Dr. Juan D’Brot is an associate director at the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (Center for Assessment), where he supports states and organizations in designing, implementing, and evaluating assessment and accountability systems. Juan’s work centers on building coherent systems that connect technical soundness with fairness, implementation feasibility, and local context. He is known for his systems-level thinking, his ability to turn complexity into clarity, and his dedication to sustainable, improvement-focused solutions.
Juan leads and contributes to projects involving ESSA accountability design and redesign, evaluation of growth models, graduation options, performance standard setting, and the development of assessment strategies tailored to state policy goals. He is deeply engaged in guiding state partners through federal peer review, technical documentation, and impact evaluation, serving not just as a technical expert but as a strategic thought partner who helps clients see the bigger picture and build systems that reflect their values.
His research and policy work emphasize accountability implementation, continuous improvement systems, and the utility of assessment systems for driving equitable outcomes. Recent efforts include developing accountability validation protocols, supporting through-year assessment pilots, and designing high-leverage evaluation frameworks for state education agencies. He is also a frequent contributor to the Center’s blog, a co-author of national guidance documents, and a lead developer of tools that support logic modeling, implementation planning, and formative evaluation.
Before joining the Center in 2016, Juan oversaw assessment, accountability, research, and evaluation for the state of West Virginia. He also held senior research roles at CTB/McGraw-Hill and Data Recognition Corporation, where he led psychometric analysis, research innovation, and the alignment of assessment design with policy and instructional needs.
Juan currently serves as co-chair of the NCME Presidential Task Force on Civil Rights in Educational Measurement, is a board member of the Center for Measurement Justice, and serves on the executive committee of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. He also acts as the co-state advisor for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment (TILSA) collaborative, and is a trusted technical advisory committee member for several states and territories.
Juan holds a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology with a concentration in quantitative methods from Capella University, and a Master’s in Communication Theory and Research from West Virginia University.
His publication history spans technical guidance, state-specific recommendations, peer-reviewed articles, and evaluation frameworks that inform practice at both the state and national levels.
D’Brot, J., & Brandt, W.C. (2024a). Key characteristics and principles to support the development of continuous improvement systems. Rockville, MD: Region 5 Comprehensive Center at Westat.
D’Brot, J. & Brandt, W.C. (2024b). Supporting continuous improvement efforts through balanced assessment systems: Components, integration, and high-leverage Actions. Rockville, MD: Region 5 Comprehensive Center at Westat.
D’Brot, J. & Brandt, W.C. (2024). Applying continuous improvement principles: Implementing evaluation practices. Rockville, MD: Region 5 Comprehensive Center at Westat.
Domaleski, C., D’Brot, J., Pinsonneault, L., Gong, B., & Brandt, C.W. (2023). The path forward for school accountability: Practical ways to improve school accountability systems now. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
Winter, P., Karvonen, M., D’Brot, J., & Warren, S., (2022). Measuring and reporting academic growth for students with significant cognitive disabilities in state accountability systems. Council for Chief State School Officers: Washington, D.C.
D’Brot, J. (2022). Technical advisory committees: Technical guidance in challenging times. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
D’Brot, J. & Landl, E., (2021). Establishing an assessment strategy: Recommendations for Norwalk Public Schools. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
Domaleski, C., D’Brot, J., Marion, S., & Boyer, M. (2021). Sensible reporting of spring 2021 state assessment results. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
Ferrara, S., Lewis, D., & D’Brot J. (2021). Setting benchmarked performance standards: A content-focused, judgmental approach, procedures, and some empirical results. Journal of Applied Testing Technologies.
D’Brot, J. (2020). Operational Best Practices for Accountability. Washington, D.C.: The Council of Chief State School Officers.
D’Brot, J., LeFloch, K., English, D., Jacques, C. (2020). State Support Network: Evaluating State Accountability Systems Toolkit. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
Marion, S. M., Lyons, S., D’Brot, J. (2016). Developing a theory of action to support high quality accountability system design. Dover, NH: National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.
Rich, C. S., Schneider, M. C., & D’Brot, J. M. (2013). Applications of Automated Essay Evaluation in West Virginia. In M. D. Shermis & J. Burstein (Eds.), Handbook of automated essay evaluation: Current applications and new directions. New York: Routledge Academic.
Juan leads and contributes to projects involving ESSA accountability design and redesign, evaluation of growth models, graduation options, performance standard setting, and the development of assessment strategies tailored to state policy goals. He is deeply engaged in guiding state partners through federal peer review, technical documentation, and impact evaluation, serving not just as a technical expert but as a strategic thought partner who helps clients see the bigger picture and build systems that reflect their values.
His research and policy work emphasize accountability implementation, continuous improvement systems, and the utility of assessment systems for driving equitable outcomes. Recent efforts include developing accountability validation protocols, supporting through-year assessment pilots, and designing high-leverage evaluation frameworks for state education agencies. He is also a frequent contributor to the Center’s blog, a co-author of national guidance documents, and a lead developer of tools that support logic modeling, implementation planning, and formative evaluation.
Before joining the Center in 2016, Juan oversaw assessment, accountability, research, and evaluation for the state of West Virginia. He also held senior research roles at CTB/McGraw-Hill and Data Recognition Corporation, where he led psychometric analysis, research innovation, and the alignment of assessment design with policy and instructional needs.
Juan currently serves as co-chair of the NCME Presidential Task Force on Civil Rights in Educational Measurement, is a board member of the Center for Measurement Justice, and serves on the executive committee of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. He also acts as the co-state advisor for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment (TILSA) collaborative, and is a trusted technical advisory committee member for several states and territories.
Juan holds a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology with a concentration in quantitative methods from Capella University, and a Master’s in Communication Theory and Research from West Virginia University.
His publication history spans technical guidance, state-specific recommendations, peer-reviewed articles, and evaluation frameworks that inform practice at both the state and national levels.
Recent and Relevant Publications
D’Brot, J., & Brandt, W.C. (2024a). Key characteristics and principles to support the development of continuous improvement systems. Rockville, MD: Region 5 Comprehensive Center at Westat.
D’Brot, J. & Brandt, W.C. (2024b). Supporting continuous improvement efforts through balanced assessment systems: Components, integration, and high-leverage Actions. Rockville, MD: Region 5 Comprehensive Center at Westat.
D’Brot, J. & Brandt, W.C. (2024). Applying continuous improvement principles: Implementing evaluation practices. Rockville, MD: Region 5 Comprehensive Center at Westat.
Domaleski, C., D’Brot, J., Pinsonneault, L., Gong, B., & Brandt, C.W. (2023). The path forward for school accountability: Practical ways to improve school accountability systems now. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
Winter, P., Karvonen, M., D’Brot, J., & Warren, S., (2022). Measuring and reporting academic growth for students with significant cognitive disabilities in state accountability systems. Council for Chief State School Officers: Washington, D.C.
D’Brot, J. (2022). Technical advisory committees: Technical guidance in challenging times. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
D’Brot, J. & Landl, E., (2021). Establishing an assessment strategy: Recommendations for Norwalk Public Schools. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
Domaleski, C., D’Brot, J., Marion, S., & Boyer, M. (2021). Sensible reporting of spring 2021 state assessment results. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment: Dover, NH.
Ferrara, S., Lewis, D., & D’Brot J. (2021). Setting benchmarked performance standards: A content-focused, judgmental approach, procedures, and some empirical results. Journal of Applied Testing Technologies.
D’Brot, J. (2020). Operational Best Practices for Accountability. Washington, D.C.: The Council of Chief State School Officers.
D’Brot, J., LeFloch, K., English, D., Jacques, C. (2020). State Support Network: Evaluating State Accountability Systems Toolkit. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
Marion, S. M., Lyons, S., D’Brot, J. (2016). Developing a theory of action to support high quality accountability system design. Dover, NH: National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.
Rich, C. S., Schneider, M. C., & D’Brot, J. M. (2013). Applications of Automated Essay Evaluation in West Virginia. In M. D. Shermis & J. Burstein (Eds.), Handbook of automated essay evaluation: Current applications and new directions. New York: Routledge Academic.
