A former classroom educator, Dr. Allison Chapman-Chin is currently the Bilingual Manager of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada’s (CMEC) Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP). Allison holds an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) in Chemistry and Mathematics from McMaster University, a Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Intermediate-Senior Chemistry and Mathematics from Queen’s University, a Master of Education (MEd) in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education from Queen’s University.
Allison began her career as a high school mathematics teacher in the U.S. states of Nevada and South Carolina. She explains how her teaching experience, particularly her work with large-scale assessments, influenced her decision to study standard setting in educational assessment. While pursuing her doctorate at Queen’s University, she undertook an internship at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in New Jersey, where she focused on the role of working memory in standard-setting judgments. Her doctoral research explored the use of formative assessment in secondary mathematics classrooms, specifically its practices and connections to conceptions of assessment and mathematical knowledge for teaching.
Her scholarly work was recognised by the Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association (CERA), which awarded her the David Bateson New Scholar Award in 2015. After completing her doctoral program, Allison worked for the British Columbia (B.C.) Ministry of Education, where she contributed to the design of the Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment in response to curriculum revision.
Following two years in B.C., Allison relocated to Ontario, and has since served for nine years as the Bilingual Manager of CMEC’s national student assessment program. In this role, she leads the development, validation, implementation, and reporting of the PCAP.
Dr. Chapman-Chin explains how CMEC has revised its contextual questionnaires for PCAP, with the framework now aligned to the Education Prosperity framework developed by Dr. Douglas Willms of the Learning Bar. Within the PCAP context, this framework includes measures of health and well-being, engagement, and social-emotional learning alongside academic achievement.
Allison also discusses the CMEC’s administration of PCAP using the Vretta platform, highlighting its benefits, including improved accessibility, tracking of students’ response times, built-in tools, and a user-friendly authoring environment for item developers. Looking ahead, she notes a likely increase in the use of game-based assessments and AI-assisted coding in K-12 education.
She expresses cautious optimism about the role of AI in assessment, noting its potential to improve the reliability of coding constructed-response items, while emphasizing the importance of human oversight and the continued value of coding sessions as a source of professional development.
Allison is passionate about leading educational projects that support K-12 teaching, learning, and assessment. Reflecting on her career to date, she takes pride in her doctoral research, her contributions to the design of B.C.’s Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment, and her collaborative work with ministries and departments of education, CMEC colleagues, and other partners to advance educational discourse across Canada.
Away from her professional responsibilities, Allison enjoys travelling and quality time with her young family. Please feel free to reach out to Allison at: chapman.allison@gmail.com.
RMJ ASSESSMENT 