Biographical Sketch

Dr. Pasquale J. DeVito has a long and successful record in the areas of student assessment and program evaluation.  Prior to co-founding AEC, Dr. DeVito served for three years as director and senior program officer for the Board on Testing and Assessment (BOTA) of the National Research Council (NRC), an inter-disciplinary committee of national and international experts with a role as a major resource to the country on testing and assessment issues. He managed an internal workforce of professional and administrative staff, secured multi-million dollar funding for support of BOTA projects, and represented the Board and the NRC at professional, federal and congressional meetings on assessment-related topics.  Further, Dr. DeVito acted as study director on an examination of the use of test accommodations in the National Assessment of Educational Progress and other large-scale assessments, and as a key contributor to projects on assessing technological literacy and on improving measures of access to equal educational opportunities.

Before joining the NRC, Dr. DeVito served for many years as the state assessment director for the state of Rhode Island, where he directed and managed a division with major responsibility for all aspects of the student assessment program, facilitated a regional field service team, and participated as a member of the Department’s upper level management team.  For a period of two years, he also managed all aspects of the Department's Management Information Services Division, including electronic data collection systems, analysis procedures, and federal and state reporting processes. Further responsibilities included directing program evaluation activities statewide.    

Throughout his career, Dr. DeVito has assisted states, local districts, and the federal government as a consultant on a variety of testing, program evaluation and assessment-related issues. He also served for 10 years as an adjunct professor at the University of Rhode Island and for five years in a similar capacity at Bridgewater (MA) State College. Dr. DeVito received his Ph.D. in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation from Boston College.  His research interests include the use and validity of testing accommodations in large scale assessments, the implementation, use, interpretation, and alignment of curriculum frameworks and NAEP to state assessment programs, test preparation, and the use of assessment and evaluative information to improve educational programs and instruction.  Dr. DeVito has published and presented many scholarly pieces on these issues and is active in professional organizations.

Download Dr. DeVito's Resume in PDF format.