Director, Field Services
WestEd's Ruth McKenna works with the Project Management Partner Team for the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium.
She serves as the consortium's PMP Liaison for the Assessment Design: Performance Tasks Work Group and the Formative Processes and Tools, Professional Development Work Group.
McKenna has worked in low-performing schools and districts to develop rigorous curriculum and assessment systems and ensure the opportunity to learn state standards for all students. She has helped districts in Washington, California, Arizona, Tennessee, and Mississippi meet district improvement targets by implementing core curriculum expectations.
Prior to joining WestEd, McKenna served as Superintendent of New Haven (California) Unified School District, where she led the district to adopt graduation requirements that guaranteed the eligibility of every student to the California State University and University of California systems.
Specifically, McKenna helped the New Have district implement the California Content Standards, establish multiple measures for student performance evaluation, open preschool programs at every district elementary school, and establish school-level accountability for students at risk of failure.
Under McKenna's leadership, the district's students surged well above the state average in the following areas:- participation in high school courses required to be admitted to the University of California: 11 percent higher than state average;
- percentage of eighth graders proficient or advanced in Algebra: 14 percent higher than state average;
- participation rate in biology and chemistry courses: 17 percent higher; and
- closed gap between lowest- and highest-performing schools on API 2000-2003: 46-point reduction.
In addition, the lowest scoring school on API 2003 was 100 points higher than in 2000.
Earlier, as Associate Superintendent in the New Haven School District, McKenna helped move New Haven to the forefront in technology integration in the classroom and the workplace.
During 1995-1998, McKenna served as Chief Deputy Superintendent for the California Department of Education, where she helped implement strategies for education reform. As part of the Challenge Initiative, McKenna assembled representatives from school districts statewide to draft the first set of academic standards for the state, known as the Challenge Standards.
McKenna received a BA in English from the University of California, Davis and an MS in human resources from Golden Gate University.
Tel: 360.472.1876
Email: rmckenn@wested.org
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