Joanne Jensen

Overview

Joanne Jensen is a leader in the field of educational assessment. With more than 35 years of large-scale assessment development experience, she provides assessment design, development solutions, and policy support for states and districts as they implement their assessment solutions. She directs the staff of Assessment Design and Development in the design and delivery of assessment content for summative, interim, diagnostic, and formative assessments.  

Jensen has directed large-scale assessment development contracts for the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Tennessee, providing standards-aligned assessments used for federal and state accountability. She has expanded WestEd’s portfolio of work to include assessments for preschool through grade 2 in recognition of the importance of early educational experience on later achievement. Building on her industry experience, she has grown WestEd’s work to include support for corporate curriculum providers who provide direct services to schools and districts.  

Prior to assuming the role of Director of Assessment Design and Development, Jensen served in the roles of Director of Test Development and Director of Assessment Client Relations at WestEd

Education

• PhD in educational psychology, University of California, Berkeley 
• MA in education, University of California, Berkeley 
• BA in psychology, California State University, Fresno 

Select Publications

Jensen, J. (2024). The imperative of defining meaningful achievement level descriptors for evaluating student achievement. Symposium presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, Seattle, WA.  

Jensen, J. (2024). Screener, diagnostic, interim, and summative assessments…Oh my! Symposium presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, Seattle, WA.  

Jensen, J. (2023). Grade 3 is too late: Let’s focus on preK through grade 3, shall we? Symposium presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, New Orleans, LA.  

Jensen, J. (2023). The predictive nature of early childhood assessments. Paper presentation to the Chief Council of State School Officers Early Childhood Collaborative, San Antonio, TX.  

Jensen, J. (2022). Balanced preK to 3rd grade assessment: Knowing how young learners are progressing. Paper presentation to the Chief Council of State School Officers Early Childhood Collaborative, Jacksonville, FL.  

Jensen, J. (2022). Let’s talk K–2. This is, after all, where it all begins. Paper presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, Atlanta, GA.  

Jensen, J. L., Goldstein, J., and Brunetti, M. A. (2021). Kindergarten readiness assessments help identify skill gaps. WestEd. 

Jensen, J. L., Goldstein, J., and Brunetti, M. A. (2021). K–2 assessment systems enable early intervention to foster student success. WestEd. 

Jensen, J. (2018). The development and implementation of an enhanced version 2.0 kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA) informed by four years of administration across Maryland and Ohio. Symposium presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, San Diego, CA. 

Jensen, J. (2018). Preparing for grade 3: Tennessee’s innovative assessment for grade 2. Paper presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, San Diego, CA.  

Jensen, J. (2016). Kentucky’s experience with three-dimensional science assessment. Symposium presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, Philadelphia, PA. 

Jensen, J. (2015). Ready for kindergarten: Lessons from the field in the implementation of a kindergarten readiness assessment. Symposium presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, San Diego, CA. 

Jensen, J. (2015). Evaluating student motivation in field testing: Concepts, implementation, analysis, and interpretation. Paper presentation at the National Conference on Student Assessment, San Diego, CA. 

Jensen, J., & Constantine, N. (1995). Review of the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook. The University of Nebraska Press. 

Nafziger, D. H., & Jensen, J. (1995). Review of the Australian Council for Educational Research Tests of Basic Skills. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook. The University of Nebraska Press. 

Nafziger, D. H., & Jensen, J. (1995). Review of the School Assessment Survey. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The mental measurements yearbook. The University of Nebraska Press. 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Referee, Large-Scale Assessment Special Interest Group (SIG), American Educational Research Association  

Referee, Association of Test Publishers 

Referee, Curriculum and Instruction  

Referee, Educational Researcher