Kyla McClure aims to support states with creating assessment systems that inspire teachers and students to continue learning. Her scholarship uses measurement and causal tools to explore the effects and implications of assessment policies on classrooms.
Kyla began her career teaching high school math in Texas and her home state of California. While teaching, she found that external state assessment had a strong influence on her teaching and her students in both positive and negative ways. To better understand the purposes, implementation, and development of large-scale assessments, she decided to pursue a doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder in Research and Evaluation Methodology. Her dissertation examined the extent to which Utah’s state-provided modular assessments supported teacher instruction and increased student learning. She also explored different approaches to cumulating scores in Montana’s operational through-year assessment mathematics pilot.
During her graduate studies, Kyla has presented her research at the American Educational Research Association (AERA), National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME), and the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment Collaborative (TILSA). Her dissertation work was supported by a summer dissertation completion grant from the Graduate School at the University of Colorado Boulder.
In addition to her doctoral research, Kyla worked on a team under her advisor, Professor Derek Briggs, to support the development and implementation of a tool for visualizing content referenced growth. She has also supported states as a psychometric reviewer of proposals for state assessments.
As a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Assessment, Kyla is excited to continue to use her analytic and technical skills to support accountability and assessment work that centers teaching and learning.
Briggs, D. C., McClure, K., Student, S., Wellberg, S., Minchen, N., Cox, O., Buchbinder, N., Davis, L. (2025). Visualizing and Reporting Content-Referenced Growth on a Learning Progression. Educational Assessment, 1–23.
Kyla began her career teaching high school math in Texas and her home state of California. While teaching, she found that external state assessment had a strong influence on her teaching and her students in both positive and negative ways. To better understand the purposes, implementation, and development of large-scale assessments, she decided to pursue a doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder in Research and Evaluation Methodology. Her dissertation examined the extent to which Utah’s state-provided modular assessments supported teacher instruction and increased student learning. She also explored different approaches to cumulating scores in Montana’s operational through-year assessment mathematics pilot.
During her graduate studies, Kyla has presented her research at the American Educational Research Association (AERA), National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME), and the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment Collaborative (TILSA). Her dissertation work was supported by a summer dissertation completion grant from the Graduate School at the University of Colorado Boulder.
In addition to her doctoral research, Kyla worked on a team under her advisor, Professor Derek Briggs, to support the development and implementation of a tool for visualizing content referenced growth. She has also supported states as a psychometric reviewer of proposals for state assessments.
As a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Assessment, Kyla is excited to continue to use her analytic and technical skills to support accountability and assessment work that centers teaching and learning.
Recent and Relevant Publications
McClure, K. (in press). Benchmark Modules: A Better Interim Assessment? Evidence from Statewide Use of Benchmark Modules in Utah. AERA Open.Briggs, D. C., McClure, K., Student, S., Wellberg, S., Minchen, N., Cox, O., Buchbinder, N., Davis, L. (2025). Visualizing and Reporting Content-Referenced Growth on a Learning Progression. Educational Assessment, 1–23.