Dr. J. Douglas Willms is the founder of The Learning Bar. He is the President of the International Academy of Education, a Member of the US National Academy of Education, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He recently held the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Literacy and Human Development for 14 years.
Dr. Willms has published over 200 research articles and monographs pertaining to youth literacy, children’s health, the accountability of schooling systems, and the assessment of national reforms. He developed the Educational Prosperity framework over the course of his career, which is used by jurisdictions in their capacity-building efforts and the development of educational policy. The model has been adopted by the OECD for PISA for Development, an initiative aimed at building capacity for low- and middle-income countries to monitor progress towards nationally-set targets for improvement. Dr. Willms and his colleagues have developed the questionnaires and the analysis plan for this international study.
Colette Wasson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Learning Bar, a senior executive accountable for the strategic success of the company, the success of our partners and clients, and the achievement of our vision “Giving all children the opportunity to thrive”.
Colette attained an MBA to complement her Computer Science degree. She brings over 25 years of business and management experience working with large public and private sector organizations in a variety of industries. Over the years, Colette has developed a solid reputation for delivering results by empowering teams and bringing heart and mind to every challenge.
Colette is a volunteer with the ELF (Elementary Literacy Friends) program and loves to read with Grade 2 students.
Colette is the proud mother of two children and has a passion for the well-being and success of all children; she values and recognizes the importance of a quality education to ensure that all children reach their full potential.
Allison is the Managing Director with responsibility for the growth and profitability of the Australian operation. With a Master of Business Law from Southern Cross University, Lismore, in Business Administration from The University of Technology, Sydney and Risk and Governance qualifications from the Governance Institute of Australia, Allison has extensive experience in all aspects of project and operations management.
Prior to joining The Learning Bar, Allison gained extensive experience during her 10 years at Mars, Incorporated as Chief of Staff and College Director for the Global Legal Function reporting to the General Counsel. With excellence in operations, including business transformation and finance, Allison led the delivery of a number of global programs for the legal function in the area of finance and compliance. Prior to that Allison was a senior intellectual property paralegal at the international law firm Baker McKenzie, managing a multimillion-dollar key account. Allison believes that expectations for success play a key role in children achieving their full potential and having the opportunity to thrive.
Fred is the Chief Technology Officer of The Learning Bar. Bringing over thirty years of technology experience, ranging from satellite operations, military and aerospace, as well as both enterprise and internet software, on projects ranging from small to multi-billion-dollar, Fred applies a broad knowledge of software architecture, technology, and development processes to lead TLB’s technology team, and to drive a technology vision which solves real problems, and brings real value.
Ethan leads the Product Management and Client Success teams here at The Learning Bar. Their objective is to ensure that our products and services are continually evolving to better meet the needs of educators and that our customers receive the world-class service, training, and support required to achieve their goals. Ethan has over 15 years experience in building teams and processes that can help grow a business from start-up to industry leader. A proud father and project manager, Ethan’s commitment to TLB’s mission, vision, and values is why, after over a decade at TLB, he is still excited to come to work every single day.
Danielle leads a responsive research group, and is well experienced in providing a strong supporting role in provincial and state-level initiatives. Danielle and her research group are equipped to assist the ASM team, often behind the scenes. Danielle frequently prepares responses to questions about the survey measures, underlying statistical methods, or other research techniques that periodically arise from various stakeholders. She provides information about any aspect of the data or findings, conducting statistical analyses, preparing reports based on the findings for meetings, or generally assisting where needed when questions arise.
Susan is a highly skilled administrator with a background in not-for-profit and hospitality; she holds a Masters of Business Administration in International Business, and is service-oriented. Her work experiences include outreach services at the Salvation Army, assistant to the CEO of a rescue mission, and leadership roles in the hospitality industry.
Stephanie is the Director of Professional Learning and Engagement and has been on the Research team for over 6 years. She holds a Masters of Applied Health Services Research from the University of New Brunswick, and is a Project Management Professional (PMP). She finds it especially rewarding to support others to understand and interpret their data, and enjoys having conversations about how school context can help explain results. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys trying new recipes and playing soccer.
Shaun McBride is the Human Resources Manager at The Learning Bar, a senior Canadian Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) accountable for the full cycle Human Resources (HR) administration, HR project management, coaching & talent development, and employee communications. Her key objective is to give all The Learning Bar employees the opportunity to thrive.
Shaun has certificates in Business Administration, Negotiations, and Strategic Workforce Planning and has over 20 years experience in the field of Human Resources Management, working with large private sector organizations in a variety of industries. Over the years, Shaun has earned the respect of other Human Resources professionals through one-on-one mentorship. She is passionate about helping managers and employees perform at their best. Shaun is guided by her intuition and authentic desire to help others in her work.
Shaun is a volunteer Board Member for the Provincial Canadian Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) Fredericton Chapter.
Shaun is a proud mother and grandmother and has a very large extended family who rely on her to hold it together even when the going gets rough. Her free time is spent in the kitchen making her family’s favorite meals, or baking cookies to be included in the next parcel that will go to the grandchildren who live out west.
Ola is an experienced product manager with a proven track record of delivering successful products that meet customer needs and drive business growth. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, Ola has developed a deep understanding of product development and management, as well as market trends and consumer behavior.
Ola works with cross-functional teams, including engineering, design, marketing, research, and sales, to ensure OurSchool and Tell Them From me continues to fulfill the product’s commitment to educators by continually evolving. He is skilled in product strategy, road mapping, and agile development methodologies.
Ola holds a Master of Business Administration, B.Tech (Agricultural economics), A certified Scrum Product owner, Scale Scrum master and Scale product owner/ Product Manager.
Thomas Verghese is the Director of Customer Success and Client experience, and has been with the learning bar since 2022. He has a bachelors of engineering in computer science, and has been working in the Edtech sector for over 12 years. Thomas is responsible for driving the Learning Bar’s mission for achieving Educational prosperity for clients through strategic and thought leadership initiatives. He is passionate about grooming and building up the customer success team into becoming trusted advisors who are able to constantly drive value for their clients, and create unique client experiences as they journey with us. One of his strategic objectives is to position the Learning bar as a Strategic trusted Partner to clients as opposed to being just another software vendor.
Stephanie holds a BA in History from Bishop’s University and a B. Ed from St. Thomas University. She has completed several professional development courses over the years including project management and adult learning.
Stephanie Guignion brings her 10+ years of classroom teacher experience to The Learning Bar and uses this experience to support educators implementing the various solutions across the company. Her interests include resource development, process improvement & documentation, and early literacy.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading and gardening, and volunteers with several local community organizations.
Janette travaille avec l’équipe du Learning Bar depuis 2017. Elle a également travaillé dans le domaine de l’alphabétisation pendant plus d’une décennie, formant des enseignants et des tuteurs, animant des ateliers et créant des ressources. Elle a passé de nombreux étés à diriger des camps de mathématiques et d’alphabétisation dans les communautés autochtones du Nouveau-Brunswick. Grâce à sa formation forestière et scientifique, elle a également travaillé dans les domaines de l’éducation en plein air, de la sensibilisation et de la recherche. Janette a grandi dans une petite communauté francophone du Manitoba, puis a vécu dans diverses communautés du nord de l’Ontario et du Québec. Elle demeure maintenant près de Fredericton, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Sa passion pour aider les autres a été un atout majeur dans son travail visant à établir des partenariats solides et collaboratifs tout au long de sa carrière. Dans ses temps libres, Janette aime préparer des gâteries pour ses amis et sa famille, ainsi que faire du camping et de la randonnée.
Account Success Manager EYE Latin America (2017-2019) and OurSCHOOL / EYE Canada (2019- Present)
Bachelor Degree in Foreign Language (English) / Education
Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA) Certified Instructor by the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks
Customer Success Management Level 1 Certification
Teaching Experience in Mexico and Canada
Teaching Experience with individuals with different cultural background
Part of the Training Team when EYE was introduced in Ecuador.
Volunteer: Jr NBA program Coach with Fundy Minor Basketball Assn. Soccer Coach with Soccer Chaleur and currently with Charlotte County United Soccer Club.
“Every time I have time and the opportunity, I share/teach sport skills (basketball/soccer) with children. My best advise to them (including my 2 sons) is “Practice will make you better”. I like music, and mixing music. I do mobile DJing for private functions.
Riet joined the Client Success Team in November 2021, supporting clients in achieving their educational goals. Every day she is building customer loyalty and fostering long-term customer relationships by ensuring that customers have a positive experience. Her day is good when she can make her clients happy by actively listening, pinpointing, and solving the issues they encounter. She strongly believes in The Learning Bar’s mission that quality education should be a right for all children. She has a Master’s in Language Arts, specializing in German and English, and a teaching degree from the University of Ghent, Belgium. At the University of Antwerp, she got a degree in International Politics, a field that very much interests her.
Riet lives in rural New Brunswick and combines working from home and in the office. She loves the outdoors, and in her free time, she is busy in her garden, experimenting in the kitchen, making maple syrup, doing yoga, reading, playing with her toddler, and volunteering in her community.
Angela works within the Australian Implementation Team to deliver the Tell Them From Me and Early Years Evaluation products.
Josée worked for 20 years in Telecommunications, In progressive roles from sales rep to Manager of the Onboarding solution team. Josée has a background in building strong relationships with clients. She obtained a diploma in Teacher Aid from Stratford Career Institute recently. Josée takes pride in volunteering at her son’s school and being part of the Parent School Support Committee. She enjoys walks in nature, reading, and crocheting in her spare time.
Ericka Sutherland is a learning consultant in the Confident Learners program at The Learning Bar. Ericka completed master’s degrees in Literacy and Curriculum Studies from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, NS, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, with a focus on professional learning communities and teacher professional development.
Ericka taught with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education for 31 years as an early elementary classroom teacher, Literacy Coach, Literacy Consultant and a Reading and Writing interventionist. Regardless of whatever roles she took on, her heart was always in the early elementary classroom with students at the beginning of their literacy journeys. She believes that a strong, early start to literacy learning creates a solid foundation for all future learning and social-emotional well-being.
Most recently, Ericka has taught in the master’s of Education program at Mount St. Vincent University developing and delivering courses on Literacy Learning and Teaching and Reading Popular Culture. Throughout her studies and career, Ericka has pursued her passion for student literacy success through quality teacher training in the areas of literacy curriculum and instruction and collaborative professional learning.
Ericka lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and two grown children. Ericka firmly believes that through building collaborative educational relationships between all educational partners, students, families, teachers, school and district staff, every child can thrive and succeed.
Ashleigh works within the Australian Implementation Team to deliver Early Years Evaluation products and support single school clients with Tell Them From Me.
Christine completed her dual honours degree in Psychology and Criminology at Saint Mary’s University, and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Personality Psychology from the University of Manitoba. Prior to attending graduate school, Christine taught elementary school children in South Korea, ages 4 – 13, for two years, focusing on English as an additional language. This amazing experience served to strengthen her respect and admiration for teachers and solidified her passion for improving the life chances for all children. Christine has also been fortunate enough to work with children with special needs, in addition to a number of SLP’s, OT’s, PT’s and SP’s, while working with the Halifax Regional School Board and the Calgary Board of Education.
Tess Thurston is the Sales Consultant for The Learning Bar’s Australian Team. Working under Aaron Burns and Allison Blanco, Tess’s role is to prospect potential schools and introduce them to The Learning Bar’s product lines and solutions.
Tess comes from recruitment, marketing, and sales background having worked as a Talent Manager and Sales & Marketing Coordinator.
Tess holds her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota where she focused heavily on sales and marketing. Tess joined The Learning Bar’s Team with the hopes of improving children’s school experiences.
Kelly is an Education Service Partner with over 25 years of experience. She specializes in the implementation of assessment tools and has expertise in K-12 and Higher Education. Kelly has closely worked with several administrators to ensure the successful integration of technology tools.
Kelly’s passion for education began when she started teaching K-12 students as a substitute English teacher in Moncton, NB after graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s University. Her love for education has persisted throughout her entire career. Kelly spent over 20 years working in Education Publishing, helping thousands of faculty and students embrace new technology tools to enhance their classroom experience and foster an inclusive learning environment. Recently, she has been working with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities to help preserve local language and culture by creating customized classroom and community resources.
Kelly’s ability to work as a trusted partner while fostering relationships with clients is one of the skills she brings to The Learning Bar.
Erin is a Junior Developer with The Learning Bar and is responsible for contributing to the achievement of our company’s vision by participating in the research and development of The Learning Bar’s products. Erin has always been interested in technology, teaching herself to code and enrolling in Computer Science electives while studying Psychology. Eventually she made the decision to change educational paths and completed her diploma in Information Technology Programmer Analyst from New Brunswick Community College in June 2021. As a mother, Erin was drawn to The Learning Bar and the meaningful opportunity to help children thrive through her work as a developer. In her spare time Erin enjoys reading, video games and spending time with her partner, son and two rescue cats.
Nishanth Chillarige is the staff software engineer of the learning bar, responsible for leading and mentoring a team of developers as they execute the technological product development activities, make design decisions to build scalable and maintainable software solutions, drive technical initiatives, and ensure our products adhere to industry best standards.
Nishanth attained a Master’s in organizational management, which adds to his profound technical experience. Nishanth worked with large Multinational companies as a Technical lead and a Senior Research Engineer in Research and Development Centre’s in various industries, such as Automotive and Industrial automation. A deep understanding of software development principles and broad technical knowledge enabled him to provide robust software solutions for products that manage industrial time-series data and derive data analytics.
Nishanth takes pride in his contribution to constantly strengthening industries and aspires to design their work environments updated with present-day technologies that serve humanity.
Hayley is the Finance and Adminstration Officer for the Australian business. Working closely with the Managing Director, Hayley is responsible for the management of all aspects of Finance and Operations in the Australia business. She has worked at The Learning Bar since Feburary 2021. Hayley holds a certificate in Accounting and Bookkeeping.
Connie Freeman is the Senior Instructional Literacy Consultant at The Learning Bar. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education and over a decade of experience in the classroom. Connie’s philosophy of education is grounded in a fundamental belief in the importance of equitable education for all and the critical role literacy plays in ensuring success for all students. As a literacy support specialist, Connie has experience supporting students and teachers in the classroom, as well as building professional learning communities in schools.
A proud mother of two, Connie is an environmental advocate and a nature enthusiast. In her free time, she can be found raising and releasing Monarch butterflies and volunteering with her therapy dog, Bear. Connie makes her home on beautiful Mnidoo Mnising/Manitoulin Island, in the heart of Northern Ontario.
Connie has presented a webinar for The Learning Bar. Watch it here!
Le sondage NotreÉCOLE utilise uniquement des mesures à questions multiples, plutôt que des questions uniques comme le font la plupart des autres sondages scolaires. Lorsque nous élaborons nos mesures, nous veillons à ce qu’elles soient le plus représentatives possible du construct évalué. Nous partons du construct (ou domaine) large – par exemple, le concept de l’anxiété – puis nous effectuons un examen approfondi de la littérature existante et nous consultons des experts en la matière.
Nous créons ensuite une banque de questions qui reflètent le construct et qui sont rigoureusement mises à l’essai. Nous savons que les mesures sont plus fiables lorsqu’elles sont composées d’un certain nombre de questions bien formulées, car cela nous permet de différencier nos élèves avec plus de précision.
Les programmes de surveillance des écoles et les études nationales et internationales comme le PISA fournissent des indicateurs de suivi des résultats des élèves. L’objectif principal des indicateurs de suivi consiste à évaluer les changements de rendement des systèmes entre les écoles et les districts, et au fil du temps.
Les éducateurs ont besoin d’indicateurs précurseurs pour guider rapidement les politiques scolaires et les décisions en matière d’enseignement. Les indicateurs précurseurs fournissent des données qui vous permettent de vous concentrer uniquement sur ce qui se passe dans votre école maintenant, ainsi que de prédire ce qui en découlera (p. ex. des taux élevés d’intimidation à l’heure actuelle entraîneront des taux élevés d’anxiété plus tard). Les données issues des indicateurs précurseurs sont recueillies avant ou pendant l’apprentissage. Généralement, on les obtient par l’entremise de courts tests et de sondages plus fréquents. Les données peuvent être utilisées aux fins suivantes :
Nous permettons aux écoles de surveiller en continu plusieurs indicateurs précurseurs qui peuvent contribuer à guider les politiques et les pratiques au sein des écoles et à évaluer les effets des réformes scolaires.
La validité indique si l’ensemble des questions du sondage mesure ce qu’il vise à mesurer.
Étapes pour établir la validité d’une mesure NotreÉCOLE
Les données sont analysées à l’aide de deux techniques psychométriques : l’analyse factorielle et la théorie des réponses aux items (TRI). L’analyse fournit une indication de la mesure dans laquelle les questions se complètent les unes les autres pour fournir une mesure d’un construct unifié unique, et la mesure dans laquelle chaque question contribue à la mesure fiable du construct.
La fiabilité désigne la constance du processus de mesure, et c’est l’un des critères clés pour obtenir une mesure solide d’un résultat de scolarisation ou d’un processus scolaire.
La meilleure façon d’obtenir une exactitude élevée des mesures rapportées est d’avoir la participation de 100 % des élèves. Cependant, une estimation raisonnable peut être obtenue avec la participation d’aussi peu que 30 élèves.
La classification EAN comprend trois niveaux, qui se fondent sur un modèle de prévision obtenu à partir des données longitudinales ayant servi à estimer la probabilité qu’un enfant soit un bon lecteur à l’âge de 8 ou 9 ans, en fonction des scores de domaines qu’il a obtenus lors de l’ÉPE-OE. Les enfants qui présentent une probabilité supérieure à 80 % de devenir de bons lecteurs sont classés comme ayant des besoins d’apprentissage de niveau 1, ceux dont la probabilité de devenir de bons lecteurs varie de 50 % à 80 % sont classés comme ayant des besoins d’apprentissage de niveau 2, et ceux qui présentent une probabilité inférieure à 50 % sont considérés comme ayant des besoins d’apprentissage de niveau 3. Le modèle de prévision tient compte de l’âge de l’enfant au moment de l’évaluation et de son niveau d’habileté dans chacun des cinq domaines. Les résultats obtenus à partir du modèle sont pondérés de manière à ce que certaines habiletés aient plus d’importance que d’autres. Les habiletés des domaines Habiletés cognitives et Langue et communication sont celles qui ont le plus d’importance; les habiletés des enfants dans les domaines Conscience de soi et de son environnement, Fonctionnement social et dispositions pour l’apprentissage et Motricité fine contribuent également à la classification.
Une classification EAN n’est pas permanente ni nécessairement de longue durée, et il ne s’agit pas non plus d’une façon d’apposer une étiquette à un enfant. À mesure que les enfants développent leurs compétences en littératie, il convient d’effectuer régulièrement un suivi de leurs progrès, au moyen de divers tests structurés ou non. Concrètement, les enseignantes utilisent les résultats propres à chaque domaine pour planifier leur enseignement. Les écoles qui ont plus d’une classe de maternelle ou de première année peuvent utiliser le score EAN pour s’assurer que la prévalence d’enfants vulnérables est répartie de façon homogène dans les groupes.
En outre, les enfants ayant des besoins d’apprentissage de niveau 2 ou de niveau 3 n’ont pas nécessairement de difficultés d’apprentissage ou de déficiences intellectuelles précises. La classification indique simplement qu’un enfant pourrait avoir besoin de plus d’heures d’enseignement et de ressources au cours des années d’école primaire.