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Matt Townsley
Matt Townsley, EdD, is an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He is a former district administrator and teacher in Solon Community Schools, also in Iowa, where he led curriculum, assessment, and school-improvement initiatives, all under the umbrella of a professional learning community philosophy.
Matt Townsley
Matt Townsley, EdD, is an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He is a former district administrator and teacher in Solon Community Schools, also in Iowa, where he led curriculum, assessment, and school-improvement initiatives, all under the umbrella of a professional learning community philosophy. Solon Community Schools was named a district of distinction in 2015 by District Administration magazine, and multiple schools in the district were recognized by Solution Tree as model professional learning communities during his tenure. Dr. Townsley has consulted with thousands of teachers and administrators across the country on the topics of assessment and standards-based grading.
In 2017, Dr. Townsley was named Iowa’s Central Office Administrator of the Year, and in 2014, he was recognized as an ASCD Emerging Leader. His writing has been published in journals such as Educational Leadership, School Administrator, NASSP Bulletin, The Journal of School Administration Research and Development, and American Secondary Education. He is coauthor of Making Grades Matter, a practical guide to help professional learning communities implement a standards-based grading system at the secondary education level.
Dr. Townsley received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Wartburg College, a master’s degree in curriculum and instructional technology from Iowa State University, an advanced studies certificate in educational leadership from the University of Northern Iowa, and a doctorate in school improvement from the University of West Georgia.
Assessment Collaborative
Assessment Collaborative experts have proven success in developing and implementing sustainable assessment practices that garner hope through achievement. Work with them to create assessment systems that provide accurate, meaningful, and actionable information to drive student learning.
Presentations by Matt Townsley
- Making Grades Matter: Implementing Standards-Based Grading in Secondary Classrooms
- Standards-Based Grading: Snags and Solutions
- Next Steps with Standards-Based Grading
- High School Standards-Based Grading in a Professional Learning Community
- Middle School Standards-Based Grading in a Professional Learning Community
- Grading: Not the Way Your Aunt Edna Experienced It
- Standards-Based Grading 201: Moving from Theory to Practice
