1. Office of Local Assessment
2909 North Buckner Blvd. #100
Assessment.dallasisd.org
Fax: 972-925-8961
January 7, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to take this opportunity to discuss and detail the contributions Ebony
Cooksey Thomas has made to the district as a whole through her work as a summer test
writer for the Assessments of Course Performance (ACPs) created by Local Assessment.
As an Assessment Specialist with Local Assessment, I oversee the secondary
Reading Language Arts and High School ESL ACPs as well as the Written Composition
ACPs. Each summer, our department works with Teaching and Learning to identify
teachers who are leaders in their respective departments on their campuses to write test
questions for the ACPs. Many of these teachers give up most or all of their summer break
to participate in the summer writing program, and Ms. Thomas was no exception.
Throughout the summer, she was one of the most engaged and passionate writers with
whom I worked. She contributed more than was required, exceeding the job requirements
in terms of time, production, and guidance of other writers.
Ms. Thomas helped to both develop new test materials and to refine existing
materials. This included ensuring test materials aligned to state and local standards while
still creating an effective measure of student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Ms.
Thomas never hesitated to volunteer to work on additional tests or to take on additional
responsibilities throughout the test development process. She readily and excitedly
collaborated with other teachers and myself to produce the best possible assessment for
the district as a whole. In doing so, she left a lasting, positive mark on every test she
touched.
Ms. Thomas also has helped guide other teachers to help improve understanding
of the standards for everyone involved. This sped up the development process
significantly while also improving the overall quality of the exams. As a result, we were
able to get further into the development process before teachers resumed classroom work
than ever before. Additionally, she voluntarily took extra time to review completed tests
and, working with other teachers, completed an in-depth review of the exams to ensure
their accuracy, efficacy, and alignment to state standards.
Throughout the test development process, Ms. Thomas regularly went beyond the
requirements and expectations of a summer test writer by spending extra time working on
tests as well as sharing ideas to improve testing in general. It is exceedingly clear to me
that Ms. Thomas has left a lasting impact on the district as a whole through her role in
ACP development.
Sincerely,
Stephen McPaul
Assessment Specialist II
Local Assesement
smcpaul@dallasisd.org
972-925-6458