Charlene Turner, B.S.

Charlene Turner, B.S., is a Senior Associate and Assessment Specialist with edCount, LLC. Ms. Turner brings with her over 30 years of experience in education as a state alternate assessment director, special education teacher, and researcher. During her tenure at edCount, Ms. Turner has used her expertise to facilitate a variety of projects, including assessment development, evaluation, and professional development. Ms. Turner currently serves as a Senior Project Advisor and Assessment Specialist in multiple states. Currently, for Louisiana, Ms. Turner is leading a project team in English language arts (ELA) item development for LEAP Connect, Louisiana’s statewide alternate assessment. In Mississippi, she is leading the facilitation of stakeholder meetings and collaborating with the Department of Education to develop and implement an innovative alternate assessment system in ELA, mathematics, and science. In Tennessee, she is leading the development of a coherent assessment framework and instructional resources in multiple grades and content areas for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Ms. Turner recently served as a panel facilitator for alignment evaluations of Georgia’s statewide general assessment and Florida’s FSAA—Datafolio alternate assessment.

In California, Ms. Turner led the development of the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Core Content Connectors for use with the California NGSS Alternate Assessment Program. Ms. Turner also served as a panel facilitator for a linking evaluation of Delaware’s GBEs and the DLM EEs. Formerly, Ms. Turner served as a senior curriculum and alternate assessment specialist for the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) General Supervision Enhancement Grant. Within her NCSC role, Ms. Turner supported the implementation and coordination of validity evaluation studies, including technical documentation of project activities related to assessment, instructional resource development, and professional development. Ms. Turner served as a facilitator, panelist, and developer of materials and technical documentation of alignment studies for general and alternate assessments for the Clerc Center/Gallaudet University. Ms. Turner also advised the Puerto Rico Department of Education during the development of assessment training for administrators of the alternate assessment and protocols for implementation of accommodations studies.

Prior to joining edCount, Ms. Turner served as an educator and Literacy Education Consultant in elementary, middle, and high schools to support effective instruction of special education students in self-contained, resource, and inclusive settings. She served as the Director of Alternate Assessment for the Wyoming Department of Education and was responsible for the development, implementation, and improvement of the Wyoming Alternate Assessment System, including standards, instruction, and assessment. In addition, Ms. Turner has participated in multiple Enhanced Assessment Grants, co-authored papers and briefs, and presented at state and national conferences. Mr. Turner earned a B.S. in Special Education from James Madison University.