Assessment and Measurement faculty and students travel to Washington State University for cross-institutional research collaboration

Jonathan Henriques (Assessment and Measurement, first-year PhD student), Jada Willse (Psychological Sciences – Quantitative Psychology concentration, second-year MA student), and Brian Leventhal (Director, Assessment and Measurement PhD Program/Psychological Sciences MA Program) recently visited Washington State University in Pullman, WA, to engage in research collaboration with Dr. Brian French, Dr. Thao Vo, other faculty members, and graduate students on multiple scholarly projects. Their joint research initiatives are centered on validating the Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs (WARNs) for middle and high school students and developing an elementary-level version (e-WARNs). Within the team, each student has assumed leadership of a distinct project: Jada’s Master’s thesis and Jonathan’s first-year research focus on leveraging artificial intelligence, large language models, and machine learning to adapt e-WARNs for cultural responsiveness and to enhance the validity of WARNs scores, respectively. These methodological innovations are contributing to advancements in educational measurement, with both students and faculty seeking scalable and effective solutions. Supported by the College of Health and Behavioral Studies, this visit signifies the beginning of a long-term cross-institutional partnership aimed at positively impacting local communities.