Saint Paul Public Schools Appoints Testing Director

Saint Paul Public Schools Appoints Testing Director
6/28/2001 9:50 AM

The Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday appointed Thomas Watkins of Duluth as director of research, evaluation and assessment. He will oversee all aspects of testing coordination and analysis for the 45,000-student school district, including state-mandated tests and nationally-normed reference tests used as part of the school district’s accountability system.

Watkins will leave his position as supervisor of assessment and evaluation for the Duluth Public Schools to join the Saint Paul Public Schools effective July 2. His previous experience includes serving as testing coordinator for the Duluth Public Schools and managing educational research and evaluation for the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. During his career, he also has served as a program evaluator, research assistant, data analyst, project administrator and tutoring coordinator.

“One of the most important aspects of our work in the Office of Accountability is providing information to schools and our community about the achievement of our students,” said Margo Baines, chief accountability officer for the Saint Paul Public Schools. “We are confident that Mr. Watkins will be able to help our schools better understand data about student achievement, and we look forward to having him join our team on a full-time basis.”

Watkins holds both a doctorate and a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. He replaces Geoff Maruyama, who has been serving part-time in the position for the school district as part of a partnership between the Saint Paul Public Schools and the University of Minnesota.

“The Saint Paul Public Schools are very interesting to me,” Watkins said. “There are positive things happening with students, great people to work with and a lot of challenges. I’m looking forward to serving the students and teachers in Saint Paul and doing quality research and evaluation.”