Natasha Williams

Natasha Williams received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, specializing in quantitative methods, from the University of Texas at Austin. She began work in the student assessment field as a Research Associate at ACT, providing statistical support for ACT programs and contracts. She then worked for Pearson taking on a variety of positions, including the Director of Psychometric and Research Services, and gained considerable experience developing research designs to evaluate the effectiveness of assessment programs. Natasha then took on the role of Director of Institutional Research at Southwestern University where she provided guidance on program assessment, survey design, and data analysis to facilitate university decision-making and strategic planning. At Curriculum Associates, Natasha manages research scientists and statistical analysts who support the operational administrations of the Assessment of Spanish Reading and Literacy Tasks.

• Whittaker, T. A., Williams, N. J., & Dodd, B. D. (2011). Do examinees understand score reports for alternate methods of scoring computer-based tests (CBTs)? Educational Assessment, 16(2), 69–89.
• Nichols, P. D., & Williams, N. J. (2009). Consequences of test score use as validity evidence: Roles and responsibilities. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(1), 3–9.
• Williams, N. J., & Beretvas, S. N. (2006). DIF identification using HGLM for polytomous items. Applied Psychological Measurement, 30(1), 22–42.
• Williams, N. J., & Noble, J. P. (2005). School-level benefits of using PLAN over time (ACT Research Report No. 2005-1). Iowa City, IA: ACT.

Academic Presentations

• Keng, L., Williams, N. J., & Power, S. (2014, April). Lessons learned: Decision points for empirical based standard setting. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, Philadelphia, PA.
• Powers, S., Williams, N. J., Keng, L., & Starr, L. (2014, April). An example of evidence-based standard setting for an English language proficiency test. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, Philadelphia, PA.
• Williams, N. J., Keng, L., & O'Malley, K. (2012, April). Maximizing panel input: Incorporating empirical evidence in a way the standard-setting panel will understand. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
• Kong, J., Powers, S., Starr, L., & Williams, N. J. (2012, April). Connecting English language learning and academic performance: A prediction study. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

National Counsel on Measurement in Education