (3-year contract, completed June 30, 1996). Contact: Dr. Orlo Schroyer, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Instruction.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the University of Missouri-Columbia, Instructional Materials Laboratory: Project Consultant to the "21st Century Curriculum Project," 1995-1998.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Urban and Teacher Education, Teacher Certification and Program Approval Sections, and the University of Missouri-Columbia, Instructional Materials Laboratory: Project Consultant to the "Subject-Specific Competencies for Beginning Teachers Project," 1995-1997.

Maryland State Department of Education: Facilitated design, development, and pilot administration of cross-disciplinary performance-based tasks and assessment portfolio for Maryland 11th graders, 1992 Pilot Project. Contact: Dr. Steven Ferrara, Branch Chief, Maryland State Department of Education.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Participated in the design, development, and pilot administration and scoring of a statewide writing assessment for 8th graders.

School District Contracts 

Hancock Place Public School District, St. Louis, MO: Consulting and curriculum/assessment development, 1998-1999.

Independence (MO) Public School District, Independence MO: Consulting and assessment development, 1998-1999.

Kirksville (MO) High School: Consulting and curriculum development for A+ High School, 1994-1996.

Hannibal (Mo) High School: Consulting and curriculum development for A+ High School, 1995-1997.

Hannibal (Mo) School District: Consulting and curriculum development for district-wide k-12 curriculum, 1997-1998.

Hallsville (Mo) Schools: Consulting and curriculum development , 1995-1996.

Lindbergh (Mo) High School: Consulting and curriculum development for A+ High School, 1995-1996.

Oakville (Mo) High School: Consulting and curriculum development for A+ High School, 1995-1996.

Mehlville High School: Consulting and curriculum development for A+ High School, 1995-1996.

Pendergast (AZ) School District, No. 92: Consulted with the school district assistant superintendent, principals, and teachers in the creation of a K-8 assessment portfolio system; consulted with the assistant superintendent and principals in the implications for school operations of performance-based instruction and assessment techniques (January 1993). Contact: Dr. Suzanne Armstrong, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.

Deer Valley (AZ) Unified School District: Consulted with the school district curriculum and assessment staff on the district's performance assessments (grades K-12) (February 1992); subsequently, in July 1992, coordinated and directed district teachers in a substantial two-week workshop to revise the district's performance-based assessment system. Contact Dr. Robert Burwood, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.

Higher Education Contracts 

Mineral Area Community College, Park Hills, MO (current contract): Assist all faculty and administrators in identifying, assessing, and tracking meeasurable competencies. Contact: Dr. Fred Lindhart, Dean, Vocational Degree Programs.

Eisenhower Program (administered through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education): Provide program evaluation for a chemistry and physics Professional Development program for secondary science teachers to determine the value added to the learning experience of secondary students by interacting with sophisticated laboratory instrumentation (AFR, UV-VIS, FTIR, STM, CCD cameras, etc.). Contact: Dr. Henry White, Chair, Department of Physics, University of Missouri-Columbia.

University of Missouri-Columbia, College of Education, Task Force: Facilitated development of College's "Principles and Practices" and Program Design for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation, 1994. Contact: Dr. Sharon Huntze, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies.

Project Construct National Center: Consulting and writing of a facilitators manual for the Project Construct Summer Institutes. Contact: Dr. Sharon Schattgen, Director.

Missouri Arts Education Alliance (a division of the Missouri Arts Council, jointly sponsored by DESE): Consulting and development of an application and assessment system for the Alliance's Exemplary Arts in Education Program (current); consulting and development of a proposal to fund statewide arts integration curriculum development, workshops, and institutes (current). Contact: Carol Cummerford, Executive Director; Dr. Larry Peeno, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Degrees and Course Work

Ph.D.(incomplete), University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, Department of English: Course work completed toward doctorate in the historical and theoretical development of the novel, with particular interests in the development of 19th- and 20th-century American fiction;
Minor: Magazine and corporate publications (writing, editing, and production)

M.A. in Literature (1976), University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, Department of English: Course work in rhetorical theory and practice, and American and British literature (period and genre study)

Additional graduate course work in Educational Measurement, and Developmental Reading and Writing (University of Missouri-Columbia, College of Education, Columbia, Missouri)

B.S. in Secondary English Education (1974), University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, College of Education. Missouri Life Teaching Certificates in Language Arts, 7-9, and English, 7-12. [top]