Overview
Susan Levenson is a WestEd school and district improvement facilitator and program manager with broad expertise in curricula, instruction, and assessment. Levenson partners with states and districts to provide leadership in the ongoing development, review, and evaluation of curricula and instructional services as well as the assessment systems that measure their impacts. This assistance may include supporting alignment with state frameworks, implementation of federal or state aid programs, implementation of high-yield instructional practices, and accountability structures for ensuring ongoing achievement gains.
Levenson has led work in several states supporting implementation of WestEd’s Four Domains of Rapid School Improvement, specifically in the domain of Instructional Transformation. Through intensive coaching for both teachers and leaders, instructional support at the structural and classroom levels, facilitated data analysis, and strategic planning, she and her team foster markedly improved outcomes for students. In recent years, Levenson has led the development of WestEd’s Formative Writing Framework, a next generation writing program that draws on highly engaging performance tasks to generate actionable data for teachers that drive rapid and lasting literacy gains for students.
Levenson brings a wealth of experience to these efforts beyond her decade of work with WestEd. During her tenure as the state ELA coordinator for Georgia’s Common Core implementation, she developed the Common Core Professional Learning Master Plan for the state and built capacity for robust professional learning communities in hundreds of sites. She has served as a consultant for the College Board, contributing as both a content developer and trainer. Additionally, she has collaborated with various national standardized testing consortia focusing on item development and review. She holds National Board Teacher Certification, a Congressionally Conferred Master Teacher Designation, postgraduate certification as a K–12 Reading Specialist, and an academic coaching credential. She earned her BS in psychology from the University of Georgia and her master’s in education from Georgia State University.
Education
- MEd in secondary English education, Georgia State University
- BS in psychology, University of Georgia
Select Publications
Levenson, S. C. (2021). The Formative Writing Framework: Addressing the writing gap. WestEd’s Quality Schools and Districts. WestEd
Levenson, S. C. (2018). The critical role of feedback in teaching and learning. Leadership for Educational Achievement Foundation (Leaf) Journal, 4(3).
Levenson, S. C. (2012). Common Core professional learning series for English language arts [TV series]. In partnership with the Georgia Department of Education. Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Levenson, S. C. (2012). Common Core professional learning series for history and social studies [TV series]. In partnership with the Georgia Department of Education. Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Honors, Awards, and Affiliations
National Board Certification, English Language Arts and Literacy
Master Teacher Certification, conferred, Georgia State Legislature
Academic Coaching Credential, Georgia Professional Standards Commission
Teacher of the Year, DeKalb County School System, 2010
Georgia Educator Certification, English Language Arts 6–12, Social Sciences 6–8, ELD California Educator Certification, English Language Arts 6–12
Gifted and Talented Postgraduate Endorsement
Reading and Early Childhood Literacy Postgraduate Endorsement
The College Board AP Language and Composition, Trainer
The College Board SpringBoard, Trainer