WestEd News
Deb Sigman to Join WestEd as Deputy Director of Assessment Program
State and national education leader to focus on connecting assessments with enhanced student learning
San Francisco, California — July 8, 2015 — WestEd announced today that Deb Sigman will become Deputy Director of the agency’s Assessment & Standards Development Services (ASDS) program. She will begin her work with WestEd in August after having served in multiple education leadership positions.
Sigman comes to WestEd with extensive experience at the school, district, state, and national levels. She started her career as an administrator in California’s Elk Grove and Sacramento City Unified School Districts, then served 10 years at the California Department of Education as its State Assessment Director and Deputy Superintendent. In 2014, she joined the Rocklin CA Unified School District as its Deputy Superintendent overseeing educational services.
Nationally she serves as the chair of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Executive Committee.
At WestEd, Sigman will draw on her experience in education policy, student assessment, and accountability to further the development of assessments that provide useful results for educators and their students. Her particular interest is in assisting school leadership, teachers, and parents to better use assessment data to support student learning and achievement.
The positions Sigman has held in the past have made her especially sensitive to the challenges of the new assessments – for districts, teachers, students, and their families.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Deb to WestEd,” says Andrew Latham, Director of the Assessment & Standards Development Services program. “She has been a WestEd client at both the state and district level in the past and has always impressed me with her passion for student learning and her legendary work ethic. In her new role, she will help states and districts understand what their assessment results mean, and how they can integrate them with instruction to make sure all students have an opportunity to learn.”
“I’m looking forward to joining WestEd, and assisting policymakers and practitioners navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by new standards, assessments, and accountability systems,” says Sigman. “Ensuring that assessments continue to provide accurate and meaningful data to inform teaching and learning is essential to the eventual success of all students, no matter their background.”
Posted on July 8, 2015